This Week in Anime

GQUUUUUUX!!!

Coop
Roughly 5 months ago, Studio Khara and Sunrise announced they'd be teaming up to produce the latest entry in the Gundam series—Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX. Alongside chatter regarding the title's incomprehensibility and programming terms at the time, speculation exploded around what this Kazuya Tsurumaki-directed series might look like. Following the extremely spoiler-y buzz surrounding the Japanese and North American theatrical runs of the Beginning premiere, we learned that the series proper would hit Prime Video on April 8. Regardless of our quibbles with this specific streaming service, this is an opening episode to remember!

With all of that preamble out of the way, it's time to chase after that sparkle, Steve!

The lead-up to this one has been jam-packed. In the months since Beginning's theatrical run, images of this guy have pretty regularly bombarded me.

As Chris and I discussed in previous editions of This Week in Anime, there wasn't a screening in my neck of the woods. I've been mostly going off loose descriptions of the shocking twist with GQuuuuuuX's world. Even if I wanted to avoid this, I ended up learning about it by nerd osmosis. And you know what, Steve? I don't mind! This first episode does an amazing job of subtly revealing its alternate Universal Century setting, keeping the story laser-focused on its protagonist, Machu.

I don't need an apology, Machu. This story is already working so well on its own merits—its storied setting isn't what's building all the steam here.

Speaking of that friendlier rope, I think the UC elements that creep into the episode are handled very well. If you know a thing or two about the One Year War (be it through the original series or cultural osmosis), you'll have the occasion moment of "Oh, did that person just mention 'M'Quve?'" However, the first episode's emotional intentionality doesn't require you to know what a Psycommu or Newtype is. There's just the right amount of "disorientation to be explained later" here.

I'm a robot nerd who spec'd into Macross over Gundam, but I'm thrilled to know enough to say that Tem Ray would've told Machu to put this doohickey into the GQuuuuuuX to increase its power.

I've yet to finish the entire Mobile Suit Gundam run myself. I've watched through the trilogy a time or two, though. While the trilogy isn't a bad way to learn about the key events of the One Year War, the condensation of material here doesn't do many favors for the cast. Especially series protagonist Amuro, who may seem like a petulant child in the films, but is given time to breathe in the series. In the show, you learn why Amuro might be prone to explosive outbursts from time to time and can sit with him as he stews with himself in the aftermath of these moments.

Absolutely. Given Anno's alleged involvement in the writing of the OYW component of this story, I've found myself rather taken with idea that GQuuuuuuX is Khara's way of creating a "Shin Gundam" with this reimagining of the Universal Century setting—allowing Anno to make the official fanfiction he's probably been dreaming of since the '80s. However, that world is then relinquished to Kazuya Tsurumaki and Yōji Enokido to craft something that's all their own. Because if you look at the occasional background detail, this pair has firmly stamped themselves into GQuuuuuuX's identity. It's not just Anno's baby.

Also, Machu has the good faces game on lock this season.

Speaking of rock-solid designs (innuendo required by fujoshi law), I was finally sold by Ikuto Yamashita's designs of the titular Gundam, the Zakus, and even the Red Gundam to a degree. While these suits might look a little overwrought in static images, they sing in motion. It reminds me quite a bit of the cycle of reactions Kamen Rider fans tend to have when the next hero is revealed—there might be a little pushback at first, but that goes away once the new bugman is seen on film.

Though I will admit, I still feel that this interpretation of grandpappy Gundam might be too greebled-up in this outing. Then again, it's always a challenge to reinvent the wheel on such an iconic design, especially considering it's already been done so many times.

I feel the same way. Funky guys being funky without over-consideration for greebles and the functional mechanics are something special. But I will say that I love that the mechanical animation here still retains much of that personality-filled, hand-drawn spirit.

I was honestly bracing for some Orange Crush to fill the cockpit when those controls emerged from their receptacles.

The lead-up to Machu hopping into this potential soda can cockpit is an amazing display of the stellar character animation present in GQuuuuuuX. It almost made me shout "DAICON V!" because this moment is another blatant and thrilling Tsurumaki stamp on this series. Machu's first encounter with Nyaan in the train station is another prime "stamp" moment. Complete with an amazing, character-filled, blink-and-you'll-miss-it face of pained confusion.

That "young, dumb, and ready to fight" energy instantly sold me on Machu. Almost everything she does is driven by impulse and hormones, including her decision to get in the robot. It's hard to argue when you see the actual sparks that seem to fly between her and Nyaan when they meet over the doohickey.

Considering that G-Witch was heavily inspired by a certain Revolutionary Girl along with Yōji Enokido's presence here on writing duties, it'll only be a few years before we see this in a Gundam series.

I was pleased to see the Khara team using their influence to spotlight humanitarian crises through their art. Because once you learn from Nyaan that this is a refugee colony and that the MPs are ripping it apart in search of the Red Gundam, it becomes incredibly difficult not to see the real-life parallels. Whether some would like to admit it or not, GQuuuuuuX continues the mainline series tradition of picking apart the grisly realities buried beneath the cool robot action.

Little touches like the scale of those bits, the framing of our pair outside the clan battle hideout, and the painstaking attention to detail given to this world do so much to set this first episode apart from many others. It's too early to say this...but that care might even put some full 13-episode cours to shame.

That care also extends to the spectacular English dub produced by NYAV Post. Newcomer Thea Saccoliti stuns in her debut as Machu. According to the ANN Encyclopedia and IMDb, this seems to be her first time working in anime, and oh boy, it doesn't sound like it. There is such natural cadence to Saccoliti's performance as Machu, selling every angle of the moody, aggressive, and brash teenager she is.

The rest of the dub cast consists of anime modern stalwarts (like Anairis Quiñones as Nyaan and Casey Mongillo as Kaine), but opens the pool to a diverse collection of newcomers (like Fajer Kaisi as Challia Bull) and actors outside the anime world such as Jack DeSena (Jezzei), who most will know as Avatar: The Last Airbender's Sokka. And just like Saccoliti, they all nail it. I find myself reminded of the makeup of dub casts back in the 90s—the sorts of casts employed by Streamline, Animaze, and Pioneer. These casts were made up of actors who worked in radio, TV, theater, and more—not just voice-over. Even if the resultant dubs didn't always feature the best performances, the diversity of actor specialties made them one of a kind.

I breathed a deep sigh of relief when I saw those crispy English subtitles crawl across my screen. It was a pleasant sight after my well-chronicled mishaps with the subtitle tracks available on Prime Video. While we're on the topic of Amazon's service, I was bummed to see no featured banner ads or anything of like when I opened it up. The only new anime banner that popped was for My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, which would require me to buy an additional Crunchyroll channel subscription to access on Prime Video.

I ended up having to punch "GQuuuuuuX" into the search bar to find it. It was the first option that came up, but it's a shame this title wasn't just an easy click away—especially when one remembers the Evangelion: 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon A Time banner ads that plastered the platform upon that film's streaming debut.

Absolutely! After being a part of the amazing experience that was Suletta Sundays, I'm so glad we can be on the ground floor for many a Machuesday to come! And the many memes...