https://blacknerdproblems.com/mobile-suit-gundam-gquuuuuux-review/

It had all the makings of a great Gundam series between epic fights…

Political commentary…

And opening and ending themes that’d make you cry every time and also tear your hair out at the implications of the imagery.

It was also hella and unapologetically gay in the best way possible. It was very much baked into the text from the pilot, and it was one of the many ways that distinguished Witch from Mercury from its predecessors.

Now, my first exposure to the Gundam franchise was actually the least Gundam of all: Mobile Fighter G Gundam that bares more resemblances to a stock shonen anime than the complex spatial political drama that it takes its iconic mecha design from, but I still in fact loved it.

And up until February 26th, I only ever had passing knowledge of the Universal Century timeline outside of enjoying the Hathaway movie on Netflix. I knew some things like the difference between Zakus and Gundams, Minovsky particles, the concept of Newtypes and the ubiquity of the character archetype that originated with Char.

I bring all of this up because what the trailer for Gundam GQuuuuuuX neglected to mention a very key bit of information: it takes place in an alternate timeline.

When I went to the special early IMAX showing of GQuuuuuuX (pronounced G-Quacks if you were wondering), I was expecting about three episodes worth of content, and I did in fact get that. It just so happened that the first episode’s worth of anime was a brilliantly streamlined revision of the story.

I had to look this up, but in the original series, Amuro Ray became a Gundam pilot after getting into the mecha to defend his home from Zakus sent on the order of one Char Aznable. In the world of GQuuuuuuX though, Char personally investigates this mysterious Gundam, and things spiral from there. The opening episode is drawn in a style that perfectly replicates the original 1980’s animation style to a T. Even without a complete knowledge, the episode, which is essentially a prologue, moves swiftly and efficiently and conveys all of the key plots with ease. We see how the world is shaped by Char’s actions. We see the consequences of war. We set the stage for the series I was actually expecting to watch.

GQuuuuuuX proper is the story about Amate (who later goes by Machu), our red-headed protagonist, who was simply going about her day before being trampled by a random passerby and then gets implicated in an underground fight ring, Clan Battles. I don’t want to spoil much past that because in lieu of watching the series on an IMAX, the best thing you can do is watch the series fresh.

Everything about the series works. The character designs pop. The mecha designs are cool. The animation is phenomenal. The music is ethereal. The opening theme gets you hyped (by the by, Kenshi Yonezu, having a very good year in terms of anime OPs, since he’s also responsible for Bow and Arrow for Medalist.).

This collaboration with Sunrise (the company that owns Gundam) and Studio Khara (the minds behind Neon Genesis Evangelion) is yet another breath of fresh air, and not just for the Gundam franchise. In a media landscape that constantly attempts to use “What Ifs” to extend the longevity of the franchise, we get a series of mixed results whether it is the soft reboot of Digimon Adventures and Code Geass (which are in fact examples of mixed results). GQuuuuuuX is a shining example of an alternate reality story that is just unequivocally good. A simple change that results in a cascade of consequences that is contained within an episode’s worth of run time that perfectly sets up a new story that is accessible to all. Old fans get to bask in call backs and easter eggs. New fans get to enjoy the ride without having to watch several hours of content to have a baseline understanding.

I was excited from the moment the trailer dropped, and I am chomping at the bit for the rest of the series after that preview. This is everything I love about Gundam: political drama in space and giant robots. Is it as unabashedly gay as its direct predecessor? To be determined. It gives bi-energy if nothing else. But if this is the only time you hear me gush about this series, it’s because I have voluntarily put my critic hat away so I can keep my happy fan cap on because I adore what I have.

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The post ‘Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX’ – The Hype is in Fact Porportional to the Number of Us in GQuuuuuuX appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.