In my mind at least Mao and Yomi no Tsugai have been joined at the hip since they premiered. Two adaptations of legendary female mangaka’s works airing side by side – it was inevitable. Yomi no Tsugai is flashier and has generally been higher in my rankings, I would say. But there have been weeks when Mao is better (this is one), and in general I think it’s been on the ascendancy. Certainly over the past month it’s been the better show, and that’s no trivial sample size.

I continue to be impressed by the elegance of Rumiko’s construction with Mao. It’s a story that manages to be complicated without ever feeling convoluted. You can see where every piece fits in with every other piece, and every week a new piece or two neatly slots in. Nothing that’s here is unnecessary but you don’t feel shortchanged for substance. It’s minimalist in a different sort of way than say Bleach, where Kubo’s glaring lack of background detail and total reliance on battle shounen construct (which he helped construct, to be fair) sometimes leaves me wanting more.

Souma is an interesting addition to the mix. I do have sympathy for him – he’s a child and was thrust into his current circumstances without any say in the matter. There’s no question he’s being exploited by Hakubi, who’s now established as one of the elite tier baddies in the cast. But he’s also broken in a very unsettling sort of way. Things that should bother him don’t nearly as much as they should. Part of him wants all this, that’s obvious – be that of a function of his lineage or whatever. But I do find it sad to see him become a pawn in Hakubi’s hands, likely to meet the fate almost all pawns meet on the board, even in a winning game. He’s become this series’ Kohaku, in a sense.

The means by which Hakubi lures Souma in is a threat to his younger brothers, and Kagari. I’d initially thought she was a straight-up means to seduce him but no, it seems Kagari legit works for Hakubi. She could be a shinigami but she doesn’t fit the usual pattern of the mythology. Mao, as ever too kind and trusting for his own good, joins Souma in what the boy says is a rescue of his siblings. But as soon as Hakubi appears Souma takes the opportunity to stab Mao with a needle. Kagari refers to it as her “puppet needle” but Hakubi reminds her in no uncertain terms that it belongs to the Goko Clan.

The endgame here is control of the beast inside Mao – which Hakubi at least believes is the Byouki, though I’m certain it’s not that simple. Of course that was what his master wanted too, and may the attempt yield similar results for Hakubi. Souma seems to realize on some level that what he’s doing is wrong, but again, seems unbothered by it. He understands “wrong” but not what wrong means. Hyakka has been alerted to the goings-on by his sparrow scouts and he, Nanoka, and Ootoya arrive to help (and settle scores, in Hyakka’s case). When Nanoka puts together what happened her own beast side comes out, and the battle is truly joined.

Unlike with Yomi no Tsugai the battle scenes are some of the best parts of Mao, in large part because they’re used very sparingly. This is a cracker – a great fight with a strong emotional undercurrent to it. Once Nanoka gets involved Hakubi plays the Souma card (this is all an experiment for him anyway) and a four-way melee ensues. Despite his pledge to watch from the side Hakubi does meddle, and Hyakka takes every chance to try and strike at him in the confusion. Ootoya is hilariously dismayed that Nanoka doesn’t realize what it will take to fight a spirit beast and gives her a push. She manages to grab Hagunsei with Hyakka’s help and that levels the playing field considerably.

Credit where it’s due – Nanoka was by far the most badass she’s been in the entire series. Love and righteous indignation are a powerful combo in a young maiden. It’s Nanoka who finally manages to pull the puppet needle out, and she who saves Mao from being spirited away by Hakubi. Mao – free of its control – manages to land a blow on Hakubi before he escapes, which feels like a significant development in a number of ways. Souma is officially part of Team Hakubi now, which is definitely a loss for Mao, but somehow this feels like kind of a win for the good guys.