マーズレッド [Mars Red (VN Adaptation)] {Wk 13}

Mars Red is a vampire anime set in 1923, where the Japanese government has created a special forces unit called Code Zero which entails the involvement of vampires working for Japan alongside humans to convert or kill vampires. The anime had a really unique art style unlike most of the animes I typically watch. The color choice and style of animation reminded me of Okami the video game. The colors were flat but had depth at the same time. Furthermore, the anime itself was not the stereotypical shonen with vampires having unwielding powers. The story follows the special forces unit as Col. Yoshinobu Maeda commands the only unit of vampires to hunt down and flush out any vampires that may harm the citizens of Japan. The time period of the anime itself fits nicely with the character designs, the background scenery, the buildings, and the events that took place that weren't supernatural. My favorite characters from the show were Suwa and Takeuchi who weren't the main characters but had amazing backgrounds, personalities, and fashion. I genuinely had such a fun time with this anime as it kept me on my toes wondering what might happen next.

On a more serious note, the anime itself held some similarities to the Japan that I am aware of within my Japanese studies. The theatrical performances, the context of a war fought, the designs of the clothing of the women and men, the involvement of a red light district, and many more details are familiar to me about how Japan was around that time period. Besides the fictitious events like vampires, the anime itself had many words that I was able to understand and kanji or hiragana that I was able to read without relying on the subtitles. This experience helped build my confidence in my Japanese linguistic skills even though I have a long way to go. Another outcome from watching this series is the reminded that this anime is a shonen and heavily caters to the male audience. The show presented a couple beautiful females of various archetypes/personalities as well the different kind of men who have unique personalities along with entertaining fight scenes. The show even involved two love stories that paralleled one another which is a common plot line to follow in some animes but nevertheless unique to each show. Also, the stereotypical design of foreigners is always the blonde or brunette hair which is accurate but very obviously present. Overall, I give this show a 8.5 out of 10. I definitely recommend watching it!