Overview (Spoilers Below):
Taking place during the late stages of the One Year War, Iria Sorari (Celia Massingham), a Principality of Zeon pilot under the “Red Wolves” division, is tasked with defending the European front against the Earth Federation Forces’ efforts to reclaim the area.
Our Take:
When someone mentions a show involving people controlling giant mechs, “Power Rangers” is one of the only things that come to my mind. However, for those who grew up watching anime, one show came to their minds that defined the “giant robot” genre in the anime department: Gundam. Gundam follows the simple premise of multiple characters piloting giant robots called mobile suits in an all-out war between two factions. It’s straightforward, but its simplicity helped the show gain franchise status, consisting of multiple television shows, spin-offs, manga, video games, and movies. With its popularity still intact as of now, it’s evident that the franchise won’t be deactivating anytime soon, joining the likes of Pokemon as one of the longest-running anime franchises in existence.
This is proven in the latest iteration of the Gundam brand that focuses on a different part of the war between the Principality of Zeon and the Earth Federation Forces. Requiem for Vengeance is the second CGI series to be released since Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO, but it is also the first series to be animated by Unreal Engine 5 from Epic Games. I usually recognize Unreal Engine 5 as the prime developer of next-gen video games, so it was interesting to see the gaming engine attempting to use its functionalities for a different type of media. Regarding the story, Requiem for Vengeance focuses on the Principality of Zeon pilot named Iria Sorari during the Revolutionary War. She’s tasked with leading her division, the Red Wolves, to defend the European front from incoming attacks by the Earth Federation Forces. However, things get more heated when their enemy’s powerful weapon, the Mobile Suit Gundam, puts Sorari and the remaining members, including Lieutenant Hailey Arhun (Jessica Spies), in survival mode.
Requiem for Vengeance was my first exposure to the Gundam brand, known for its multiple shows and spin-offs that are disconnected from one another. With this much creative freedom on display, it’s a relief that people, including me, can just jump into any of its projects without viewing the other ones for further context. Requiem for Vengeance could be viewed from two different perspectives. For Gundam fans, it’s a refreshing perspective of the Revolutionary War, with the Gundam being viewed as an antagonistic force of terror. As for casual viewers like myself, they’ll view it as an action-packed war thriller with sci-fi elements that pits characters against a technologically advanced enemy far beyond their capabilities. On paper, this seemed like an entertaining addition to the Gundam brand, depicting themes of war, humanity, and revenge. However, after surviving six episodes of Requiem for Vengeance, I found myself feeling the complete opposite of entertained. It made me wish I had watched Pacific Rim instead.
One of the elements that immediately turned me off from the series was the animation. As mentioned earlier, this is the first series to be animated by Unreal Engine 5, and it shows. I know I’m not expecting much from the presentation since Unreal Engine 5 is more compatible with video games, but it’s like it didn’t even try to make it look convincing enough. This is equivalent to the cutscenes of a canceled Gundam video game stitched together to form a six-episode limited series. While it looks nice by design, seeing it in motion was enough to make me want to play an actual video game. The weights of the movements were stiff and sluggish, along with some occasional clipping, and the mouths lacked any real expressions, resulting in a video-game-like aesthetic that’s more uncanny than the mo-cap films from Robert Zemeckis. It’s a shame, too, because the textures, lighting, and environments were impeccably detailed, especially the mobile suits. It’s that everything else lacked the effort to elevate its immersive depth beyond the cutscene aesthetics.
However, it’s not just the animation that put me off of the experience. Requiem for Vengeance offers a straightforward narrative involving Sorari’s attempt to win the war against the Earth Federation Forces and reunite with her family. Amid the journey, she faces the grief of losing her squadron and discovers the horrors of war when children are involved. This would’ve been another compelling display of how the war affects the characters physically and mentally, driving them to revenge. Unfortunately, its mediocre direction and corny dialogue overshadowed its attempt at providing the themes’ emotional depth. Even the voice cast from the English dub didn’t do the dialogue any favors, as some of the performances were either forced or over-the-top. Jessica Spies, as Lieutenant Hailey Arhun, sounded like she was reading off the series’s script. But Celia Massingham seemed like she put in the most effort to display Iria’s emotions, even if they were far from extraordinary.
Overall, Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance is a disposable and rough addition to the Gundam franchise that has more malfunctions than technological advancements. It offers plenty of thought-provoking themes involving war, especially when children are involved in the struggle. Sadly, the emotional depth behind those messages is gunned down by its subpar direction and weak storytelling. Even the animation by Unreal Engine 5 couldn’t overcome its laughably bad aesthetics reminiscent of a PS3 game. Speaking as someone who has not watched a single Gundam series, Requiem for Vengeance is not the perfect series for me to jump into the iconic mecha anime franchise. As for the Gundam fans, they may find a couple of bright spots in the show better than I did, but besides that, they’re better off watching the other installments.