*This review contains spoilers*
I was incredibly hyped when Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX was announced, but not quite for the same reasons that most others were for this show. While Gundam fans were presumably excited because it was a new entry in the beloved mecha franchise, my anticipation for this anime stemmed from two key figures involved in its production: Kazuya Tsurumaki and Hideaki Anno.
Mobile Suit Gundam is a franchise that I was vaguely aware of growing up. However, like other iconic sci-fi properties like Star Trek, Doctor Who, and Godzilla, I never took the time to engross myself in it because of its long broadcasting history and not knowing where to start. I was instead a part of a different, more depressing mecha anime fandom: Neon Genesis Evangelion.
The Evangelion franchise’s director and creator, Hideaki Anno, is a self-proclaimed otaku who’s never shy about wearing his influences on his sleeves. Much of the anime and tokusatsu shows Anno grew up loving are directly referenced throughout the original series and the Rebuild tetralogy, one of them naturally being Mobile Suit Gundam. This is a franchise that Anno has a particular history with, so the fact that this new Gundam anime has him credited as a screenwriter, Kazuya Tsurumaki (Anno’s protege and co-director of The End of Evangelion and the Rebuild of Evangelion series) credited as director, and consists of former Gainax and Khara animators who worked on the Evangelion franchise was too much of an alluring force for me to say no to.
I decided to finally open my heart to this long-running franchise with Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX as my entry point. Therefore, after having watched the film and witnessing all those glorious, awe-inspiring, and gorgeously animated robot fight scenes with the biggest smile on my face, I was certainly not disappointed.
Anno’s voice and presence are immediately recognizable the moment the movie begins, so much so that Tsuramaki admitted in an inside story that Anno was primarily responsible for and wrote the film’s half-hour prologue. This opening sequence with Char Aznable is filled with the reverence and fan service one would expect from a hardcore Gundam fan and the Anno-style dialogue that mirrors how his characters speak in his anime and live-action films. From the scenes in which everything mechanical (such as how the mechas operate) is shown and explained in great detail to characters standing around in a room and delivering space opera/sci-fi jargon to the more expressive and abstract moments of dialogue like Char saying, “I can… see time,” these are all classic Anno-moments that have defined much of his work.
However, despite how entertaining and stylish the prologue was, I was admittedly lost during this section as it heavily leans into the pre-existing lore of the 1979 Mobile Suit Gundam anime. The film takes place in an alternate timeline in which Char Aznable pilots the RX-78-2 White Gundam, which he later renames the “Red Gundam,” and uses the mecha to defeat the Earth Federation and win the Principality of Zeon’s independence. While the movie delivers some much-needed exposition to explain this universe and who the central players are, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX expects viewers to be somewhat familiar with at least the original anime. While this is not necessarily a negative, it creates a small barrier of entry in which newbies like myself could be missing out on any subtle details or key points experienced Gundam fans may pick up on. Nonetheless, I could still understand the essential plot points and embrace the lore within this particular timeline. When the prologue ended and the actual story began with Amate, Nyaan, and Shuji as the main characters, the narrative became easier to follow and more engaging. A big reason for this is that, at that moment, it transitioned from an Anno anime to a Tsurumaki one.
While Anno’s fingerprints are found all over Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, it should be made clear that this is first and foremost Tsurumaki’s anime, and that in itself comes with a lot of great perks and stylistic choices that make this movie such a treat to watch. While Tsurumaki has spent much of the past decade as a co-director and animator on the Rebuild of Evangelion series with Anno, he also carved out his own identity with solo directorial efforts like FLCL and Diebuster. Many stylistic choices that have defined those anime, like rapid-fire pacing, eccentric characters with interesting quirks, and visually impressive action set pieces, make their way in Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX. The result is a film that balances being both an approachable, spectacle-driven entry in a long-running mecha series and a piece of art with a unique voice passionate about what they’re making and the franchise it is a part of.
Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX does not waste time or meander on pointless subplots. It gives enough context for viewers to understand the plot, puts its foot on the pedal afterward, and never stops. While this focus on style over substance may lead to brief moments of confusion and characters not getting enough time to develop, those flaws are a small price to pay to watch a gorgeously animated and stylistically confident anime where fun and excitement are in every frame. In the film’s defense, there is enough mystery and intrigue surrounding Amate, Nyaan, and Shuji that got me invested in their arcs and excited when they fight other mechas in the Clan Battles. Plus, I’m willing to give Studio Khara the benefit of the doubt that they will explore their characters in future episodes when the entire series is released.
Regardless, when it comes to anime like Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, their true strengths come from the spectacle and robot fight scenes, and in the case of this film, Tsurumaki and his animation team absolutely delivered. It’s apparent that working on Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon a Time was a valuable learning experience for Tsurumaki, as a lot of the action sequences in Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX incorporated similar animation and filming techniques the former film used. Like with Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon a Time, there’s a lot of great camerawork in Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, in which the action scenes are presented with dynamic camera movements and tracking shots. The Gundams move with a lot of speed and ferocity, and the camera matches the speed the mechas move, creating an aftereffect in which the audience feels the impact made when these giant machines swing their weapons or shoot their guns. On top of taking advantage of modern animation technology and high image quality, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX has created some of the best robot action scenes I’ve seen in quite a while.
Ultimately, as much as I adore Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, I also recognize that this is less of an actual “movie” and more of a compilation that stitches together the first three-ish episodes of the anime into a feature film that gives weebs like myself a glimpse into what’s to come when the series drops in April. Nevertheless, the way I see it is that if a film like this is just going to be a glorified teaser for a seasonal anime like Dandadan: First Encounter was for the full series, then at the very least, it should be pure, unadulterated fun. Luckily, I got exactly that with Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX—Beginning. Not only am I excited to see how the rest of this story plays out when the anime is released, but I can’t wait to check out the rest of the Gundam franchise, starting with the original 1979 show. With any luck, I might become as big of a Gundam fan as I am an Evangelion one.
Rating: 7/10
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