Next October 17 on Netflix the first ONA series will debut Mobile Suit Gundam made by Sunrise, BANDAI NAMCO Filmworks And SAFEHOUSE in collaboration with the famous US streaming platform, under the direction of Erasmus Brosdau and the screenplay by Gavin Highnight. A hybrid production involving Japan and the West hadn’t been seen for a very long time and the fears that it could be a new project to forget were, if I have to tell you the truth, more than present. However, after previewing all the episodes of Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance I can tell you with certainty that these concerns were completely unfounded. We are faced with a CGI anime worthy of depth and which deserves to be part of the mosaic of Universal Centurylike the OVA series released in the 90s and recently proposed in Italy by Dynit.
In this article I will not give you my definitive opinions on this series, but only a taste of what awaits you in just over two weeks, as I will explain my opinions in more detail in the actual review.
Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance (Kidō Senshi Gandamu Fukushū no Rekuiemu) is composed of six episodes lasting just over twenty minutes each and tells the story of the platoon Red Wolf of Principality of Zeonstationed at the spacenoid outpost in Romania. It is the absolute protagonist Iria Solariteam captain and pilot of one Zaku II personalized, affectionately called “mother wolf” by her platoon. During the battle to conquer Cluj-Napocathe Red Wolf will be deposed to counter the Federation’s heavy vehicles with the overwhelming supremacy of their Zaku, but unexpectedly, during the battle, they will come across a very powerful Mobile Suitsthe first they have ever seen in their lives in the opposing faction: they will soon learn that it is the Gundamthe legendary white demon of the Federation, a terrifying cutting-edge vehicle armed with beam rifle against which their slow and heavy Zaku certainly cannot compete.
To hit more than Requiem for Vengeance it is its technical realization: entirely shaped by Unreal Engine 5which those more accustomed to the world of video games will certainly know for being the most advanced graphics engine on the market, is characterized above all by a realization that I would define as maniacal Mobile Suitsnever seen so real in any anime, video game or even as a model kit or 1/1 scale statue.
The mecha design, this time the work of Kimitoshi Yamane — known for his contribution to numerous works in the franchise, such as Mobile Fighter G Gundam, Reconguista in G, Hathaway, Cucuruz Doan’s Islandto all the productions of Cosmic Era ea The 08th MS Teamfrom which Requiem takes more than a few cues – it differs slightly from what we are used to seeing in two dimensions, due to the extreme verisimilitude and the revisiting of the proportions. If on the Zeonian front the customization of the vehicles is somehow justified by the presence of famous platoons on the front such as the Red Wolfon the federal level we are faced with real substantial variations compared to what the One Year War showed us all its facets, especially with regards toRX-78(G)E Gundam EXthe cornerstone unit of the series that embodies the definition of in every way “white demon”.
What concerns the design of the characters is a separate discussion: as in the case of the two series of MS IGLOO, Sunrise And SAFEHOUSE have decided to opt for a realistic style to represent the faces, expressions and animations of its protagonists, completely abandoning the Japanese-style aesthetics in favor of something that resembled a Western-style live action film as much as possible. The steps forward compared to the two series mentioned above are gargantuan, but personally I would have opted for another type of aesthetic more similar to the two-dimensional counterparts. Despite technological progress, the CGI of virtual actors is often not able to replicate the realism of real human beings and more often than not appears artificial, especially on secondary characters.
Music instead plays a particular role within the story and the soundtrack, entrusted to the care of Wilbert Roger II — known above all for his career in the video game field — differs a lot from what we are used to with Japanese-style songs, but we will talk about it in more detail in the review. What I would like to tell you straight away is that Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance was dubbed into Italian in an impeccable mannerunder the direction of Moses Singh — who in the anime sector directed the Netflix miniseries “The Pokémon Concierge” and successful feature films “CITY HUNTER The Movie: Angel Dust” And “HAIKYU!! Battle to the last refusal”.
The dubbing of this series also marks an epochal turning point for Gundam in Italy: for the first time after over forty years the decision was made to faithfully adhere to the pronunciation of the name “Gundam” — and we can only be extremely happy about it.
The appointment with Iria hey Red Wolf is set for the next one October 17. Will you be able to survive?
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