The MAO anime is airing its second cour on NHK General, with the revelation that Yurako is Sana, the woman Mao loved, now confirmed. The English dub is set to debut on August 24.
The television anime adaptation of Rumiko Takahashi's MAO, produced by Sunrise, began airing on April 4 and is running for two continuous cours without breaks. The first cour introduced Nanoka, a high school girl transported to the Taisho era, and Mao, a stoic mystic under a curse. Early episodes established a horror-tinged mystery with a bright color palette, though some reviews noted a slower narrative pace typical of Takahashi's work and raised questions about the plausibility of the thousand-year timeline.
The second cour began on July 4 with episode 14, which revealed that the character Yurako is actually Sana, the woman Mao was in love with, who is not dead. The episode also showed that Sana had feelings for someone else, not Mao, and ended with Mao being taken by a metal shikigami to Shiranui, a shadowy water sorcerer introduced in episode 12 as a new antagonist. The second cour added five new cast members: Takuya Sato as Hakubi, Rie Kugimiya as Natsuno, Katsuyuki Konishi as Daigo, Tasuku Kaito as Soma Kagami, and Shino Shimoji as Kagari Hosho.
The opening theme for the second cour is "Bokura ga Uwagaki suru Sekai" by 20th Century, marking the first time the trio has been involved with a Takahashi anime adaptation in 26 years, since their work on InuYasha. The ending theme is "Tayutau" by Reina Ueda, who also voices Yurako. Viz Media announced at Anime Expo that the English dub will debut on August 24, with the first 13 episodes streaming that day and the second cours following in November. The anime streams on Hulu in the U.S. and on Disney+ in other regions.
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Episode 14 of Rumiko Takahashi's MAO reveals that the mysterious Yurako is actually Sana, the woman Mao was in love with, who is not dead. The episode also shows that Sana had eyes for someone else, not Mao, and ends with Mao being taken to Shiranui by a metal shikigami.
Viz Media announced at Anime Expo that the English dub for Sunrise's MAO anime, based on Rumiko Takahashi's manga, will debut on August 24. The first 13 episodes will stream dubbed that day, with the second cours following in November. The cast was not revealed.
The second cour of the TV anime adaptation of Rumiko Takahashi's 'MAO' premieres July 14. A new PV reveals the voices of Hakubi (Takuya Sato), Natsuno (Rie Kugimiya), Daigo (Katsuyuki Konishi), Souma Kashin (Tsubasa Hokuto), and Kagari Hosho (Shino Shimoji). The ending theme is 'Tayutau' by Reina Ueda, who also voices Yurako. A portion of the song is heard in the PV. An official note page has launched with recaps and episode summaries.
The television anime adaptation of Rumiko Takahashi's manga MAO will enter its second cour on July 4, 2026, with the 14th episode on NHK General. Five new cast members were announced for characters debuting in the second half: Takuya Sato as Hakubi, an onmyoji of metal and Mao's former fellow disciple; Rie Kugimiya as Natsuno, an onmyoji of earth and former fellow disciple; Katsuyuki Konishi as Daigo, another earth onmyoji and former fellow disciple; Tasuku Kaito as Soma Kagami, the second son of the Kagami family; and Shino Shimoji as Kagari Hosho, a daughter of the Hosho family who uses curse needles. A new key visual was also released, depicting Mao, Nanoka, Otsuya, and the cat demon Hai Maru in the foreground, with stained glass imagery of the Heian-era disciples and other characters. The second cour's opening theme is "Bokura ga Uwagaki suru Sekai" by the boy band 20th Century, and a non-credit version of the opening video has been published online. The anime, produced by Sunrise, has been airing continuously since April 4 and is streamed on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ in other regions.
Episode 12 of MAO focuses on exposition, introducing the shadowy water sorcerer Shiranui as a new antagonist. The series has entered a slower narrative phase, a familiar pattern for creator Takahashi, but the central mystery of events a millennium ago still holds the reviewer's attention.
Bandai Namco Filmworks announced on June 18 that the boy group 20th Century, composed of former V6 members Masayuki Sakamoto, Hiroshi Nagano, and Yoshihiko Inohara, will perform the opening theme song for the second cour of the television anime adaptation of Rumiko Takahashi's manga MAO. The song is titled "Bokura ga Uwagaki suru Sekai" (The World We Overwrite), with lyrics, composition, and arrangement by MHRJ. The second cour begins with episode 14 on July 4 on NHK General. The first cour opened on April 4 and is set to run for two continuous cours without breaks. To commemorate the announcement, the studio released the creditless opening video for the InuYasha anime, which featured V6's song "CHANGE THE WORLD" from 2000, for a limited time until September 27. This marks the first time Sakamoto, Nagano, and Inohara have been involved with a Takahashi anime adaptation in 26 years, since their work on InuYasha. The MAO anime is produced by Sunrise and streams on Hulu in the U.S. and on Disney+ in Canada, Latin America, Australia, and New Zealand.
The latest episodes of Rumiko Takahashi's MAO see Mao nearly killed by a shadowy Kyoto villain while Nanoka remains in fish-out-of-water mode. A CGI fish creature appears, and the reviewer notes Nanoka is overdue for more control over her powers and direct plot relevance.
Anime Feminist reviewed the first episode of MAO, the anime adaptation of Rumiko Takahashi's ongoing shonen manga. The premiere follows Nanoka, a high school girl who, after investigating rumors of ghosts near the site of a car accident that killed her parents years earlier, finds herself transported to the Taisho era. There she meets Mao, a stoic mystic under a curse, who calls her an ayakashi (a malevolent ghost). The episode introduces mysteries about Nanoka's sudden supernatural abilities, her parents' deaths, and a demon cat (Byoki) that may have affected both protagonists. The review notes the series leans into horror imagery with gory fight scenes, but tempers it with Takahashi's character designs and a bright color palette. The reviewer praises Nanoka as a courageous and curious lead, though finds Mao a tougher sell in a single episode. The animation is described as pleasant but rationed, typical of long-running Takahashi adaptations. The reviewer's main concern is whether Nanoka will be sidelined in favor of the titular character as the series progresses.
Anime News Network's review of MAO episode 8 praises the series for engaging with its historical setting more than Rumiko Takahashi's earlier works, but flags a logical problem: characters who knew the protagonist as a human have apparently ignored him for a thousand years without crossing paths, a stretch the reviewer finds hard to accept.