The dust has barely settled on the finale of Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, which wrapped up its wild 12-episode run this week on June 25. With the series concluded, the theatrical version, "Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning-," returned to theaters yesterday, June 28.
To mark the re-release, a special stage event was held featuring Maqu's voice actress Tomoyo Kurosawa, writer and screenwriter Yoji Enokido, and director Kazuya Tsurumaki, who dished on some juicy production secrets with fans.
With the TV anime having just ended, the team was ready to talk. Yoji Enokido mentioned that the production team's biggest weakness was that everyone was constantly flooring it, with almost no one to pump the brakes. This meant that even if some bizarre ideas were thrown out, nobody would shut them down. Since everyone on the team shared a deep love for the Universal Century Gundam series, they fully embraced the creative chaos to generate the sparks they were looking for.
The conversation also turned to the incredibly popular "green uncle," Charia Bull. Director Kazuya Tsurumaki confessed that he and Enokido had wanted to feature him from the very beginning. Having been a fan of "the man who returned from Jupiter" from the novels, Tsurumaki was determined to bring the character into this new Gundam story.
Regarding a previous comment on X by fellow writer Hideaki Anno, who teased that in episode nine, "it wasn't originally that female character who was supposed to appear" alongside Lalah Sune, Enokido revealed that the original plan was to feature "Miharu Ratokie" and "Kai Shiden." However, it seems Director Tsurumaki wasn't too keen on that pairing.
They then considered "Matilda Ajan" and "Woody Malden," a couple who were already set to be married, hoping to find characters who could guide Maqu after her descent to Earth.
However, the team had a realization. While they initially wanted to show Maqu a model for love, she already came from a very complete family. "Rather than show her a conventional couple, wouldn't it be more interesting for her to learn and grow by witnessing a different form of love?" Enokido explained. After some discussion, they decided "Lalah Sune" was the perfect choice.
To write Lalah's story, the team considered her time in a brothel, a detail that left Enokido wondering, "Can we really put something like this in a robot anime?" especially without knowing the show's broadcast time slot. But Director Tsurumaki was apparently very satisfied with the idea, and they used Yoshiyuki Tomino's novel, "A Secret Rendezvous: Amuro and Lalah," as the background for her portrayal.
As for Char's "red uniform" magical girl transformation sequence in episode eleven, Enokido said it all started with a call from Tsurumaki. "He told me, 'I want Char to appear in his masked red officer uniform, but it would feel weird and I don't like the idea of him just changing into it himself.'" Enokido's response was simple: "'Then why not just have him transform?'" It might seem abrupt, but he figured if audiences could accept the Zeknova Phenomenon, a flashy transformation sequence was probably fair game too, XD.
Discussing the final episode, Director Tsurumaki admitted he made a mistake. In a montage showing different universes, Char pilots an endless stream of Mobile Suits—the Gelgoog, Gouf, Zudah, Bigro, Big Zam, Galbaldy Beta, and even an Ikuto Yamashita-designed Sazabi—only to be defeated by the white MS every time.
Looking back, he realized some of those Mobile Suits don't even fit the Universal Century timeline's evolution. "That was my 'bad otaku' side coming out," he confessed. "My favorite MS is the Gelgoog, and I just wanted to cram in everything I liked without thinking. I'm sure some veteran Gundam fans couldn't accept that, and I have to reflect on it."
As for the final boss, the "White Gundam," Enokido confirmed that this was part of the plan from the very beginning. Since the story is set in a parallel universe where Zeon won the One Year War, they wanted the original Gundam to bring things to a close.
But they faced a problem: how do you make a UC 0079 suit from the original series feel threatening in a UC 0085 setting without it looking like an antique? Enokido laughed, "We threw around a lot of ideas—clones, multiplication—but other series have already done that. The only option left was to 'make it giant.' After all, this is Tomino's Gundam; a little exaggeration feels right on brand."
When he first heard the "giant" pitch, Director Tsurumaki wasn't thrilled and initially resisted, but he eventually compromised. "I always felt that making things 'get huge' was a taboo in the Gundam franchise, but seeing the audience react with 'Whoa! It's massive!' was actually pretty satisfying," he said. "If you're a Tomino fan, that kind of development probably feels perfectly logical." He added that the move was also a nod to another of Tomino's works, Aura Battler Dunbine, which featured its own super-sized mechs. Tomoyo Kurosawa chimed in, laughing, "I was shocked during the voice recording sessions. I had no idea it was going to get *that* big! (laughs)."
With its 12-episode run now complete, "Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX" has left fans with plenty to talk about. While these insights from the creators clear up some mysteries, we're sure fans have even more questions. Here's hoping an official art book or design works collection is on the horizon to unravel the rest! XD.
via： X 帳戶 シャア専用ブログ