MAO English Sub & Dub

About MAO

MAO blends drama, mystery and romance by Sunrise (2026). Below is a fresh retelling of what the story is about. What the story covers: 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.

Soon after, his world grows into even stranger when he runs into 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. 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.

In a drama series like this, character writing and emotional payoff matter more than spectacle. Voice work is led by Yuuki Kaji as Mao and Natsumi Kawaida as Nanoka Kiba. Think of it as a pick for viewers who prefer story and feelings over flashy action. With 26 episodes in total, there is enough room for the story to develop.

Production & Appeal

Sunrise is the studio behind MAO, and its direction shapes everything from character design to motion. The drama focus matters here: character writing and emotional payoff matter more than spectacle. With a 6.6/10 score, it is more of a niche pick than a universal crowd-pleaser. On the casting side, Yuuki Kaji voicing Mao gives the lead role a recognizable voice. Released in 2026, it competed with that season's other new series for attention.