【Review】 Gundam GQuuuuuuX Movie - A Shoujo Anime Under Disguise of Mecha

[michifugu]

Good night, everyone~! Today, I want to review Gundam GQuuuuX (damn, why is it so hard to say). Welp, guess I’ll just call it GQux for convenience. I’m a bit tired since I just got home after watching it in my local cinema, but I have to talk about it while it’s still fresh in my mind!

Anyway, since this is a review, there might be spoilers! So please proceed with caution!

I finally watched this film after hearing so many people say it’s good. Funnily enough, when GQux was first announced, I wasn’t really interested because it looked boring & just another 0079 fanservice p. But after its release, I saw people saying it was actually great, so I became intrigued. I went in with low expectations, and boy, to my surprise, it was amazing!

Newer Gundam fans or those unfamiliar with the franchise might find the first part of the film a bit intimidating since it features Char Aznable and other 0079 characters. But don’t worry! You can still enjoy it even without that knowledge. It’s set in an AU (since Amuro supposedly steals the White Gundam), and the 0079 elements mostly serve as a foundation for the setting. So even if you’ve never watched the original Gundam anime or don’t have much knowledge of older Gundam series, it’s not a problem—the story isn’t exactly a continuation of the original.

As for the plot, after Char is “gone” and Zeon finally gains independence in U.C. 0079-0080, the story skips ahead to U.C. 0085, where civilians now have access to Mobile Suits. I won’t spoil too much, but basically, there’s an underground, illegal mecha battle called Clan Battle where people fight for prizes.

The story begins with our MC, Amate Yuzuriha, a high school girl who spots a mysterious girl named Nyaaan (yes, that’s her actual name, lol) being chased by the police. They accidentally bump into each other, and it turns out Nyaaan is a courier carrying an illegal device that allows people to use their mechas for combat.

A mysterious red Gundam—resembling Char’s—appears before Amate, and after some shenanigan yadayadayda, we meet Shuji Ito, a guy who seemingly lives in the sewers....?? Amate ends up joining the Clan Battle under the pseudonym Machu, with Shuji as her Mav (partner). Together, they fight for the prize money.

That’s the gist of it! I don’t want to spoil too much because it’s best to experience it for yourself!

Now, let’s talk about the animation. I’d say it’s top-notch, no need to question Studio Khara’s reputation. But I was a little disappointed that all the mechas were done in 3DCG instead of hand-drawn animation. I guess it’s harder to find animators willing to do hand-drawn mechas these days, but at least it doesn’t look too jarring. The character animation, on the other hand, is excellent! Amate is super expressive, which I love! The background settings are also gorgeous—the space colony looks amazing and reminds me of an Interstellar space station.

The OST is great! It has a fantastic mix of Showa-era mecha soundtracks/sound effects and modern sci-fi anime ost. Though, personally, I prefer the old-school soundtracks over the modern ones, lol. But still, it’s really well done.

As for the character designs—Take always delivers. Every character looks amazing! Amate is definitely my favorite, but I also love the old woman (she’s such a great character). Seriously, the designs are just so good.

Now, about the story, don’t let people fool you into thinking this is yuri. It’s not. Sure, there’s a little bit of yuribait with Amate and Nyaaan at the begininng, but all of that gets completely overshadowed by the dynamic between Amate and Shuji, it's so fucking straight, lol. But that’s not a bad thing. In fact, this movie has a shoujo vibe, which really surprised me. Shuji, from his demeanor, design, and personality, screams shoujo male lead. He was definitely designed to appeal to yumejoshi rather than fujoshi.

Also, Machu is better than Suletta in many ways, like she definitely just scream ''main character" with her personality. I already like her.

This movie has a lot of homages to classic 1990s-2000s anime, especially the “girl meets boy” stories that were popular in the late Showa to early Heisei eras for young girl audiences. I don’t see many people talking about this, but GQux has a really subtle shoujo vibe. It doesn’t feel exactly like a normal shoujo anime, but it definitely has the feel of something aimed at young girls. Shuji’s entire character design just screams "yeah, this is for teen girls." There’s no way he wasn’t designed with that audience in mind—he’s 100% for yumes, not fujos. Even Amate and Nyaaan feel like characters you’d find in media targeted toward girls. WTF I didn't expect Anno actually went full shoujo, did he want to please his wife? wwww, joke aside, I wouldn’t be surprised if Anno took inspiration from his wife, Moyoko Anno’s works, or even asked for her input. The shoujo influence is definitely there.

Also, LMAO at the scene where Shuji sniffs both Amate and Nyaaan when they meet. What a freak boy. 😂 And the fact that they made him a poor hobo who can’t fend for himself?? Yeah, they KNEW exactly what they were doing—he’s 100% designed to appeal to older women/yumes with a specific fetish. Surprisingly, I love his dynamic with Amate. Funny thing, I originally saved a bunch of Amate x Nyaaan yuri fanart before watching the movie, but now… I actually prefer Shuji x Amate, ngl. I really like how their relationship is portrayed.

Story-wise, it’s pretty great, even with the cliffhanger. (Don’t worry, we’re getting a continuation in a TV series!) I think you can still enjoy this movie without prior Gundam knowledge, so if you want to recommend it to someone who isn’t familiar with the franchise, go ahead! That said, this movie did make me want to finally finish 0079 (I haven’t yet because I’ve been busy, but I will get to it someday).

Hope the continuation also doesn't take too long because it looks promising, but I still keep my expectation low, so I don't get disappointed again, like Gwitch.

Sedikit kritik buat distributor filmnya, ini kalau bisa jangan masang 2 sub, jadi susah konsentrasi mau liat subs ID & EN, terus juga ini ketauan localizer indo pake terjemahan bahasa Inggris bukan dari Jepang langsung lol.

Final rating: 8.8/10!