Right, so new Gundam game, Gundam Rogue Orbit announced and its a bit of an interesting one. There's a lot of talk going around about it, and I have some thoughts, so I'll go in depth here.
First things first, the mobile suit design, particularly the Gundam. I think these are a lot better than people are saying. There's a lot more though and respect put into these designs than people seem to realize. There's a lot of DNA from previous Gundam designs represented here. Even down to the legs which have those bauble calves that are a staple in Federation-inspired mobile suite designs. I've seen people claiming that this thing looks like they slapped a v-fin on another mech design and called it a day, but I could recognize it as either a Gundam or heavily Gundam-inspired mech from just that first shot of the legs.
On the other hand I do think that the v-fin lights are a bit much and the fin itself might be a bit too small for my taste. It might blend into the head a bit from certain angles. Maybe a bit more colour might have made its initial impression a bit better.
And now for the big thing, the alien things, the monster. Granted we don't necessarily know if they are actually aliens or some kind of bio-mechanical mech, but for the sake of discourse we can treat them as aliens, as this has reignited the old 'Aliens in Gundam' discourse that happens every now and then.
There is fundamentally no issue with aliens being in a Gundam story. People seem to think that there can be no human conflict or politics in a Gundam story with aliens as the main threat, which I fundamentally don't get, there's a lot you can do with conflicts within a human faction in a story with aliens (see the entire Muv Luv franchise for another mecha story that touches on some of this, particularly a lot of the spin offs put extra focus on stuff like this. Or Gundam 00, A Wakening Of The Trailblazer for a Gundam entry that, despite its flaws, expands on 00's themes in a unique way that you could only really do with aliens). So the aliens are not a turn-off for me, we can still have a good story, and the opening lines in the trailer that draw a contrast between the safe life on earth, as opposed to the colonies on the front lines, which gives me a bit of hope. Granted there's still not enough detail to actually draw a conclusion yet.
The thing that kind of bothered me the most was actually the final bit with what I assume to be the protagonist stepping out of the Gundam. His design is extremely generic, particularly in contrast to the girl we see in the rest of the trailer. I'm hoping that he is just the default male character model and that there's some form of character customization, because his generic nature drags my confidence in this whole thing down a bit.
Overall, it is a bit weird, but I'm cautiously interested in this thing. We can't really draw any definitive conclusions from this little footage. I'll wait to see more details.
So Gundam GQuuuuuuX episode 12, and the series as a whole. Its a bit of a mixed bag at the end, but I found myself feeling satisfied overall. While the show could have been better (maybe with a couple more episodes), I don't regret my time with it at all, as I had a rather good time and the show provided me with a lot to consider over these past few weeks.
More detailed thoughts below the line:
First off, there's a lot to like here, Machu and Nyaan's reunion and Mav team-up was really good, I really enjoyed seeing the two of them finally come back together, and I think that was the highlight moment of the episode. It was a well deserved moment and was really satisfying to see finally play out.
On another related note, the action this episode was some of the best in the entire show, the intensity of the action was brought up to 11 and it sold the dramatic final fights very well. No complaints in the visual or audio department for this entire show really.
I also really liked some of the smaller details that were shown off in this episode, such as some of the world-building details, specifically with the reveal of Artesia/Sayla at the end, or the other details about the fates of the characters after the story. Overall I think the epilogue sequence was actually pretty good, the moments with Char and Lalah, along with seeing Challia wearing Char's old mask during the end sequence. It was nice to see Machu and Nyaan still together after the end as well on the beach.
Shuji is a bit of a mixed bag in this episode, it was good that we got to see some more character from him, and I found the idea of his story to be rather compelling in theory, but it was rather rushed in practice given that it was all compressed into this one episode. In addition his final moments with, and confession of love to, Machu felt really off, and was the one moment in the episode that I actually think was bad. I get the intent, but it just felt a bit stiff an unwarranted.
