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Jun 28, 2021 11:28 AM
#1

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Jul 2017
14637
THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE.
----------------------------------------
IT'S TIME TO SET THINGS RIGHT. Maeda's humanity, his own past life (of his only family being Misaki) and military work; and present shortcomings before becoming a vampire leading the Special Forces Unit 16 Code Zero group with the vampire gang of Suwa, Takeuchi and the rest.

FINALLY, THY NAME IS...Shakespeare's Hamlet, departing the feels of humans and vampires, just like Maeda and Kurusu's final face-off. While Aoi's presence didn't help much but for motivation, Defrott's epilogue of a stage play that coincides with the Romeo X Juliet feels, the thriller is nothing short of fantastic with Maeda's loss to the sunshine, and Kurusu alive for being a hybrid human-vampire.

FRAILITY, THY NAME IS...VAMPIRE.
As old gives way to the new, All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
BUT THEY'RE OUTSIDE ALL THAT.

Now this is what you call a stage play, succinctly to the T. A strong start, wonky middle and a strong ending is what Mars Red is, truly underrated. Not the best, but it is what it is.
Jun 28, 2021 11:28 AM
#2

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Jun 2019
6579
Seeing Misaki and Maeda's past like that made me feel bad for Maeda and now I miss Misaki even more. But that doesn't let the out of control Maeda see anything in front of him. He still wants to kill Kurusu, not willingly but he was doing it being under control. But, props to Kurusu that he was managed to overcome what his Colonel once told him that "he's too soft."

Kurusu gave Maeda a final goodbye at the same place where Misaki died in the first episode and I think Maeda was also happy with how things turned out in the end for him, dying at the hands of his underclassmen. Kurusu also pleaded with Aoi to give her blood, so he can turn into a full-fledged Vampire. And, now he's on with his vampire life.

A pretty interesting story in my opinion. I honestly enjoyed it, not so much but it was still better than many of the shows airing this season which are having larger audiences than this. Felt a little underrated.

FRAILITY, THY NAME IS...VAMPIRE
Jun 28, 2021 11:48 AM
#3
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Sep 2015
6566
I know there are many reference to Shakespeare but is Mars Red itself loosely based on one of Shakespeare's play? Just like Kishuku Gakkou no Juliet is based on Romeo and Juliet?

Anyway, I recognize this anime as lovable characters with sad fate. I'm kinda prefer something like "A Daily Life of a Vampire Force". Yes, I know there's a Mars Red: Zero Kikan Nippou but it's just a short ONA.
Jun 28, 2021 12:52 PM
#4

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Feb 2020
1718
Well dang, would've hoped Kurusu stayed with Aoi, but oh well. Carrying the honor of his former mates along his journey.

Somewhere along these episodes, the show started to lose appeal for me but I think this was still a fine watch.
Jun 28, 2021 12:54 PM
#5

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Apr 2018
5479
''I had a strange dream, I'm all alone'' - Maede
Seems like Maede predicted the death of his fellow comrades and future wife.
I'm glad that the last fight had a bit more action scene to it, a pretty good fight.
Kurusu won in the end by killing Maede. The OST was really relaxing, love the piano play.
He drinks Aoi's blood in the end to 'stay ''human'', more like a powerup xD
GO KURUSU! Easily my second favorite character after Maede.
This might have been a boring anime to most of the people who watched it but damn I enjoyed most of the parts.

Going to miss the ''Jokanaan'' xD A really hood underrated anime.

Shakespeare vibes, amazing ending song and interesting story.
7/10
SideCharacterKalJun 28, 2021 12:59 PM


“You yourself have to change first, or nothing will change for you!”
'
Jun 28, 2021 1:02 PM
#6

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May 2020
203
Breathtaking story!!!
Maeda concluded his mission, and he finally reunited with Misaki, what a beautiful death scene T^T

The stills in the end showed that everyone did what they'd been planning for, though wanted to see Kurusu end up with Aoi, but oh well!

"The world is a stage and we're all merely players"
Jun 28, 2021 1:21 PM
#7

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Dec 2018
71
I find it difficult to put into words how much love I felt while witnessing this finale.

On the same tomb where two lovers will forever lay, another two sign their vows in virgin blood.

And alas, poor Deefrot, we knew of him only that his large shadow could not fit a dream within a dream.

No ending paid for in blood can be said to be a happy one, but I cannot deny this one its beauty.

