You have never seen RX-78 like this.
For 46 years, Yoshiyuki Tomino's Mobile Suit Gundam series of giant robots has depicted the horrors of war from a variety of angles, but it seems that never before has the RX-78 itself struck fear into the hearts of viewers.
For a unique look at the confrontation between the Earth Federation and the Principality of Zeon, the miniseries Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance, released this fall by Sunrise and Safehouse.
What Is Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance About?
Universal Century, the One Year War is in full swing. Romania is invaded by Zeon, supported by the Red Wolves, a special elite unit of ZAKU II led by Iria Solari.
Everything is going well until an unknown machine of the Earth Federation appears in the night. It seems to be completely invincible: the mysterious mecha looks like an emissary from hell and single-handedly deals with the enemy troops.
Even the Red Wolves are forced to flee with their tails between their legs. This is the beginning of Zeon's waking nightmare: they can't even retreat without being attacked by a monster called Gundam.
Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance Tells the Story from the Perspective of Zeon
Most stories about the Universal Century are told from the point of view of the Earth Federation, so Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance was intriguing from the moment it was announced.
This is the first series where all events are presented from the point of view of Zeon, which greatly changes the perception of events. If in the original Gundam anime, the titular mecha gave hope and saved from the horror of alien attacks, here it is the creation of nightmares.
In This Anime, Gundam Looks Like an Ominous Hell Creature
After keeping the recognizable design of the RX-78 model, the series introduced another variation – the RX-78(G)E Gundam EX. This is a prototype: hence the unusual coloring, which looks surprisingly ominous.
There is no trace of the usual beacon of hope: the local Gundam is a completely infernal machine, whose appearance foreshadows a real horror.
Requiem for Vengeance Continues the Tradition of the Gundam Franchise
In the best tradition of the franchise, Requiem for Vengeance is a story about the nightmares of war, whose main harbinger this time is the iconic mecha itself.
The plot is almost entirely devoted to loss and pain: there are no direct military actions, since the Zeon forces are defeated in the first episode. Of course, the invaders try to fight back as best they can, but they are doomed from the start.
A lot of attention is paid to how many Zeonians want to take revenge. The voice of reason is Iria, who tries to keep both subordinates and enemies from doing stupid things.
But her efforts are not enough to finally break the cycle of hate: the plot ends, but not the war.