REVIEW: ‘Gundam: Requiem For Vengeance’ Doesn’t Play Favorites

Iria Sorari (Celia Massingham) is a mobile suit pilot with the Red Wolves. Acclaimed for battle prowess, they shine as a light to their fellow soldiers looking to end a bloody conflict. However, they will be challenged when a new deadly type of Gundam takes the field. Now, hoping to escape back to their homes, Iria tries to save what she can in Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance from Sunrise.

After the franchise’s recent success in a new setting with Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury, it returns to the U.C. timeline in this CGI mini-series. Returning to the original setting, the series also shifts back to a focus on the harshness of war. Its exploration of the realities of battle is surprisingly even-handed.

In fictional conflicts, we are used to the lines between the good guys and the bad guys being clear. One side is in the right as they prosecute a just war for freedom/equality/etc. The good guys may occasionally do questionable acts, but you typically know who you should be rooting for. Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance showcases how blurred those lines can truly become.

Despite getting the view from the Zeon faction’s side, they never really come across as the “good guys.” Vengeance, anger, or greed seem just as easy for them as the Federation forces they condemn. Despite history potentially legitimizing why they began the war, it is all too easy to see that noble ideas are not what propels many of them. Perhaps they did once, but not now. This willingness to let real people occupy both sides makes the situation feel more grounded despite the presence of giant mecha.

At the center of Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance stands Iria—Captain of her squad and a New Type. New Types are a new evolution of humanity that possess psychic-style abilities that give them exceptional reflexes and precognitive visions. As a violinist before the war came, Iria was looking to survive the fighting until she could make it home to her son. Having already seen her husband slain, her need to survive the fighting is fierce and portrayed excellently. Massingham lends the character a wonderful blend of authority and sensitivity in the English dub.

Throughout the series’ six episodes, we follow Iria as she tries to keep what is left of her command alive after the appearance of a new Gundman shifts the tide of battle against them. Through her eyes, we see the tribulation of war play out as she does all she can to minimize the damage. She is willing to kill, but only when the situation calls for it.

This puts her at odds with her allies when vengeance and hate become motivating factors. Her unwillingness to frame her enemies as anything other than people trying to survive the same things she is keeps her from descending into the same brutality around her.

Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance dives into Iria’s psyche through nightmare sequences. The design of these moments hit hard as they potently deliver the soldier’s pain due to the war and the lives she has failed to preserve. These moments make her unwillingness to succumb to the blind violence others revel in all the more impressive since they affirm that her strength isn’t due to cold-heartedness.

While its lead character and unflinching look at how messy war can be are great, Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance’s visuals don’t always hold up. The visual design is strong, and the beam weapons and energy swords pop with particular flare when they appear. Some key moments are also captured with well-executed cinematography.

However, the animation often lacks the quality of the rest of the series. Character movements generally feel stiff, and simple actions like walking don’t come across naturally. This stiffness distracts from the story the series endeavors to tell.

One element that reinforces the emotions in Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance is the music. Choral pieces bring haunting feelings to the production from the moment it begins. With every painful scene and momentary triumph, the score infuses the moments with a potent accompaniment.

Despite some visual shortcomings, Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance delivers a hard look at war and what it does to both sides. Unwilling to paint either side in a heroic light, it showcases how unforgiving the vast majority of humanity becomes when the bodies start piling up.

Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance is streaming now on Netflix.