My only regret is that, no matter how many times I revisit this play from now on, its actors cannot portray another story than the one already told.
If I could be an expert in just one arcane,
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it would be you.
Jun 28, 2021 3:21 PM
#8

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Sep 2017
2800
All things considered, that was a pretty strong finale. The series is definitely has its flaws, but its still a decent watch even if the very artsy style and storytelling is not really your thing.
Jun 28, 2021 3:25 PM
#9

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Dec 2020
68
Not going to lie, I'm confused and perhaps a little unsatisfied. It felt like it left a lot unsaid, or maybe I just didn't understand why Aoi and Kurusu didn't at least admit each others feelings.

Maeda's end was perfect, though. Same with the other characters, hell, Suwa got a new companion and possible life partner, which is sweet.

Maybe it's the fact the anime comes from a medium I've never even heard or been interested in, that I struggled a bit with it.

Regardless, I did enjoy it!
Jun 28, 2021 3:25 PM

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Feb 2021
104
That was a top tier ending that pulled it out of the boring second half for me. I am about to watch Odd Taxi's last episode, but this one is the best endings of the season so far for me. I thought this would be cursed by it's amazing first episode, but it really came full circle in a satisfying way in the finale. Yamagami's episodes, and the Misaki flashback I remember being very well also.
Jun 28, 2021 4:37 PM

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Jul 2016
1218
this is a weird anime all in all but the music score is what saves it for me
storytelling is complex, but i liked the art and animation

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Jun 28, 2021 4:50 PM
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Nov 2020
38
Vanvans04 said:
I understood nothing of the anime, it looks like a lot of things were cut. For example I didn't even understand why Maeda became wicked. I don't know if it was me that is haven't followed the anime correctly or if the problem come from the anime.


Same, I've been so confused by the direction of the story over the last few episodes. Started off so great but the ending is comparable to Tokyo Ghoul, obvs to a much lesser scale, but in the sense that I have no clue what is going on and why its happening. Quite disappointed tbh
Jun 28, 2021 4:55 PM
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Jul 2018
564089
there was an open ending i liked the fights and as kuruso be became a vampire the determination in the fight makes maeda back to normal maeda with his death that was very quick with his outcome on the show.
Jun 28, 2021 6:53 PM

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Jun 2019
6631
My 151st completed series chronologically.

For the record, I extended it a 7/10 rating.
Jun 28, 2021 7:03 PM
#FreeWatermelon

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Feb 2020
9283
Boring final episode, if i can be honest here. The way they keep jumbling the plot with Defrott drama play, its not so convincing me. Moreover with how suddenly Maeda become the villain. Damn, wtf with this end? Its just like that, what about General Nakajima? Dead in the prison? How about Defrott that suddenly appeared there, while the previous episode its obvious that he was inside the ship. Was Defrott really just an illusion back there? Wtf is this end? Not to mention how Suwa and the girl had no other explanations about them and let the audience, like me, guess it in a wild. But, whatever. Mars Red already over, the curtain has been closed, and their drama finally reach the end result. This is a dissapointing end, but still, i am still liking the ost so much, especially with the ed song. In the end, like Kurusu moving on his duty as a vampire, me as an ordinary watcher will moving on too from this goddamn show. That's it all from me....
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Jun 28, 2021 7:52 PM
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Mar 2015
13461
The curtain finally falls on Mars Red A tale told by an idiot full of sound and fury symbolizing nothing
landofthekwtJun 28, 2021 8:28 PM
Jun 28, 2021 8:07 PM
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Aug 2020
57
anyway, the ending definitely made up for it in that one line: "the world is a stage… and we exist outside of it"
Jun 28, 2021 8:08 PM
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Aug 2020
57
montypython_123 said:
Vanvans04 said:
I understood nothing of the anime, it looks like a lot of things were cut. For example I didn't even understand why Maeda became wicked. I don't know if it was me that is haven't followed the anime correctly or if the problem come from the anime.


Same, I've been so confused by the direction of the story over the last few episodes. Started off so great but the ending is comparable to Tokyo Ghoul, obvs to a much lesser scale, but in the sense that I have no clue what is going on and why its happening. Quite disappointed tbh


Agreed.........
Jun 28, 2021 8:18 PM

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Dec 2020
3855
man im gonna miss that intro i loved it a lot

the show was kinda of bumpy for me, lost its appeal and got confusing/boring at some parts, but still manages to make it exciting on the other. overall i really enjoyed it tho, kinda hoped kurusu and aoi would stay together but well at least they're both fine
Jun 28, 2021 10:56 PM
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Feb 2017
132
Loved the ending. The last 2-3 episodes felt rushed and missed out on a few plot lines but overall this show was definitely one of the best I watched during this season. The score, the art and the voice actors were just amazing and maybe they are the main reasons why I keep wanting to overlook the few plot holes in this show.
Jun 28, 2021 11:05 PM

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May 2013
66
Maeda dying in the sunlight was 100% expected, but the way it happened sucked. He should not have been weaker than kurusu, especially since all his previous feats contradict it (already beating kurusu as a human, and being on par with a S rank vamp). It would be one thing if he was going easy on him and wanted to die, but it's clear he only came to his senses when he already lost.

