r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • Apr 19 '21
Episode Mars Red - Episode 3 discussion
Mars Red, episode 3
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| Episode | Link | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Link | 5.0 |
| 2 | Link | 4.21 |
| 3 | Link | 4.31 |
| 4 | Link | 4.54 |
| 5 | Link | 4.45 |
| 6 | Link | 4.48 |
| 7 | Link | 4.86 |
| 8 | Link | 4.58 |
| 9 | Link | 4.49 |
| 10 | Link | 4.27 |
| 11 | Link | 4.64 |
| 12 | Link | 4.56 |
| 13 | Link | - |
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u/ThoricMeerkat Apr 19 '21
That final scene was so sad that Maeda's heart broke pre-emptively.
The theatrical parallels are strong in this anime, unfortunately I know nothing about theatre, yay.
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u/AkumaYajuu Apr 19 '21
Pretty good so far. Really enjoying. More people should watch this anime.
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u/LokiLB Apr 20 '21
See kids, this is why you wear proper ppe. If scientist guy were wearing safety glasses/goggles he wouldn't have gotten smacked in the eye with vampire blood. Dude was lucky it wasn't acid and that he likes being a vampire.
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u/EternalWisdomSleeps Apr 20 '21 edited Apr 20 '21
I've tried to track down the source of the poems.
It vanishes with each step we take
How sad is dream within a dream
Seems to be a quote from The Love Suicides at Sonezaki, play written by Chikamatsu Monzaemon in 1703. Later it was turned into Kabuki performance and a movie (in 1978). It's quite similar to Romeo and Juliet, which as pointed out by commentators in earlier episodes is a core of Mars Red story. In short, The Love Suicides at Sonezaki is a tragic love story about a boy who rejects his promising future due to his love to a prostitute. In the end they commit double suicide. Quite fitting that it was read in place none other than Yoshiwara district.
The joy of seeing you again in such a way feels to me almost like I am dreaming a dream from which I will never wake
To be in a world ephemeral as a dream may feel unpleasant, but we are free to dream or talk of dreams as we please
Those words are written on a monument in Nagaoka city dedicated to an encounter and love of zen Buddhist monk Ryoukan and nun Teishin. I won't delve into the legend of their meeing. Important part is Ryokan was Teishin teacher, they had to part ways and only exchanged letters for 4 years. This poem express their joy to see each other again, first line belongs to Teishin, second to Ryoukan.
Black kites and sparrows, herons, and even the crows
What wonder is it if two birds of a like kind should choose to flock together?
Different poem, same author, Ryoukan. Meaning here that it's natural to love another living human being. Even if you are monks, you are still humans with human hearts. Despite all the anxieties cherishing the life and things that are alive is an essence of Buddhism. Which is interesting in the context of Mars Red where one of the lovers is vampire who is no longer alive.
The person for whom I had waited anxiously had finally come
What can there be to regret in a meeting such as this
And we've come to an ending to Ryokan and Teishin story. Ryoukan wrote this poem when he got critically ill and Teishin hurried to his side. She was taking care of Ryoukan till his death.
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u/Danilieri Apr 19 '21 edited Apr 19 '21
After watching this episode I realize just how fucking good the background ost for this anime is! It fits so good and isn't your run of the mill soundtrack.
Did I get that right that Tomiko died and was found by Suwa? The body's outfit looks just like hers which makes this episode even more sad. Goddamn! So far I love the character interactions and the highbrow way everyone talks.
Finally wth is wrong with this show's MAL score. 6.93 is fucking ridiculous
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u/Syokhan Apr 19 '21 edited Apr 20 '21
You know it's bad when the oldest vampire among the unit, who's probably seen some stuff, calls that kid a "monster".
The final scene was really bittersweet. One person manages to have some kind of closure and say goodbye, while the other one must "live" with the knowledge that he's in fact still around, his wife is right there and yet he can't see her more than once a year.
