Netflix’s Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance Review – A ’90s OVA Wannabe

This Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance review contains no spoilers.

When Gundam fans try to convince the general public to give the franchise a try, they’ll often say, “unlike most mecha shows that focus on the robots, this one focuses on the characters.”

There’s a mindset amongst more casual viewers that Gundam as a whole is just giant robots punching each other with no depth to speak of, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Most of the shows that make up the Gundam franchise are more about the characters’ trauma than wacky robot fights. It’s been that way since the very first entry in 1979, Mobile Suit Gundam, where a gifted boy was repeatedly exposed to the horrors of war and suffered accordingly. Yet no matter how often fans try to explain this, to the point it’s become a meme, it’s still hard for a general audience to shake the perception that Gundam (and mecha shows in general) have little more to offer than surface level robot action.

The newest series in the Gundam franchise, Netflix’s Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance, desperately wants to be the series that finally changes that perception of the general audience. To finally make them understand that the Gundam franchise has more to offer. To be one that “focuses on the characters.” 

A fully original series for Netflix, Requiem for Vengeance takes the war seen in the original Gundam series and, instead of focusing on super special main characters of power and importance, follows a grunt team of Zeon soldiers. There’s no over-the-top Super Robot action here. What giant mecha fighting we do get is gritty and grimy and strives to be “real.” The Gundam, often seen as a shining beacon of hope, comes off as a terrifying monster of war whenever it takes to the front line against the Zeon forces. The show strives to keep its animation as grounded as possible, avoiding any sort of anime look for its characters.

In a way Requiem for Vengeance really wants to be like the Gundam OVA The 08th MS Team, but for a new generation. That OVA, which followed a group of guerrilla foot soldiers, famously stripped away the more “super robot” aspects of the franchise. Even though it was less fantastical sci-fi and more Vietnam drama, The 08th MS Team still wasn’t afraid of its anime-like trappings, which makes it a firm fan favorite to this day. But Gundam: Requiem For Vengeance wants to be more “real.” More grounded. The kind of show that “focuses on the characters” that can draw in new fans.

If only it was actually about the characters.

The group of Zeon soldiers, the “Red Wolves” division, are paper thin. There are gestures to why they’re all fighting and what drives them, but none of it makes an impression. Even our lead, Iria, fails to do much other than get a few monologues about “why are we fighting?” Not exactly thrilling or original. It’s not helped by the animation for the human characters, particularly their mouth movements. This isn’t just a problem with the English dub. In both it and the original Japanese, the characters’ mouths are sometimes wildly out of sync with the recorded dialogue. This explains why so much dialogue is delivered off camera or with backs turned to the camera. Little difficult to do a show that actually “focuses on the characters” without uh, actually seeing them.

The plot also fails to impress, with what at times feels like massive gaps in the story that give the impression a year-long series was cut down to six episodes. Characters are set up then abandoned only to reappear later with little fanfare. New characters are constantly introduced when the show can’t even handle the ones set up in the first episode. This could remind one of ‘90s OVAs, like The 08th MS Team, which had much shorter episodes counts than your regular anime. At least those knew the amount of time they were working with and told properly paced stories. Ones that had a lot more heart and life than anything in Requiem for Vengeance. 

This isn’t a show that’ll get you invested in Gundam or mecha anime if you aren’t already a die-hard follower. Really the only minor enjoyment to be had is if you’re a Gundam mega fan, where the mere sight of a troop of Gouf mobile suits can bring a smile to your face. Though honestly with how much the plot fails to rouse any excitement, you’d be better off buying some model kits and smashing them together yourself. At least then you’d feel some kind of real connection. No amount of low angles or decently impressive CGI robot action can make up for a lack of story.

With the sight of familiar robots the only (small) highlight, Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance becomes what so many in the general public believe Gundam is: A mecha show that focuses more on robots than the characters.

All six episodes of Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance are now streaming on Netflix.