MAO (2019)

[MAO（マオ）]

Volume 1

Author/Artist: Rumiko Takahashi
Publisher: Shounen Sunday Comics

Synopsis:
A sickly girl is transported to the Taishou Era, where she meets a cursed onmyouji who fights demons.

Story/Characters:
So far, I've only read the first volume of Rumiko Takahashi's previous series Kyoukai no Rinne, which was more of a throwback to her comedic stylings from the days of Urusei Yatsura and Ranma 1/2. I remember feeling underwhelmed, but I've been wanting to give it more of a chance, especially in light of how closely I've followed Takahashi's work. When Rinne ended, I thought she might retire. She's been at it over 40 years, after all. However, one day I was browsing the newsstand and saw that she had a new series that had started serialization. This is more of a spiritual successor to Inuyasha, with a mix of action and horror and an element of time travel, as well as a continuous narrative rather than a more episodic approach to storytelling. One of my complaints about Rinne was that I didn't like Takahashi going back to an episodic format. (This may have changed later in the series. I don't know.) Anyway, the elements that were being brought together here had my interest and I was ready to see more.

If you're a fan of Inuyasha, you should enjoy this. Mao is a much calmer and more collected male lead the likes of Inuyasha or Ranma and is probably the most mature male lead Takahashi has written for one of her long-running series. (I'm reminded a bit of Yuuta from the Mermaid series.) Our female lead Nanoka seemed a bit bland at first, but then her gimmick came into play and she became a lot more interesting. I like the deadpan quality of Otoya in contrast to the usual kid sidekicks in Takahashi's series and his dynamic with Nanoka. Shiraha appears to be the Houjou of this series, but I'm hoping he develops into something more substantial.

After being introduced to Kimetsu no Yaiba, which I praised for being set in the Taishou Era, I find it interesting that this series is also set in the Taishou Era and deals with classic monsters and mysticism amid the encroaching modern age. I don't think there's any deliberate connection, but it's neat to see this period in Japanese history get a little more attention in popular media.

We get a couple starter monsters to help establish Mao and Nanoka's powers and then we start in on the first meaty episode with Shouko's cult. All the while we're slowly being drip-fed hints about Mao's past and Nanoka's true nature. It's a fairly intriguing setup with revelations coming at a balanced pace, neither too fast nor too slow.

Art:
The level of art Takahashi refined by the end of Inuyasha continues here. It would seem like she has pretty well settled into her style now, as you don't see the sort of significant changes you did over the course of her earlier series as recent as Inuyasha. This isn't a bad thing, mind you. I really like her work at this level and don't really need to see it transform into anything else.

The sort of action, violence and all manner of supernatural creepy-crawlies that are familiar to Inuyasha fans are on display here. Obviously as we're just starting out, it's comparatively muted, but I expect there to be progressive escalation as the series continues. I really do like the Taishou Era setting. It has a great aesthetic blending the traditional and the modern.

Conclusion:
For Inuyasha fans who have been wanting more ever since the series ended eleven years ago, this is likely going to satisfy. The setup managed hook me and I'm wanting more. I'll admit to not feeling the sort of overwhelming compulsion I had when Inuyasha first started when I felt it was a must-have, but I certainly don't regret my purchase. You probably wouldn't either, but for now I'm going to take the conservative approach and recommend it for a read at the very least.

Rating:
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