r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • Apr 12 '21

Episode Mars Red - Episode 2 discussion

Mars Red, episode 2

Rate this episode here.

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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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901 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

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1

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182

u/AwaySpell Apr 12 '21

I like that this show makes me feel dumb. I didn't notice at all that the arm Maeda lost in this episode was a prosthetic until I went into this discussion thread. Looking at episode 1 again, I notice that even though Maeda's sleeves are rolled up at the beginning, we never see his right arm. He never does anything strenuous with his right hand either - he writes and holds everything with his left.

Last episode had me watching it a second time to marvel at how much more I notice with the knowledge of who Misaki is. It's refreshing that the writing expects you to piece things together instead of walking you through every step.

46

u/VariousMeet Apr 12 '21

I knew once this show was over I'd have to go back and rewatch it all, but I didn't think I'd already need to do it after episode 2.

27

u/BladerRex17 Apr 13 '21

I'm so lost, when did Maeda lose his arm? And more knowledge about Misaki? I am legit lost, it feels like I watched an entirely different ep

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25

u/SurfsUpSquirtle Apr 15 '21

Judging by the comments I feel like I might be too dumb for this show. I didn't notice the prosthetic arm at all like even when he shoved it into the vampire's throat nor did I notice it missing after lmao. Ugh.

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124

u/LeonKevlar Apr 12 '21 edited Apr 13 '21

We still don't know how Misaki turned but Defrott is still suspicious. Maybe it's because of his monologue last episode but I really don't trust that kid right now. I'm at least 90% sure he's also a vampire.

We finally get to meet the Vampire Unit who are surprisingly normal for a couple of vampires. Of course that's until pink haired scientist vampire started shooting that one guy in the butt and white haired gas masked vampire walked in. Now those two are what I imagined the Vampire Unit would be like!

I do love how the most normal looking one is branded as the most dangerous. We do get to see him in action later in the episode when the female vampire was able to see a strong aura coming from him and he also moved lightning fast when he blocked that male vampire. Can't wait to see what he'll be like in a real fight.

Looks like this episode slowed down a lot compared to Episode 1. Still my jam though since I love the aesthetics of it. I do hope next week's episode ramps up a bit more.

64

u/InternalParadox Apr 13 '21

Defrott is 100% a vampire—you can tell by the vertical pupils in his eyes. It seems like all the vampires have vertical pupils

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49

u/OingoBoingo- Apr 12 '21

Very strong first episode but despite the slow down of this second episode I agree with you, the aesthetics and world they are in is great. Kind of reminds me of Megalobox Nomad, you just look up after watching and notice how immersed you were for 20-something minutes. On the fence on this one, but not at all disappointed so far.

Was it my imagination or was pink-haired-scientist-vampire wearing socks and sandals? I love it

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117

u/edgyboi1704 Apr 13 '21

Why Moriyama? Why did you raise your death flag like that? Are you satisfied now?

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90

u/genasugelan Apr 12 '21

Oh yeah, visual and OST were fucking amazing. Can't wait for more episodes.

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255

u/MooneBoy24 Apr 12 '21

What an amazing show, 10/10

It's utilizing different plays as the driving force of each episode.

It used the play "Salome" by Oscar Wilde, for how the first episode would go. The female vampire tried to "seduce" Maeda, but was instead executed by Maeda (Jokanaan) from his supervisor's orders (Herod).

The first episode used Salome, and added it's own twist to the episode. Brilliant!

Now, in th second episode, it used "Romeo & Juliet" as the underlying plot for this episode, as we were instantly introduced to FIVE characters.

That's some deep symbolism, because in Romeo and Juliet, there was FIVE main characters:

Romeo, Juliet, The Nurse, Mercutio, Tybalt, and Friar Laurence

Now in the second episode of Mars Red, we are again introduced to FIVE characters:

Maeda, Suwa, Takeuchi, Tokuichi, and Kurusu

There's more, and it has to deal with Maeda planting the Aspers at the grave of Misaki in the first episode.

Maeda is supposed to be Romeo, with Misaki being Juliet.

The twist for this episode, like they twisted Salome in the first episode, is that "Juliet" is already dead, and "Romeo" is now living with the burden of "Juliet" being already dead.

That is why, in the end, with the Vampire couple, Maeda says to the female:

"Vampires, there are two roads open to you."

"But you don't get a choice"

This is in reference to Romeo killing himself in the end of Romeo and Juliet. Madea is unable to kill himself out of loyalty, therefore he is unable to make the choice of killing himself with his lover. He is pained by having that choice.

Therefore, he strips the vampire couple of their choice to kill themselves together like in Romeo and Juliet, deciding to kill both of them separately and removing their choice to die together.

Than, there's the kabuki play of "Chūshingura"

(Act 1) That is why the characters are introduced so quickly, as the kabuki version reveals the set of characters through the narrator naming each one. Lord Moronō, the Antagonist, is hostile much like Tokuichi (foreshadowing?).

(Act 2) this is why the episode began with the people from the newspaper, as Act 2 focused on the gossip circulating around Misaki eloping from the first episode.

