Here is my review for Mars Red, a historical, vampire anime that follows the story of Japan being disrupted by a mysterious blood source that creates a surge in vampirism infections. I will share my opinions on the overall aesthetic to the emotional impact, characters, and pacing! I hope you enjoy it and I look forward to hearing what you think!
In response to the rise in infections, the government instructs its military to create its own vampire coven called ‘Code Zero’. These vampires were cultivated to get to the root of the problematic blood source and to cull those that have turned.
Led by Colonel Yoshinobu Maeda, Code Zero’s story unfolds as the purpose-built vampires come to terms with their new powers and identities, as they adapt from their previous human lives.
Mars Red is a newly released adaptation of the 2019 manga of the same name.
Art style / Animation
Other than the vampire theme, the art style really attracted me as it is very reflective of the historical theme. The scenes are full of muted colours, but the red is always so vibrant – very symbolic!
Overall I think it is an attractive show, and very on theme with a dark vibe. There is a part of me that wonders if it may lose some appeal for being a little too dingey though.
Pacing
I’m not going to lie, this show felt very slow! Around midway through the airing of Mars Red, I fell quite behind by a few weeks and couldn’t bring myself to catch up.
I think there was a decent amount of backstory for the characters and this really paid off when certain events happened in the show.
Towards the end of the season, there were moments where certain strings of story culminated and we see some cool developments with characters! Despite this, I feel like it didn’t really salvage much of my interest.
Characters
Mars Red has a decent variety of characters throughout but only a small number of them were really memorable. It’s a tough one, if there were more than 13 episodes there would have ample time to develop them further, which may have had more impact.
My favourite characters ended up being Kurusu and Tenmaya.
Kurusu was a favourite as he is quite timid and incredibly powerful. Despite being an A-grade vampire, he still doubts himself and his ability. He began showing off his strength and broke out of his shell more towards the end. Over time, Kurusu became an extremely important plot driver, which I thought was really awesome!
I really liked Tenmaya’s visual design, and his character was also very admirable. He sells antiquities in his store, and leverages his status to learn all the “goings-on”. Overall, Tenmaya is a great plot driver! He has power, influence, and strength – despite being human in a world where he is the prey.
Soundtrack
Mars Red’s opening song is called Seimei no Aria and is performed by WagakkiBand.
With the visual accompaniment, I think it’s a really pretty song, and I love the sound of the string instrument in the background – possibly a shamisen? Sounds pretty!
Despite this, I don’t think the song was memorable, it fits the theme and feel of the show, but I don’t think it’s going in my favorites!
The ending theme 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 reflects the grittiness and darkness of the story. I added this to a bunch of my playlists and never skip it, so I think that is a big enough vouch for how great it is!
My overall thoughts?
Mars Red is very theatrical, which makes a lot of sense, considering it makes many references to famous plays. I don’t think it was my cup of tea since I don’t really have an interest in this type of literature.
The heavy-leaning military theme made sense, as it’s about using military-grade vampires to eradicate the growing vampire population. The military vampire unit worked well as a threat but felt underwhelming to watch. Perhaps it would have been cooler if there were special grades or they had special powers.
I enjoyed watching characters develop, and also learning about the vampire classification system. I just found it frustrating because the storyline packed in so many different angles of the story that I felt frazzled. This is probably why I ended up taking a break from watching it midway through.
Summary
Visuals
The character design was great and I love the commitment to the dark, gritty theme. The historical, dark vibes really made the more important characters more obvious and pop off. I dropped 1.5 stars as I think some of the animations were a little bit lackluster and think there could have been a little more detail.
Entertainment Value
There wasn’t enough of what I liked, at times felt very hard to keep up with. I fell out of watching midway through and it didn’t feel great to pick it back up again.
Towards the end, it started culminating and became a lot more interesting. Some of the characters I liked and finally got the development I was hoping for, but it felt too little, too late.
Rewatchability
I don’t think I would watch Mars Red for a second time. Hopefully, if it gets a second season the story is more coherent.
I gave it two stars as I didn’t dislike everything and it did have redeeming qualities. I wouldn’t tell someone to ditch it if historical/military/theatrical was their thing. Perhaps if I watched it a second time, I would be able to follow it better, but I don’t think I’ll be spending the time!
Come and join in with the Mars Red discussion over on Twitter!
Maybe you love Mars Red and disagree with my review, or maybe you completely agree? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Thanks so much for reading!
The Anime Tourist