Hiro Mashima is one of the most famous manga artists in the world thanks to the world-renowned anime franchise Fairy taleand for good reason. Fairy taleThe film's themes of friendship, combined with its fun cast and great action, gave it wide appeal to fans of Shonen anime and manga for years, and few other stories have achieved its success in the last 20 years.
Fairy taleHiro Mashima's success cannot be underestimated, but it is not where Hiro Mashima's career began. When Mashima started out as a manga artist, he made his debut with another successful manga called Master Raveits anime aired on Toonami in the 2000s, and as big as Fairy tale could it be, Master Rave is the series that truly stands out as the best of Hiro Mashima's work. Obviously, Master Rave never became a massive franchise in the same vein as Fairy taleor even Eden Zeroand how much Master Rave had to offer, this is nothing but a disgrace.
What made Rave Master a great anime and manga
Master Rave stands out as one of Hiro Mashima's best works by far, and it's easy to see why. Mashima's works are known for their great comedy and action, which are further complemented by the large cast of characters and despite being his first work, Master Rave has the same great action and writing as Hiro Mashima's other works, with the added benefit of a slightly more serious narrative that ties it all together. It's the most straightforward adventure series Mashima has ever written, and it still holds up 25 years after the fact.
Master Rave is a truly underrated manga, and the anime is equally underrated. While the anime doesn't always have the best art and animation, the anime still did a good job of translating the manga into animation, and the English dub was especially fun to watch thanks to the great voice acting and Reel Big Fish's catchy theme song. Master Rave was one of the best anime to air on Toonami thanks to its excellent adaptation and dubbingand fans old and new would be remiss not to give it a rewatch or a chance, in general.
Rave Master is a breath of fresh air for anyone who got tired of Fairy Tail
Why Rave Master might be better than Fairy Tail
Master Rave is a truly remarkable series, and that's especially true for anyone who might be tired of Fairy tale. As popular as Hiro Mashima's Fairy tale may be, it is also divisive with its heavy use of fanservice and overuse of the power of friendship, and although Master Rave also has these problems, it doesn't even come close to what happens in Master Rave. Master Rave performs some of the most divisive quirks of Fairy tale in a much more palatable wayand this can be great for anyone who may have become exhausted Fairy tale.
Another point of comparison can be found in their different tones. Fairy tale is often criticized for not taking itself seriously enough thanks to the lack of deaths, the anticlimactic nature of many fights, and how out of place much of the comedy is, but Master Rave is much more willing to kill off characters and make them work for their victories, while also having a better balance of comedy. Fairy taleThe style isn't necessarily bad, but Master Rave It's perfect for those who are criticized Fairy tale for not taking yourself seriously anymoreand that's still great to see.
With how underrated a series it is Master Rave was, this raises the question of whether there is any chance of making it big. The manga ended 20 years ago and the anime ended without finishing the story, and with both quickly eclipsed in popularity by Fairy talesuccess, it is unlikely that Master Rave to find new life in modern anime culture when Fairy tale and the rest of Hiro Mashima's most modern works are so successful. ONE Master Rave The anime reboot could help things, but with how much of a cult series it is, that's unlikely to happen anytime soon.
Master Rave It's unlikely to get the respect it deserves, but that doesn't mean it's completely irrelevant. Master Rave is still referenced in the works of Hiro Mashima, particularly in the frequency with which he reuses Sieg and the Oracion Seis, and on a meta level, the deep tones of Eden Zero and Dead Rockat least compared to Fairy talecould be a recognition of the strengths of Master Ravestyle. Even if it never becomes as big as Fairy tale, Master Rave It's still worth trying, and anyone who hasn't tried it yet should do so as soon as possible.