Overall this show was amazing in the first 5-6 episodes, and then just totally flopped. Maybe if they were given 24 instead of 13 we might have had something good.
TimidGazelleJun 28, 2021 11:08 PM
Jun 28, 2021 11:58 PM

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Apr 2019
262
So I was honestly expecting the final episode to suck since I thought that the build up to this episode isn't that good but this was really way better than to what I expected. The direction is overall great. I expected the final showdown to just be dragon ball-esque just like the previous fights but this is way better. I was also expecting this to end with the tragedy of them both dying but fortunately, only Maeda died and the way he went out is sad. Kurusu has gotten stronger by the end and has finally accepted that he is a vampire. A great conclusion overall and this anime is a pretty unique experience.
Jun 29, 2021 12:07 AM
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Feb 2014
7
it was so artsy, but it was great
Jun 29, 2021 12:20 AM

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Oct 2016
4493
The show definitely has its downs especially at the middle, but the last few episodes and this ending was really strong.

Was confused at first, but I realized Maeda was just dreaming, it's sad that he has never met Misaki until she turned into a vampire, what could have been. Maeda dying and leaving the mark right beside Misaki's was beautiful.

So, that was the first time Kurusu has ever drank human blood, perfect that it was Aoi's blood that he drank. Of all the characters, I would have never expected Takeuchi to end up taking care of the kids. Glad Sawa is not alone anymore in finding entertainment throughout the world.

Despite it's ups and downs, I really enjoyed the show, the good far outweighs the bad. 7.5/10 ~ 8/10
Jun 29, 2021 12:44 AM

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Mar 2012
618
Very close to what I'd call a masterpiece. A true work of art.
Jun 29, 2021 12:47 AM
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May 2019
213
KANLen09 said:
THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE.
----------------------------------------
IT'S TIME TO SET THINGS RIGHT. Maeda's humanity, his own past life (of his only family being Misaki) and military work; and present shortcomings before becoming a vampire leading the Special Forces Unit 16 Code Zero group with the vampire gang of Suwa, Takeuchi and the rest.

FINALLY, THY NAME IS...Shakespeare's Hamlet, departing the feels of humans and vampires, just like Maeda and Kurusu's final face-off. While Aoi's presence didn't help much but for motivation, Defrott's epilogue of a stage play that coincides with the Romeo X Juliet feels, the thriller is nothing short of fantastic with Maeda's loss to the sunshine, and Kurusu alive for being a hybrid human-vampire.

FRAILITY, THY NAME IS...VAMPIRE.
As old gives way to the new, All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
BUT THEY'RE OUTSIDE ALL THAT.

Now this is what you call a stage play, succinctly to the T. A strong start, wonky middle and a strong ending is what Mars Red is, truly underrated. Not the best, but it is what it is.
was it supposed to be a stage play the entire time?
Jun 29, 2021 7:13 AM
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Dec 2017
344
Vanvans04 said:
I understood nothing of the anime, it looks like a lot of things were cut. For example I didn't even understand why Maeda became wicked. I don't know if it was me that is haven't followed the anime correctly or if the problem come from the anime.

It's pretty simple, remember how his fiance Misaki was acting in ep.1? Some people, when turned into vampires, just repeat what they was doing prior to their "transformation", stop recognizing people they knew, etc.
Jun 29, 2021 9:54 AM
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May 2016
1829
Ugh what a pretentious end to this incomprehensible garbage.
The whole Maeda, for absolutely no reason, losing his memory so him and Kurusu could have this big fight while reporter girl ran to witness it, oh brother.
And the readings of Shakespeare etc., this show was the epitome of style over substance trying to completely mask the fact that this story stunk. What a waste of time, should have dropped it when I first thought about it. :(
Jun 29, 2021 9:56 AM
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May 2016
1829
Vanvans04 said:
I understood nothing of the anime, it looks like a lot of things were cut. For example I didn't even understand why Maeda became wicked. I don't know if it was me that is haven't followed the anime correctly or if the problem come from the anime.