Similarly I get Challia's turn against Char, and I think that it was a cool reveal that actually makes a fair bit of sense given the differences I had been noticing between the two's motivations and characters. However, there should have been some actual foreshadowing about Sayla/Artesia's presence in his plans, that reveal made sense, but was a bit out of nowhere.
The main issue with this episode, and to some extent, the show as a whole, is simply that it didn't really have enough time to properly flesh out all of the cool and interesting ideas that the show had. Which really came to a front with the breakneck pace of this final episode.
Overall, despite its faults, I found Gundam GQuuuuuuX to be an extremely entertaining show with a lovable cast and a lot of interesting ideas to explore that just didn't quite get enough time to become the best show it could have been. The show itself is still quite good, there's just a lot of room for improvement/expansion left over at the end.
On another note I've found the viscerally negative reaction to this episode to be a bit weird. Sure it makes sense to be a bit disappointed, the show could have been a fair bit better, but the amount of anger I've seen around just seems really odd to me. You would think that this was the worst ending of all time from what I've been hearing. But given how this response reminds me of the backlash to the G-Witch ending, some of it might just be a bit recency bias maybe? I don't know what point I'm trying to make here, the reception of the ending just seems a bit off to me personally.
In terms of upcoming series this year, I guess that leaves me with the Nanoha EXCEEDS manga and anime to look forward to. As well as that odd Mobile Suit Gundam Eight manga starting soon, which seems really odd and interesting from the snippets I have seen. I hope someone translates that when it starts coming out.
GQuuuuuuX Episode 11, I've been thinking a lot about this one. Overall its an extremely good episode, there's just one big elephant in the room that I'm still not sure what I think about. I love the directions the characters are going this episode, and of course the action was top-notch as always for this show. I am extremely interested to see how things end next week, as there are a lot of ways things can go from this point.
More thoughts in detail below the gap:
So first things first, the big reveal of the OG Gundam at the end of the episode and Shuji's possible identity. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this one yet, it all really depends on how the next and final episode treats this. There's certainly a worrying possibility that this will just turn into 'OH HEY LOOK AT A THING YOU RECOGNIZE' multiverse slop, but there are plenty of ways that this could still turn out to be satisfying and valuable. It all depends on what the actual explanation for the appearance of the RX-78-2 Specifically is, and what Shuji/Possibly Amuro's motivations really are and how they connect to any previous characterization. Its such a small part of this episode that its impossible to really evaluate on its own.
The execution of that moment was wonderful though, the building was really well executed and as much as it is a 'fangirl moment' I couldn't help but feel an excited tension in my chest when Beyond The Time started playing.
Looking at the rest of the episode, it was fantastic, one of the best so far. A big part of that was how Machu and Nyaan both developed throughout this episode. I love how Nyaan has begun to waver in her convictions, and realize her own true feelings and desires. The moments where she openly admits that she really doesn't know why she is doing this, and of course, the wonderfully animated moment where she shoots Kycillia were some of the best Nyaan moments in the whole series, I love what they have done with this character, she's probably the standout character of the entire show for me.
I'm glad that I guessed how part of the GQuuuuuuX's super mode would deploy, with the domes placed around the body raising up to reveal more mechanical detail. I think that the form looks really neat, but there probably going to sell it as an entirely new HG kit with a few extra parts, and there's a good chance it ends up limited to only P-Bandai as well isn't there. I reckon the GFreD is definitely going to power up in the same way next episode.
Not much else to talk about this close to the show's ending, other than reiterating the general quality of the whole production. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all ends, even if there is a bit of a worry about how the new element introduced at the end of this episode will be handled.
Gundam GQuuuuuuX Episode 10, what a beautiful episode to start off the grand finale. We've got some amazing visuals. The soundtrack really stood out this episode, it was great. And in terms of the narrative the show is now pulling itself back together with additional focus on the core conflicts and themes. It looks to me like the show will be able to pull off a good ending in the final few episodes.
