Tone
Gritty. Dark. Bleak. Hopeless. Nihilistic. Deeply pessimistic. All of that, paired with an unsettling and sinister atmosphere, a skyline and cityscape that is reminiscent of the ending of “Fight Club“, the legendary anime series “Death Note“ and the crime-infested Gotham City from DC Comics, as well as the sky being consumed by a blood-red hue once the supernatural elements of the story come into play, create the inherent vibe and feel of “Into The Red Sky“. In this world, the meaning of the term “empathy” has been long forgotten and the story combines mystery elements with tragedy, melancholy, horror and terror, to portray that the characters do, in fact, truly live in a ruthless and relentless world.
The series does not shy away from showing even the darkest sides of humanity, as it analyzes many different kinds of evil that burden mankind in each episode. But it also isn’t episodic or an anthology series either, because it still builds up to an overarching narrative with a clear end goal. The show will feature many quiet, introspective moments that leave room for the characters to develop and breathe in so that the viewers can witness the emotional depth of their journey, immerse themselves into the atmosphere and fully feel the tension, depending on the scene, much like “Death Note“ and even “Neon Genesis Evangelion“.
Meanwhile, there will also be many fight sequences in the show too, which are incredibly fast-paced, gory, visceral and adrenaline-fueled. The animation quality of Netflix’s “Devil May Cry“ series (especially Season 2) essentially meets the fight choreographies in “Demon Slayer“. Other scenes, meanwhile, make the show morph into something deeply disturbing and/or heart-wrenching, similarly to “Berserk (1997)“, which makes it very clear to the viewers that this story is truly not meant for the faint-hearted but still an important one to be told nevertheless.
Themes
“Into The Red Sky“ focuses on existential, philosophical, societal and biblical themes, questioning the blurry line between good and evil as well as morality and corruption. It deals with the darkest depths of human nature through the portrayal of tyrannical regimes, kingdoms and governments, dehumanizing and hateful ideologies, war, murder, genocide, slavery, torture, manipulation, betrayal, revenge, abuse of all kinds, the depravity of journalism, the temptations of cults, corrupt politicians, human experimentation and trafficking, espionage and surveillance, the abuse of power by priests and police officers, the horrors of concentration camps, as well as the pervasive corruption of media and truth in the modern era.
The narrative mostly grapples with the paradox of absolute justice and deals with the question of how injustice can exist in the presence of a god. Is god benevolent but not all-powerful or all-powerful and cruel? Every character comes to their own conclusion to this question, some more radical than others. The series also looks at the idea of whether true evil stems from external supernatural forces, like demons for example, or from humanity itself instead.
In addition to these big philosophical questions, the series will still remain deeply personal and psychological. It touches on themes like depression, apathy, emotional numbness, desensitization, self-destructive behavior and the internal struggle against one’s own darker impulses too. Plus, themes of nihilism versus faith, grief, loss of loved ones, heartbreak, guilt, obsession with the past, redemption and the never-ending search for meaning, belonging and hope in a truly broken and unforgiving world, especially in regards to Jaden’s development during the show, form the heart of the story.
World & Characters
The main characters of “Into The Red Sky“, Jaden, James and Raguel, each represent one of the three worldviews, belief systems, life experiences and layers, which all clash together to create the worldbuilding for the series.
For instance, the high school student Jaden represents the MODERN ERA and how his deeply pessimistic and misanthropic worldview is a direct result of it. He is desensitized to all the horrible stuff that happens around the world all the time, especially due to his excessive consumption and indulgence in social media, the news and online discourse. On top of that, he is deeply traumatized from events that happened during his childhood in regard to his parents and he also blames himself for the death of a classmate, despite him not actually feeling guilty on the inside and having to deal with this strange paradox of apathy… Basically, he thinks he should have felt some sort of guilt or remorse for what had happened, but he genuinely can’t wrap his head around why he simply feels nothing instead. Just pure, utter apathy.
Meanwhile, James, a boy of the same age who was once a concentration camp prisoner of the now long-fallen and tyrannical Nefarian Empire, brings his very own beliefs, moral compass and plot strands with him, which are mainly based on his experiences from living in an oppressive and totalitarian regime more than a hundred years ago. He therefore clearly represents the PAST ERA and acts as the glue between the human aspect of Jaden and the supernatural elements that are introduced by both him and Raguel.