It wasn't you, this was incomprehensible.
Jun 29, 2021 7:54 PM

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Apr 2010
438
Vanvans04 said:
I understood nothing of the anime, it looks like a lot of things were cut. For example I didn't even understand why Maeda became wicked. I don't know if it was me that is haven't followed the anime correctly or if the problem come from the anime.


It's not just you mate. I had no fucking clue what the hell happened to the plot after the earthquake occurred. I was just watching the rest of the show out of sheer inertia.
Jun 29, 2021 10:51 PM

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Jul 2020
110
this anime is worth a maximum of 5, but for emotional reasons I will give 6 because I like many of the characters, very charismatic, they touched me.
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Jun 30, 2021 6:37 AM

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Jul 2017
14637
@Jpl79 Umm...have you not been paying attention to the show's thematics?

I'd give you a hint: Look at one of the episode's title, it's obvious it's a reference to a stage play.
Jun 30, 2021 11:25 AM

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Nov 2019
335
This is my favorite show this season. I love every part: Art, Story, Characters, Music. I'm crying.
Jul 2, 2021 6:00 AM
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Apr 2021
932
For anyone who is confused as to why this show had such an incredible ending after some of the awful episodes shown lately, I have two theories

1. The anime was originally 2 cour, and it was cut down by the producers midway through production, forcing them to cut down the unnecessary episodes with what they had already got, and therefore were unable to streamline them into a coherent story.

2. The anime had one episode director who was a legendary gigachad, directing episodes 1, 6, and 13; and every other episode director was insanely incompetent.

I like to think that the first option is most likely correct, however there is almost no information on Mars Red, so this will remain no more than a theory
Jul 2, 2021 9:26 AM

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Dec 2016
1406
Thanks to Aoi for looking like Misaki, if she didn't come then their fight would've kept going on until they both burned to death.

Didn't expect Kurusu to be the OP in the end, at first he seemed to be just one side character who'll most probably die. But it was good to see him survive till the end.

It was ok, I guess if I was that interested in literature then I would've liked it more. The first few episode especially the 1st episode was beautiful, I loved their cinematography and their theatrical performances but after that it just went downhill, got confusing, they randomly skipped major plot lines, it was all over the place that I couldn't even get to fully enjoy their aestheticism.

In my opinion, that Danny Boy appearing so randomly and go “I am the King” with no further explanation made the show confusing and boring.

Overall 6/10.
Jul 2, 2021 7:47 PM

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Jul 2013
1584
bittersweet ending. i'd say the first half of the show was really great and deserved a 10 (to me), but i'd have to agree that after the earthquake, things slowed down. though the atmosphere was the same, the show felt different? idk. regardless, i did like Mars Red, overall.
Jul 2, 2021 9:54 PM

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Oct 2008
13718
The OST of Mars Red is awesome!
great work Muranaka-san as his first work according to MAL database...that's a great feat! hope to hear more of his OST in the future!
5/5.


Jul 3, 2021 5:49 PM

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Feb 2020
5794
after that earthquake, when they changed protagonist from maeda to kurusu, plot fell all over. I feel like maeda become vampire just for that poetic ending, he had no purpose other than that. antagonist were sidelines mediocrely one after another. traitor scenario was out of no where and poorly developed. lot of plotholes started forming.
overall still it was pretty engaging from start to finish for whatever it was. ending was kind of satisfying even there are lot of plot convenience to reach there. One thing they did perfect was static animation and character movement and more than anything dynamic dialogues to give the stage play effect, though more action was still desirable. artstyle and ost were pretty good
AdampkJul 3, 2021 5:57 PM
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Jul 5, 2021 3:57 PM

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318
Well that was pretty cool, I enjoyed that last episode a lot. Their fight was interesting and seeing into Maeda's history was great. I would say I wish he survived but he clearly did not want to (I liked their vampire rings crossing over), at least Shutaro might one day be able to be happy with Aoi. I wonder what De'frott was saying at the end, it was very vague. Everyone else seemed to have alright or even good endings too which was nice.

Y'know, this show was pretty crappy. It felt rushed at times, animation sometimes sucked, audio was missing from scenes, sequences and events occasionally didn't make sense; but I really enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun and in my eyes it was pretty damn cool. I wish the animators had more time or even more episodes, I really think it could have been exceptional for some reason.

It has such a low score too, I thought it was pretty good, nothing special or anything but damn is that score low. I honestly really enjoyed it.
Stuffed_goatJul 5, 2021 4:02 PM



Jul 6, 2021 6:34 PM

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Oct 2011
704
Not sure why, but I HIGHLY enjoyed this anime. Was looking forward to it every week. Sure there were a lot of things wrong with it, but I got attached to the characters and the anime felt unique to me. 8/10
Jul 7, 2021 10:08 AM

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May 2009
517
Second half was hard to follow, but fuck me if that wasn't an amazing finale. Im satisfied.
Jul 22, 2021 5:16 AM

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Nov 2019
328
Brings to mind a combination of ACCA and Jin-Roh. Maybe some Texhnolyze in there as well.

