Not to be forgotten in the avalanche of bigger-buzz releases this season is Mars Red.  And it was easy to forget, too – the problem with these early preview airings is that you have to wait two weeks or even longer for second episodes.  That was especially long in Mars Red’s case, because when a series comes in way above expectations with its premiere, you have worries about whether it could have been a fluke.  But in this instance, those worries were completely unfounded.

Yes, I’m still loving this series, the only difference being this episode didn’t catch me by surprise like the first one did.  There’s some really high-level stuff going on here, on multiple levels.  The music is fantastic, and so is the art direction.  There’s obviously not a sky-high budget at work here but Mars Red still looks fantastic, capturing the aura of 1923 Tokyo has an ominously mysterious and sometimes beautiful place.  And this series may be my top pick this season in terms of the acting.  There are some terrific actors in this series and they’re clearly enjoying the chance to work with material of this caliber.

The premiere was a setup episode to be sure, but Yoshinobu is still very much at the center of the narrative.  He’s working with the unit he dubs Code Zero, vampires hunting vampires.  And we meet a couple of them here – the bitter old major Yamagami Tokuichi (Yamadera Kouichi), who came up through the ranks at Yoshinobu’s side and resents their respective lots – and the youngster Kurusu Shutaro (Hatanaka Tasaku).  And what’s striking about these two is how human they are.  They’re totally self-aware, which means they understand the curse that they now live under (especially the older man).  And they’re not bloodthirsty – largely because, apparently, they’re supplied with it by the army.  To them, it’s a disgusting necessity of existence.

In effect it seems the members of Code Zero are either the lucky or unlucky 10%, depending on your point of view – the ones who don’t die after being bitten by vampires, but transformed.  This is their life now, or rather their existence, but it’s not at all clear they would choose it over death if free to choose.  Also in the unit are the scientist vamp Takeuchi (Ishida Akira), and the cold-hearted enforcer Suwa (Suzumura Kenichi).  Needless to say this is a mighty impressive seiyuu dump right here, and all are excellent – but I have to say it’s Yamadera-san who really shines brightest.  It’s great to hear Yakumo and Sukeroku together again, and it’s no coincidence that it’s those two series finding actors like this really delivering the goods.

The plot this week concerns a pair of vampire lovers who’re operating in the Kayabacho district east of Tokyo Station.  The evidence?  A rise in spontaneous human combustion, which the army knows the real cause of (and which the nosy reporter from the premiere is still obsessed with).  And the search takes a very mundane form, as Yoshinobu has his men dig through the local garbage looking for evidence of blood use.  He also visits the gorgeously imagined Tenmaya-ya, an exotic shop which deals in blood itself.  The owner is played by Kokoryu Sachi in yet another compelling performance (I was convinced it was Sakamoto Maaya until I checked the credits).

Once more this is a very interesting scenario to watch play out, as Mars Red takes the time to present the two vamps as individuals.  They’re killers, but they’re still recognizably human in many ways – most crucially that they’re in love with each other.  It seems clear that the blood they’ve been ingesting (from Tenmaya’s rival) is a drug of some sort, which heightens their aggression and increases the thrill of the kill.  The older woman is cautious, the younger man is giddy with the rush and that leads to their demise.  Even in the end they’re offered the chance to surrender and “live”, but it’s not to be.  And as predicted, Moriyama cashes in his chips very early in the proceedings.

I can quibble with one or two things here.  Shutaro being the reporter’s childhood friend is quite a coincidence, on top of Misaki being Yoshinobu’s fiancee.  And the exposition in this episode slips into explanation a couple of times.  On balance, though, Mars Red remains pretty great – a stylish (the moment when Yoshinobu walks out of the shadows and into the sunlight is truly brilliant), theatrical, and atmospheric historical fantasy of the type and quality anime seems constantly trying to produce these days but rarely succeeding.  Based on two episodes it looks like the real deal, and that’s becoming a trend this season.