- Mobile Suit Gundam and Netflix Anime are collaborating on an all-new series titled Mobile Suit Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance, marking their first big-production anime collaboration.
- The new series will take place during the One Year War, the first conflict that brought about the creation and deployment of mobile suit gundam technology.
- The series will be rendered with Unreal Engine 5, one of the most advanced computer graphics software, and if successful, could lead to further collaborations between Netflix and Gundam.
Expanding its already legendary library of mecha anime content, Mobile Suit Gundam is teaming up with Netflix Anime for an all-new series that is set to give a modern update to the classic Gundam story that started it all, titled Mobile Suit Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance.
While Gundam and Netflix are already working together on a live-action film, this marks their first big-production anime collaboration. The new series will be directed by Erasmus Brosdau, from a script written by Gavin Hignight. Production will be a joint venture between Netflix Anime and SAFEHOUSE, Inc.
While no timetable for its premiere has been given, the teaser trailer does announce that the series will be "coming soon." As the teaser makes clear, the new series will take place during the One Year War. This refers to the first conflict that brought about the widespread creation and deployment of the mobile suit gundam technology.
Related: The Secrets of Gundam's Success Explained
Gundam Goes Back Where It All Began
The One Year War was at the center of the first Gundam series.
Over the past few years, Netflix has made no secret of its intent to grow its anime footprint. That effort has not only help popularize anime across the world but has also led to the creation of some of the most-watched anime in the history of the medium. Similarly, since its founding in 2019, SAFEHOUSE, Inc. has emerged as one of the leading producers of real-time rendering and high-quality CG animation. Their work can not only be seen in some of the world's most popular video games but increasingly in cutting-edge anime production. Indeed, the animation will be rendered with Unreal Engine 5, which is one of the most advanced computer graphics software to date.
According to the Gundam franchise timeline, the One Year War began on January 3, 0079, when forces from the Principality of Zeon attacked Earth and its allies. The war ended on January 1, 0080, though that did not stop the hostilities and tensions between the two opponents. It also led to more than a few sub-conflicts within both the Earth and Zeon camps. The original Mobile Suit Gundam anime series as well as Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt occurred during the One Year War. Indeed, much of the Gundam lore and traditions arise from the same time period.
The exact date when Mobile Suit Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance takes place seems to be November 0079, the final two months of the war - which was among its most intense periods. This was especially the case for the mobile suit technology. Indeed, as each side raced to create and deploy more effective mobile suit technologies, the level of death and destruction - on both sides - only increased. Indeed, while the real war might have only lasted a year, the "arms race" in mobile suit technology was only beginning. The new series seems set to address that as one of the soldiers in the teaser seems surprised by the arrival of a new, apparently more lethal, mobile suit than they have encountered before.
The One Year War occurs in the Universal Century timeline. This is the franchise's primary timeline and should not be confused with its other timelines, such as the Correct Century or Cosmic Era timelines.
Mobile Suit Gundam Defines The Mecha Anime Genre
The Mobile Suit Gundam franchise is one of the pillars of anime. No other franchise has done more to generate, develop, and expand the mecha anime genre. With over 50 anime series, movies, OVA, manga, and light novels, It's safe to say that if it's mecha, Gundam has influenced it. The fact that this first collaboration with Netflix goes back to the franchise's roots is telling. The One Year War timeline is a safe start for a franchise that runs the gamut in themes. It is also the timeline that is best known, so there's already a stable built-in audience. If Mobile Suit Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance turns out to be a popular series, fans will more than likely see further Netflix - Gundam collaborations.
Sources: NetflixAnime, Gundam: Requiem For Vengeance Website