While I was interested at first, and the way they tie everything and everyone together is quite impressive, once the mindless vampire press gang showed up it turned into another Senkou no Night Raid in terms of disappointment (at least for me).

Even this impressively comprehensive ending can't really make up for it.
Jul 23, 2021 7:37 AM

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May 2019
196
That was an interesting season finale if I do say so myself, especially with the main fight being the highlight of this episode. It was really great to see this anime from start to finish, even if it had a rocky start. However, there were definitely some loose ends and plotholes that I thought would've been needed to be cleared up. I hope that some of what the anime didn't cover is mentioned in the manga since I'm planning to read and compare it.
Aug 1, 2021 7:46 PM

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Jun 2013
519
Well it started out confusing and tragic but got interesting for a while until the whole earthquake thing. After that part the plot just fell apart. And despite the confusion it made more sense in the beginning than it did in the end.

The characters were okay but nothing out of the ordinary. Yet to make matters worse out they suddenly ditched Maeda to make Kurusu the main character after more than halfway into the show. I am not a fan of this kind of crap when I am invested in that one character since the beginning. If only the writers spent more time investing in proper execution instead of showing discussions around playwrights and their plays than it would've turned out much better.

Honestly, these flaws also overshadow the good and emotional parts about the show like the animation quality and the tragic deaths of Maeda, Misaki and Yamagami. Overall I feel like this was just a promo for the manga.
Aug 8, 2021 6:26 PM

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Dec 2016
4335
Overall good show that was at times really confusing and some scenes didn't make sense.. from me 6/10 + I liked after credit scene.


badabass said:
Boring final episode, if i can be honest here. The way they keep jumbling the plot with Defrott drama play, its not so convincing me. Moreover with how suddenly Maeda become the villain. Damn, wtf with this end? Its just like that, what about General Nakajima? Dead in the prison? How about Defrott that suddenly appeared there, while the previous episode its obvious that he was inside the ship. Was Defrott really just an illusion back there? Wtf is this end? Not to mention how Suwa and the girl had no other explanations about them and let the audience, like me, guess it in a wild. But, whatever. Mars Red already over, the curtain has been closed, and their drama finally reach the end result. This is a dissapointing end, but still, i am still liking the ost so much, especially with the ed song. In the end, like Kurusu moving on his duty as a vampire, me as an ordinary watcher will moving on too from this goddamn show. That's it all from me....


In after credit scenes you can see General Nakajima in the background so most likely he retired.
And about Defrott... he can just run really fast so fast that he can run on water (because he is S class vampire), like Rufus who was able to "teleport" between locations... but yea, it was confusing.
Manga recommendation:
- Spy x Family (Ch.107/? - biweekly) | Sakamoto Days (Ch.190/? - weekly)
- MARRIAGETOXIN (Ch.108/? - weekly) | Machi and Oboro (Ch.15/? - biweekly)
- Make the Exorcist Fall in Love (Ch.78/? - biweekly)
- You and I Are Polar Opposites (Ch.64/? - biweekly)
Anime recommendation:
- Deca-Dence (Finished) | Wave, Listen to Me! (Finished)
- If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die (Finished)
- Diary of Our Days at the Breakwater (Finished)
Aug 15, 2021 5:36 AM

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Feb 2018
3235
So Maeda died like that, and Kurusu will replace him? The plot & pace in the later episodes felt all over the place..
Sep 3, 2021 10:19 AM

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Jul 2015
9999
So after a lot of losses and a dream of alternate reality Maeda finally meets his end at the same spot where his fiancée Misaki died. At times a bit too vague but overall fine anime.

Oct 5, 2021 12:01 AM
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May 2017
866
I know I'm late to the party, but this anime was aiight. Wasted potential to the fullest though, but it is what it is

5/10
Nov 13, 2021 10:01 AM

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Jan 2013
345
The direction of the last episode was incredible.
Overall, one of my favourite shows about vampires.
Nov 27, 2021 7:06 AM
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Nov 2021
1
I really enjoyed this show! It wasn't perfect, and I felt like some parts weren't explained properly, but it truly was quite an anime. I was initially drawn to the show because of the poetic devices, but I'm surprised at how much I liked it because I wouldn't normally consider anime in these genres. What can I say? You don't know till you try it.
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