There is something inherently fascinating about gigantic robots fighting each other, at least to a significant portion of the world’s population, and that has understandably given rise to such franchises over the years. Netflix’s new animated series, Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance, brings back one of these franchises, the Gundam series, to our screens, although the figures in this universe are not technically robots but mobile suits used for warfare controlled by humans inside them. The series comprises six episodes, each around 24 minutes long, and tells the story of a Principality of Zeon pilot, Iria Solari, as she and her team are involved in deadly warfare on a post-apocalyptic Earth. Although Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance might be worth watching for long-time fans of the franchise, it offers hardly anything for newcomers and can easily be skipped.
Requiem for Vengeance takes place on the European front on Earth, eleven months after the Revolutionary Wars began. It is presented from the perspective of the Principality of Zeon faction, who have invaded the planet to fight against their oppressive rulers, the Earth Federation Force, or the EFF. Just from the very first episode, it is clear that the animated series is targeted at existing fans and followers of the franchise and is not any sort of reboot or conclusive presentation in itself to welcome new audiences. It spends no time or effort in explaining what these factions are or the circumstances in which the global war takes place, along with many other terms, names, and phrases used later on, with no context given. New viewers will probably be at a complete loss and might even be encouraged to drop the series totally after the first episode.
Returning to the plot, it is centered around a veteran pilot named Iria Solari, who happens to be the leader of the Red Wolves division in the Principality of Zeon faction. The Red Wolves are tasked with manning the gigantic robotic armor suits (they can even be called vehicles) known as Gundam, and they use these machines to wage war against the soldiers of the EFF. Solari and her team get a grand introduction, as another unit of the Zeon faction has to call for their assistance when they get ambushed by an EFF unit. The mobile suits are used to fight off the enemy and capture an important army base, which had been the target of the mission all along. The Zeon soldiers spend the day celebrating and resting, but danger strikes that very night when their base is attacked by the EFF. To make matters worse, the Zeon soldiers learn of a new development—while they had been the only ones in possession of mobile suit Gundams so far, the EFF has now built their own gigantic machines as well. The opposing robots are even more powerful, as they are fitted with dangerous laser beams that can destroy anything in their way with tremendous ease.
Along with this unexpected new development in her professional life, which could very well lead to her death on the battlefield eve, Solari’s personal life and bonds with those around her also become important in the story. The pilot was once a very skilled and perhaps celebrated violinist in her home colony on some planet or complex in outer space, but had to leave her passions behind when military duty came calling. The violin was not the only thing close to her heart that Solari had to leave though, as she had a family as well, particularly a young boy who perhaps could not even fully comprehend why his mother was leaving home. The only reminder of the boy that she carries with her is a ticking pocket watch, which Solari understandably protects at all costs. She remains very determined all throughout the series to survive the war and return home only to reunite with her son. But that is easier said than done, especially after the kind of experiences that Solari has during her time on Earth.
Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance is about warring humanoid machines, and so the manner in which its action sequences and scenes play out obviously glorify warfare to some degree. Without doing so, the very charm and essence of the series and the franchise would have been lost. But it also remembers to not pick sides and to highlight the destructive nature of war, which keeps killing and causing heartbreak and devastation to people on all sides. Towards the end of the series, the nature of warfare and the specific groups involved in this particular conflict are questioned, although not in a very profound or thought-provoking manner. To a neutral viewer with no particular affinity for the franchise or the mecha anime genre in general, these elements seem a bit like mandatory additions, which do not come off as very organic. Requiem for Vengeance approaches a lot of these questions through the personal sufferings and realizations of its protagonist, but given the scale that it tries to achieve, there could have been better attempts at it surely.
The visuals in the series are quite satisfying and enjoyable to watch, though, particularly the scenes of combat which are clearly given the big-budget treatment. The Netflix series has been animated completely with the use of Unreal Engine 5, and it is evident in the visuals. The scenes, lighting, or characters are definitely not as photorealistic as some of the demo renders on Unreal Engine 5 that popularly make the rounds on the internet, perhaps understandably so. Firstly, making something so intense beyond just a few minutes’ duration would drain a lot of resources, and secondly, too much photorealism would have taken away from the established style of the Gundam franchise altogether. The style of animation might not be appealing to everyone, as it does sometimes look a lot like cutscenes in video games from six or seven years ago, but it still does an adequate job. The voice acting, on the other hand, at least in the English version (which is also the original language of production), could have been done better, and it does not feel very authentic to the experience.
Overall, Requiem for Vengeance is clearly targeted towards a very specific audience, who are already very much aware of the characters and events of the franchise. For other first-timers or casual viewers, it presents nothing extra or unique that might bring them to the Gundam series. You can still give it a watch if humanoid robots throwing punches at each other or engaging in swordfights interest you, but Requiem for Vengeance is not recommendable to anyone else.
