First Impressions – Mars Red (2021)

This is my first impression of Mars Red, a historical anime, based in the year 1923. It follows the story of how Japan has been disrupted by a mysterious blood source that created a surge in vampirism infections, drawing too much attention and leaving the city in a state of emergency.

Mars Red is a newly released adaptation of the 2019 manga of the same name and is brought to life by the Signal.MD studio.

New episodes are formally released on Funimation every Monday at 7PM BST.

Plot Description

“It’s 1923, and until recently, vampires kept to the shadows. When the mysterious blood source Ascra appears, their numbers swell, leaving Japan covered in bodies. In response, the government spawns its own coven to infiltrate the dark. With S-rank vampire Defrott and the rookie Kurusu, this kill squad is made for one reason: to hunt the undead. Bloodsuckers beware; the night belongs to Code Zero!” – via Funimation

Genres: Action, Military, Historical, Supernatural, Vampire

Why am I watching this show?

I am personally big on the supernatural genre, so this vampire based story looked like it would fit pretty comfortably into my tastes. Visually this is a show that looks quite different to anything I have watched before – it looks a lot darker and very gritty, but I am hoping its uniqueness is a good opportunity for me to broaden my horizons and see a different side to animation.

Characters and Voice Actors

I would be lying if I said I am not one to be swayed into watching a show based on there being visually attractive looking characters. The trailer above depicts a really wide good of character aesthetics and also shows the voice actors.

The two most standout characters for me that really hooked me in from the trailer are Takeuchi, and Suwa. I am definitely a sucker for the quirky or ‘edgy’ looking characters. At this stage I know very little about them, but I really like their designs. I love the mad scientist impression Takeuchi gives, and Suwa has major catboy vibes going on which I’m a total weakling for. We shall see if these are still my favourites when the season comes to a close!

In terms of voice acting, the only name that was recognisable for me at this stage in my journey was Junichi Suwabe. His is a voice that I came to favour after watching Jujutsu Kaisen, and so I am super keen to see how he performs in this.

Opening and Ending sequences

Quite a lot of the shows I have on my list to watch, I found thanks to Youtube recommending me the OP and ED songs that ended up being insanely good.

The opening theme below is called Seimei no Aria and is performed by WagakkiBand. Accompanied by the visuals, I think it’s a really pretty song, and I love the sound of the string instrument in the background – possibly a shamisen? Pretty!

The ending theme is what REALLY hooked me, I have been a fan of HYDE for a while, and as soon as I heard this I couldn’t get it out of my head. The upbeat metal/rock sound sets a really good tone for the show and hopefully reflects more the gritty side of the story that is to come.

Final Thoughts

I’m really looking forward to seeing how this show develops. I think this one has a lot of potential to be really visually stunning, emotional and gripping.

I am not sure if the historical/military aspect will be everyone’s cup of tea, but I will definitely persevere with it to see how the pacing and balance plays out. I love anything vampy and gritty, so I can’t wait to get into it!

Will you be watching? Let me know your thoughts on the show below in the comments or feel free to connect with me on social media!

The Anime Tourist.