Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- is a compilation film containing the first four episodes of the upcoming TV anime, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX. The trailers made it seem like something similar to G-Gundam (much like how Gundam 00 shares a lot of elements with Gundam Wing). However, that's far from what we get in this film.
Generally, there have been two types of Gundam anime: those that take place in the original UC timeline and those that take place in various alternate realities, realities that share little in common beyond a few key concepts like the war between Earth and space, mobile suits, Newtypes, and of course, the Gundams. Gundam GQuuuuuuX is a new generation of alternate universe Gundam, one that takes place in the UC timeline but a different version of the one we've come to know over the past 40 years. Basically, this anime is based on the question “What if Char found the original Gundam and stole it and became its pilot?”
Director: Kazuya Tsurumaki
Writers: Yoshiyuki Tomino, Hajime Yatate, Yôji Enokido
Stars: Tomoyo Kurosawa, Yui Ishikawa, Shimba Tsuchiya
The first half of the movie focuses solely on this thought experiment. It takes us through the events of the One Year War as Char forms his own Newtype unit, upgrades the original Gundam with funnels and the Psycommu system. He eventually ends up changing the outcome of the war, only to disappear in a flash of light during the final battle.
For fans of the original Gundam, this part of the movie is pure fanservice, and the more knowledge you have, the more fun it is. We see important interactions altered, a vastly different way things could have happened. This is something commonly seen in fan fiction, but it’s not something we’ve seen in official Gundam anime before. It’s a wonder in itself, but it serves as more than just a flirtation with the realm of “what if.” The entire second half of the film (not to mention the rest of the upcoming series) is an original story built on this foundation, and one intricately connected to it.
As in Gundam NT, the event that triggers the second half of the film is the reappearance of a mobile suit thought lost years ago. The story, set in UC 0085, focuses on the reappearance of Char's Gundam RX-78-2 and the Zeon team tasked with recovering it.
In the midst of all this, however, is Machu, a teenage girl born in the colony, who awakens to her Newtype powers. Machu is very much an enigma in this film. She's brave and impulsive, but still smarter than others give her credit for. She's driven by something: a feeling she doesn't understand, a longing to break free from the metal tube floating in space she was born into.
Her surreal, psychedelic first contact with the Psycommu system within Gundam GQuuuuuuX gives emphasis to that drive. Suddenly, she's chasing a euphoria that can only be experienced in the heat of battle, even as her Newtype powers allow her to glimpse the future both inside and outside the cockpit. And on top of that, she has to deal with the sudden emotional connections she has with the other Newtypes she encounters.
The rest of the main characters are also captivating. From Nyaan, the young smuggler, to Shuji, a graffiti artist who serves as Machu's partner in underground mobile suit battles, each comes with their own personal mysteries and motivations. I look forward to spending more time with them in the upcoming TV anime, along with the host of colorful supporting characters that populate the story.
Presentation-wise, this movie looks incredible, and not just in the ways you can tell from the first trailer. Although the mecha have been updated, the UC 0079 portion of the film maintains the 80s animation style of the original Gundam. This is also enhanced by the use of the original Gundam soundtrack. In other words, it looks and sounds like an upgraded version of the original anime. It’s only after the timeskip that we get the new art style (although the characters that appear in both halves of the film maintain obvious remnants of the old one). And to accompany the flashier hip-hop designs, we get the kind of music that matches it. While you’d think the two halves of the film would feel at odds with each other, they don’t. It just feels like it naturally changes from one generation to the next. It’s a truly impressive feat.
Overall, this film (and the series that follows it) seem to be perfect for both hardcore Gundam fans and newcomers.
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