Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX - Nostalgia, Newtypes, and Ambitious Chaos

Spoilers ahead for the entirety of this series.


Mobile Suit Gundam: GQuuuuuuX – A Flawed But Fascinating Reimagining

When I first heard about Mobile Suit Gundam: GQuuuuuuX, I was ecstatic. The concept alone, a world where Char Aznable steals the Gundam and the Earth Federation loses the One Year War, was intriguing. The theatrical prologue film, The Beginning, further fueled my excitement; I watched it three times, amusingly mirroring Char’s iconic “three times faster” reputation.

As a longtime Gundam fan familiar with the breadth of the Universal Century (UC) timeline, from classics like 0079 and Zeta Gundam to manga such as Crossbone Gundam, I approached GQuuuuuuX with cautious optimism. Now, having completed the series, I can confidently say it was enjoyable: ambitious, occasionally messy, but worthwhile.

It’s not the Gundam reimagining I had hoped for, but it’s still an ambitious entry with moments worth appreciating.

Nostalgia Done Right… Mostly

One of the most striking aspects of GQuuuuuuX is its reliance on nostalgia for the original UC timeline. From the very beginning, the series leans into the familiar with a slight twist. Instead of Amuro stumbling into the Gundam, Char steals it and commandeers the White Base. There are constant nods to classic Gundam characters, moments, and lore that long-time fans will recognize.

While I don’t think the series fully captured all the references to the original Gundam during its depiction of the One Year War, the prologue film includes a few more callbacks, particularly in the opening narration lifted from the original series. This narration, which sets the stage by describing humanity’s migration into space colonies and the ensuing tragedies of war, was notably missing from the second episode, though some of its musical cues and themes remained.

Speaking of music, the final two episodes deliver memorable callbacks. In the penultimate episode, when the original Gundam emerges, TM Revolution’s “Beyond the Time” begins to play, a powerful moment, especially as it was the ending theme to Char’s Counterattack, reportedly re-recorded for this series. In the finale, during a Newtype resonance between Machu and Shuji, a track titled “Beginning” from Mobile Suit Gundam III plays a subtle but meaningful nod, especially given the film’s subtitle: The Beginning.

However, this nostalgia comes at a cost. While the callbacks are often fun, they sometimes overshadow opportunities for fresh storytelling and the deeper development of the new main cast.

Character Development and Pacing

The primary flaw of GQuuuuuuX lies in its pacing.

At just 12 episodes, it ambitiously tries to juggle multiple narrative threads: Char’s disappearance, the mystery of the Red Gundam, underground Clan Battles, and the evolving dynamics between new characters. But the show buckles under its own weight resulting in arcs that feel rushed or half-formed.

The Clan Battles, a secret, illegal Mobile Suit combat league, serve as the backdrop for introducing Machu and Nyaan. It’s a compelling concept with real potential. With a longer, 24-episode run, it might’ve served as an ideal slow-burn introduction. Instead, it dominates the first half and then vanishes, unresolved.

That’s unfortunate, because this arc delivers some standout moments: clever cameos from the Black Tri-Stars, a revamped Psycho Gundam, and even a cheeky nod to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan via a Clan Battle dossier labeled “Kobayashi Maru.” By episode seven or eight, the arc collapses, Machu learns her team, the Pomeranians, plans to sell her out to Zeon. After this betrayal, they vanish, reappearing only in the finale as scavengers.

Even during their active arc, the Pomeranians are barely fleshed out. We’re left with only a vague impression of who they are or what motivates them.

Unlike more focused Gundam mini-series like 0080 and 0083, the latter of which builds around the Federation’s pursuit of a stolen Gundam, GQuuuuuuX struggles to establish a similarly clear narrative throughline. Instead, it feels like a loosely connected series of events. The 12-episode format just isn’t enough to carry everything the series wants to achieve.

The new trio, Machu, Shuji, and Nyaan, have conceptual promise, but are let down by thin character arcs. Machu’s desire to escape societal pressure and swim in a real ocean sets up a compelling premise, but her arc never truly blossoms until the finale, where she’s seemingly a fugitive living on Earth. Nyaan, a refugee from Side 6, has an intriguing setup, but her story remains underdeveloped and emotionally distant.

Shuji is the biggest enigma. He pilots the Red Gundam and seems spiritually tied to Lalah, but the show offers little insight into his identity or motives. There’s an implication he might be an alternate Amuro, but the idea is never explored. His mystery becomes a narrative void.

