Ongoing
“Nanoka time-travels to Taisho era, gains powers, joins cursed exorcist Mao battling yokai murders and demonic curses.”
Mao
MAO
7.2
6,614 rank · 5,948 readers · 62 favorites
Shounen
Historical
Time Travel
Mystery
Supernatural
Would You Love or Hate This?
AI-powered analysis tailored to your taste
Based on your preference for character-driven stories with layered emotional arcs, this title's exploration of identity and belonging would deeply resonate. The pacing mirrors series you've rated highly, and its thematic depth aligns with your appreciation for nuanced storytelling...
However, the slow initial episodes might test your patience given your history of dropping shows that don't hook you early. The art style shift in the middle arc could also be a concern...
Personalized to you
Honest pros & cons
Based on your library
Synopsis
Nanoka time-travels to Taisho era, gains powers, joins cursed exorcist Mao battling yokai murders and demonic curses.
Nanoka passes through a portal into the Taisho era, where exorcist Mao reluctantly rescues her from the jaws of a grotesque yokai. When Nanoka gets back to the present, she discovers she has some new, incredible abilities. She returns to the past looking for answers, only to get caught up in Mao's investigation of a series of gruesome murders. As her questions about herself multiply, Nanoka learns that Mao is cursed by a cat demon named Byoki—and so is his sword. If anyone but Mao attempts to wield it, they are doomed. But when Mao's life is in jeopardy, Nanoka picks up his blade and swings! (Source: VIZ Media)
What people say
Community consensus
Derived from 8 sampled reviews
7.1
/10
What 8 readers settled on.
83%
recommend
Score distribution
median 7
mode 6
σ 2.15
Agreement
Polarized
σ 2.15 · split reception
The polarity gap
5.4 pts
Recommenders 8.4 · others 3.0
Yes
No
Score over time
↓ 0.88
Running avg · Aug 2019 → Feb 2025
Snap verdicts
· shortest highly-rated reviews
- 10 “I think that this manga is very good so far and i believe that it is going to go very far in the industry and i also believe that Rumiko Takahashi has done an amazing job with it so far. I have...”
- 10 “Mao is a very classic Rumiko's work - all the character design, humours and love relationship are very Rumiko. I didn't surprised that many people compared it to Inuyasha but I think Mao is more...”
- 7 “Wooooow so I'm surprised I didn't catch wind of this series sooner. I'm really feeling Mao, it's been cool so far. Characters (8) Story (7) Art (5) Enjoyment (8) >Has a dark tone to it, the main...”
Verbosity
Short · 50%
Medium · 0%
Long · 50%
Read Order & Related
Explore the Mao universe
Cast
See all →Gallery
See all →If you stay for this, you'll stay for these
See all →The community pairs this with
See all →Publication slate
A Manga Publication
- Published May 2019 – ongoing
- Source Manga media type
- Ref. BS-M50562 catalog