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Muscles are Better Than Magic! (Manga) Vol. 1
A comedic fantasy romp where one man's amazing muscles overcome every magical challenge--and don't miss the original light novels, also from Seven Seas! For years, Yuri has trained his muscles deep in the Forest of Death. One day, he grows so strong he can even withstand the power of magic! When a (self-proclaimed) transcendently beautiful elf girl named Filia comes upon Yuri, they join forces on a journey out of the forest! Can they stop bickering long to make it to the wide world beyond?
180 pages, Paperback
Published April 13, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 15, 2021
Yuri has raised himself into a bulky meat slab of muscle in the Forest of Death. One day he meets the young elf Filia and an unlikely friendship is formed. Brains and brawn are out in the wild world and... probably we should care?
As I’ve often said, there’s nothing more frustrating than a book you feel you ought to be enjoying but don’t exactly click with. This book is firmly in that unfortunate pantheon for me.
It’s not bad and it does some things I really like - it’s incredibly amusing that literally all the fan service is focused on Yuri and his expansive bulk. They get a lot of mileage from his very intense training regimen (the book on common sense he found in the forest might be the best joke here).
Unfortunately, no joke can maintain that much mileage without running out of gas and I was well tired of his schtick by the end of the book. Precious little variation on a theme breeds repetition. What’s even worse is that they have other avenues to explore and keep smacking home the same gags.
It’s also just overpowered isekai with no death (my interest doesn’t count) and little point - the two become adventurers and go beat things up and bicker in your typical Moonlighting scenario. Their chemistry is fun, don’t get me wrong, but meh. The quest to find something that might actually present a challenge to our heroes is not one I’m terribly invested in.
Filia doesn’t get to do much except look like a pre-teen seventeen year old elf girl (sigh) and occasionally do some magic. This book is really overrun with Yuri (shame about that capital y or I might’ve liked it more) and he gets all the attention, leading to the over-reliance on him for the jokes.
It’s not bad if you like this style of story where any stakes are completely nullified by the power, but I could have used a lot more variety in the jokes and maybe develop both your leads equally. The title turns out to be a clear declaration of authorial intent because magic appears to really suck in this story.
2.5 stars, which I don’t know I can round up because I just have no desire to read another volume of this - I feel like everything it’s got to offer is in this one book. It’s entirely possible I was just in a bad mood reading this, so adjust upward if it sounds interesting.
As I’ve often said, there’s nothing more frustrating than a book you feel you ought to be enjoying but don’t exactly click with. This book is firmly in that unfortunate pantheon for me.
It’s not bad and it does some things I really like - it’s incredibly amusing that literally all the fan service is focused on Yuri and his expansive bulk. They get a lot of mileage from his very intense training regimen (the book on common sense he found in the forest might be the best joke here).
Unfortunately, no joke can maintain that much mileage without running out of gas and I was well tired of his schtick by the end of the book. Precious little variation on a theme breeds repetition. What’s even worse is that they have other avenues to explore and keep smacking home the same gags.
It’s also just overpowered isekai with no death (my interest doesn’t count) and little point - the two become adventurers and go beat things up and bicker in your typical Moonlighting scenario. Their chemistry is fun, don’t get me wrong, but meh. The quest to find something that might actually present a challenge to our heroes is not one I’m terribly invested in.
Filia doesn’t get to do much except look like a pre-teen seventeen year old elf girl (sigh) and occasionally do some magic. This book is really overrun with Yuri (shame about that capital y or I might’ve liked it more) and he gets all the attention, leading to the over-reliance on him for the jokes.
It’s not bad if you like this style of story where any stakes are completely nullified by the power, but I could have used a lot more variety in the jokes and maybe develop both your leads equally. The title turns out to be a clear declaration of authorial intent because magic appears to really suck in this story.
2.5 stars, which I don’t know I can round up because I just have no desire to read another volume of this - I feel like everything it’s got to offer is in this one book. It’s entirely possible I was just in a bad mood reading this, so adjust upward if it sounds interesting.
March 31, 2022
Meh it's was alright just a silly gag manga if anything
August 18, 2024
In Muscles Are Better Than Magic! super-brawny Yuri and super-cute, magical Filia team up to go on adventures, fighting monsters and bad guys. The writing is brisk, the artwork lovely. The monsters are cool. This is a light read and a fun one.
May 17, 2023
I enjoyed this one a lot more as a light novel, the manga was just 'okay".
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews