This season brought us one of the most interesting anime of the year, ‘Mars Red’, a fantasy drama set in the Taisho era, with a cast of protagonists divided between vampires and humans.
With such a unique story, it is no wonder that the team behind its production provide words for their audience to guide them through this journey and that is just what its director Kouhei Hatano and screenwriter Jun’ichi Fujisaku did.
Both pillars of production, provided with this purpose in mind a Anime News Network interview
On this topic, Fujisaku was the one who took the lead, since thanks to his previous work on ‘Blood +’, he managed to perfectly discern what makes this production unique.
De la mano de Jun’ichi Fujisaku
As we mentioned above, ‘Mars Red’ is a combination of several unique elements, such as being part of a moment of change in Japanese history, a military drama and the inclusion of supernatural creatures.
This scenario that takes us to Japan at the beginning of the modern era thanks to electricity, is the key point that defines the biggest difference between the vampire stories and what Fujisaku presents us.
In general, these beings are revealed as creatures superior to humans, those who are hidden in the shadows. However, in a modern setting all we find are weaknesses.
“In vampire stories the ‘strength’ of the characters is described as a defining trait, but in MARS RED their ‘weaknesses’ are shown first. I think vampires are unique in the way they feel the pain of living in modern society.
In Blood +, for example, the character uses his blood to kill vampires. Represented as the only absolute weapon. However, MARS RED takes the classic route. Although it does not show them fearing the Christian cross, they cannot swim, they burn in the sunlight and they do not like the smell of garlic ”.
Watching their lives go by, humans perish and society change brings an aura of devastating nostalgia to the series, it gives more negative than positive things to these supernatural beings.