Ever since its debut announcement at Anime Expo in 2023, Mobile Suit Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance has been generating a lot of buzz and excitement over the past year, showcasing a fresh new visual take on the long running iconic Gundam series. Its production is being made in collaboration with Bandai Namco Film Works and SAFEHOUSE using the Unreal Engine 5 and directed by Erasmus Brosdau.
The story takes place in Europe, 11 months after the outbreak of the One Year War in U.C. (Universal Century) 0079. It's the same year that the original Mobile Suit Gundam series took place and is told from the perspective of the Zeon faction, which isn’t the the first time in the franchise that we’re seeing a story told from the perspective of ‘the bad guys’ (Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket). We follow a small unit called the Red Wolves and its leader Iria Sorari, who pilots a Zaku Type 2 by the same nickname and are tasked in aiding the capture of the European front against the Earth Federation Forces.
As more trailers release, we also get more glimpse of which mobile suites will be featured. So far there are 6 mobile suits with 5 variations of the Zaku 2 and of course it wouldn’t be a show about Gundam without an actual Gundam mobile suit. Enter the Gundam EX, a mobile suit manufactured by the Earth Federation Force and the main opposition during the events of the story. It has so far been portrayed as something quite terrifying and menacing, also being nicknamed ‘The White Devil’.
Other suits include the GOUF Custom, Zaku Tank, GM and Guntank Type B, so don’t be surprised if Bandai decides to release all these units as Gunpla, with 2 of the main suits (the Gundam EX and Zaku 2 Solari) already slated for release in Fall 2024 as High Grade model kits. Fans are eagerly awaiting more details of these 2 kits, especially with both already looking promising, showcasing a wealth of detail for High Grade gunpla.
Speaking of visually impressive, the team behind the production, Sunrise and SAFEHOUSE, have already shown high production values with the Unreal Engine 5, showcasing excellent use of 3D with highly detailed renders of the mobile suit models (with mechanical designer Kimitoshi Yamane at the helm), environments, particle effects and music. However fans have been quick to note that the human characters are a little off, especially with some of the lip syncing said to be stiff and uncanny valley. We’re confident however that the overall execution and story will carry the show forward.
It’ll be interesting to witness the war from the Zeon faction's perspective and how they deal with the going face to face with a Gundam, the horrors of war and how the character develop over the course of the events. Mobile Suit Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance is releasing on October 17th 2024 and will be available worldwide on Netflix.
