Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX

Episode 12

Now that I've had some time to digest the many things that occurred during the finale of Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, I'm thinking about the show's legacy. Ten years from now, will this be a modern classic on the level of Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans? Will it be designated as a cult watch only, like the later Gundam Build installments? Or, worst case scenario: will it be a promising but ultimately forgotten footnote like Gundam AGE? After this ending, I think this show's future lies somewhere in the middle. After the hype over this finale's most exciting surprises dies down, we'll be left to consider all of the hinted possibilities that GQuuuuuuX didn't have the time or scope to deliver. I appreciate that GQuuuuuuX made me think about this venerable franchise in new ways. But with only twelve episodes, it didn't have enough space to explore those ideas beyond scratching the surface.

Machu and Nyaan reunited; Machu and Shuji kissed; Shuji explained the entire Marvel Movie Multiverse style plot and how Lalah can build new universes with the power of love; Large Adult Son Gundam; Kycilia wishes she could have been Char's mom (?) right before he kills her… I'm just listing a few of the things that happened during this episode—enough to fill a season of anime—and it still didn't get into half of what I wanted it to, like explaining why the GQuuuuuuX and GFreD are named after variables and whether they are able to traverse universes. It's clear that Kazuya Tsurumaki struggled under the constraint of only 12 episodes, and to me there's a solution he didn't take advantage of. Why did we spend 4 episodes recapping the Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX movie? Every ounce of that movie made it into the show. If the show had stuck to only broad outlines, it could have saved some of that time for its late-stage plot developments while also giving viewers a reason to watch the movie. The way things stand, GQuuuuuuX was too ambitious. This finale could have been an hour and I still would have questioned if there was room for everything it tried to pack in.

One of the plot points I particularly would have liked more time for was Shuji's entire deal. I wonder if there's an early draft of Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX where Shuji has red curly hair instead. Because this boy, who comes from another universe and loves Lalah and pilots the original RX-79-2 Gundam… is Amuro. The flashback Shuji shows Machu in the Newtype interstitial space (which by the way features the original voices of Char, Lalah and Amuro) reveals that Shuji knows quite a bit about the plot of the original Mobile Suit Gundam in a way only someone who was there could know. I'm less interested in debating whether or not Shuji occupies Amuro's role (because I'm already convinced he does) and more curious about the decision to make Shuji an original character instead. It could be because Amuro's voice actor, Tohru Furuya, is still alive and working but so extremely and rightfully canceled that they didn't want him associated (except for the archival flashback voices). Or it could be that Amuro's legacy would overshadow this story, erasing its chance to be something new.

Because after all, the most successful part of the finale is its cycle-breaking. Machu has made history as the first Gundam protagonist (outside of the Gundam Build Fighters toy universe) who has a kill count of zero. Before her, each protagonist has become shocked and then numb to the horrors of war, but Gundam GQuuuuuuX found a different way through. Char was determined to send Lahlah back with the Yomagn'tho he had built to his secret specifications. (No time to explain how he was able to do that!) Meanwhile, Shuji wanted to gently euthanize Lalah to prevent her from the pain of seeing her lover, Char, die yet again and create another universe out of that heartbreak. (No time to explain how she can do that either!) As revered as Char is in this series, the finale showed he only had old ideas. The way he killed Kycilia, even down to the salute he gave her, mimicked the original show exactly. (And later, when he told Challia Bull he'd try to live his life in a way that wouldn't get Challia to kill him, Char went right back to Lalah.) Shuji, too, pilots the RX-79-2 in its original style—even when the thing balloons into a far more literal version of its White Devil moniker, it never gets a Ikuto Yamashita makeover. Only Machu has it in her to make real change, incapacitating Shuji and changing his mind. Lalah doesn't need his protection, Machu argues successfully. Machu's message of Newtype strength—and her own demonstrated strength—present a new way forward for the Gundam franchise. Can a story still be a Gundam story without teens becoming wrecked by the horrors of war? Yes, says Machu. It can.

There were a lot of blink-and-you'll-miss-it Easter eggs for the old guard in this finale. Just for a second, the headless Gundam made its famous “Last Shooting” pose. As Artesia assumes her role at the head of Zeon (which sucks by the way, why would rebel Artesia, a medical doctor at that, become a Zeon politician and even take up its flag?) you can see Ramba Ral standing behind her. It isn't only established characters who cameo at the end, but some Annqi and crew, who seem to be revving up for some new shenanigans. Machu says, “The Gundam says we'll meet again someday,” but that's almost cruel. There has not been any second season announced, and after this off-the-rails finale, which could have been three episodes, I don't think it's wise to expect one. In the end, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX was more than an homage to Mobile Suit Gundam. Its mecha designs were top notch, and I can't wait to build some of the kits. With lots of interesting riffs on what came before, it was especially made for longtime Gundam fans and will never be remembered as a gateway Gundam show. But it also suggested an original new viewpoint, even if we didn't get enough time with Machu, Nyaan, and Shuji to love them the way we could have.

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Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video on Tuesdays.

Lauren writes about model kits at Gunpla 101. She spends her days teaching her two small Newtypes to bring peace to the space colonies.