Erik Adams
Of all the things one might expect from a brand new Gundam series, an opening episode dedicated to recreating and revising the events and aesthetics of 1979’s Mobile Suit Gundam isn’t necessarily one of them. Though perhaps it’s no surprise that a series led by a team that includes former Gainax collaborators Kazuya Tsurumaki, Yôji Enokido, and Hideaki Anno – a trio of names best known for shows like Neon Genesis Evangelion, FLCL, and Revolutionary Girl Utena – would be so interested in rooting their own unique vision in the past of the mecha-anime franchise’s.
Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX – a mouthful that even its characters joke is confusing to pronounce, but boils down to “quacks” – kicks off by throwing us back to the very first episode of MSG, “Gundam Rising!!!,” with an intriguing, “what if?” twist: Instead of Amuro Ray becoming the Gundam’s pilot for the Earth Federation, Char Aznable from the Principality of Zeon steals the robot for himself, landing a victory via truce in the One Year War.
The first act of this theatrical release, which is edited together from footage we’ll eventually see after the full series premieres in April, is entirely designed for fans of Mobile Suite Gundam. Shots from that series are lovingly remade with a fresh coat of paint (à la the Evangelion rebuilds) and exact musical cues are reused and recontextualized. It’s fascinating to see how every part of the show that started it all is framed or sped up when Char is the protagonist instead of the antagonist. Char’s sheer drive and skill allowing him to sidestep all of Amuro’s insecurities and stumbles is particularly interesting.
Think of this first act like a speedrun of the original Mobile Suit Gundam, though one that undoubtedly requires a certain level of context to fully appreciate, down to an almost immediate introduction of Newtypes and seeing how one-off characters from MSG, like Challia Bull, become full-fledged protagonists themselves. Fortunately, gestures toward larger repercussions (particularly with Char) blessedly prevent the playful references from turning into a shallow easter egg hunt. The intro is ultimately a loose history lesson that preps the uninitiated viewer with just enough information about the One Year War to anticipate the new world that GQuuuuuuX seems to be diving into.
And what a world it is. The attempts at relative fidelity toward the classic UC79 designs are contrasted with colorful characterization and design work by take that recalls their work on Pokémon but also boasts personality and flourishes that point to the influence of Gainax classics like FLCL, Gurren Lagann, and DieBuster. Not once do these aesthetic shifts feel out of place, instead emphasizing the way life and culture has progressed in the years since the war ended (GQuuuuuuX takes place in UC85) and the fact that this is a world in which the Zeon have the luxury of enacting fascistic rule and continue to harm refugees.
Within this world are a trio of fresh faces: Nyaan, a refugee of the war who smuggles illegal goods to survive; Shuji Ito, a mysterious graffiti artist who also happens to pilot Char’s own Gundam, which disappeared half a decade prior; and Amate Yuzuriha (who goes by MACHU), a high schooler whose longing for more than what life has given her leads her to piloting the gundam GQuuuuuuX in Clan Battles. These battles are seemingly no more than illegal (but live streamed) street fights for quick cash, but they’re where GQuuuuuuX indulges in the spectacle it rightfully deserves. That many of Evangelion Rebuilds’ 3D-based animators are at work here is clear the second we see how these giant machines move and the way their fights are choreographed.
Even their mere slenderness and speed – as opposed to the beautifully clunky fights of the classic series – could be considered something of an Eva-ification of these bots. (It could be considered blasphemy, but I found it engrossing.) When it comes to the current era of Gundam (and Japan’s Reiwa era), it’s a stark contrast to the 2D animation and fight scenes of The Witch from Mercury. There’s a real fluidity to the way action unfolds, whether in or out of a gundam, and such fun being offered this early on makes me wonder what’s to come.
For all the intrigue and fun that Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX Beginning has to offer, it’s still ultimately just a teaser for a series and not anything that can stand on its own two, gigantic, heavily armored feet. If this first segment is any indication though, GQuuuuuux promises to be a series that’s as playful as it is intriguing, the ideal bridge between the past and the future of what Gundam can look like.
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