Their relationships lack depth, too. The romantic turn between Machu and Shuji feels rushed, especially given earlier emotional baggage like Shuji’s connection to Lalah and Char’s warning about unrequited affection. It all adds texture, but not substance.

As reviewer BigMicahC aptly notes, the series might have fared better by focusing on building emotional depth for its characters rather than scattering its energy across so many subplots. Had it condensed the prologue into one or two episodes and refocused that time on character arcs, the emotional payoff might’ve been far greater.

The Legacy Characters: Confusing and Underexplored

Many legacy characters appear, but their roles are inconsistent, cryptic, or underused.

Take Sayla Mass: introduced as a Federation ace pilot and, seemingly, the Amuro equivalent in this timeline. She later reemerges as the new Zeon leader after Kycilia and Gihren fall. But the show offers no context for this dramatic shift. How did Sayla cross that line?

Chalia Bull’s betrayal of Char is similarly jarring. There’s no build-up or foreshadowing. He turns on Char, tries to kill him, then has a relaxed conversation afterward. His reasoning, that Char might follow Kycilia’s path, rings hollow, especially since this version of Char hasn’t endured the same trauma as the original.

Ramba Ral is also spotted, wearing Federation insignia while alongside Sayla. Has he defected? Is Sayla a Federation puppet within Zeon? The series never explains. Given Ramba’s established bond with Sayla in UC canon, this shift is narratively significant, but it’s tossed in with no follow-through.

Other icons, Amuro Ray, Bright Noa, Kai Shiden, Mirai Yashima, are entirely absent. In a story rewriting the UC, their fates could’ve added compelling wrinkles. But GQuuuuuuX leaves them untouched.

The multiverse arrives in Gundam

As the series progresses, it dives into multiverse territory, a jarring tonal shift for a Gundam series.

The Rose of Sharon first appears during the One Year War, vanishing at the same moment as Char and the Red Gundam.

We later learn it’s an alternate-universe Lalah, traumatized by Char’s death in her timeline. She fractures reality into multiple realitives where she attempts to have a universe where Char survives.

In the finale, we see a visual montage of mobile suits that the Char across the different realities pilots: from the Sazabi to odd picks like the Zudah and Big Zam (which Char never piloted in the original UC timeline), but no matter the suit, he always dies at the hands of the White Gundam.

The multiverse element feels like an attempt to inflate the potential scale for the story, but it ends up diluting its emotional focus.

What begins as a grounded alternate history unravels into a surreal Newtype spectacle.

The climax, where the Gundam transforms into a massive mech with physical mass strays from Gundam’s real-robot roots into full super-robot territory.

It’s visually stunning, yes, but thematically dissonant with the rest of the UC timeline.

Unanswered Questions and the Future of GQuuuuuuX

Despite its flaws, GQuuuuuuX leaves behind intriguing possibilities:

• Shuji’s fate: Will Machu and Nyaan seek him out, especially since the Gundam seemingly hints they’ll reunite?
• Sayla’s transformation: What led her to power, and to Zeon?
• The Titans’ rise: With Bask Om and Jamitov Hymen alive, could a proto-Titans faction emerge from the ruins of the Federation?
• Paptimus Scirocco: He’s still out there. The year 0085 was reportedly chosen to avoid having him interfere.
• Axis Zeon: What happens to Haman Karn, Garma, and Mineva in this new timeline?

Zeon’s fractured state after A Baoa Qu and Kycilia’s death leaves room for internal power struggles. Was Sayla’s rise peaceful, or did she crush her rivals?

Final thoughts and what could have been…

Mobile Suit Gundam: GQuuuuuuX had the makings of a bold reimagining. Char as the Gundam pilot. New characters with strong ideas. An alternate UC full of potential.

But the execution falls short. It’s not a lack of creativity, it’s a lack of time. Trying to juggle so many threads in just 12 episodes leaves the story fragmented, the characters thin, and the pacing uneven. The multiverse twist, while visually impressive, muddies the core narrative.

Studio Khara¹ brings flair to the visuals. GQuuuuuuX, GFred, and the redesigned Gelgoog stand out. But the RX-78-02’s redesign, only to bring back the original in the finale feels contradictory.

Still, there’s something admirable about its ambition. The series doesn’t play it safe. For every stumble, there’s a moment that lingers, a cameo, a line, a song cue.

In the end, GQuuuuuuX is a fascinating misfire. A series overflowing with ideas, but squeezed into a format that couldn’t contain them. With stronger pacing and character focus, it could’ve been truly great.

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