More thoughts below the gap:
First of all, the visuals for Yomagn'tho firing were absolutely amazing. Repurposing the visual effects for the Kira-Kira sped up to create a violent rush of otherworldly energy, plus the demonstration of the teleport properties of the Zeknova made for such a cool visual, genuinely one of the most visually impressive and mystifying super-weapons in Gundam overall.
The show has rapidly brought its thematic elements towards a focus on the concept of 'Freedom' and what it means for different individuals with the character explorations given in this episode. From general principles I enjoy the focus that this episode is bringing.
On a related note I really liked how Challia's character was expanded in this episode. The backstory for him in this episode with the explanation of his journey to Jupiter did actually make me feel for the character more than I ever really had during the rest of the show. In addition I do like that he was allowed to miscalculate about Kycillia's plans. I like that he isn't completely on top of everything with his schemes it makes him seem more reasonable.
There are a few ways that the conflict between Machu and Nyaan can work out. Although first of all it is important to note that neither one knows who the other pilot is yet, so I do wonder how they will react after finding out they are fighting each other (The mention of Nyaan only cooking for people she likes in this episode reminded me that a lot of the conflict between these two is based on Machu never learning that Nyaan was cooking for her too, not just Shuji. So I think that detail will come up again). The are three ways I see this going: One, Machu and Nyaan come together on their own, we get a happy ending like the ED. Two: The tragic ending, with one of them dying either at the other's hand or to save the other. Or Three: A variant on either version where Char/Shirouzu comes in and pushes the two towards on of the two other options.
Really excited for how this is going to turn out. Albeit I'm a little annoyed that the preview for next week showed the GQuuuuuuX having an 'awakened' form in one shot. Would have been nice to be surprised by that next week.
GQuuuuuuX episode 9, not my favorite but still a solid episode. Things with the storyline are clearing up as everything comes to light, and we hurtle towards a grand finale. We've got a few big reveals regarding the actual nature of the GQuuuuuuX Universe to discuss and a few interesting parallels and thematic content with regards to Lalah's and Machu's views on the future and their differing forms of dreams/motivations. Ultimately I'm looking forward to the grand finale that the show appears to be building to. I'm expecting it to be pretty crazy given the nature of the show thus far, and I am all in on it.
More discussion on some of the new stuff below:
So the big reveal at the end, the Rose of Sharon being Lalah and the Elmeth from another timeline (as it doesn't seem to be exactly the same as the standard UC universe according to Lalah's dialogue), and 'the other side' literally being other universes. Essentially, we've got a Multiverse plot on our hands here. I understand the concern that some may have with this. Multiverse stories in large franchises need to be handled carefully lest they deteriorate into a constant stream of meaningless 'OH WOW LOOK AT THIS' pile of reference slop. However the Multiverse elements of GQuuuuuuX seem to be limited enough that I think that series will manage to use the elements wisely and maintain the focus on its own characters.
I've also seen some speculation that Shirouzu isn't actually GQuuuuuuX Char, but rather main timeline Quattro. With the suggestion being that they swapped worlds in one of the Zeknovas. I personally disagree with this assessment both because it would be, in my opinion, uncharacteristically bad writing for this show, as it would really diminish the impact of both versions of the character. And because it appears that objects or people transported between universes have an 'unstable existence' in the GQuuuuuuX universe. As is represented on the Elmeth and Rose-Lalah by them being semi-transparent against a background of the Kira-Kira, which is a property not present in Shirouzu, indicating that he is native to the GQuuuuuuX timeline.
Because of this instability I don't think there will be any characters jumping in from the UC universe or others to help the GQuuuuuuX ones. At most, maybe the Newtype-Ghost of Amuro will offer some guiding words to Machu like he does with Hathaway in his series.
