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Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX has been a wild ride, keeping audiences guessing throughout its runtime, including video game auteur Hideo Kojima. The series raised many eyebrows when it was first announced, as it was being produced and animated by Studio Khara, the company behind the Rebuild of Evangelion film series. Fans were hoping the Gundam GQuuuuuuX would deliver the same surrealist and existential storytelling that made Evangelion a pop culture icon. Thus far, Gundam GQuuuuuuX has featured alternate dimensions, political upstaging, and the ethics of murder. The penultimate episode ended with a major cliffhanger, reintroducing the franchise’s most important mobile suit.
The surprise return, plus a major character’s heel turn, has gotten Gundam fans talking, including Kojima. It’s well known that Hideo Kojima is a big fan of nerd culture, especially giant robots. He tweeted on X (formerly Twitter) about the penultimate episode, shared images of Machu and part of Char Aznable, one of the most iconic human characters in the franchise. He writes, “Ahhh!! Wow! My heart,” praising the series. His excitement for the show is reflected in the rest of the fandom, who are all speculating and theorizing how the series will end. Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX has become one of the most complicated yet interesting titles in the franchise so far.
What Makes Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX Great?
Spoilers for Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX
Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX achieved early success with its theatrical movie, Beginningwhich opened at number one on the Japanese box office. The show surprised fans from the get-go, revealing the series takes place in an alternate timeline from the original Mobile Suit Gundam anime that began the franchise. Even though Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX has different designs for the mechas, many of the same characters carry over to the new series, most prominently Char. Lalah Sune, a vital character in the classic show, is a focal figure in Gundam GQuuuuuuXwith two versions of the character existing in the new show. One of the main characters, Shuji, is implied to be from another dimension and possibly summoned the original RX-78-2 to the Gundam GQuuuuuuX universe.
The penultimate episode left things on a somber note, with Machu meeting Char and being reunited with Shuji, her object of affection. However, despite their initial friendship, Shuji has expressed wanting to end the world for the sake of Lalah. With the RX-78-2 in the Gundam GQuuuuuuX universe, the series hints that the final antagonist of the series will be against the original Gundam that started it all. The penultimate episode had Char make a grand return and meet Machu, which is what Kojima was referencing in his tweet. Episode 12 is described as the series finale, with no word on if there will be another season.
Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX has earned praise for its animation and multiversal plot. The series also keeps the ethos of the franchise, focusing on the evil of war, the complex political system that takes advantage of minors, and complicated love triangles. Many of Hideo Kojima’s video game works share similar complicated story beats that center on the world’s political structure.
H/T: Hideo Kojima’s Official X (formerly Twitter) Account