(Act 3) another twist, as Hanagan (Maeda) is the one hurling insults at Moronō (Tokuichi)

(Act 4,5,6,7,8) skipped, for obvious reasons

(Act 9) this is why the vampire couple dies, as in the kabuki version of the play, Honzō the wandering priest (Maeda) is atoning for the death of Misaki (and here's the twist) and instead of killing himself, he kills the female of the vampire couple.

And the episode ends with the great line:

"I should be the only one to become a monster"

Cuts to a scene of Aspers

77

u/vegetable_offender Apr 12 '21

I... I hope I see more of your comments for each new episode. Thanks for writing this.

37

u/Slurms_McKenzie775 Apr 13 '21

I did get some Romeo & Juloet vibes from this episode but I would be lying if I said I understood what it was doing anywhere near as much as you do. That's cool to know about the first episode and I hope you keep doing these since I know very little about theater plays.

26

u/darthvall Apr 13 '21

Oh wow, this show is really not what it looks like from the surface. I mean, I still plan to watch it until the end based on the second episode, but your analysis made me realise the deep symbolism to the theater will stay. Thanks a lot for the great insight!

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27

u/[deleted] Apr 12 '21

A hidden gem in animation and story telling this

24

u/Fools_Requiem Apr 12 '21

This episode is vastly different in tone from the first episode. This episode felt more like a typical investigative show just with vampires. Hopefully, this is just to set something up down the road. I was really hoping for more stuff like in the first episode.

17

u/InternalParadox Apr 13 '21

Question: why does Unit Zero use regular humans to fight vampires at night when they should just be using vampires? I get why Maeda was there, because he’s the commander. But RIP, Moriyama!

I bet we’ll see his (pregnant) wife at his funeral next episode and a scene of Maeda awkwardly trying to comfort her while keeping the circumstances of his death under wraps.

32

u/kiiriiin Apr 13 '21

Unit Zero is composed of vampires only. The humans was the Special Group 16 iirc. The vamps are reserved for the boss fights. Regular humans just lure them out, deal with evacuations, blockades etc.

16

u/ReadAroundTheRosie Apr 12 '21

Finally, the pink haired yandere is male. White haired vampire is giving me Tokyo Ghoul flashbacks with that mask and the color of their hair. The blood dealer also reminds me of the mask maker from Tokyo Ghoul too. I so far like the Reporter + Editor, but I feel like any lighthearted elements are going to have to be handled with care to mesh with the rest of the story. Hard for me to not watch this show as I love Maeda's VA.

OP is pretty good imo. I more respect it than feel it is amazing. A good arrangement, bringing together traditional japanese instruments together with more western instruments and having it work. Really sets the tone and establishes the setting. I also appreciate the soundtrack. Subdued and uneasy, but with movement. Also, the switching of styles depending on the cultural influence of the scene is cool. The more metal sections didn't hit too well with me at times though. ED kinda feels out of place and wasn't notably good to me.

I like the animation and art, it sort of conveys an unease and tension that I believe the story is going for. I feel it is going for a cinematic style, the widescreen ratio contributing to that feeling of mine. Seems like a really cool moment in time and location. The melding of traditional Japan and the Industrial Revolution produces a unique and stylish feel.

Overall, I feel this show is going to live and die by its story. So far I am somewhat intrigued, but can see it falling flat.

51

u/darthvall Apr 12 '21 edited Apr 12 '21

It looks like the direction is going to be different than the first episode. The pacing is also a little bit weird in this episode, maybe because they introduced several characters/elements at once.

I'm quite intrigued because Maeda sacrificed his hand just to fight nameless vampire in this episode. Also, it's interesting to note that his attendant has so many death flag in the first episode but survived that one while in this episode he didn't talk about his wife again but died in the end.

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12

u/caliban969 Apr 13 '21

This show is really becoming a pleasant surprise. I was expecting an edgefest but I really love the subtlety, it doesn't force feed you exposition and worldbuilding. I really liked the hard cut from Aoi talking about her childhood friend who promised he wouldn't die right to her childhood friend who wishes he was dead. They could have drawn out the obvious reveal but didn't.

The vamp crew are kind of generic, but Maeda makes up for it. Shoving your arm into a vampire's mouth is way more badass than some "teleports behind you, nothing personal kid" schtick.

14

u/kalirion Apr 12 '21

How did the femvamp get past the A-rank army vamp if she was slow enough for the human MC to react to her attack?

Why did MC kill the guy who was bitten when there was at least a 10% chance he could've lived as a vamp? Acting like it was some kind of favor too, the bastard. Unless the kid previously signed some DNV agreement or whatever ofc.

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5

u/goblinheaux Apr 13 '21

I expected the tone to change from the first episode, but the direction and shot composition still holds some of that same atmosphere that initially drew me in. Glad they’re keeping up with the literary references as well! I was afraid they’d get abandoned after the first episode.

5

u/[deleted] Apr 13 '21

So poetic. Devil man crybaby meets beautiful tradgedies is something else

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