Mar 1, 2022
as of chapter 130
Mao is a lot like inuyasha in terms of the tone and style. However it focuses more on supernatural mystery (a bit like Demon Slayer). It has all of the Rumiko Takahashi staples: Cool guy MC, sort of confusingly placed girl MC, an assistant, and a colourful cast of side characters, antagonists, and monsters of the week.
Things i liked about Mao:
1. Characters (8)
This story has a slow pace but it is actually a character centered drama. I think there is more actual character development here for most of the cast than MOST of her other manga. And when I say development,
...
I mean they actually change and stick to those changes LOL. Many of the side characters have very interesting motivations and abilities. However this manga does not have as much of the comedic charm of some of her other series. My only complaint is the main girl kind of still has no real personality or purpose even after 130 chapters. She definitely takes a backburner to the other cool characters but honestly, it's fine because they get more screen time than her.
2. Story (7)
The story of Mao is a mystery genre. It is also occasionally monster of the week/supernatural investigator. There is also time travel elements and immortal/long living characters. It is told very slowly in my opinion, but it is actually very elaborate. I would consider this one of her better crafted plots because it actually is overarching and set up from the beginning. As a result of this there is actually not a lot of filler compared to her other series. Characters on both the protag and antagonist sides have ACTIVE character development (like wHAT?? in MY takahashi manga?) What is really interesting is there is sort of a dual story, the MCs are trying to solve a mystery either in the modern or taisho era, but there is also the overarching mystery of what happened to Mao like ~ 900 years before which looms over the plot. The story can be somewhat simple at times and fights can resolve very simply, but i am staying on board for this old school style mystery
Things that i didn't like as much:
1. Art
I love rumiko takahashi's art in general. Let's just get this clear first, the character designs are super fun even though they're simple. Each character is pretty memorable. The overall art quality just feels.. worse? somehow? I reread a lot of her stuff and it seems pretty par-for-the-course, but it definitely feels simpler than her older stuff. For better art of hers I would read either Ranma 1/2, Inuyasha, or Mermaid Saga. Even Rin-ne had better designs and art IMO
2. Pacing
Mao can drag a little. it's definitely a slow burn but at least it feels like it has STEADY progression rather than pockets of lore between periods of filler
3. Powers / Monsters
i dont know if this is just bc she's getting less ideas or doesnt care for action as much, but the action and abilities just look kinda lame. its usually just like a big swipe or something. There is also one ability in the series that is ABSOLUTELY CURSED to look at
Also i find many of the monster designs underwhelming and kind of boring. But like i said earlier, you would read this for the characters and drama
Story 7, Art 6, Character 7, Enjoyment 8
Overall, I give this a 7. There was a recent chapter that had some excellent writing. Hoping that the trend continues!
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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