MARS RED “Purgatory” Review
MARS RED “Purgatory” is the eighth episode of the MARS RED anime. Following the events of the earthquake this episode follows Kurusu solely and only hints at what happened to Maeda in episode 7 but it’s a big hint.
In purgatory
Maeda opens the episode aimlessly wondering around after visiting the site where Maeda was impaled. However Maeda isn’t there and Kurusu is left to wonder about, not knowing what happened to his friends. He sees several people become vampires and in one scene the episode shows a huge group of people transforming and killing random citizens. The Special Vampire Unit disposes of them. However they cannot be reasoned with or talked to, Kurusu tries and is ignored.
Whilst on “patrol” Kurusu overhears people talking about a vampire vaccine that the government is giving out. One man says he’s had his and produces an Ascra bottle. The government is turning innocent civilians into vampires all under the guise of it being a vaccine. There’s a brief scene with Aoi who is giving out bread rations to people hit by the quake and vampire massacre. She sees Kurusu but assumes she’s imagining things. Kinda. Considering she knows about vampires, she probably has doubts that he wasn’t actually there.
Kurusu is apprehended by some human soldiers who have never heard of his division. They realise he’s a vampire but before they can do anything about it one of them burns up in the sunlight. One that’s had the “vaccine.” Underground Nakajima is having a nice chat with Rufus. Discussing how the mass production of the Ascra has made their plans go a lot smoother. Nakajima confirms he caused the vampire panic on purpose to squeeze through mass production of the vaccine. The only thing he didn’t plan was the earthquake and he’s visibly annoyed by that. Why? We’ll have to see. I assume it may have something to do with Maeda though. Nakajima seemed obsessed with turning Maeda so the earthquake being a thorn in his side is the last thing he needs.
Finding the truth
Kurusu the visits the Yamagami household to see if his friend went home or he can find leads as to where he is. It’s there that he has a heart to heart with Tomiko, Yamagami’s wife. She talks to him about how they were luckier than most and the damage is minimal but also says someone else in the same uniform as him visited a few weeks ago. She show’s him the old lighter that Yamagami used to light Maeda’s cigarette the day he died. It’s then that the penny drops. Maeda was the man in the uniform as he suspected he was. But it’s not shown if he realises that Yamagami is dead yet.
Walking aimlessly again he hears the sounds of someone calling for help. A vampire ranked below him. He goes to them and it’s a woman and two children. He rescues them from the horde of vampires and tells them to stay with him.
The Refuge
Luckily Tenmaya finds them and he takes them to his personal hideout where he’s keeping vampire refugees. Whilst Kurusu is there, Tenmaya asks if he would go with the Head Clerk and do something for him. He agrees as Tenmaya offers him refuge.
The Head Clerk takes him to an unused train station where they keep the blood for the vampires. They check but it’s not been swapped with Ascra, the Head Clerk however notices there’s too much there. More than last time and realises the enemy has beat them to it. They’re ambushed by a bunch of the special forces vampires. They both go to fight but one of the Special Forces with purple eyes, not red, goes berserk and starts attacking the others. The Head Clerk points out it’s sunrise soon and they should take the opportunity to escape. Rufus kills the rogue vampire. Clearly enjoying himself.
The episode ends with an image of Maeda’s flowers he left at Misaki’s death spot with part of his uniform representing his rank ripped off next to the dead flowers.
Review
Wow. What an episode. I’m not afraid to say that I cried during the scene with Tomiko. The memories of Yamagami and them reminiscing, her thinking he died a while back and him not necessarily knowing what’s happened was heart shattering. I’m not over his death yet. Don’t think I’ll ever be.
The creepy rendition of Danny Boy whilst Nakajima and Rufus talk about their evil plan. Rufus even starting to sing it. Set the whole feeling for the episode. Danny Boy a song about loss and finding your way home eventually. Being used to show not only Kurusu’s state of mind.
But in a dark way poke fun at the fact that he most likely will never go back “home.” Not to the home he knows with the people he cares about. Too much has changed. Too much has been lost. and it’s this bitter irony that runs through the entire episode. It really grasps at the heart. Kurusu spends the entire episode searching for his friends. In a sense because they’re his new normal. And his new home. But it’s hopeless and the audience know it but poor Kurusu doesn’t or he does and is letting his naivety carry him onward.
It’s an episode that focuses on one person being lost. But in a genius way tells us more than ever what’s going on behind the scenes. Kurusu is lost but the audience aren’t. And it’s this bittersweet contradiction that makes this episode so heavy.
