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MangaNeko
Joined: 21 Sep 2008
Posts: 137
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Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2021 3:10 pm
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I have been waiting for this series’ English release. I was so happy Barnes and Noble had one on the shelf almost 2 weeks before normal release date. It does seem Mao does come from the Heian era, which is a few hundred years before Sengoku. I believe Mao is officially an onmyoji, unfortunately they chose exorcist for the translation. I will not be surprised an anime is announced eventually. Yashahime has another season, which will give Takahashi more time with Mao. Mao volume 9 came out recently in Japan and I fully expect Mao to be 25+ volumes at least. I just hope the anime is not like InuYasha:Final Act, which covers like 25 volumes of manga.
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Wyvern
Joined: 01 Sep 2004
Posts: 1545
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Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2021 12:44 pm
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I have yet to read Mao, but setting the story in the 1920's is interesting. But I'm wondering how much it actually resembles the actual 1920's? The era seen in Inuyasha didn't seem to resemble the actual historical period much at all. The Sengoku era in Inuyasha was, in practice, basically a fantasy world (heck, in Yashahime they just give up and start calling it "the other world") where magic is everywhere and Japan consists of a few villages that are constantly under attack by yokai; plus, no actual wars seem to be occurring despite it being the Warring States Period.
That's not something that really bothered me about Inuyasha (it worked fine for the story that series was telling) but I think one thing that would help Mao stand on its own would be if its time-travel setting was more accurate and less fantastical than Inuyasha's, since people are inevitably going to compare the two.
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Marinekineko
Joined: 13 Sep 2021
Posts: 1
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Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2021 2:29 pm
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In my opinion, this is not a fair review for MAO. It's quite simplistic and the comparissons made (while necessary) weren't well done. Also, I have the strong feeling that the reviewer is not familiar with Rumiko Takahashi's works, nor with japanese culture. Confusing terms, and implying that this manga has a recycled plot makes me think there hasn't been a proper research. Many people could be discouraged from reading MAO because of the scarcity in its description. I hope these reviews improve in the future.
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Brun_Ursus
Joined: 13 Sep 2021
Posts: 1
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Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2021 2:30 pm
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Mao originally belonged to a time 5 centuries older than Inuyasha's sengoku period, saying that they are from a similar time is like saying that our current world is like the 1500's
another thing about the designs. They are obviously similar to the rest of Takahashi's works, it's the thing with having a distinctive and recognizable style.
I find it curious that when talking about authors like Tezuka or Masami Kurumada "recycling" designs is a curiosity of the author, even something favorable. But if Takahashi does something fairly similar to a previous design, then it is a criticizable defect
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Gaby Rodríguez
Joined: 13 Sep 2021
Posts: 1
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Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2021 3:26 pm
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This review is wrong in SO many ways and the person in charge of it shows a huge ignorance about Japanese culture by generalizing everything considered as "similar".
The moment I read Mao was an "exorcist", I knew this person hadn't even read the manga. This is NOT a fair review.
What a way to denigrate the work of Rumiko Takahashi...
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Princess_Irene
ANN Reviewer
Joined: 16 Dec 2008
Posts: 2599
Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City
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Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2021 3:37 pm
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Gaby Rodríguez wrote: |
The moment I read Mao was an "exorcist", I knew this person hadn't even read the manga. |
"Exorcist" is the word used by Viz in the official translation. As was mentioned in the first post in the thread, the original term was "onmyoji."
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Nakyome
Joined: 13 Sep 2021
Posts: 1
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Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2021 4:32 pm
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I don't think saying Mao has the same elements as Rinne or Inuyasha is fair.
This Review instead of motivating people might made them think that this is the same as the previous Takahashi's works when it isn't.
Mao has a big potential but sadly, with this kind of reviews people might pass from read it and don't give an opportunity to this awesome series.
Also, by reading the first volumen doesn't give you the complete plot, and people who follow the manga will assure that we still do not know who' s the villain (and in the review they Say that is Haimaru the cat).
Removed 'how dare...', we don't do that kind of stuff here.
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ANN_Lynzee
ANN Executive Editor
Joined: 02 May 2011
Posts: 2930
Location: Email for assistance only
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Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2021 5:25 pm
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Okay, evidentially this link got shared somewhere and we've got a lot of posts reiterating the same misconceptions and faux outrage.
This review gave the first volume a B. The presumptions about Rebecca's knowledge is laughable to anyone who reads this site regularly. This is starting to look like an attempt to comment swarm here, which isn't very cool.
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MagicPolly
Joined: 26 Nov 2020
Posts: 1568
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Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2021 5:52 pm
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I've been meaning to read MAO for a while. I'm wondering how I'd end up feeling about it as someone who has no experience with Takahashi's other works aside from one episode of Rin-ne. The comparisons are fair though, since on the surface it does seem to borrow a lot from her other works.
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Hiju
Joined: 14 Feb 2020
Posts: 9
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Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2021 7:14 am
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I wonder if those three comments criticizing the review are done by the same person since they all have joined on the same day and they all have only one post. They even commented almost sequentially.
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Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar
Joined: 14 Aug 2006
Posts: 16935
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Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2021 10:12 pm
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Quote: | There's no guarantee that MAO won't devolve into another same-old, same-old series from the creator. The warning signs are there in the reused story elements and character designs. But there are enough interesting bits and pieces that we should at least get a few good volumes before that happens. |
Perhaps I am being a bit pessimistic, but I would bet money it will head down familiar paths. Which I suppose if you have enjoyed her previous works then that won't bother you. For me personally I would enjoy a bit more difference between this and her previous works when it comes to tropes, story elements, etc. Especially when it comes to any sort of romantic development between MC's which historically has taken ages to develop. Rinne for example to me felt too similar to her many previous works and didn't stand out enough. Hopefully Mao won't follow suit as I am a fan of her artwork, and several of her older titles.
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