Mars Red
Movies
Synopsis
In 1923 in Tokyo, vampires exist and have been living in hiding throughout the world since ancient times. However, in response to their numbers increasing, the government establishes Code Zero, a unit within the army tasked with cracking down on them. Created by Lieutenant General Nakajima, the unit’s original purpose was in information gathering but due to a rise in vampire cases around the city they are reassigned to investigating the cases and dealing with the vampire threat. Together with Colonel Yoshinobu Maeda, the most powerful man in the world, Shutaro Kurusu, a rookie and one of the strongest vampires in Japan, Suwa, a vampire from the Edo period, and a mad scientist named Takeuchi, the team fights against the ever-growing number of vampires to protect society from downfall.
Background
Mars Red began as a play by Bun'O Fujisawa that was performed in 2013 and again in 2015 and has since been developed into a mixed media series. A manga written by Bun-O Fujisawa and illustrated by Kemuri Karakara began serialization in Mag Garden’s Monthly Comic Garden in December 2019, the second tankobon volume of which will be released in April 2021. Seven Seas Entertainment has licensed the manga for English release in North America.
An anime adaptation was announced in February 2020. It is being animated by Signal.MD and features Kouhei Hatano as director with Jun'ichi Fujisaku handling series composition and script, Yukari Takeuchi handling character designs, and Toshiyuki Muranaka composing the music. The anime’s opening theme song is "Seimei no Aria" by Wagakki Band, and the ending theme song is "ON MY OWN" by HYDE. The anime will premiere in Japan on April 5, 2021 on YTV, and Funimation will stream the first episode a week ahead of the Japan broadcast on March 29 in both an English subtitled version and English dubbed version.
Characters
Shutaro Kurusu (Voiced by: Tasuku Hatanaka)
A Private First Class in the Imperial Japanese Army Military Police and a member of Code Zero. He is a vampire with a kind heart and is one of the strongest vampires in Japan.
Takeuchi (Voiced by: Akira Ishida)
A mad scientist who delights in having a brain that doesn’t age.
Yoshinobu Maeda (Voiced by: Junichi Suwabe)
A Colonel in the Imperial Japanese Army Military Police and a member of Code Zero.
Suwa (Voiced by: Kenichi Suzumura)
A vampire who has been alive since the Edo period.
Tokuichi Yamagami (Voiced by: Koichi Yamadera)
A Major in the Imperial Japanese Army Military Police and a member of Code Zero. Though he is an elite member of the army, he is one of the lowest-ranking vampires. He joined the army at the same time as Yoshinobu.
Misaki (Voiced by: Ayahi Takagaki)
A vampire actress at the imperial theater who was the star of the opera Sarome. She was captured at the base in Tsukishima.
Aoi Shirase (Voiced by: Fumiko Orikasa)
A childhood friend of Shutaro. She is a reporter for a small newspaper called Nito Shimbun. She follows the human combustion cases in Tokyo, which she suspects are connected to vampires.
Sonosuke Nakajima (Voiced by: Hiroshi Yanaka)
A Lieutenant General in the Imperial Japanese Army Military Police who comes from a samurai family from Saga Prefecture. He is Yoshinobu’s guardian and has ties to the government.
Rufus Glenn (Voiced by: Makoto Furukawa)
A mysterious Englishman who has been hired by the Japanese government and is working on a plan. He also has a strong connection with vampires.
Deffrot (Voiced by: Miyuki Sawashiro)
An S-class vampire boy with blonde hair. He becomes charmed by Misaki’s talent as an actress at the imperial theater. He begins working together with Aoi to find the truth behind Misaki’s death.
Shinnosuke Tenmaya (Voiced by: Sachi Kokuryu)
The owner of the mysterious employment agency called Tenmanya. However, the business is actually a specialty store for vampires. She is an ally of vampires who deals in food and family registers.
Music
- Opening Theme Song: "Seimei no Aria" by Wagakki Band
- Ending Theme Song: "ON MY OWN" by HYDE
Official Links
Staff
- Original Creator: Bun'O Fujisawa
- Original Character Design: Kemuri Karakara
- Director: Kouhei Hatano
- Series Composition/Script: Jun'ichi Fujisaku
- Character Design: Yukari Takeuchi
- Design: Daisuke Niitsuma, Setta
- Art Director: Hirofumi Sakagami (Totonyan), Hiroshi Kato (Totonyan)
- Color Design: Mitsuko Sekimoto
- Director of Photography: Hidenori Manaka (J.C. Staff)
- CG Director: Takuji Goto (Tri-Slash)
- Editing: Rie Matsubara
- Sound Director: Bun'O Fujisawa
- Music: Toshiyuki Muranaka
- Chief Episode Director: Shinya Sadamitsu
- Animation Production: Signal.MD