Mao

atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Mao” Vol. 26, by Rumiko Takahashi

(Image Source)

*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

After Nanoka is abducted by Soma, she is forced to face him alone. Afterwards, Mao investigates a series of assaults by what witnesses say looks like a rat, leading him and Huakka locked in battle with Habuki and Sasuga.

The action is well balanced with the story progression in this volume. We’re getting more bits of lore and some great fight scenes with creative uses of the character’s powers. Takahashi has a great talent for giving this ensemble cast a fairly even amount of “screen time” and making it count. This is also less ‘monster of the week’ in format because everything ties back into the Goku Clan’s machinations. Very cool. 4.5 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Mao” Vol. 25, by Rumiko Takahashi

(Image Source)

*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

The Bronze Mirror is causing havoc and when Mao and Nanoka go to fix it, Shiranui comes to claim the cursed item for the Goku Clan. When Daigo appears to aid in an assault against Shiranui, his motives are uncertain.

Off topic, the name Shiranui unlocked a core memory of wearing out this VHS as a teen. I think I still have it somewhere…

None of this went how I thought it would and that’s what I love about it. Even the supposed villain of the week stories are woven in to the larger story about the Goku Clan, Byokki, and all the interpersonal things going in. And it’s done in a way that I’m not confused about all the intrigue. It may sound silly at 25 volumes deep but I am SO invested in this story! 5 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Mao” Vol. 24, by Rumiko Takahashi

(Image Source)

*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Mao and company heal with the Tazuru family, cursed by the seed of Haku. Afterwards, Mao investigates cursed beauty products and the “Box of Monstrocity.”

We’re back to what may feel like a ‘villain of the week’ format, but the Goku Clan’s artifacts are a consistent throughline. Aside for them continuing to just be the worst, it’s so cool to see Mao and Nanoka working together. Yeah, you can see the romance building, but I can see he respects not only her abilities but her drive to improve them. They have a great dynamic. 4 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Mao” Vol. 23 by Rumiko Takahashi

(Image Source)

*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Natsuno confronts Yurako about Sana’s death and Daigo reveals more Goku Clan secrets.

Yup, revealing even more horrid things the Goko Clan got up to. Holy hell, what an awful group. Fantastic and interesting story, but terrifying. After that, we go back to a sort of villain of the week vibe, but the revelation about those who have survived the Goku Clan is lingering in the background. It may be a bit of a spoiler to say it reminded me of Highlander, and pairing that with the fact that Shiranui is still handling dangerous Goku Clan weapons like Halloween candy, I bet things are gonna get wild. 4.5 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Mao” Vol. 22, by Rumiko Takahashi

(Image Source)

*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

After dealing with the doll maker, Nanoka encounters a possessed woman whom she tries to deal with on her own, but is helped by Yurako, sparking jealousy. Meanwhile, Byoki reveals more about Sana’s death.

Nanoka isn’t just a bit jealous; she’s pushing too hard to be as strong as Yurako and putting herself in danger to do so. And again, the more we learn about the Goku Clan, the more awful they are. What they put Yurako and Sana through is so sad. It’s genuinely getting to the point where I’m wondering if they did any decent things. They’re almost comically evil and I don’t really care to learn anymore about them. It’s for the best if we get to the endgame and defeat them for good. 3 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Mao” Vol. 21, by Rumiko Takahashi

(Image Source)

*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Mao and Nanoka help with some cursed objects and investigate a missing children’s case while the Goku Clan is still sniffing around.

While I do enjoy the villain-of-the-week sort of volumes, this one wasn’t as good as the others. I’d like some more forward momentum in the overarching story with whatever the Goku Clan is ultimately planning. It’s okay but something about this volume felt kinda bland and only exists to introduce some more cursed items. 3 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

atthequillsmercy

Lenni reviews: “Mao” Vol. 20, by Rumiko Takahashi

(Image Source)

*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Soma is sent to kill, allowing the beast inside him to grow stronger and Mao is sent to investigate the mysterious deaths of suspects in police custody who are involved in a pending corruption case.

The two best parts of this volume are Nanoka learning and using more of her abilities and Mao finally getting to talk to Yurako. It’s faced paced and feels clipped a bit short, if that makes sense. Everything moves quickly from one point to another and the whole experience felt like connections between events were taken out or skipped over. It’s still fun but not as fun as other volumes. 3.5 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Mao” Vol. 19, by Rumiko Takahashi

214206995

(Image Source)

*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Nanoka and Mao have to rescue a woman from being sacrificed to a water god, then go to investigate a gathering of ayakashi that may have been sent by Yurako, revealing a strange situation involving Daigo and Natsuno’s souls.

Every time I learn something about the Goku clan and the things they’ve done, the more I dislike them. They just do worse and worse things so maybe it’s for the best that Mao isn’t associated with them anymore. Other than that, good to see Nanoka getting more confident in her abilities. It can get stale having the one main character swoop in and do everything in one go like Fist of the North Star. I look forward to all of our cast using their abilities together in interesting ways. 4.5 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Mao” Vol. 18, by Rumiko Takahashi

51oOrUCXS1L._SY445_SX342_

(Image Source)

*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

As the hunt for the Box of Monstrosity continues, tensions come to a head in the Hosho family due to a rivalry between Kagari and her older sister, Ayame. Their conflict draws in Mao and Nanoka to face Kagari and her poisoned needles.

The multiple adventures in this volume are cool. In addition to what’s in the summary, there’s also a cursed village suffering a drought caused by the Goku clan. I am loving the powers Nanoka is developing and her involvement in more battles. But, with so many stories going on, I wonder how or if all these people will factor in to the final battle against the Goku. Will Ayame assist in some form? That’d be cool She’s kind of a bitch but no nonsense. I like her. 4 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Mao” Vol. 17, by Rumiko Takahashi

199798748

(Image Source)

*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

The Goku Clan is assassinating people on the search for another one of their lost relics: the Box of Monstrosity. Mao must lure out Shiranui in order to stop the deaths and he learns more about Sana and Natsuno’s secret.

Wow, the Goku Clan is a mess. It’s starting to feel more like what horrors DIDN’T they commit rather than what they did. This volume goes back and forth between the main narrative of Mao finding out Sana, which is normal but a little jarring this time around. Not bad but noticeabe. Plus the box is really creepy and a different sord of challenge so, I was more interested in that and I want to see how they all deal with it. 3.7 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.