usually don't combine ratings but i'll just do it here coz i don't have the energy to judge the two parts separately. i heard of this anime being a Harry Potter parody from instagram so i downloaded the first season on my phone. BUT. it took me three to four watches of the first episode to sit with it properly and watch in full. the overarching plot feels pretty generic, and the comedy is typical anime gags that feel clichéd and unoriginal in some instances. the true comedy always comes from mash's crazy stunts and dense but good-natured characterization. the real problem that mashle runs into is that it never really leans into its parody anime reputation completely. half the plot takes itself seriously, what with the threat of anime!voldemort and mash earnestly trying to become a divine visionary. if the story tried to be fully one or the other, it'd've been able to give it its all instead of toeing the line between genres and instead becoming a generic fantasy shounen. animation was actually pretty good in some parts, especially with some characters' abilities. rayne ames is probably my favourite character of the lot because he's such an aurafarmer and we ain't even seen his full power yet hehe. lance crown's siscon gag is ridiculous but i also like seeing him coz he's such pretty boy eyecandy. i do wish we got to see more of some characters' backstories like finn and rayne, because aside from what they do presently in the plot, there's not much explanation of their past. they don't even speak to each other in the entire show despite being siblings. another sibling duo, orter and wirth madl, is also absent. wirth basically disappeared off the face of the earth after his 5-mins of fame in s1. he's not mentioned a single time in reference to his older brother. margarette macaron is a non-binary baddie and i LOVE that they're voiced by toji's VA. i was so surprised when i first heard their voice in a lower register and went "wait a goddamn minute i know this voice-" and immediately googled lol. don't really got much more to say. it was an average anime.
