Rumiko Takahashi

atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Mao” Vol. 14, by Rumiko Takahashi

101159660

(Image Source)

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

Nanaoka is making progress wielding her sword and while she can be of help to Mao as she wishes, there are still some enemies that are beyond her abilities.

It feels like we’re back to a villain of the week format which I like since I get to see more types of spirits and meet new characters. It’s all to likely set up for the big showdown with the Goku clan as there’s a lot of info about what elements balance and defeat the others. Its still a cool series and I’m enjoying it! 4 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Mao” Vol. 13, by Rumiko Takahashi

101158430

(Image Source)

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

This volume reveals who killed Sana and what Yurako really is.

A lot of this is learning about Mei and why she works with Shiranui while the main group deals with a  corrupt industrialist (there are a lot of crappy elites in this series) and other than the overarching plot evolving Byoki, Nanoka’s abilities, and the secrets being kept in the background, I like watching Mao work and hearing about the various entities they battle. I like a nice mix of ‘villain of the week’ and long form story in my media and this series is doing that pretty well so far! 4 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Mao” Vol 12, by Rumiko Takahashi

62919650

(Image Source)

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

In this volume, we learn Renji’s backstory and he battles with Mao; during which Nanoka does her best to be of help with her cursed sword that she’s slowly learning how to use. Meanwhile, Byoki is plotting in the background.

We get some great action in this volume and clearly things are ramping up. Getting Nanoka more involved was done really well. She isn’t forced in, she’s had abilities building this whole time and the cast of villains increases so she adds needed skills to the team to face them. Whatever’s up with her fits in with Mao’s story as well. 4.5 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Mao” Vol. 11, by Rumiko Takahashi

62919649

(Image Source)

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

Mao is able to discover the culprit behind the blood drained bodies and it turns out to be another cursed relic of the Goko clan. In her zeal to be useful, Nanoka acquires a new weapon.

The main antagonists of this volume are Soma and Renji; the latter getting some great backstory. I am very glad that Nanoka gets some time to shine here with a new sword and I love a full cast of useful people. And her weapon is also a challenge for her to overcome so everything isn’t about Mao and his seriously shitty clan (the more I read about them, the more I dislike them). It widens the scope and is so much more fun. 4 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Mao” Vol. 10, by Rumiko Takahashi

61273601

(Image Source)

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

Wealthy politicians are bursting into flame, burning to ash without anything around them getting damaged. Mao finds out it’s the Kakachu spell and in exposing who is behind these killings, reveals Shiranui’s ultimate goal.

In this volume we also learn more about the Goku clan (which seriously kinda sucks now) and Hyakka. Each series of strange events has lead to a larger plot by Shiranui and while this volume throws a lot of information at you, it does so along with being extremely entertaining. I am very interested in how this is all unfolding. 4 out of 5.

atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Mao” Vol. 9, by Rumiko Takahashi

61273587

(Image Source)

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

One of the exorcists who used to train with Mao, Natsuno, has secrets from her long past while Yurako remembers how her family used to exploit her abilities in order to make money. Meanwhile, there is a teenager cursing her classmates and Mao and Nanoka investigate.

Now that we know more about Yurako, I’m so excited to get my hands on the next volume. Yurako’s story is really interesting and I love Takahashi’s storytelling. It’s very fluid and hits plot points at a good pace in this book. There’s also some more great creature design so if you are in the market for some cool supernatural intrigue, this series is shaping up amazingly. 5 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews:”Mao” Vol. 8, by Rumiko Takahashi

60321325

(Image Source)

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

Mao and his group work to uncover Yurako’s true identity and what really happened to Sana while also investigating the Kagami family; whose members are inexplicably committing violent acts. 

I like how the group members interact here and Nanaoka gets some great “screen” time; showing she’s more than competant when shit goes down. I hope we see more of that in the future. Her and Mao would make a great team in battle. 4 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Mao” Vol. 7, by Rumiko Takahashi

60321324

(Image Source)

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

Old rivalries from Mao’s past come to light with even more exorcists from his days at the temple come back into his life.

This cast is getting big and I wonder if they’ll all finally get to the truth of what happened the night Mao was cursed and a bunch of people ended up dead. After all this buildup, I really hope the reveal lives up to it. This is an exciting volume and I have so many questions. Takahashi usually pulls everything together in her stories so I’m trying to trust the process. 4 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Mao” Vol. 6, by Rumiko Takahashi

59365987

(Image Source)

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

Shiranui’s issues with Mao come to light and he demands that Mao a spell that manipulates lifespans.

This volume gives us some interesting insights about Byoki and his possible origins. There’s clearly some dark secrets in Mao’s old exorcist group that even with his missing memories taken into account, Mao may not have been aware of. There’s also some great action and cool use of the character’s powers. The villains are awesome, too. Very creative designs and abilities. 4 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Mao” Vol. 5, Rumiko Takahashi

59365986

(Image Source)

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

More people from Mao’s past confront him in the present while Byoki is able to follow Nanoka to modern day.

This volume is bringing every one together so we almost have a complete backstory on what went down with Mao. Byoki clearly has some major keys to the puzzle but in the meantime, this volume has a fast pace and we get a lot of information. None of it feels like an info dump since the characters are so interesting and fun to experience on the page. I do wonder how the past and modern worlds will play into each other but we shall see. 4.7 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.