I think the only universe-jump that has occurred in this series so far is the one performed by the Rose of Sharon, which according to dialogue probably involves Lalah dying as she does in the original series, and then being transported to the GQuuuuuuX universe in the middle of the One-Year-War, preserved in the Elmeth's cockpit in the process. I think that this event probably took place before the Red Gundam had the Alpha Psycommu installed, and the phenomenon of the jump along with the Elmeth itself is what caused Psycho-Tech to advance so much faster in the GQuuuuuuX timeline. This is supported by Kycillia knowing about the Rose during the Solomon Drop, placing these events before that.
Moving on from that long point, we have Machu. Its interesting to see her actually arriving at Earth and finding everything rather underwhelming. The planet itself is beautiful, but the gravity feels the same and she is quickly confronted with the problems of people on Earth.
I also find it interesting to see how Machu interacts with Lalah, with a particular focus towards how they differ in terms of their motivations, and Machu's inability to understand Lalah's refusal to go with her on a whim. It really shows how, I suppose, 'in the moment' Machu is with regards to her motivations outside of her friends (this should have significantly more thought given to it, particularly when considering GQ-Lalah's trauma, but I am not up to that right now, sorry).
Looking forwards to next week and the remainder of the show. It seems like the series is building towards one large, final sequence around the Solar Ray. It seems like a lot of plot threads (The relationship between Machu and Nyaan, Challia's plan to assassinate the Zabis and Shirouzu's plans as well) will come together around this singular set-piece. I think the series will go more for a character focused ending with Machu, Nyaan, and probably Shuji. With most of the plot resolved but large elements of the world still left only partially addressed. This is probably a necessity given the limited number of episodes, and it is a valid choice, even if it will cause annoyance to some. But we will have to wait and see.
So after playing Super Robot Wars 30 and finding the L-Gaim designs to be rather interesting. I decided to go watch the show and have made it up to episode 10 so far. Its been a pretty entertaining show so far with some standout moments and a fair bit of potential, but there are a few odd issues that have shown up throughout.
The highlight for me so far has been the moment to moment character interactions and dynamics between the main group of Daba, Kyao, Amu, Lillith, and Leccee. Its really fun to just watch this group bounce off each other and the show does a great job emphasizing this with the wonderfully energetic animation of the characters.
In addition there have been a lot of standout elements so far, with the prime moment for me being when Daba is going through the Yaman ruins and experiencing flashbacks to the destruction of the Yaman. This was really the first time I actually felt for Daba and it hit well.
There have been some issues with the show thus far as well. While I enjoy Leccee's character herself, her arc so far feels very confused and poorly executed. From what I have seen it looks like they are trying to do a mix of her betraying Posaydal because of her seeing the army's callousness, and her doing so because she is in love with Daba. However both aspects are so rushed that it ends up seeming like she suddenly betrays Posaydal because of Daba's mystical omega rizz. It all just comes across as extremely rushed.
That arc, the oddly casual attitude that Daba's motivations are treated with and the odd fanservice are the only real problems I've had so far, and the show has a lot of potential so I'll definitely keep watching this.
Okay so GQuuuuuuX Episode 8, a lot to think about here with a bunch of interesting references and some interesting new concepts in the form of the GFreD and Diablos. Overall we have a bit of a setup episode here with a good focus on Nyaan and her character.
I've seen some concern about whenever the show can stick the landing or not. I have a great degree of confidence in Tsurumaki and Enokido, and I've seen shows with a lot of plot come together quickly to deliver a satisfying ending before, but there is still a possibility of the show falling apart at the end, despite the confidence I have with the staff. Overall, another good episode with a fair bit to chew on.
More thoughts on specific details and speculation below:
We have the explicit introduction to the concept of Diablos, which is a category that includes Nyaan, with a strong possibility that Machu is included too. Looking at the specific characteristics of individuals know or suspected to be Diablos we can see that they both exhibit strong Newtype abilities, with the shared property of their eyes turning red when stressed, along with the ability to use the GQuuuuuuX and QFreD, and seemingly the ability to remotely operate the GQuuuuuuX and GFreD when stressed to protect themselves (I don't know if it is direct operation of the machine, or activating a separate consciousness within the machine).