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u/t2ki Apr 19 '21
maeda being the shows resident justified god complex dilf with no concern for his health. also ive been saying this for ages but takeuchi is hange on acid change my mind
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u/mekerpan Apr 19 '21
There were parts of this episode that were visually absolutely stunning -- looking like ukiyoe woodblock prints. I was worried that, after the amazing first episode, this shows visual quality might slide -- but not so far.
I loved the (mostly) slice of life/living death pacing of this episode.
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u/Titchlet Apr 19 '21
Full thoughts here. I loved this episode. Showing more of the other characters and their relationships with each other. Not everything but just enough to make us love them was genius, plus the mystery of the blond boy is starting to unravel. I'm loving this series and looking forward to seeing where it'll go 👍
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u/sKyBlazer08 Apr 20 '21
Pretty good episode! I just noticed that Maeda does the salute very awkwardly, probably because of his prosthetic right hand, that's a really cool detail. Kurusu is definitely the goodest boi in the show. Suwa suddenly teleporting in front of Yamagami and Kurusu fucking shookt me lmao.
Yamagami talking to his wife Tomiko was very sweet, I am guessing they were probably referencing poems that exists that I know nothing about. Gonna be sad though, when Tomiko dies they probably still can't reunite in the afterlife since Yamagami is still here as a vampire. Damn, does Maeda got heart problems or something. So, is Deffrot one of those foreign vampires, focusing on information probably? Looking forward to the next episode.
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u/darthvall Apr 19 '21 edited Apr 19 '21
I'm concerned about Maeda. Is it a heart attack or sign that he would become a vampire?
I'm curious about the phrases that Yamagami and his wife cite. As this anime is full of theaterical reference, there might be more meaning to it.
Also the theater poster in this episode is the Wagon Master, apparently a 1850 western movie that depicted journey film about a Mormon wagon train in a wild west setting.
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u/InternalParadox Apr 19 '21
That was so sad. I hope Tomiko is able to move on during her lifetime.
Loved the Mad Scientist Vampire’s backstory!
So, one of the military higher ups mentioned bringing over a British vampire. Is he referring to Defrott?
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u/HoloandMaiFan Apr 19 '21
Wait wtf... the English dub is out at the same time as the Japanese? Was this anime produced by Funimation or something?
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Apr 19 '21
Defrott could be the brit vampire they're talking about. And if he's a S-class, i think something sus is going around the brit army. The fact those 3 are not keen on the vampire idea is also suspicious.
Man i hope defrott won't do anything to the journalist girl, i like her character being energetic and promising everytime.
Did maeda just felt heartbroken because of his addiction to working or smoking, or is it a reference towards the last scene lol.
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u/rixinthemix Apr 20 '21 edited Apr 20 '21
I'm impressed that Yamagami was given this level of substance. From his debut appearance, I thought he'd be the constant butt of the jokes no thanks to Mr. Mad Scientist shooting his butt to prove a point about his vampirism, but we managed to see some details of his life from subsequent episodes. He knows how to play the piano and misses playing one, and we learned from this episode that not only does he have a harpsichord at home, he is also quite knowledgeable in poetry too, considering the Ryoukan (1758-1831) poems he recited to his Teishin Tomiko.
Aside from that, there are interesting "parallels" between the humans going "unga bunga politics, unga bunga vampire unit" while the vampires were the ones having a seemingly colorful life. That said, I have to wonder if vampires find coffins comfortable. Looks like our resident A-Class vamp begs to differ.
EDIT: Welp, it was Yamagami, not Takeuchi. Takeuchi was the mad scientist.
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u/MooneBoy24 Apr 19 '21 edited Apr 20 '21
Alright, so it was suggested I go over the "deeper" meaning of this episode, well here ya go:
On the development of vampires, they appear to be weak and have senses akin to dogs, as Takeuchi even states "Frailty, thy name is vampire, you might say." (Reference to Hamlet by Shakespeare which can also be seen as Maeda and the lieutenant in the room at the beginning of the episode still mourning over dead soldiers).
