It’s that time of year again kiddies. The autumn leaves are coming in, the wind is a little more chilly than usual, and stories of ghosts and goblins permeate the airwaves. Unfortunately, as we’ve reported frequently in the past, anime and horror don’t often find themselves intermingling, at least in the ways that we would hope. Keeping this in mind, it’s surprising that earlier this month, we were able to discover a newly released horror anime on Netflix that might just scratch your horror itch and it is a series that you most likely won’t see coming.
Gundam: Requiem For Vengeance was not billed as a horror series but it is one. The latest Gundam anime is one that takes viewers back to the original timeline of the franchise, the Universal Century Arc, and follows a band of soldiers in the Principality of Zeon. Since the series is in the shoes of the “villains” of the initial conflict, you might be surprised that this can give you the creeps when the “hero” is the slasher villain here. What the CG series does is it presents Amuro and his mech suit in such a way that it will send shivers down your spine and make you truly scared for those foolish enough to fight against the anime’s first Gundam.
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The Horror Gundam
The first episode acts as the perfect primer to what makes this Gundam so scary in the face of Zeon. To start, the warriors fighting against the all-powerful mech have no idea who is piloting this weapon of war, causing them to go into a panic at the sight of it. Brushing off blasts that would normally destroy other mechs while seeing the Gundam unit move at ludicrous speeds, these aspects alone aren’t enough to make this a horror story but they do help.
Where the horror aspects truly click is how the Gundam mech is pictured in its preliminary appearances. In the first encounter with Amuro, the main characters encounter the unstoppable mech in the dead of night, as the Gundam’s red eyes blare through the darkness. During one particularly gruesome scene, Amuro punches his way into a Zaku and proceeds to crush the pilot inside to the horror of those watching. By placing yourself into the shoes of the Zeon soldiers, you are able to see a new level of fear when it comes to fighting against an unstoppable force regardless of whether you are considered “good” or “bad” in the overall story.
An M. Night Shyamalan Gundam Twist
When it comes to Gundam: Requiem For Vengeance, it might be made all the more creepy by knowing nothing about the series before diving in. Having a familiarity with the franchise helps one to know that the Gundam is fighting for “what is right” in his mind but if this is your first Gundam series, learning who is piloting the mech will come as a shock often seen in M. Night Shyamalan movies. The Earth Federation and the Principality of Zeon’s differences make neither of them true villains, meaning it is easy to understand the goals they are looking to achieve and empathize with their respective causes.
The idea of switching sides in terms of how the audience sees a Gundam conflict has helped build its longevity, along with hopping various genres. In Gundam: Requiem For Vengeance, the Netflix original series has managed to find its footing as a campfire story that paints the Gundam in a scary light while documenting the horrors of war.
Anime’s Horror Stumbles
It’s surprising to many that Junji Ito’s Uzumaki might not be living up to the hype that anime fans have held for years. While the premiere episode turned a lot of heads, the following episodes were, seemingly, muddled down by animation issues taking place behind the scenes. It’s negotiable whether Gundam: Requiem For Vengeance can overtake this Adult Swim anime but based on fan reactions to both, there certainly might be an argument to be made.
The future of anime horror seems shaky at best as of the writing of this article. Following the production troubles surrounding Uzumaki, Adult Swim has been quite adamant that they will not be looking to adapt any more of Junji Ito’s stories in the future. There are plenty of horror manga that have yet to be brought to the small screen though considering shonen and shojo series are routinely taking the top spots in the medium, it might take a shining horror star to break through into the anime world.
Want to stay updated on the world of anime horror? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on Gundam and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of horror.