Miguel seems to think of becoming a Diablos as something inherently negative and dangerous, along with being something directly tied to these new Zeon Machines (GQuuuuuuX and GFreD). He seems to indicate that this is some evolution over Newtypes. However I am not sure if I trust his assessment personally.
At the last moment we have the introduction to Shirouzu, who is the most suspicious man possible. Given the look, name origin and voice actors, he can reasonably be assumed to be a returning Char. Which indicates to me that Shuji probably survived the Zeknova if Char was able to himself.
He seems to be joining up with/infiltrating a project called 'Yomagn'tho'. This project, as pointed out by others appears to be a reference to an Outer God, something which excites me very much personally. I am looking forward to see where this might go.
We've got Nyaan seemingly still caring or thinking of Machu even after episode 7, which matches with her affection for Machu seen in previous episodes. It's nice to see her still caring. I hope the two will be able to get back together (probably after a big mobile suit fight).
When it comes to Machu's escape, there are two possibilities, Machu genuinely escaped on her own, likely with her Diablos abilities, or Challia let her 'escape' for some reason (possibly to seek out Lalah for potential answers about Char), and just used the "Oh no she escaped!" excuse to cover himself from Zeon.
Looks like we might be in for some answers next week with Lalah's sudden appearance and the title of 'The Rose of Sharon'. I'm looking forward to seeing how everything pans out, and I hope that everything will come together smoothly.
Well the shoe finally dropped and frankly I am all in. GQuuuuuuX was crazy good this week. Some ideas that have been banging around my head for a few weeks are looking like they are turning out to be true. While a ton of new ideas a now cluttering the thing up as well.
Overall the animation and mech designs are still top notch this episode and the emotions and drama were so good this week as everything came crashing down. The only odd thing this episode was that Shuji's 'death' felt maybe a bit fast for my taste (assuming that he is actually dead, more on that later). But overall this is up there with episode 4 as one of my favorites so far. and I am so excited to see where things go from here.
More random thoughts on the episode and many theories below (way too long):
Machu joining up with Challia's faction was something I have been suspecting since week 2 due to the shot of the GQuuuuuuX launching from the Sodon with a beam rifle and a heat hawk, a tool that Xavier doesn't use and isn't in the GQuuuuuuX's standard arsenal.
I was honestly not expecting Machu to fire the shot, I thought that one of the other Pomeranians would help Machu escape, but no, it seems like Machu was genuinely capable of killing Annqi, but is just bad at aiming.
I have been considering the possibility of Nyaan and Machu entering into a Char/Amuro style homoerotic rivalry for a few weeks now, mainly based on, of all things, the weekly episode release drops in SD Gundam G Generation Eternal, which have included pretty much every named pilot from the first five episodes, except Nyaan. Which made me consider the possibility of her getting her own mobile suit.
I am now reconsidering the possibility that I may have misunderstood the nature of Kira-Kira. I simply assumed that it was a representation of 'The Other Side', the ascendant Newtype space shown in many UC Gundam series, however based on Shuji, Machu and Deux's dialogue this episode. Where Machu and Deux become unable to see the Kira-Kira when separated from everything surrounding the Alpha Psycommu, and Shuji seeing the other side during the Zeknova. It appears to be more of a separate Psycho-Phenomenon on the border between the physical world and 'The Other Side', which matches with it appearing in the physical world when a Zeknova is about to occur.
Many people have been comparing the Red Gundam to the Phenex in terms of being possessed by someone throughout the show's whole run. However now I am considering the possibility of it being more like the Phenex than expected in terms of being sent around space/time. Although the Red Gundam seems to use the Zeknova as a transport method. This presents the possibility of Shuji just going somewhere else. The Red Gundam has obviously been able to survive a Zeknova before, so at least that thing will be back, with or without Shuji.
