VIZ Media has announced it will distribute the anime adaptation of MAO, the latest supernatural manga from legendary creator Rumiko Takahashi (Inuyasha, Ranma ½, Urusei Yatsura). The series makes its streaming debut on Saturday, April 4 on Hulu in the United States and on Disney+ in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Latin America.
Produced by SUNRISE Inc., MAO marks another high-profile project from Takahashi, whose distinctive storytelling has influenced generations of anime and manga fans worldwide.
The series follows Nanoka Kiba, a modern junior high school girl who slips through a mysterious portal into Japan’s Taisho era (early 1900s). There she encounters Mao, an enigmatic onmyoji (exorcist) who has lived for over 900 years due to a powerful curse. After Mao saves Nanoka from a vicious yokai attack, she returns to the present with strange new abilities.
The two characters from vastly different eras form an unlikely alliance as they confront dark supernatural forces that connect their lives across time. The story blends dark fantasy, time-travel mystery, and Takahashi’s signature mix of action, humor, and emotional depth.
The Japanese voice cast includes:
- Yuki Kaji as Mao
- Natsumi Kawaida as Nanoka Kiba
- Hiro Shimono as Hyakka
- Toshiyuki Toyonaga as Kamon
- Momoka Terasawa as Otoya
- Kazuyuki Okitsu as Shiranui
- Motoko Kumai as Funa Uozumi
- Yoko Hikasa as Tenko
- Risa Shimizu as Sana
- Reina Ueda as Yurako
- Takashi Matsuyama as Byoki
Key production staff:
- Director: Teruo Sato
- Series Composition: Yuko Kakihara
- Character Design & Chief Animation Director: Yoshihito Hishinuma
- Art Directors: Hiroshi Kato and Izumi Hoki
- Color Design: Masumi Otsuka
- Music: Shu Kanematsu
Animation production is handled by SUNRISE Inc., with the MAO Production Committee overseeing the project.
Under the agreement with VIZ Media, the series will be available across television, home video, electronic sell-through, and video-on-demand platforms throughout North America, Latin America, Australia, and New Zealand.
Lauren Tempest, General Manager of Hulu and Executive Vice President of DTC Content Partnerships, expressed excitement about the addition:
“As a global leader offering premium anime titles to fans around the world, we’re excited to add MAO to our ever-growing lineup on Hulu and Disney+. This new series from Rumiko Takahashi, the legendary creator behind Inuyasha, is a fantastic addition for our subscribers, introducing her distinctive storytelling to a new generation of fans.”
MAO combines Takahashi’s trademark character-driven narrative with supernatural action and time-travel elements set against the atmospheric backdrop of Taisho-era Japan. The blend of historical fantasy and modern-day elements gives the series a unique flavor that should appeal to both longtime Takahashi fans and viewers new to her work.
Fans can look forward to weekly episodes as the story unfolds. The same-day availability on major streaming platforms makes it easy for international audiences to follow the series from the very first episode that is available today. Will you be watching it?