A Special theatrical release of the first three episodes of this new show

Before we even start, the utterly baffling name of this show is pronounced as “G-Coox” in the show, this was driving me crazy the moment they announced it! With that out of the way – I was able to attend a screening of Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX – Beginning tonight, and so far I am intrigued.

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX marks the first-ever major collaboration between Studio Khara, the studio founded by Hideaki Anno alongside former Gainax staff who created Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Sunrise, the powerhouse behind the Gundam series since 1979. The show’s creative team is stacked, with Kazuya Tsurumaki serving as the principal director just to start things off. Tsurumaki is best known for FLCL, an absolutely god-tier artistic anime for us older millennials who first experienced it during its legendary run on Adult Swim (probably over-rated now, but oh well). The series is written by screenwriter Yoji Enokido, whose impressive credits include portions of Revolutionary Girl Utena (both the TV series and the insane film where everyone turns into cars at the end), Gunbuster 2, segments of Sailor Moon, and the recent Rebuild of Evangelion films. Overseeing the entire project is none other than acclaimed filmmaker Hideaki Anno, the mastermind behind the Evangelion series, who apparently did some writing as well.

“Universal Century 0085 – Amate Yuzuriha is a high-school student living peacefully in a space colony floating in outer space. When she meets a war refugee named Nyaan, Amate is drawn into the illegal mobile suit dueling sport known as Clan Battle. Under the entry name “Machu,” she throws herself into fierce battle day after day, piloting the GQuuuuuuX. Then an unidentified Gundam mobile suit pursued by both the space force and the police appears before her, along with its pilot, a boy named Shuji.”

This film was apparently the first few episodes of the show stitched together Including a prologue that takes place in 0079 and two episodes in 0085. There is speculation as to whether this initial prologue section is going to air like this. Many think it will be like the G-Witch prologue which was not part of the TV broadcast, or this could be broken up into flashbacks or something. At this point who knows, but I am breaking my review into two halves because of this.

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Part One: Prologue 0079

Spoiler Warning: This discussion contains major spoilers for Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, which premieres next month in TV show form. Proceed at your own risk!

This series kicks off with a fascinating what-if scenario – what if Char Aznable, the iconic antagonist of the original Mobile Suit Gundam, had seized control of the RX-78-2 Gundam for Zeon rather than allowing Amuro Ray to capture it? In the original Mobile Suit Gundam, Char detects an unfamiliar ship – the SCV-70 White Base approaching space colony Side 7. Suspecting he has uncovered the location of the Federation’s top-secret “Operation V”, Char dispatches three pilots: Slender, Denim, and Gene in their MS-06F Zaku IIs to scout the area and gather intelligence on the Federation’s activities. In that timeline, Char remains behind aboard his Musai-class ship, overseeing the operation from a distance.

However, in this alternate timeline, Char makes a crucial change brought on by, as he puts it, “a bit of inspiration”: rather than staying back, he decides to personally investigate the site while leaving Gene behind instead. This small but pivotal decision ultimately leads him to discover the Federation’s experimental Gundam – completely unguarded, cockpit open, and ready for use. The result? A drastic deviation from the original events, where Char commandeers the Gundam for Zeon, setting the stage for a vastly different version of the One Year War. With the Gundam now in his hands, Char nearly single-handedly turns the tide of the One Year War, drastically reshaping history in this alternate timeline.

Teaming up with Challia Bull, an underused character from the original series, Char sets a plan in motion – not only to halt the Federation’s military offensive but also to dismantle the ruling Zabi family, who hijacked Zeon’s ideology from his father. In the climactic battle, the Earth Federation initiates a last-ditch strategy: crashing the massive space fortress Solomon onto the Moon in a Pyrrhic attempt to end the war. However, Char sees this as an opportunity – not just to eliminate the Zabis but to position Newtypes in a new, more powerful light.

Just as his plan nears completion, he’s confronted by a White Guncannon, piloted by none other than his sister, Sayla Mass. Their battle leaves Char destined to be killed in the crash into the Moon, but before the final blow, a massive surge of Newtype energy seemingly blinks him out of existence. In the aftermath, the Zabi family emerges victorious, the Earth Federation’s plan fails, and a reluctant truce is called between both sides.

Key Changes in This Alternate Timeline:

• Who knew a guy named Gene is the cosmic linchpin that held everything together?
• Char takes the Gundam, repaints it red, and upgrades it with a Psycho Frame and bits.
• Likewise The White Base is captured, renamed, and painted Zeon Green.
• Zeon successfully mass-produces the Big Zam, though Dozle Zabi doesn’t sadly live to see it.
• Creating less ridiculous one-off super-weapons has done well for the Zeons.
• Garma Zabi has apparently left the military.
• Sayla kills Dozle and pilots a White Guncannon, which now holds the same legendary status as the original show’s Gundam.
• Without Gundam data, The Federation mass produces Gun-Cannon variants.
• The Federation’s attempt to drop Solomon on Granada Base (the Moon) as a last ditch effort to end the war is thwarted by Char.
• The fate of Amuro Ray remains unknown.
• Garma and Kycilia are confirmed alive.
• Gihren Zabi’s status is left ambiguous.