I still wouldn't be surprised if the GQuuuuuuX has a similar second form to the Psycho Gundam, given that the thing's eyes were changing color along with Machu's in a similar way to Deux's eyes before the Psycho Gundam changed forms. Challia just seems to have pulled her back from the edge of the transformation.
The weirdest thing is that the GQuuuuuuX is also showing signs of sentience now too.
Challia seems to have arrived at the conclusion that Zeon's leadership in the Zabis is flawed and needs to be replaced/removed on his own. He seems to understand, unlike Bask Om and the Federation, that getting rid of just Kycillia or just Gihren would only result in disaster through consolidation of power. His experiences with Char seem to have made him much more calculating and forward thinking than Char himself actually was.
With the Solar Ray Plan obviously being nothing good, and me doubting that Kycillia will take an assassination attempt lying down, I wouldn't be surprised if we are escalating towards a full on new war with Challia's group in the middle attempting to find a new way.
Given that the second half of the flashback to 0079 is next week, I think that the Red Gundam will definitely return and its technology will be relevant again. Given that the Rosa of Sharon sequence is in that portion, I think that the functions of the Rose and other Psycommu tech will be very relevant to the future of the series.
No action this week but I am completely fine with that. The tension is racketing up and there were so many cool reveals and moments this episode, I can't wait for next week.
There's a lot of good character stuff with Machu and Nyaan this episode alongside some great Zeta Gundam callbacks that make me really excited for where the show might go.
Some miscellaneous detailed thoughts on the episode, goes on for a bit:
I for some reason didn't expect Annqi to be the one to betray the main trio, but it was the most obvious choice in retrospect. Now not only is Machu rejecting her normal life (seen through the scenes with her mother and teacher this episode), but now the people she thought she could trust outside the norm are rejecting her. The only real option for her left is to forge a new path with Nyaan and Shuji (given that Challia seems to know about both her and Nyaan at this point, so she probably can't return to a normal life anyway).
I'm glad that the conflict between Machu and Nyaan seems to be repairable, she's still able to go to Nyaan for help at the end of the episode, they will definitely make up in time. Interestingly this seems to be the first time in the show that Nyaan has shown any real interest in Shuji, is Kira-Kira really that good?? She still seems to hold a primary interest in Machu, expressing a desire to be with both of them, rather than just one.
Despite what the show is indicating I'm still not sure whenever Challia is actually planning on killing Kycilia or not. Looking back at the extended movie version of episode 2, Char didn't seem to tell anyone, even Challia about his plan to sabotage the operation to stop the Solomon drop, so I don't think that Challia was necessarily aware of, or onboard with his plans to kill the Zabis. Meaning that if he is trying to kill Kycilia , then it was probably a desire formed on his own after the One-Year-War.
And now for the big one, the introduction of Bask Om, Gates Kapa, Deux and the Psycho Gundam. It makes sense that people who were in the Titans in the main UC would become powerful in the GQ universe too, there's probably a lot of people who harbor similar views to the Titans on GQ Earth after their loss to Zeon. I'm really interested to see what they do with Deux (before she inevitably dies) as there are some neat parallels to the main trio you could make with a character like her. I'm also just really excited to see more aspects of Zeta Gundam coming into this show (Bask vs Challia as well, maybe?).
I'm glad that we got a brief break from the action, and GQuuuuuuX has proven that it can handle more plot focused episodes well, not just action. I'm really excited for shit to hit the fan next episode with what looks like a big fight with the Psycho-Gundam inside the colony, everything crashing down on the main trio with Annqi's betrayal, and the plot about Kycilia , looks like a stacked feast for next week. I wonder if Machu is going to steal the Pomeranian's share of the winnings to fund an escape for Nyaan, Shuji and her, now that she knows she's been betrayed and knows where the money is. I wonder if Machu's eyes turning bright red in the preview indicates that a new function of the Omega-Psycommu will be revealed next time to.
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