Mao is a fan of historical dramas, which she used to watch with her dad during their better times together. She also has a particular taste for weird stuff and an off-beat sense of style.
Sugimoto is a huge Japanese history buff. Her online handle "Radical-san" is precisely from Date Masamune, a historical figure she deeply admires.
The Scrappy: "Miss Radical" a.k.a. Sugimoto, Hiro's coworker and Mao's rival for Hiro's affections, gets a lot of hate for being "that other woman" who dared to actively crush on Hiro, despite it being explained that she herself is not entirely sureof what she's doing, and that despite this, has been shown on more than one occasion to feel guilty for her actions and their effect on Mao. This leads to many Ron the Death Eater moments.
Tear Jerker: Whenever Mao talks about her failed relationships or inability to express herself with her parents, Hiro and "miss Radical" it's really heartbreaking... seeing how much she tries and wants to build good relationships with them or convey her feelings... and things don't usually go her way D':
Actually, pretty much every character in this series is given a decently valid reason to be felt sorry for at some point or another (i.e. Daiki, Miss Radical, Oda, and Chihiro as Hopeless Suitors for Mao, Hiro, Mao again, and Oda respectively, Mao's father, Kaito, who wants to help Maobut is ratherunsuccessful, etc.) but these two are the most glaring and consistent examples by far.