Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- Is Utterly Delightful

Expectations were already pretty high going into Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning-, the theatrical primer for the upcoming TV anime from the team behind the Rebuild of Evangelion. However, even with Gundam‘s rich history setting the bar – to say nothing of Khara’s creative legacy – I couldn’t have imagined leaving the theater with such a big smile on my face.

GQuuuuuuX is the work of Kazuya Tsurumaki, the legendary director of FLCL, Top wo Nerae 2! Diebuster, and co-director of the Evangelion Rebuilds, alongside his mentor, Hideaki Anno. Joined by FLCL writer Yoji Enokido and Evangelion Mechanical Designer Ikuto Yamashita, this dream team has assembled for a bold new take on Gundam, but one keen to honor the past.

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The Beginning of the Beginning

Every time a new Gundam series comes out, one of the questions inevitably asked of it will be whether it’s set in the Universal Century or a timeline that splits off from it. Apart from personal preference, it doesn’t matter too much, and if anything, one of this franchise’s strengths is the number of beloved stories that stand alone. See Iron Blooded Orphans, Turn A Gundam, or Witch from Mercury, for instance.

Going into GQuuuuuuX with nothing but the trailers in mind and a love for director Tsurumaki’s past work, I assumed this to be a completely separate universe from past Gundam works. From the art style to the music and overall vibe, it’s hard not to get that impression at first glance, and granted, it is set in a new timeline, but with a catch. The significance of how it deviates from the original Mobile Suit Gundam is given a surprisingly comprehensive focus.

Going Into GQuuuuuuX Blind

For some readers who have anticipated the series, this might already be known about the narrative setup (we’ve even written about it), but for me and, I assume, others, it was not. The marketing for this series did an impeccable job of burying the lede, and if you are a Gundam fan who doesn’t know much about this new series, you should go in as blind as possible.

Without spoiling anything, within five minutes of runtime, it almost felt like a bait-and-switch – like I’d somehow walked into the wrong Gundam movie, but that only gripped my attention tighter in GQuuuuuuX‘s vice. Studio Khara, an animation team whose lineage spans back to the classics of GAINAX and beyond, uses this introduction not only to set up a new story but to pay loving tribute to this franchise’s roots.

How GQuuuuuuX Feels Old and New

Among anime fans of any generation, there’s often a yearning for projects that capture the “feel” of older anime, but when put into practice, it tends to be an exercise in futility. The factors that contribute to said “feel” are nostalgic, but also products of an older time that are best preserved for posterity rather than resurrected unsuccessfully. But then there’sGQuuuuuuX, which feels nostalgic in many ways and has the sauce to back it up from start to finish.

Say what you will about Khara’s founder, Hideaki Anno – and plenty have strong opinions – but both he and the artists with whom he collaborates understand what made those classics. This is largely because many of them are the ones who made those classics in the first place. But crucially, the industry veterans of Khara, like Anno and Tsurumaki, also understand the changing times and thus continue to push the envelope while preserving past techniques.

A Classic Feel Through Modern Means

During the film’s opening act, in particular, the CGI mecha might read as decidedly modern, but the way they move in tandem with the 1970s-esque score and the old-school sound effects hits all the right notes. There is a texture to Gundam done right by the artists behind GQuuuuuuX that is integral to all Gundam, but that here feels particularly nostalgic. It’s in the intricacy of the mech designs, the camera’s almost voyeuristic need to ogle every inch of the technology, and the intentional way in which the characters interact with them.

The animators know exactly where to use CGI and where to use hand-drawn animation, which is a mark of any great application of the former in a medium where audiences tend to favor the latter. It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to a franchise that has long thrived in animating in both 2D and 3D, but it is commendable, nonetheless. What is surprising is how this film effortlessly changes its style partway through without so much as skipping a beat.

Where GQuuuuuuX Truly Begins

If GQuuuuuuX‘s introduction was a love letter to the Gundam of the 80s and 90s, then the main story finds Tsurumaki in his element, crafting a story that feels closer to FLCL and Diebuster. The contrast is immediately apparent in the artwork, especially the cuter, more rounded character designs by Take (Katanagatari). Amate Yuzuriha, nicknamed “Machu”, is a young girl who yearns for the simple wonders of nature that, to one living in a space colony, appear as mere artifice.

Those of us born in the colonies know nothing of real gravity or real skies. Or, naturally, of real seas.

One day, Machu runs into Nyaan, a refugee who works as a courier, and discovers the underground world of Clan Battles – illegal 2v2 duels between mobile suits. Meanwhile, a ship from the Principality of Zeon arrives in search of a mysterious red Gundam, with their own experimental Gundam in tow – the GQuuuuuuX. When these two stories collide, Machu finds herself in the pilot seat of the GQuuuuuuX, and her life changes forever.

Machu immediately leaves a strong impression as a protagonist. She balances the casual attitude of one that has lived a peaceful life with a deeper yearning for adventure that manifests naturally when she jumps into action the second she sees the MPs terrorizing the refugees. When she hops into a mobile suit for the first time, it’s not necessity driving her forward but her desire to – as she puts it rather bluntly – “kick their asses.”

Gundam by Way of Fooly Cooly

Between her colorful design and Tomoyo Kurosawa’s fierce performance, Machu has a magnetic charm that you yearn for from the lead of a series like this. In a way that Newtypes are often one to exhibit, piloting comes naturally to her in the heat of the moment, which isn’t to say she’s a savant right out the gate. She’s still got learning to do, as evidenced later during her first Clan Battle, but as far as her new friends in Clan Pomeranians are concerned, she’s the real deal.

The rest of the cast is similarly charming and well-designed. GQuuuuuuX‘s early episodes will leave you eager to learn about each one of them, which is the most important thing to get right early on. While the introductory act setting up the story might be a bit too dense for newcomers, the brisk pace of its storytelling is undeniably an asset. Tsurumaki continues to excel at fast-paced storytelling that never compromises character, aided by an equally efficient script by Enokido.

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- exceeded all expectations and made the forthcoming TV series one of my most anticipated shows of the Spring anime season. Its vibrant color design, frenetic pace, lovable cast, and stellar soundtrack made it an event that should not be missed while it’s in theaters, and especially not when it airs next month.

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning-

9/10

In a war between Zeon and Earth Federation, a stolen prototype Gundam vanishes. Years later, a girl with mysterious abilities finds herself piloting a new Gundam in underground mech battles while searching for answers about her powers.

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