Five Voices Join Mao's World
Rumiko Takahashi's dark-fantasy mystery MAO is getting reinforcements. Anime Anime reported that five new voice actors will join the series when its second cour begins July 4, bringing key members of the Gokō household and two rival families into the story.
The biggest name of the five is Rie Kugimiya (Alphonse Elric in Fullmetal Alchemist, Taiga Aisaka in Toradora!), who plays Natsuno, one of Mao's former senior disciples and a wielder of earth-element techniques. Katsuyuki Konishi (Tengen Uzui in Demon Slayer) takes on Daigo, another senior disciple who commands the same element. Takuya Satō rounds out the Gokō household additions as Hakubi, a gold-element specialist.
Two more names complete the announcement. Tasuku Kaito, the voice of Bachira in Blue Lock, plays Kajin Sōma, the second son of the Kajin family, who controls beasts sealed inside scrolls. Shino Shimoji voices Hōshō Kagari, the daughter of a curse-dealing clan and a specialist in cursed needles.
Konishi was ebullient about the casting, saying his younger self "would be jumping and rolling around with joy" at the chance to work on another Takahashi production. Kugimiya said she was thrilled that, after a long wait since her audition, she could finally share the news.
20th Century Returns After 26 Years
The second cour also introduces a new opening theme from 20th Century, the trio formed by former V6 members Masayuki Sakamoto, Hiroshi Nagano, and Yoshihiko Inohara. Their song "Bokura ga Uwagaki Suru Sekai" (The World We Overwrite) marks the group's return to a Takahashi anime for the first time since V6 performed "CHANGE THE WORLD" for Inuyasha in 2000. A non-credit version of the new opening has already been released ahead of the broadcast.
A second key visual was also unveiled. It places Mao, Nanoka, Otoya, and the cat demon Neko-Oni in the foreground, with the Gokō household's disciples and two other key figures, Sana and the mysterious Yurako, rendered as stained glass behind them. The cour's tagline: "Cursing one another, finding one another."
What Is MAO?
The series adapts Takahashi's manga, serialized in Shōgakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday since 2019. Set in the Taishō era, it follows Mao, a young onmyōji, and Nanoka Kōba, a modern-day girl who stumbles into his world. Together they unravel a curse stretching back 900 years. Sunrise handles animation production, the studio's first Takahashi adaptation since the Inuyasha series, under director Teruo Satō. Yūki Kaji leads the existing voice cast as Mao, with Natsumi Kawaida as Nanoka.
Looking Ahead
MAO's second cour premieres July 4, airing Saturdays at 11:45 PM on NHK General. International viewers can stream the series on Hulu in the United States and Disney+ in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Latin America, with Viz Media handling distribution. The source manga is also published in English by Viz Media, with chapters available simultaneously through the Viz Manga app. No second-cour ending theme has been announced yet.