MAO

That corpse princess was creepy as hell. I feel bad for her and her family. The girl is already dead. A poor family got caught up in this mess. Feel sorry for them. Mao nearly died, but Nanoka's blood saved him. Some nice Mao x Nanoka moments there. This was a very solid episode. Loved it. The next episode seems even crazier. Like, Byoki showed up in the modern world?! Nanoka has no one to save her now. It would be great if that thing made a truce or something. Also, that lady seemed very suspicious. I think it's highly likely that it's Sana. That'd mean Mao didn't kill her after all. It seems like everyone from 900 years ago is somehow still alive. Did everyone get the taizanfuku spell or something? If they did, they wouldn't be after it, I guess. There's a lot we don't know.

That corpse princess was creepy as hell. I feel bad for her and her family. The girl is already dead. Lull you in with her beauty and fancy dress and then you see what she actually looks like. Yikes. Have to wonder exactly how that zombie is walking and talking. A poor family got caught up in this mess. Feel sorry for them. They were the biggest victims in all this. I thought Shigeru was going to be another water zombie but this was just as bad for his family because they never had any chance to save him and went through all that for nothing. Mao nearly died, but Nanoka's blood saved him. Some nice Mao x Nanoka moments there. They've already exchanged bodily fluids! This ship is sailing!

I know people have a lot of issues with Sunrise, but they really know how to make a Rumiko work stand out with music. The music in Mao is so cool, and I like how they're experimenting with animation styles. The horror element is really starting to come out now, and the next episode is where it gets to the stuff I've been waiting for. I hope people are starting to appreciate this anime as its own thing.

Mao's connection to Byoki was bad luck. Not only because it forced him to become immortal and deal with all manner of supernatural mishaps, but now people expect him to have the answers to the Taizanfukun Ritual. What does Kamon do when he's not hanging out with Mao? Well, he and his ghostly beauty of an assistant Beniko travel from noble family to noble family, seemingly on the hunt for a healer linked to the Goko Clan, of all things, and with his flowers' pheremones' you'll think he's your oldest pal! It makes it easy worm his way into a place. This go-around Kamon finds the daughter of an aristocrat who was healed from near death. She's very beautiful and lively until you realize she's basically a walking corpse dripping water. How exactly was she healed? Or more accurately how is she walking and talking to people like she's still alive? And how does this relate to the Taizanfukuin? The irony that Nanoka is finally dressed appropriately, complete with gear and rapid-fire goggle equipping skills, and she's too late to get in on the action. But it's the thought that counts, especially when Mao and Otoya appreciate the company. One of Mao's rare human clients! It's just too bad it was a con to get him out and have a mom steal the Kodoku plot while Nanoka and Otoya can't do anything. If only Mao had taken his sword...especially when he runs into Mizuchi, a water shikigami, after him. Shigeru's poor family...all they wanted was to save him, but they end up getting used and nearly killed for aiding Mizuchi. And all they're left with is to bury Shigeru. It's bad enough that Mao is without Hagunsei, but now he's dealing with the Spear of Taima, another link to his past with Byoki as that spear ran the demon cat through! And now it's the perfect option for fighting Mao and taking him back to Kyoto! Mizuchi didn't account for Nanoka though, just like Nanoka didn't expect to be holding a spear lodged in Mao and still held by a flabby severed arm. But still, nice work Nanoka. How do you stop a being made of water? No surprise Mizuchi escapes, but that still begs a lot of questions about what he was really after...or who he was working for. Dang, is Mao going to bite it? The Kodoku is broken, he's injured severely, and all he can think about is prioritizing burying him in such a way that prevents Byoki from ever getting at his body and keeping Nanoka safe. Are we really going to lose the titular character NOW of all times? But Nanoka can't bear to lose Mao, and thankfully her Byoki Blood resonates with his and kickstarts his healing factor! It was worth it to get a piggyback ride from Nao, flustered as that makes Nanoka.

