Muscles are Better Than Magic! – Review

Muscles Are Better Than Magic! is a fantasy comedy manga that almost feels like it is from another era entirely – in a good way. It is a short, breezy read that entertains without overstaying its welcome. It is not of such high quality that I can give it a universal recommendation, but if you’re in the mood for silly sword-and-sorcery, it is the perfect fit.

For starters, Muscles Are Better Than Magic! is really as simple as its title sounds. Yuri is a muscle-bound meathead who solves all his problems by being super swole. Philae is a playful elf armed with powerful magic and witty putdowns. They go around fighting monsters and encountering other weirdos who make their lives more interesting for a chapter or two before moving on to the next adventure. Lather, rinse, repeat – it’s episodic silliness through and through.

But that simplicity is part of its charm. There’s no complicated world-building to unravel, no complex magic systems to wrestle with, and no vast cast of characters and their relationships to untangle. Yuri strong forest man. Filia tiny elf woman. Monster go RAAR. Yuri flexes. They die. Filia casts spells. It’s not exactly cerebral, folks, but that makes it a smooth read from start to finish. The chapters come and go, and it makes for effortless entertainment on a lunch break or lazy afternoon.

Everything presented here is just fine while seldom being exceptional. The action is easy to parse with clear progress from one panel to the next, following a basic setup/payoff structure. Nothing about its combat is impressively dynamic – Yuri is just That Strong™ and monsters go boom. But it is exciting enough to keep you from putting down the volume.

The comedy beats work well too. Most of it is very simple gag humor based on silly premises, and the core conceit of Yuri being strong is the primary driver of jokes. There’s nothing too crude, and even the off-color jokes are tame and not ill-intentioned. I had more than a few hearty chuckles reading this, but I was never laughing to the point of tears or rolling on the floor – it is, again, Just Fine™.

The art is clean but nothing spectacular either. The characters are light on detail and have rather basic designs, while the backgrounds are present without being much to write home about. There is not much in the way of experimentation or stylistic flourish, other than a few intense moments when Yuri kicks his musculature into high gear.

What delighted me most about Muscles Are Better Than Magic! is the way it reminded me of the anime and manga I grew up on. Back when I was a much younger man in the 90s, Slayers was one of my absolute favorite series (alongside other fantasy/comedy stuff like Dragon Half or standard fantasy like Record of Lodoss War). Muscles Are Better Than Magic! transported me right back to those days of my youth with its combination of simple style, goofy comedy, and fantasy setting – and for that nostalgia trip alone I am thankful, though I don’t know how much that might mean to fans with more modern tastes. It might feel charmingly nostalgic, or its throwback vibe might not even register; given that nothing here is particularly exceptional, your mileage may vary.

There are indications of more going on than simply Yuri and Filia getting into wacky situations. Yuri’s muscle magic is implied to be more than merely swole-beams, perhaps hinting at some greater power. Filia is clearly defensive over being stereotyped by others as “just an elf” but feels comfortable around Yuri – he is the only person who lets her be Filia and not define her by her heritage and magic prowess. There is also an adventuring guild and what appears to be a steady stream of supporting characters who might present opportunities to expand the story. There are openings here and there for the series to have greater depth down the line, but we don’t have enough time for that in this first volume, and it comes off as being as generic and shallow as its premise implies.

The real question, of course, is whether it can maintain interest in future volumes. Being a nice bit of fantasy comedy comfort food is fine and all, but whether people will keep showing up for episodic hijinks is another question entirely. I’ll be curious to see if future chapters introduce more complexity or try to up the ante comedically, because as it stands this is fine for a first entry but may not keep people engaged over the long haul.