[Source](https://m.imdb.com/title/tt21209804/mediaviewer/rm4157345281/?ref_=ttmi_mi_13)
Have you ever had someone walk up to you and ask for an anime recommendation? Maybe they see you always focused on your device, binge watching anime, and out of the blue, they get interested. What is the first thing you think of when picking an anime for them? A gripping plot? Romance? Non-stop action or a well-developed character? There are so many things to consider. For me, it is the length of the anime and the plot. I want something that won’t overwhelm or bore them, and at the same time, something that'd keep them hooked from the beginning to the end. When it comes to non-anime fans, I am always very careful. You don’t want to scare them off with a 520-episode anime like Naruto, One Piece, or Bleach. Introducing someone to anime is just like teaching someone how to drive a car, you don’t start on an express road, you start slowly in a secluded place.
What is your go-to anime when someone asks for an anime recommendation? For me, it is Mashle. Mashle is one of the anime that brought me back to the anime world and made me an otaku again. I grew up watching Naruto and other old anime. However, it got to a point where I stopped watching anime completely. My memories are flawed and I don’t remember why I stopped, but it is probably because our TV got faulty, and I didn't have a cell phone at the time. I got back to watching anime in 2022 when a friend sent me Mashle. I got interested in it because it was just 12 episodes and the first one grabbed my attention.
Mashle is set in a world where everything revolves around magic—literally everything. People are treated based on the amount of magical power they have. Meaning, magic dictated power and status. In this world, there's a boy named Masle Burnedead who has no magical power. Imagine living in a world where you are different. Mashle lives with his adoptive grandfather who picked him up when he was a baby. Mashle’s grandfather raised him like he'd raise his kid. Despite not having a single drop of magical powers, Mashle works out everything and has trained his body to be machine-like. Mashle stays in the woods with his grandfather, working out and eating cream puffs. He knows if the world discovers his secrets (that he doesn't have magical powers), they'd come for him.
Soon enough, the world finds out about his secrets. Mashle is forced to attend Easton Magic Academy with the sole goal of becoming the Divine Visionary. How will someone without a single drop of magic thrive in a school for those with magic? How will Mashle Burnedead become a divine visionary despite not having magical powers? Mashle continues to work out, and one way or the other, he finds a way to survive in Easton Magic Academy.
Have you seen Mashle? What is your take on the anime? If you want to introduce a non-anime fan to the anime world, what is your go-to anime?
Thanks for reading.