Well, that could hardly have been more charming.
If any series were ever a miracle of economy, it’s Mao. It starts with Rumiko of course, but it extends to the anime as well. It’s really the art of doing more with less. Less theatrics, less BGM, less action. Whenever something happens in Mao you pay attention because it really means something. Everything is done with restraint, but not an ounce of impact is lost. The overall effect is of something almost effortless, even elegant. You can call it old-school and probably not be wrong, but it’s more specific to the material and the writer than anything.
It seems as if the squads have more or less been chosen at this point. Kamon, Hyakka, and Natsuno (less so) are on the white team. Shiranui and Hakubi are the black team. Masago is a victim, being used by Shiranui for his own ends. Byouki is a wild card, certainly not the big bad and possibly a victim, but potentially still a major threat to Nanoka. And then there’s Sana – and the woman who has her face (though not her voice), Yurako. What is the relationship between these two figures – are they the same person? That may be the biggest unknown hanging over the rest of the story.
One thing that stands out is the way Yurako referred to Nanoka as “that brat” when she was snuggled up to Mao. That suggests jealousy – but it’s worth remembering, Lady Sana was not in love with Mao, but Daigo. She did long to prove Mao’s innocence on the fateful night but that could simply be down to her being a decent person (as indeed she seemed to be). Natsuno for her part tried to plead Mao’s case too – she says – but Hakubi’s word held more weight. So why was Hakubi invested in spreading the lie that Mao had killed the Master (and then Sana) – what was in it for him?
Kamon and Mao have much in common here. Each has seen the woman he loved be perverted in the service of evil – though the circumstances are more clear-cut in Kamon’s case. After the encounter with Shiranui Natsuno rescues Ootoya, then leaves him in the company of Mao on the others and goes on her way. The rest go to Kamon’s mansion and after a hot bath, Nanoka borrows a period kimono and Ootoya gives him a robust “Kawaii”. No such praise is forthcoming from Mao of course, as that’s just not in his wheelhouse.
The rest of the episode is given over to the awkward dynamic between those two, and it totally clicks. Nanoka in this series is very believably a kid – she’s immature in all the right ways without being overly obnoxious about it. She knows Mao cares for her and worries about her, but she wants to hear it from him. Her blowup is childish but it does get the point across, and when she returns to the Taishou to bring back the kimono (she makes this commute as casually as crossing the street by now) Mao invites her to help him with an exorcism. Which Nanoka quickly realizes is strictly unnecessary, at least in the practical sense. But for once Mao isn’t thinking about that.
Their date is… I don’t quite know how to describe it. Charming is indeed a big part of it but also downright touching in a way. Mao is so sincere and so out of touch with such things that for him to make this gesture speaks volumes about his feelings. He takes her for western food, he buys her a present (a perfume sachet). When she finds him after getting lost in the crowd, he takes her hand and walks her home. Nanoka can only admit she likes him – though that was already obvious. And when Mao gets home and tells Ootoya “It was fun”, it’s again one of those moments that has huge impact not in spite of its restrained nature, but because of it.
