
VIZ Media Lands Rumiko Takahashi's MAO, Sets April 4 Premiere on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ in Select International Markets
SAN FRANCISCO, CA Friday, April 3 Leading global manga and anime company VIZ Media has secured exclusive rights to the anime adaptation of MAO, the supernatural manga from legendary creator Rumiko Takahashi (Inuyasha, Ranma , Urusei Yatsura), which will debut 02:15PM PDT Saturday, April 4 on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and Latin America.
Produced by SUNRISE Studio, the series follows Nanoka, a modern-day girl who slips through a portal into Japan's Taisho era, where the enigmatic exorcist Mao reluctantly rescues her from a grotesque yokai attack an encounter that leaves her with mysterious new abilities when she returns to the present.
Under VIZ Media's rights agreement, the company will distribute the series across TV, home video, electronic sell-through, video-on-demand throughout North America, Latin America, and Australia/New Zealand.
"As a global leader offering premium anime titles to fans around the world, we're excited to add MAO to our ever-growing lineup on Hulu and Disney+, said Lauren Tempest, General Manager, Hulu, and Executive Vice President, DTC Content Partnerships. This new series from Rumiko Takahashi, the legendary creator behind Inuyasha, is a fantastic addition for our subscribers, introducing her distinctive storytelling to a new generation of fans.
Official Synopsis:
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. His world becomes even stranger when he meets Nanoka Kiba, a junior high schooler who seems to have traveled from the future. When Nanoka was young, she was involved in an accident with her parents, and she was the only one who survived.
But when Nanoka decides to return to that fateful shopping arcade where the accident happened, she is transported to another time and place a world where supernatural ayakashi thrive in an era long before her own.
There she meets Mao, whose abrupt and bizarre question prompts Nanoka to see herself and her curious life in a completely new light.
Now the two travelers from different worlds unite as they take on the dark powers that grip both their lives.
Rumiko Takahashi's latest work, MAO, finally comes to life as an anime!
A dark fantasy time-traveling mystery begins now.
Where a curse devours time itself
Main Staff:
Director: Teruo Sato
Series Composition: Yuko Kakihara
Character Design & Chief Animation Director: Yoshihito Hishinuma
Art Directors: Hiroshi Kato & Izumi Hoki
Color Design: Masumi Otsuka
CG Director: Tomohiro Fujie
Director of Photography: Akane Fushihara
Editor: Kazuhiro Nii
Sound Director: Hiromi Kikuta
Music: Shu Kanematsu
Animation Production: SUNRISE Inc.
Production: MAO Production Committee
Main Cast:
Mao: Yuki Kaji
Nanoka Kiba: Natsumi Kawaida
Hyakka: Hiro Shimono
Kamon: Toshiyuki Toyonaga
Otoya: Momoka Terasawa
Shiranui: Kazuyuki Okitsu
Funa Uozumi: Motoko Kumai
Tenko: Yoko Hikasa
Sana: Risa Shimizu
Yurako: Reina Ueda
Byoki: Takashi Matsuyama
About VIZ Media:
Wherever manga and anime fans are, we are! VIZ Media is No. 1 in Japanese pop culture, introducing fans to what's now, new, and next. Home to the world's most influential and groundbreaking storytellers and artists, who today drive multiple industries from publishing and animation to film and gaming. If it's big in Japan, you can find it at VIZ.
VIZ Media is proudly certified as a Most Loved Workplace in America and Inc Magazine's Best Workplace. For more information on VIZ Media visit: https://www.viz.com/
Contact:
Chantelle Sturt
Head of Global PR & Publicity
chantellesturt@viz.com
###
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
South end zone videoboard, cloud-based control system will be ready for 2026 football season...
14/07/2026
Redesigned website, enhanced mobile app unify content, ticketing, and personalized fan engagement...
14/07/2026
Agreement spans sponsorship sales, digital monetization, radio production, and new practice facility naming rights...
