Rumiko Takahashi's Mao Vol. 1
- WRITER
- Rumiko Takahashi
- Artist
- Rumiko Takahashi
- Letterer
- Susan Daigle-Leach
- Cover Artist
- Rumiko Takahashi
- Publisher
- Viz Media
- Price
- 9.99
- Release Date
- 2021-09-14
Legendary mangaka Rumiko Takahashi has a rich career spanning four decades. From her first hit, Urusei Yatsura, to her most popular series Inuyasha, Takahashi has created worlds full of magic and wonder, populated by a colorful cast of characters who have themselves become pop culture icons. Some of these works include her more grounded romantic comedy, Maison Ikkoku, her gender-bending comedy Ranma 1/2, her horror anthology classic Mermaid Saga, and even a more recent hit like Rin-ne. What, then, does her newest series, Mao, bring to the table?
Mao Vol. 1 follows junior high school student Nanoka Kiba, who is herself the survivor of a tragic car accident. Orphaned at the age of 7, Nanoka has since lived with her grandfather and his housekeeper, Uozumi, more or less leading an ordinary life. That is, until her school friends decide to check out a reportedly haunted shopping plaza one day, only to discover it does contain an eerie secret. Not only is it the site of the car accident that claimed her parents' lives, but Nanoka also discovers there's a parallel reality existing on the other side of the plaza entrance. This reality seemingly exists in 1923 (the Taisho era), where time moves differently. There, she encounters a mysterious man named Mao and his assistant Otoya who are tracking down a mysterious cat yokai known only as a byoki.
Fans of Takahashi's work will immediately recognize some of her famous tropes and storytelling devices with Mao. In many ways, Mao Vol. 1 is a love letter to her past works, most notably the fan-favorite series, Inuyasha, and her horror classic, Mermaid Saga. Like Kagome Higurashi from Inuyasha, Nanoka is a junior high school girl who discovers she can travel between past and present timelines by visiting a specific location only she has access to. Also like Kagome, Nanoka similarly discovers she's part of an event in history much older than herself, which facilitates her meeting with Mao, the male protagonist. Discovering she can travel between Japan's Taisho era and the present causes Nanoka to prioritize events happening in the other world rather than her school life, exactly like Kagome.
Whereas Inuyasha tended to blend horror with humor as the protagonists embarked on a long journey to defeat a common enemy, Mao follows a more horror-based narrative structure that's similar to Mermaid Saga. A primary example is the protagonists Mao and Nanoka, who have a similar dynamic to Yuta and Mana from Mermaid Saga. Like Yuta, Mao is a centuries-old man who is cursed with youthful immortality. Like Mana, Nanoka is also inflicted with a similar curse that is implied to come from the same source. Like Yuta and Mana, the two characters team up to investigate mysterious cases in the Taisho era that might be linked to the source of their respective curses.
The artwork by Takahashi in Mao Vol. 1 provides some equally stunning visuals. Through a combination of digital and traditional art methods, Takahashi succinctly captures the ordinary world of the present and the more fantastical world of the Taisho era. In terms of character design, Takahashi gives each character -- from the protagonists to supporting members to the monsters -- distinguishable designs that make them easily identifiable on the page. Though not action-heavy compared to some of Takahashi's previous work, she still delivers on dynamic action sequences in the scenes that demand them, complete with well-laid out panels.
On the whole, Mao Vol. 1 is a gift to Rumiko Takahashi readers. Fans of Inuyasha will easily recognize and enjoy the familiar premise of the story, while fans of Mermaid Saga will immediately become invested in the horror-based tone, the characters, and the familiar story structure that made Takahashi's horror anthology series a classic.