The hidden face from the first announcement lasted exactly as long as promised. A new super teaser trailer for the live-action MASHLE: MAGIC AND MUSCLES movie has revealed Mackenyu Maeda as Mash Burnedead, ending the casting mystery the production built into its first teaser visual.
Word of the reveal came through the official website of the MASHLE: MAGIC AND MUSCLES live-action movie, which now leads with Mackenyu in the role and carries comments from the star, the director and the manga's creator. Yuichi Fukuda, known for the live-action Gintama films and SAKAMOTO DAYS, directs and writes the movie.
The trailer itself gives Mash two defining moments. One shot shows the fake facial mark being applied to his cheek, the disguise that hides the fact that he cannot use magic, while another cuts to him driving through high-speed bench presses with the blank expression the character is famous for.
Watch the super teaser trailer here:
The teaser visual released alongside the footage provides the first proper look at the live-action Mash. Mackenyu appears in his Easton Magic Academy uniform with the character's signature black hair and facial mark, a direct step out of the manga's design.
Preparation for the part began long before the cameras rolled, Mackenyu explained in his comment on the official website. "As the best preparation I could do, I spent three years from the day I received the offer to get into a physique that would be convincing enough to be recognized by the fans," he said.
Playing a hero who rarely shows emotion was its own challenge, the actor added. "It was a challenge to portray Mash Burnedead, a character who doesn't show much emotion, but Mash has superhuman power, and even without many words, his emotions should be conveyed through that power," Mackenyu said.
Fukuda moved almost immediately once the project was approved, he revealed in his own comment. "Five seconds after getting permission, I offered the role to Mackenyu. I asked him, 'Until when are you finished filming Zoro?' I was glad our schedules matched," the director said.
The reference was to Mackenyu's run as Roronoa Zoro in the live-action ONE PIECE series. Fukuda also said he assembled what he considered the best possible cast, with almost every cast member working together for the first time.
Creator Hajime Komoto visited the set and came away impressed by what he saw there. "I still vividly remember how incredible the set and Mackenyu's muscular physique were when I actually saw them on set, and how my own pectoral muscles started twitching from side to side!!" Komoto said.
Warner Bros. Pictures and Fuji Television are overseeing the production, with CREDEUS handling production and Toho distributing the film in Japan. CREDEUS previously worked on live-action projects including Kingdom, Blue Lock and Kokuho, giving the adaptation a team already tested on major manga properties.
What is MASHLE: MAGIC AND MUSCLES about?
MASHLE: MAGIC AND MUSCLES is a magic-school action comedy manga by Hajime Komoto, serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump from January 2020 to July 2023 across 18 volumes, with more than 12 million copies in circulation worldwide. Viz Media publishes the manga in English through its Shonen Jump service and in print, and Shueisha also offers the series in English on its MANGA Plus platform.
This is a world of magic where magic is used for everything. But deep in the forest exists a young man who spends his time training and bulking up. He can't use magic, but he enjoys a peaceful life with his father. But one day, his life is put in danger! Will his muscular body protect him from the magic users who are out to get him? Powerfully trained muscles crush magic as this abnormal magical fantasy begins!
The anime side of the franchise keeps moving at the same time, with a third season of the television anime on the way. That season adapts the Tri-Magicathlon Divine Visionary Final Exam Arc, continuing the story of the anime's own Mash, voiced by Chiaki Kobayashi.
The live-action MASHLE: MAGIC AND MUSCLES movie opens in Japanese theaters on March 19, 2027. No international release plans have been announced.
