MAO
A curse that binds past and present. Mao, a young mystic who lives in the Taisho period of early 1900s Japan, is a mysterious onmyoji who, after suffering a life-altering curse, has continued to live for nine hundred long years. His world becomes even stranger when he meets Nanoka Kiba, a junior high schooler who seems to have traveled from the future. In spite of her tender years, Nanoka has lived a strange life herself, marked by her traumatic experience as a young child losing both her parents to a grisly accident. But when Nanoka decides to return to that fateful shopping arcade, she is transported to another time and place - a world where supernatural ayakashi thrive in an era long before her own. There she meets Mao, whose abrupt and bizarre question prompts Nanoka to see herself and her curious life in a completely new light. Now the two travelers from different worlds unite as they take on the dark powers that grip both their lives. (Source: VIZ Media, Hulu, edited)
Names
| Original | MAO (latin) |
|---|---|
| Romaji | MAO |
| English | MAO |
| Chinese | 摩绪 (simplified · via bangumi) |
| Also known as | マオ · MAO หาญสู้พลิกชะตาอาถรรพณ์ |
Facts
| Format | TV series · 26 ep · 25 min · 11h total |
|---|---|
| Aired | 2026-04-04 (Spring 2026) |
| Status | RELEASING |
| Studio | Sunrise |
| Source | Manga |
| Origin | Japan (Anime) |
| Demographic | Shounen |
| Genres | DramaMysteryRomanceSupernatural |
| Themes | HistoricalDemonsExorcismShounenMale ProtagonistYoukaiIsekaiPrimarily Teen Cast |
| Streaming | Hulu · Disney Plus · Bilibili TV · YouTube · Amazon Prime Video · Bandai Channel |
Reception
| Community score | 6.77 / 10 |
|---|---|
| Bayesian score | 7.21 / 10 |
| Composite | 45.1 |
| On lists | 18,807 |
| Favourited | 239 (1.3%) |
| Completion | 0.8% |
| Drop rate | 14.2% |
| In backlog | 45.1% |
| Score spread σ | 1.84 |
| MyAnimeList | 6.99 / 10 |
Score distribution
Where it places
| Cohort | Value | Tier | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadcast season | Spring 2026 | D | 53 of 70 |
| Year | 2026 | D | 153 of 203 |
| Studio | Sunrise | E | 204 of 254 |
| Era | Mid 2020s | D | 366 of 487 |
| Genre | Mystery | D | 518 of 652 |
| Length | Two-cour | E | 592 of 699 |
| Genre | Supernatural | D | 929 of 1,234 |
| Demographic | Shounen | E | 1,044 of 1,219 |
| Genre | Romance | D | 1,221 of 1,687 |
| Season (all years) | Spring | D | 1,342 of 1,868 |
| Genre | Drama | E | 1,555 of 1,917 |
| Source material | Manga | D | 2,342 of 3,025 |
| Format | TV series | D | 2,396 of 3,322 |
| Origin | Japan | D | 5,038 of 7,157 |
Key staff
| Director | Teruo Satou, Hiroshi Katou, Izumi Hoki, Akane Fushihara |
|---|---|
| Series composition | Yuuko Kakihara |
| Character design | Yoshihito Hishinuma |
| Original creator | Rumiko Takahashi |
AniList id 196012 · MAL id 62048 · Bangumi 570448 · record updated 2026-08-27

