English Title: Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance
Japanese Title: 機動戦士ガンダム 復讐のレクイエム [lit. Mobile Suit Gundam Revenge’s Requiem]
Director(s): Erasmus Brosdau
Screenwriter(s): Gavin Hignight
Studio: Sunrise, SAFEHOUSE
Released: 2024
Runtime: 6 episodes, ~24m each.
Starring: Mori Nanako, Ishige Shouya, Ootsuka Takeo, Kawase Maki
The series begins on 6 November 0079 UC following the Zeon forces in Romania. To those familiar with the UC timeline, this is late in the One Year War leading up to what the Earth Federation refers to as Operation Odessa.
What is immediately apparent is that the CG environment and vehicles are nicely modelled and rendered. However, the people are not. Granted, they are much more difficult but their look and motion are not particularly good or consistent.
Nonetheless, the opening action sequence is impressive enough. Whilst war action is the norm in Gundam, the main viewpoint characters are usually mobile suit pilots so infantry’s perspective is not that common. Related to that, onscreen deaths often involve energy weapons or explosions that swallow up people. Here, troops actually getting torn up by gunfire are shown and fighters scream by overhead.
In the midst of this, the Red Wolves squadron comprised of four Zakus led by Captain Iria Solari is air-dropped to support their Zeon comrades. The Zakus are very nicely modelled and rendered. The interior details of the cockpit are superb.
An Earth Federation RX-78 Gundam soon rocks up and easily dispatches the Red Wolves. Only Iria and Kneeland escape with their lives and the plot follows them as they try to link up with other Zeon forces and defend the region against the Earth Federation offensive.
As with any franchise, some updates are expected in art design and/or storytelling. The mobile suits and pilot’s suits are tastefully updated. The overall form is the same but armor panelling is modernized. Their motion is not as fast as what is portrayed in anime. Whilst they are not slow, the series does well showing their agility as well as their size and mass. The impact their movements and weapons have on their environment along with the camerawork and sound conveys their mass and power.
It is interesting to see the Gundam from Zeon’s perspective. It is initially unclear if this is Amuro Ray piloting. Although the mystery is interesting, the ambiguity lasts too long for the audience even if Zeon does not know who the pilot is.
In the original 1979 anime series, no other RX-78 Gundams are shown although there are supposed to be a few other units as part of the developmental program. The color scheme and configuration of this unit, such as its shoulder cannon, and certain moments of aggression indicate that it is not Amuro. The unrefined piloting skills and the reliance on the mobile suit’s superior abilities indicate that it may be. Since it is uncertain whether these details are deliberate or artistic liberties, clearer hints to the audience should be given sooner rather than later on whether this is Amuro.
In any case, it is cool to see the Gundam enter the scene like a kaiju-horror film with a matching soundtrack. There are certainly a few wow moments. The main problem is that often the Gundam cannot finish off the Zeon main characters because “someone interrupts it by shooting it at the last moment”. Granted, it’s probably the only thing that could stop it but it gets repetitive. Another point of silliness is driving at night with headlights on whilst in the hot zone. I am sure Zeon has night-vision capabilities.
Iria and Kneeland meet others, including a soldier named Hailey Arhun, a tatted-up young woman with purple hair and a nose ring. Giving updated looks is one thing, making a Zeon soldier look like an arts major libtard is another. And she’s angry and tries to come across as having an attitude like it’s a cool thing. This is obviously Netflix being woke.
Even Iria’s hair with the undercut looks stupid. She is not a bad character but, either way, she doesn’t need to have a “cool haircut”. Not every Zeon belongs to nobility but it would be more consistent if they look like “nice and proper” snobs. As for Kneeland Lesean, he is clearly a token black guy. Nothing wrong with black characters but make him half-interesting at least instead of just making him black and giving him the name of a wide receiver.
Back to strong female characters: Gundam does it often enough and sometimes very well. Captain Murrue Ramius in Gundam SEED (2002) and, more recently, Prospera Mercury in Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury (2022) are two notable examples of women who are strong, feminine and compelling which this series fails at creating.
As a rule, I watch anime in Japanese only. Rarely do I watch it also in English. Since the English dub was also marketed, I tried to watch it in English as well. It is horrible, I could not even stand half an episode. The lines and the sound mix simply do not match the visuals. (I am not referring to lip sync as I do not expect it in anime regardless of language.)
It is in effect a war-action film just over two hours long. The plot is straightforward and the pacing is decent. All the money and effort has gone into the mecha action, environment and sound effects. The characters are cardboard and look mediocre which wouldn’t be so bad if Netflix didn’t inject its wokeness into it. I do hope Sunrise produce more CG Gundam animes as long as they keep the wokeness out of it.
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