First, let’s address the obvious: It’s pronounced “G-Quax” or “G-Kwux.” Yes, the title is a mouthful, but it’s just as unique as the show itself. Mobile Suit Gundam: GQuuuuuuX is the latest entry in the long-running Gundam franchise, blending the series’ signature style with fresh ideas-some great, others less so. Here’s the breakdown.
The first episode, “The Red Gundam,” follows a classic mecha formula: drop viewers into the action with minimal setup and let the mystery unfold. Directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki (FLCL) and produced by Sunrise and Studio Khara, the series takes place in an alternate timeline where Char Aznable steals the RX-78-2 Gundam (later renamed the Red Gundam), leading to Zeon’s victory over the Earth Federation. Five years later, on the neutral colony Side 6, Zeon forces hunt the missing Red Gundam while a spirited high schooler named Amate Yuzuriha stumbles into piloting a prototype Zeon Gundam during a chaotic battle. This thrusts her into the underground world of “Clan Battles,” where mobile suits clash for profit and glory.
Directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki, the world of GQuuuuuuX takes place in an alternate timeline of the original Mobile Suit Gundam where Amuro Ray, the Gundam’s original pilot never makes it to the infamous white mobile suit. Instead Char Aznable captures the suit and returns to Zeon with it, thus giving Zeon the technological edge and changing the course of the war. The result was victory achieved by Principality of Zeon and a truce made with the Earth Federation and Zeon’s influence increasing among the other colonies, welcomed or not.
GQuuuuuuX takes place 5 years after Zeon’s victory on the neutral colony of Side 6. The Zeon crewed White Base, is searching for a mysterious Red Gundam, which they encounter but lose track of it after a short engagement, leaving their own prototype Gundam stranded on the colony. Here we meet our protagonist, seemingly normal red (pink?) haired highschool girl Amate Yuzuriha, who seems to exhibit special perception. After a series of events and encounter with the aloof Nyaan, a war orphan of similar age, the military police conduct a destructive hunt in their own Zaku mobile suits for the red Gundam. Amate finds boards the Zeon Gundam prototype, much to it’s pilot’s dismay, and defeats the Zakus. This act pulls her into the dangerous world of underground mobile suit combat called Clan Battle. The next two episodes can easily be summed up, with episode two explaining Zeon’s victory. Episode 3 picks up where episode 1 leaves off and we find out who the pilot of the mysterious red Gundam is and the set up into Amate’s first official Clan Battle.
The idea of a what-if scenario in the Gundam franchise is not new. As a youngster I was very fond of the Gihren’s Greed strategy games set in the original 0079 timeline where you could change the course of history with your decisions. Now, did this story need to be set in an alternate UC timeline where Zeon wins the war? I’m not sure it needed to, but it doesn’t hurt to have a lot of fan service, and it does give it an air of mystery as to why things are the way they are. I am intrigued to see how Zabi family politics play out, and what the Federation’s been up to in this scenario. Story settings aside, I find a lot of the characters interesting enough. Amate is a likeable protagonist and leaves most of the angsty and quirky traits to her teammates. Her energy is balanced by the calm demeanor of Nyaan, and the socially awkward pilot of the red Gundam. The crew of the White Base, led by Challia Bull, one of Zeon’s Newtypes, have their own intrigues and seem competent, but laid back.
The production values are very solid, however be advised, the character color palette is quite bright and may be off putting to some. The battles and mobile suits are all CG, which is currently par for the course. Gone are the days of classic cel shading goodness. They’re animated well enough and with some interesting cinematography. This leads us back to the mobile suit designs by Ikuto Yamashita. I’ve noticed that the fandom’s is pretty polarized. Either you love them or hate them. I think they’re fine, but not the best. Of course your mileage may vary.
The theatrical Beginning cut (released February 28, 2025) compiles the first three episodes with added flashbacks to the One Year War, though the core appeal remains the high-stakes Clan Battles and Amate’s journey. If you’re here for spectacle, it’s a blast. If you crave deep character arcs, you might need to wait for future episodes to dig deeper. Either way, this is Gundam with a bold new flavor.
I’ll tell you this, that intro isn’t my cup of tea and I’m thankful for the ‘skip intro’ button. The comments by the Japanese are pretty hilarious.
Despite that, this one’s slowly growing on me and I’m willing to give it a chance. We’ll see how it plays out.
As of the writing of this article, Mobile Suit Gundam: GQuuuuuuX is currently streaming on Amazon’s Prime Video where I caught the first three episodes.
English (US) · 