14/07/2026
Independent league adds 14 regional sports network affiliates, growing distribut...
14/07/2026
New strategy aims to unify competitions, content, fan engagement, and commercial...
14/07/2026
ESPN and Disney+ become exclusive home of PFL events in key international MMA market...
14/07/2026
Gill will oversee engineering, technology, and sports operations across the company's 64 local television stations...
14/07/2026
Submitted by North American Broadcasters Association (NABA)
As broadcasters con...
14/07/2026
Modernized mobile unit combines HOME Apps, mc 56 console, and IP infrastructure ...
14/07/2026
Every match of the 32-team tournament will air across ION and Scripps Sports platforms in English and Spanish...
14/07/2026
FloHockey to stream every game of the annual international tournament under four...
14/07/2026
Victory+ telecasts to be simulcast on TEGNA-owned station, expanding free local distribution...
14/07/2026
Plug-ins for heavy music
Avalanche Tones is the brainchild of Ava Toton, a 17-year-old musician and developer who says her goal is to make the lives of gui...
14/07/2026
Launched alongside new Singer Showcase purchase model
IK Multimedia's innovative vocal-synthesis software has just gained its latest voice add-on, the R...
14/07/2026
Registration open until 1 September 2026
The MIDI Association have revealed that the registration deadline for this year's MIDI Innovation Awards has no...
14/07/2026
88-note model completes MK4 range
Novation have just introduced the final model in their flagship MIDI controller keyboard range, the Launchkey MK4 88. Roun...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
IBC2026 has unveiled a powerful Conference programme bringing together global media leaders, technology innovators, creators, sports organisations, broadcasters...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, has delivered two highly capable outsid...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
Editor's note: This post is part of the Nemotron Labs blog series, which exp...
14/07/2026
Techtel Successfully Relocates AICD Broadcast Studio to New Sydney Headquarters
BroadcastBroadcast EquipmentLive StreamingBroadcast Studio2026
14 July Writ...
14/07/2026
Tuesday 14 July 2026
First look revealed for Friday the 13th prequel, Crystal ...
14/07/2026
When immersive audio dominates industry headlines, it's easy to assume that every broadcaster is preparing for an Atmos future. The reality is quite differ...
14/07/2026
Emma and Sophie from ICG's marketing team joined thousands of fellow marketers, brands and agencies at MAD//Fest London 2026, one of the UK's biggest ma...
14/07/2026
Why Trusted and Secure Media Operations Matter In this series, we explore the technologies, architectures and operational realities shaping modern media operati...
14/07/2026
Pilot Project Shows How Retailers Are Prepared for the Next Step in the Evolution of Digital Commerce
Arvato Systems Drives Agentic Commerce Forward
G terslo...
14/07/2026
As part of this commitment, weve joined the SME Climate Hub, publicly pledging to:
measure our greenhouse gas emissions
reduce them in line with a net zero p...
14/07/2026
Power is AI infrastructure's inescapable constraint. How many tokens an AI factory can generate within a fixed power budget determines its revenue and profi...
13/07/2026
The Braves opted to keep production in-house rather than hand it off to MLB...
13/07/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, including new deals, departures, and assignments compiled from press releases and repo...
13/07/2026
Eurovision Sport is making live athletics more accessible to fans than ever befo...
13/07/2026
The Milwaukee Bucks will return to full-season over-the-air television for the 2...
13/07/2026
SMPTE has announced an expanded education pathway for media technology professio...
13/07/2026
Vizrt has announced that its graphics technology was used by broadcast design agency Girraphic for Netflix's debut MVP MMA event, broadcast live from the In...
13/07/2026
ARRI has announced an agreement to sell its global rental activities in Europe, the United Kingdom, and North America to H2 Equity Partners through a management...
13/07/2026
DAZN has announced a partnership with Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) to bring PBC fight nights to DAZN subscribers globally. The partnership begins Saturday, Ju...
13/07/2026
TikTok and WSC Sports have announced a strategic partnership that gives sports r...