I knew Char had popped up in the trailer for this show, but I had to idea to what extent this fit into the overall picture of the Universal Century timeline. From the opening animation of the original Gundam prologue to the classic 1970’s music, I was smiling ear to ear with this. In fact this alternate history take of the story is exactly the sort of thing I wish they would do more often rather than trying to fill in little gaps of time, which is what usually happens when the UC timeline is used. There were of course differences, other than those I outlined above- the character designs and mecha designs are far more like anything from Studio Khara than anything from Sunrise, with the titular robots resembling mecha from the Evangelion franchise more than anything from Gundam. Likewise, the battle animation is very similar to what was shown in the Rebuild films to a degree. I, for one, wasn’t one of the folks whining about the differences online and actually like the new designs no matter how wacky they are.

This portion of the story leaves numerous unanswered questions that I hope they really play with in the main portion of the show. I mentioned the status of a number of characters above, and would absolutely love to see some franchise mainstays altered in some truly fun ways. What if Amuro shows up as an antagonist? The hell happened to Char? When we will see Sayla actually taken seriously as a character? With an opening so good as this, they absolutely have to incorporate some of this or it’s a missed opportunity. Even if this show ends up being terrible, this opening portion alone is well worth seeing and was worth the cost of admission for me. All-in-all this radical departure from the original timeline creates an unpredictable new frontier, and after this prologue episode ends we skip ahead to UC 0085, in completely new territory for Gundam fans.

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Part Two: Show Proper 0085

We are introduced to the shows main character, Amate Yuzuriha aka “Machu”, who appears to be quite impulsive and stir-crazy from living what she obviously feels is a boring existence on Side 6, a supposedly independent a space colony in Zeon-controlled space. This colony is somewhat despotic and a bit dystopian as it seems to be run in a heavy-handed way by ruthless military police that treat Spacenoids in a poor manner, especially war refugees. Machu runs into another character named Nyaa in an extremely familiar call-back to FLCL for longtime fans. She is dressed as a delivery girl, but is being swarmed by military police when we see her. It appears she is part of a smuggling ring and is trying to transport a battle computer to a group of “Clan Battlers” called “the Pomeranians”, with this module they can actually use weapons in these unsanctioned matches. Clan battles are illegal in Side 6, and are apparently popular due to how easy it is for civilians to acquire war technology post war.

Challia Bull is still looking for char, and apparently the Red Gundam has been spotted, his crew loads up an insane new Gundam called GQuuuuuuX, which we later find out is a placeholder name for whatever it’s really called. It’s fitted with something called an “Omega Psycommu”, and is sent down to try to find the rogue crimson mecha. Long story short, as I wont summarize the whole thing, but Machu ends up in the Gundam and is obviously a strong Newtype, she decides to join “the Pomeranians” in order to live life more fuller and potentially “be free” alongside an interesting cast of characters.

Initially I was somewhat annoyed that this show appeared to have the same tropes as Gundam – Witch from Mercury – two female protagonists – one stoic and one more light-hearted as well as a “bad guy of the week” mecha battling component (as with the Build Divers series). That said, this feels VERY different than what we saw in G-Witch, and I’m sure the Clan Battle aspect we see here is not the permanent focus of the show. Perhaps, in a similar manner to G-Witch, everything goes off the rails in season 2? Then again this show is already off the rails! Thankfully, Machu is not Sulletta Mercury, as the characters are extremely different. Machu is the sort of girl that has the intrusive thought to grab a cops gun, but actually does it – she seems to have no regard for her own safety and is very impulsive. How she fits into this whole plot moving forward will be interesting as will be her relationship to the mysterious character Shoji, who somehow has possession of Char’s Gundam.

Overall, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX has a lot of potential, and I largely trust the likes of Hideaki Anno not to just released some slop for fans. I like the prologue episode immensely and can’t wait to see some of the mysteries I discussed peeled back and resolved. I just hope that, unlike FLCL and Evangelion, those revelations are not insanely weird and obtuse to most viewers. That could be the make it or break it point for the show. With only two “real episodes” in, I can’t really make a call about the show yet, but I will definitely tune in next month for more. I’m very glad GKids got the rights to this for a theatrical release and that I was not busy on the day it was out. It’s been a hell of a year for Gundam in Western theaters, and this was no exception.

If you want to see more GKIDS material that I’ve reviewed, click HERE.