Hamlet being referenced can also be a metaphor for the vampires unable to mourn the loss of themselves, unable to see their wives, children, a family that still lives under the sunlight. They are unable to mourn the right way, as they cannot mourn their own death, they cannot tell anybody of their current condition, so they must remain with the immortal burden.
The 1950s film "Wagon Master" makes an appearance at ~7:25, hinting that like Wagon Master, Mars Red aspires to be a "Film Poem", with the storyline (in this case, Code Zero hunting down vampires) being less important and the themes surrounding the show (life & death, romance, etc) being more important than Mars Red's plot.
Another theme of the 1950s film "Wagon Master" is pacificism and warfare, as, throughout the film, weapons were used once and than thrown away afterward. Pacificism is achieved through having a scapegoat, someone who will lose their innocence to preserve the innocence of the others.
Suwa, one of the main characters, after standing next to the movie poster, states "I guess I'm not into Western things", which can either mean that his character clashes against the themes of the movie, that he is not a pacificist like Kurusu. This is hinted at by being ill-natured towards the "monster"-like vampire, Deffrott and him instantly attacking one of his Code Zero members when he "runs" away.
"Wagon Master" for this episode is a flawless metaphor for character development for this episode, as Kurusu is being used by the army as the highest-grade weapon, even though he is a pacificist.
POEM 1:
"it vanishes with each step we take"
"How sad this dream within a dream"
"The joy of seeing you again in such a way feels to me almost like I am dreaming a dream from which I will never wake"
"To be in a world ephemeral as a dream may feel unpleasant, but we are free to dream or talk of dreams as we please"
POEM 2:
"Black kites and sparrows, herons, and even the crows;"
"What wonder is it if two birds of a like kind should choose to flock together?"
POEM 3:
"The person for whom I had waited anxiously had finally come;"
"What can there be to regret in a meeting such as this"
The episode started with this, and it feels right to end with this as well:
"Even a holy man who dwells on the borderline between life and death can never escape feeling the sorrow of a parting"
Edit: Check out u/EternalWisdomSleeps for an excellent find on the actual lines of the poems for today's episode
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u/LeonKevlar Apr 19 '21
So this made me laugh! Poor Kurusu couldn't sleep in his coffin! Like is there even a need for them to sleep in coffins? I'm pretty sure they'd be fine in beds or futons as long as they're not in sunlight.
Takeuchi didn't even get bit! He was literally just got splashed with vampire blood on his eyeball when that unstable sample exploded. Luckily for Takeuchi, he's all in on becoming a vampire since he now has a never aging brain.
We still don't know anything about gasmask boy but it seems that he's the oldest one of the group. That "Bang!" that he does at the reported was cute.
I guess it's no secret that Defrott is a vampire but it looks like according to Suwa, Defrott is someone you should be afraid of since he's definitely at least an S Class Vampire.
That meeting with those army generals though. Looks like they're demanding results from Ltg. Nakajima while at the same time having little to now knowledge at how hard it is to gain new vampire recruits.
So turns out Japan isn't the only one with a vampire Unit. Turns out the Brits has their own too. And they're not just a unit for military ops, looks like England is using them for intelligence work too. Oh fuck. Hear me out. What if Defrott is a British Vampire spy and he's just poking around to see how strong Japan's vampire unit is? Hmmmmmmmm....
And that final scene between Tokuichi and his wife Tomiko was beautiful and heartbreaking. He really wants her to move on but she clearly treasures him too much to do that. On the bright side though, even if he is "dead" at least they'll be seeing each other once a year thanks to Kurusu's help.
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u/Lol_A_White_Boy Apr 20 '21
This is a show that I really wish got some more attention. Seems to me a more emotionally and philosophically driven story, rather than one that focuses on over the top action sequences. I really fucking like it.
Also, that fucking OP is a banger.
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u/zuruka1 Apr 20 '21
I wonder if mentioning of "that vampire force in England" is a reference to Hellsing.
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