MAO
On NHK G
A dark supernatural mystery that weaves time-displaced investigation with onmyōji lore, grounded in two protagonists uncovering a shared traumatic past.
Eight years ago, Nanoka Kiba was saved from the wreckage of a fatal accident at Gogyō Town Shopping Center. Drawn to the abandoned passage of storefronts on her walk home from school in present day, she becomes inexplicably transported to Japan's Taishō period where she meets the mysterious Mao, a fellow traveler whose arrival at a ghost-inhabited village is simultaneous with hers. Together, they investigate the bizarre events that begin to occur around them, and Nanoka soon pieces together her broken memories of the accident and how she and Mao may have something more sinister in common.
Clusters
Questions people ask
Is MAO scary? Yes. More frightening than 87% of series.
Is MAO sad? Somewhat. More sad than 72% of series.
Is MAO violent? Somewhat. More violent than 71% of series.
Does MAO leave you hopeful? Not especially. Less hopeful than 63% of series.
Is MAO easy watching? Not especially. Less comforting than 61% of series.
These describe how the series comes across across its whole run, compared with other well-known series. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked episode by episode, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.
Cinnamon Score
How much this series gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.
Familiar shape, done well.
How unlike any other series this one feels
How much more it delivers than it promises
How much audiences actually like it
Ensemble
Like MAO
Nearest across the full emotional profile.
Same Mood as MAO
Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.
Like MAO, But Darker
Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.
Like MAO, But Lighter
Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.
Like MAO, But Less Popular
Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.
