Japanese visual kei icon GACKT has been absolutely crushing it for over 30 years! This multi-talented powerhouse isn't just a singer, songwriter, and composer; he's also a highly sought-after actor, TV personality, and fashion trendsetter, maintaining his massive popularity across the entertainment world.
Recently, on his show "GACKT's All Night Nippon X," he dropped some major thoughts on the highly talked-about "Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX," which just aired its grand finale last week. As a certified Gundam superfan, GACKT didn't hold back, sharing his unfiltered take on the latest installment.
GACKT revealed, "Honestly, I binged all of 'GQuuuuuuX.' That final episode completely blew me away! It was one of those 'Aha! So THAT'S what it was all about…' moments. The ending truly moved me."
In "GQuuuuuuX," the iconic Char Aznable was voiced by a new talent, Yuuki Shin. GACKT, a die-hard "First Gundam" devotee, recalled his first listen to Yuuki Shin as Char: "Whoa, this voice has a great vibe! It really captures Char's essence." He even gushed, "These voice actors are incredible; everyone nailed the impersonations. For a moment, I actually thought, 'Wait, is this for real?' The mimicry was ridiculously spot-on."
However, GACKT admitted he was utterly floored when the original Char voice actor, Shuichi Ikeda, made a surprise appearance in the finale, once again speaking as Char. "The moment Ikeda-san's Char spoke, holy cow! The impact was just insane!" he exclaimed. He added, "Shuichi Ikeda showed up, said just one line, and instantly I felt this 'Whoa, that voice is heavy' sensation. It had so much gravitas. That was the real shocker of the final episode." He also acknowledged that while Yuuki Shin's portrayal might be a tough pill for some veteran Gundam fans to swallow, taking over from Shuichi Ikeda is an incredibly difficult task in itself, and he believes Shin put in immense effort, doing a fantastic job.
GACKT also shared his thoughts on other recent Gundam entries. He had high hopes for "Mobile Suit Gundam THE ORIGIN," praising the manga. But the anime adaptation felt a bit off to him, especially with the inclusion of some "weird CG elements" that, in his opinion, ended up flattening its original strengths.
It was a long-awaited "First Gundam" series, and he felt it was a missed opportunity back then. But "GQuuuuuuX" coming along? That totally hit the spot for this "First Gundam" superfan.
He openly confessed that because he absolutely adores the original "Mobile Suit Gundam," any work connected to it just automatically looks better to him. He cited "Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team" and "Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack" as prime examples, unreservedly recommending them to everyone.
However, when it comes to Universal Century (UC) titles, GACKT also admitted there are some he finds... regrettable. Take "Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ," for instance. He recently powered through the entire series but, to be frank, he thinks it might have been better left unwatched. While he's not exactly recommending it, he hopes fans won't let one disliked entry sour them on the entire Gundam franchise.
Gundam, especially for its time, broke away from the typical anime tropes of "justice, friendship, heroes vs. villains, clear-cut good and evil." Instead, it brilliantly portrayed every faction and character with such vivid depth, giving each their own valid justifications, even with opposing viewpoints. Since it's fundamentally a story about war, he hopes everyone will dive deep and truly explore the series.
From GACKT's chat on his show, it's crystal clear he's absolutely head-over-heels for the original "Mobile Suit Gundam." No wonder he's showering "GQuuuuuuX" with such high praise, especially with its numerous nods to UC works. Maybe he's even speaking for a whole legion of "First Gundam" OGs out there!