Hulu will be streaming the anime adaptation of Rumiko Takahashi’s MAO manga, according to the anime’s new official listing. The MAO anime will premiere on April 4 on the NHK-General channel at 11:45 p.m. JST / 10:45 a.m. EST, and an exact time for the Hulu premiere was not confirmed. The anime will run for two continuous cours without breaks.
Kis-My-Ft2 will perform the opening theme song “HEARTLOUD,” while TRUE performs the ending theme song “Juai” (Cursed Love).
The main cast includes:
- Yūki Kaji as Mao
- Natsumi Kawaida as Nanoka Kiba
- Hiro Shimono as Hyakka
- Toshiyuki Toyonaga as Kamon
- Momoka Terasawa as Otoya
- Kazuyuki Okitsu as Shiranui
- Motoko Kumai as Funa Uozumi
- Yōko Hikasa as Tenko
- Risa Shimizu as Sana
- Reina Ueda as Yurako
- Takashi Matsuyama as Byōki
The staff includes:
- Director: Teruo Sato
- Series Script Supervisor: Yūko Kakihara
- Character Designer, Chief Animation Director: Yoshihito Hishinuma
- Art Director: Hiroshi Katō, Izumi Hoki
- Color Key Artist: Masumi Ōtsuka
- CG Director: Tomohiro Fujie
- Compositing Director of Photography: Akane Fushihara
- Editing: Kazuhiro Nii
- Sound Director: Hiromi Kikuta
- Music: Shū Kanematsu
Takahashi launched the MAO manga in Shogakukan’s Weekly Shonen Sunday magazine on May 8, 2019, and VIZ Media publishes the manga in English. Here’s an overview of the manga’s first volume, via VIZ Media:
Nanoka passes through a portal into the Taisho era, where exorcist Mao reluctantly rescues her from the jaws of a grotesque yokai. When Nanoka gets back to the present, she discovers she has some new, incredible abilities. She returns to the past looking for answers, only to get caught up in Mao’s investigation of a series of gruesome murders. As her questions about herself multiply, Nanoka learns that Mao is cursed by a cat demon named Byoki—and so is his sword. If anyone but Mao attempts to wield it, they are doomed. But when Mao’s life is in jeopardy, Nanoka picks up his blade and swings!