The dynamic between James and Jaden is the heart of the entire story of “Into The Red Sky“. The moral dilemmas, how either of them would act in such a situation, where they would agree and disagree, as well as how exactly they differ in their opinions, are exactly what will make the show both engaging and thought-provoking. James and Jaden’s philosophical discussions are meant to portray how morality changes over time and how some things about humanity can change completely, both for better or for worse, but also that some things, like human cruelty and ignorance, will always stay a constant throughout all of history, regardless of the reasoning.
But it is also important to note that their relationship goes way deeper than simply a mentor-mentee dynamic, because James clearly has his own ulterior motives, even completely disconnected from his and Raguel’s big master plan. In this show, betrayal and backstabbing are more than guaranteed. Even if the three main characters start to grow fond of each other, they all would be willing to sacrifice each other if it meant fulfilling their ultimate goals. Only Jaden is somewhat of an exception to that, as he sees James as his first true friend and the only person he has ever connected with. But that also makes him prone to manipulation.
Their relationship is indeed very toxic and leads Jaden to be dragged into a bloody and horrific downward spiral in which he becomes the center of a conspiracy on a biblical scale. He becomes a target for a corrupt government, a cult, spies and supernatural forces while also trying to blend in with other high schoolers and trying to keep his nightly vigilantism a secret. Though the more he keeps doing it, the more Jaden loses himself in vengeance. More and more blood starts covering his hands and eventually he starts desiring the taste of human flesh. It just gets worse for Jaden the longer the show goes on, until he digs his hole so deep that he can’t possibly get himself out of it anymore.
Lastly, all the SUPERNATURAL aspects of the story are mostly introduced through the fallen archangel of justice named Raguel, who blames humans for his banishment from heaven (he actually calls himself the demon of vengeance now, but often puts on his angel persona for manipulation purposes). He is the main antagonist and the puppet master behind everything that occurs in “Into The Red Sky“. Though none of the characters in the show are purely good or heroic and all of them carry a form of evil within themselves to varying degrees.
These were only the three main characters, but the full show, of course, consists of many different characters with their own backstories, motivations, story functions and plot strands to give the story more substance.
Inspirations
“Into The Red Sky“ is basically a love letter to some of my favorite anime series, mixing all of their best elements together to create something entirely original with my show. The visual style and atmosphere of “Death Note” essentially meets the scale, emotion, worldbuilding and overarching narrative of “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood”. Then throw the disturbing and bleak imagery of “Berserk” into the mix, plus the psychological deconstruction of characters in “Neon Genesis Evangelion” and the epic fight choreography in “Demon Slayer“… Each of these anime played a huge part during the writing process and were the first steps that eventually led me to create the story of “Into The Red Sky“.
On top of that, I was able to flesh out the story even more the further I researched the many topics that I would like the series to tackle. But like all of my creative projects, a lot of my own life, personal experiences and struggles made the story an emotional journey for me to write, especially when it comes to the psychological and character-focused aspects of “Into The Red Sky“. It is incredibly honest and deeply vulnerable but with enough entertainment value to balance it out. Since all of my stories are a form of self-therapy and a creative outlet for me to understand my own psyche, especially the darker aspects that people are usually too afraid to talk about, that basically means that even in relation to everything else I will ever make… This show will truly be the darkest story I will ever tell.
The characters of the series should have relatable aspects to them, regardless of how supernatural the plot gets or how agreeable/disagreeable their actions are (with exceptions, because a handful of characters are just pure evil and are written to be hated, while others, meaning most characters, are more morally grey). I wish for “Into The Red Sky“ to spark discussions among the audience, hold up a mirror towards society in general and make them question their morals, belief systems and worldviews, just like the three main characters do throughout their journey.
In addition, the musical identity and some of the most important scenes of the entire series are heavily influenced by the music of bands/musicians such as Imminence and Bring Me The Horizon. Music is what will bring this story truly to life and “Into The Red Sky“ wouldn’t have become even half as interesting if it weren’t for songs I listened to that I absolutely adore and that helped me immensely during my creative process (the same goes for every other movie project I will ever do). But more info on that is on the “Music Vision“ page.