Finn Ames and Friends

Mash, as a manga reader, is actually a very intelligent show with many good fights which actually discuss within them very important topics about what it means to be human. I think this episode perfectly exemplifies why, when people say that Mash is overrated, that they have neither given the show the chance it deserves nor the recognition of the deeper ideas behind its plot.

This episode was very much focused on the idea of pain. That pain is actually the sole determinant of what makes us human. The more pain we feel, the more human we become, and the strong are not necessarily those who feel the least pain but those who overcome the most. This idea was applied in quite a simple concept - a fight between a strong character, and a weak one.

I was amazed by this episode. The fact such a doctrine can be spewed out nonchalantly by the show in a small episode reminded me why this show deserves so much respect. This episode was incredible! And yet, in creating such a heartfelt and more nuanced episode, the show still maintained its lightheartedness to the end. I don't think I've ever felt more contented to see a person be beaten in a fight, not out of hatred for a character, but for hope through their pain and anguish they will become a stronger person. In the sense that the idea applied to the episode carries in the outcome, this is nothing short of a masterclass of an episode.

I will reiterate - this episode is incredible for one within quite a simplistic show. And therefore this an undoubted 10/10 as it goes so beyond the baseline for a simple action-comedy show.