Kara Dennison
January 19, 2024 
Mashle: Magic & Muscles is back for another round this season! Based on Hajime Komoto’s recently-completed manga series, the anime follows Mash Burnedead as he tries to make his way through wizard school. The bad news is, he has no magical abilities: he’s a Lackmagic, and thus considered less than human in this setting. The good news? He’s so swole, the laws of physics are an afterthought.
This action-comedy required a fittingly awesome song for its second season, and it got it. Boy, did it get it. And now it’s got the whole Internet dancing!
The Tune
If you’ve somehow managed to miss the new Mashle opening theme, let us help. And if this ends up getting stuck in your head for the foreseeable future… well, that’s understandable.
You don’t need to understand the lyrics to this addictive tune to enjoy it, but the full lyrics and translation are out there. “Bling Bang Bang Born” could easily stand alone without the show — the words are pretty much a long-form flex about being supernaturally better than your rivals and detractors. Of course, that is kind of Mash’s whole deal, so it absolutely fits. Mix that with a Jersey club sound and a beat that gets you dancing (even though it literally sounds like a squeaky board), and you’ve got this season’s most popular anime opening (so far).
The Singers
Despite being formed more than a decade ago, hip-hop duo Creepy Nuts is relatively new to the anime song space. R-Shitei and DJ Matsunaga’s first foray into anime was in 2022’s Call of the Night, which came about in a roundabout (and very cool) way. Their 2019 track “Yofukashi no Uta” served as the anthem for Audrey’s All-Night Nippon 10th Anniversary Tour. And as late-night talk radio listeners were jamming to it, manga artist Kotoyama used it as inspiration for his vampire rom-com.
The song was used for the manga trailer, and then as the ending theme for the anime adaptation. But Creepy Nuts also went on to pen the opening theme “Daten” and an insert song for the anime. Not only that, they even made cameos in the show! It seems the group has struck a chord with anime viewers, with Mashle marking their second foray into anime theme writing.
The Trend
Ever since Mashle returned for the winter season, social media has been all over this song. Some Instagram and TikTok users are using the track to show off their dance moves (and love for the song). Others, like cosplayer Jeffrey Zang (whom you may have seen as cons as “Buff Anya”), are showing off both their costumes and their gains.
The tune is even escaping containment, with TTRPG video maker and ballroom dancer Alec the Bard using it to demonstrate one of his favorite 5e spells. (Otto’s Irresistible Dance, naturally.) And there’s more where these came from, with more reels and videos being added all the time!
So, has Creepy Nuts already locked in this season’s best anime opening? Or is there another tune living rent-free in your head?
