MAO (2022)

[MAO（マオ）]

Volume 11

Author/Artist: Rumiko Takahashi
Publisher: Shounen Sunday Comics

Synopsis:
Mao and Nanoka confront Kanae before she can kill again.

Story/Characters:
When Kanae shows up, we learn about what happened on the night she was cursed. The reason for the curse is this guardian sword passed down in her family, supposedly granting wealth but causing destruction in the third generation. Nanoka manages to wrest the sword away when it's partially sealed, but as the seal isn't complete, it bonds to her and is only thwarted with her own blood, which carries Byouki's poison. You probably saw this coming since Nanoka was talking about wanting a weapon, but this little piece of work is too dangerous. Mao takes Nanoka to the ayakashi smith Meimeidou, who appraises the sword and offers to give it new fixings. Basically, as it was Nanoka's blood that sealed the curse, she's the most appropriate wielder, but Mao is opposed and Nanoka isn't that enthusiastic about it either.

When Mao and Nanoka return to claim the sword, they find out Meimeidou was attacked and following the trail, they find that the perpetrator was Souma, acting on Hakubi's orders as the sword is one of the treasures of the Kou Clan, Akanemaru. A fight ensues and one of the main points is Mao questioning Souma's resolve to be a part of Hakubi's new Kou Clan. Once Nanoka gets her paws on Akanemaru, though, things get tidied up rather quickly and if she didn't burn too much energy fighting off Souma's summons, young Souma's role in the story would've been cut short. As it stands, Hakubi lets him know that he's on short time if he fails again, so I'm sure we can expect him to be more desperate in the next encounter.

Almost as soon as Mao and Nanoka are back on their feet, Renji shows up to hold Nanoka hostage so Mao will hand himself over to Shiranui. This leads to an investigation into a philanthropic couple who died in a fire and as the investigation proceeds, we learn the couple wasn't as good as their public image made them seem and the trail leads us back to Renji.

Art:
The art is solid. I want to give special mention to the fight with Souma, particularly as things heat up for Nanoka.

Conclusion:
Giving Nanoka her own weapon shows she's going to be taking a more active role in the fighting. We'll see if she refines her technique or if she just continues to throw her power at opponents. We do a decent job of picking up the plot threads with Souma and Renji, but neither one exactly has me on the edge of my seat. While I'm still not feeling it's a must-have, it's worth a read.

Rating:
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