Television

Katarina Hall | 4.5.2024 8:30 AM

What if human rights were dependent on magical ability?

That's the premise behind the popular anime Mashle: Magic and Muscles. The series takes place in the Magic Realm, a fantasy world where one's social standing is solely defined by magical abilities—and more magic means more political power. In the Realm, almost everyone is born with magical powers, but those with superior magic skills hold positions of authority. Status is demarcated by distinctive markings on people's faces: An average person bears only a single line; three lines signify god-like powers.

A small portion of the Realm population, however, is born without any magical ability at all. Known as lackmagics, they are outcasts in the Magic Realm. Lackmagics are excluded from society and deemed unworthy of human rights. They face constant persecution and even threats of death, as the Realm's government is intent on keeping humanity as magical as possible.

The show is funny and frequently absurd, but it's also a pointed political metaphor. Beneath the humor, Mashle is a story about a broken society where magical ability defines one's place in the world, and government-ordered discrimination not only results in the killing of innocents but also a society-wide disregard for nonmagical talents and abilities. It's a show about rejecting top-down discrimination and learning to appreciate people........

© Reason.com