this episode was def a step up from the last!! i loveee the action and i loooveee seeing nanoka get physical. i lowkey can't stand the extended periods she spends back in her own world. also we got our first fake-death cop out yayyyy!!! + a nice maomoka moment. the pacing is a little awkward, but it's getting better, i feel. my fave moment was definitely otoya hyping up nanoka's googles-wearing skills that was so so so cute

They really ramped up the horror with all these desiccated corpses, which is ironic with all the water spells. So I'm guessing the Kodoku isn't like sourdough starter where you need just a little bit to feed and it'll double, so they got figure that out for Mao, o r I guess Nanoka can just um mix, or pour or um drip into him? There is just not a reasonable way of putting it. Just give him that fresh young future curse blood or whatever. Gosh, Anyways, they had a real cute sweet moment there, that nuzzling hug was great, love to to see it,

They really scared us out there with Mao's death. So Kiba was able to heal Mao's wounds since they both carry the same cursed Byouki's blood. That poor mother losing her kid and the girl losing her elder brother 💔 Why did they have to get caught in all of this !? How tf are Shikigami so powerful !! That elder apprentice who's after Mao deserves thousand deaths. Kuchinawa is also after the same person. His and Mao's paths will cross each others.

This show is actually decent and deserve more love. It is not exceptionally good at anything, but the plot is decent and intriguing, characters are overall likeable, art styles is old school but can be considered unique for the same reason. This is a comfort anime for me, everything is non-offensive and I can just lay back and watching it chill. I am also surprised to learn the manga was released at 2019 not 2000 lol.

Finally managed to catch up on all recent episodes at once for Mao. Without diving too much into my opinion on it, I have a question: Since I didn't pay 110% attention I might've missed this, but was Mao's lifeforce connection to the kodoku pot mentioned in an earlier episode? I was very confused for a moment when Nanoka said that the pot is linked to Mao. Also does anyone know why the show has barely traction on reddit? Would've thought it's quite alot more popular with Rumiko's name attached

in ep 5, after mao is attacked by the flea ayakashi, he drinks from the kodoku to help heal his wounds. otoya explains that even on days when he isn’t injured, mao drinks it to keep up his strength since his body is starting to fail him/takes longer to recover after 900 years. since byoki is the most powerful kodoku, the kodoku juice acts as a medicine. 😊 as far as popularity goes, i think there’s a few reasons. 1. poor/last minute marketing for the show so a lot of people still don’t even know about it 2. last minute licensing and limited viewing options (in the US it’s only hulu, not even disney+ and neither of them are particularly great at advertising anime) 3. not dubbed yet 4. it’s a plot that requires patience, and i guarantee it pays off, but it will probably be more fun to binge once all the eps are out, which is how a lot of people i know prefer to watch anime anyway 5. many have brushed it off as just another inuyasha without giving it the chance to stand on its own it’s my hope that now that we’re almost halfway through the first season, and more of the main cast is being introduced and the story is really taking shape, that it’ll catch on soon enough. it’ll definitely gain more traction once an english dub is released 🤞 we do have a subreddit tho r/RumikosMao we are small but mighty

While Mao is technically immortal (he’ll keep on living if nothing happens), his body (or rather Byouki’s body) has gotten slower and slower to heal from injuries over time. The kodoku pot gives it the boost needed to recover. It was mentioned briefly after the flea ayakashi incident I think. As for traction, there are numerous factors… I don’t think it’s a series that appeals to new gen audiences much, at least outside Japan. How many younger folks have even seen a Rumic work before? But there are lots little things that pile up too. Sunrise isn’t really celebrated outside of Gundam for example, the series being on Hulu/D+ is a hindrance, etc.

In addition to what others have said I think Yashahime may have taken the wind out of its sails. All the built up nostalgia for Inuyasha went towards that, and a lot of people were disappointed with it. Even though Yashahime wasn't written by RT it was also a Sunrise production, so I saw a bunch of comments expecting the quality of Mao to be low. It's unfair as the circumstances are totally different.