Mobile Suit Gundam: Requiem of Revenge, the first Gundam series original animation to be distributed worldwide by Netflix, will finally begin streaming on October 17th. Produced using Unreal Engine 5, this work has a realistic look with a different visual direction from the conventional Gundam series. It strongly inherits the
essence of the original Mobile Suit Gundam, which can be said to be the pioneer of real robot anime, and the spirit of realism is thoroughly applied not only to the screen but also to the story and character portrayal.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Requiem of Revenge focuses on the European front during the One Year War in the first Gundam series, Mobile Suit Gundam. When Eastern Europe is in danger of being occupied by the Zeon Army, a mobile suit platoon is sent from space. Among them is the Red Wolf squad, a four-man unit led by Solari, the protagonist of this work. Thanks to the efforts of the mobile suit platoon, the base is saved, but the Federation’s white mobile suits suddenly attack, destroying the base and forcing Solari to fight while retreating
. The story depicts how Solari and the soldiers who barely escaped the base form a makeshift team and return to space, avoiding the threat of the Federation’s new mobile suits.
This work does not have the typical Japanese anime look, or the so-called cel look, but rather adopts realistic visuals. It is similar to director Shinji Aramaki’s “Starship Troopers Invasion,” and the human body is based on a realistic human body, and the background has a realistic space that looks like live-action. Perhaps because of
this, it is very realistic .
The setting is Earth, and there are many scenes of tanks running on the battlefield and flesh-and-blood soldiers fighting hand-to-hand, so there are times when you almost forget that this is a science fiction work.
Into this ominous battlefield, superweapons called mobile suits are sent, and the Zaku piloted by Solari destroys Federation tanks and other vehicles, showing just how powerful mobile suits are.
However, the Federation’s white devil, Gundam, which has performance superior to that of the Zaku, ravages the battlefield.
The battle takes place with flesh-and-blood humans at the feet of the giant mobile suits, so the strong feeling that “Gundam is on a real battlefield” permeates the entire film, which is what makes this film so outstanding. In the darkness of the night, the Gundam’s eyes shine mysteriously, and its silhouette illuminated by the flames of the battlefield is beautiful yet terrifying, making me realize just how scary it is to be attacked by a Gundam. This is a film that can be called a “real robot film” in the truest sense of the word.
The story of this work depicts the protagonists’ retreat, so the Solari party is always in a state of being one in the same boat. It is thrilling to see how everyone racks their brains to survive and escapes with limited resources. Of course, there are battles between mobile suits, but a major feature of this work is that it depicts many very down-to-earth battles throughout the film. They fight with what they have at the time, such as assembling a mobile suit from the junk at a recycling center to fight against Gundam, or escaping the battlefield in a half-destroyed Zaku Tank that can only reverse. The sense of resistance by real, flesh-and-blood humans is portrayed very well, and the horror of the battlefield is conveyed to the viewer.
The protagonist, Solari, is a responsible captain who, while considering the lives of her comrades, uses her calm judgment to escape from a difficult situation. Her subordinates who accompany her in escaping the devastated base include Lieutenant Neeland LeShawn, Lieutenant Haley Arhun, who has full body tattoos and is good at hand-to-hand combat, Ony Kasuga, who belongs to the UMRC organization that provides medical treatment regardless of faction, and Technical Captain Alfie Zydos, who belongs to the Recycling Center.
Solari was a violinist before joining the military. He races to the battlefield to return to his family, and even when his subordinates are killed, he tells himself that “revenge produces nothing,” and fights desperately to protect his comrades. In contrast, Lieutenant Haley is a somewhat combative and realistic type, while LeShawn, who loses his colleagues, is driven by a desire for revenge, but he follows Solari’s instructions and continues to fight. Technical Captain Alphys of the Recycling Center is a good-natured middle-aged man who is an old acquaintance of Solari. As they help each other protect their lives with this motley group of comrades, each character asks themselves why they are fighting .
Not only does it depict battles, but it also places importance on realism in its human drama, fully depicting the sorrow and suffering of people who have no choice but to live on the battlefield. What emerges from this story is the “stupidity of war.” Everyone is just desperately trying to survive, so you start to wonder why they are killing each other.
As soldiers, they must follow the orders of their superiors and fight. But why are they fighting in the first place? Why are their subordinates and colleagues being sacrificed? The enemy also has families and friends, and everyone really just wants to live peacefully. With such thoughts coming and going, the battle continues.
What’s most wonderful about this film is how it convincingly depicts the futility of such fighting . Humans are sad creatures who cannot stop fighting, but the way the main character, Solari, never gives up hope for humanity is moving.
While it firmly inherits the essence of the Gundam series that began with the original Mobile Suit Gundam, it has become a work with even more realism. The new evolution and development of the Gundam series may start from here.
Netflix series “Mobile Suit Gundam: Requiem of Revenge”
now available worldwide exclusively on Netflix
(C) Sotsu, Sunrise
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