Gundam GQuuuuuuX Ep 2 Review: Shin Universal Century

Episode 2 of GQuuuuuuX (man, I still can’t get used to typing that name) bring us back to 0079 with some massive nostalgia bombardment. However, in this version of the One Year War, the tides of battle is turned around so massively that even Anno’s Rebuild seems pale in comparison.

We started with the good ol’ Colony infiltration scene. But this time there’s a CRITICAL difference: only Denim went in with Char, as Gene stayed behind. That allows Char to just waltz in and hijacked the Gundam – which was still painted in the original RX-78-2 color. They recreated most of the scenes from the first ep of Gundam 0079 – down to the Gundam Rising scene. However, there are some differences such as the Guncannon jumping out to be Char’s first kill. And instead of a Zaku, it’s a Federation suit that is being stabbed into this time with the Gundam’s saber. And this time, Char took the entire pot – including the White Base.

Afterwards, we also get a new original scene where the RX-78-1 pursue Char in his Gundam. And the Gundam Unit-1 is one savage-looking MS, with FOUR EYES underneath its visor. The fight scene between Char and the Gundam Unit 1 is very similar to an Eva fight scene (but in space). A lot of mechanical details were added, as well as using moves that only a robot can do – like swiveling the body 360-degree for target tracking. Kinda like how in some modern Gundams, they spin the hands 360 for handle etc… The head vulcan mechanism was also shown and it is really cool to see. And of course, we can’t not have the iconic Shaaru Kikkuu.

After Char took the Gundam, the tide of war changed drastically. Zeon basically kicked the Federation’s butts and *some* of the Zabis haven’t bit the dust yet – as Kycilia and Gihren seems to still be alive. The only casualty mentioned was Dozle the Chad himself. Also M’Quve hasn’t died because Amuro isn’t here with the Gundam etc… But in terms of major character changes, the biggest one is probably Challia Bull himself – in this timeline, Char actively recruited Challia to be his partner – and the tale of the two ace pilots of Zeon working together so well gave birth to the Mav system – where pilots pair with each other in duo to watch each other’s back. What’s interesting to me is Char in GQuuuuuuX is…pretty much the same in 0079. He still has that charisma, that crazy skills and a disdain for the Zabis. This really goes to show that Char is the single constant that no-one will dare to change. The absolute rizz of the Deikun’s bloodline persist through the multiverse.

Well, in the end, the Federation was desperate, and they attempted to drop Solomon onto Granada Moon Base – where Zeon is occupying. And it basically turned into a Char’s Counterattack moment where Char goes in with the Gundam and a Newtype explosion triggered a mysterious phenomenon that destroyed Solomon, putting the final nail in the coffin for the EFF and Zeon claimed victory. However, the Zeknova also caused the disappearance of Char and his Gundam, leaving Challia to wonder where his dadd…I mean his Mav went. And you might think that this development is a bit fast and very….lacking explanations. And you’d be right. There are at least one other episode worth of content in -The Beginning- movie that isn’t included here. I reckon they will include it later, because some moments in there is very crucial for the background of the OYW – including some Kycilia lines.

This episode is basically Anno’s Shin OYW with a 180 change that made Zeon the winner of the war and Char the proud owner of the Gundam. The addition of the Elmeth’s bit on the Gundam was a pretty bold and unexpected move, even back when it was first revealed (cause it looks silly as hell lol). But seeing it in animation is much better, and I can tell Khara reused a lot of Eva soundclips for GQuuuuuuuX – especially the bullet sounds and metal clanking. They also tried to capture the nostalgic feel of the 1979 series by recreating it almost scene-for-scene, with the original OST as well! So kudos for that. The eye-catch is also really nice by re-creating the iconic RX-78-2 slash.

And in this episode, we also have the full opening animation. And I must say, it’s a pretty funky one, especially with the running animations of the character and the mobile suit. It really reminds me of the 2nd Rebuild movie where the Evangelion units basically ran a marathon. There are also some scenes that took inspiration from Zeta Gundam, and it is super well done. Next episode, we’re going to Machu and gang – and we’ll be able to see Machu’s proper battle in a Clan Bat!

=Aaron=

Check our more reviews here: