MAO (2020)

[MAO（マオ）]

Volume 6

Author/Artist: Rumiko Takahashi
Publisher: Shounen Sunday Comics

Synopsis:
A wounded Mao is confronted by Shiranui.

Story/Characters:
The confrontation with Shiranui gives us further insight into what happened in the past, but we've still got a ways to go before it's fully cleared up. With Sana back in play, you can definitely feel a similar vibe to the love triangle in Inuyasha forming. I'm curious to see if it'll play out much the same or if we're in for some new twists and turns. Back in the present day, Nanoka has another encounter with Byouki and he reveals more about himself. Although he's set up as the main antagonist, I'm not getting much of a villainous feel off him. Maybe it's because Nanoka is his vessel and he doesn't really have any need to be antagonistic toward her in order to get what he wants. Of course, given what we know about the master onmyouji, Byouki may actually be the lesser evil, if he's even truly evil at all. It might be interesting if everything that happened was his way of keeping the Taizanfukun out of the hands of the onmyouji.

The next sequence is a fight with Hakubi. We get to see more of how his metal-elemental powers work and also the limits of the successor candidates' immortality. Hakubi's revelations on this whole Rashomon-style plot gives us some more pieces of the puzzle, particularly where Byouki is concerned. Afterward, we get a nice little breather chapter where Nanoka and Hyakka tend to Mao's patients while he's recovering from his injuries. We then close on a chapter that sets up the new arc and teases the last of the five successor candidates.

Art:
We get some nice action set pieces, but honestly, I most enjoyed the breather chapter as it featured a lot of the sort of physical comedy Ranma and Urusei Yatsura were known for.

Conclusion:
You might be wondering if there could be any more twists and turns to the backstory, but it would seem we still have quite a bit to unravel yet. There was a good balance of action and exposition here. I'm enjoying the series well enough, but I'm still not feeling grabbed by it the way I want. I recommend it for a read, but it still hasn't hit that magic spot where I feel it'd be a must-have.

Rating:
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