The anime world is buzzing over the dream-team collaboration between *Evangelion*'s Studio Khara and *Gundam*'s Sunrise for the latest animated series, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, set to premiere in April 2025. The prequel movie, *Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX-Beginning-*, has already smashed the Japanese box office with over 3 billion yen and is seeing a strong reception overseas.
While it was previously revealed that Khara's Hideaki Anno was involved in the movie's opening act, the legendary creator himself took to the official Khara X account to lay out the entire origin story of the *Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX* project. His detailed post, which outlines his deep involvement from the very beginning, has left fans stunned.
(Heads up: The following breakdown contains plot elements from the movie *Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX-Beginning-*. You've been warned!)
The original post by Hideaki Anno was incredibly detailed. Here's a summary of the timeline he shared:
Producer Sugitani first pitched the idea of a Gundam project directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki to Sunrise back in 2018.
December 4, 2018: Director Tsurumaki established the core concept: "What if Zeon had won the war?"
March 14, 2019: Tsurumaki submitted the first version of the project proposal.
October 17, 2019: I handed my own project idea notes to Producer Sugitani.
November 7, 2019: Tsurumaki submitted a concise two-page proposal to Sunrise.
July 7, 2021: A comprehensive 54-page proposal, including main design concepts and a story outline, was officially submitted. The plan at the time was to produce a 5-minute opening sequence depicting "how Char steals the Gundam."
July 30, 2021: I proposed to Director Tsurumaki that we should dedicate more screen time to the war's prequel section and wrote the first story memo. This 12-page document covered scenes of birds flying inside a colony, the post-war situation in Side 6, and the refugee crisis caused by the Federation's decline, and even included some dialogue. At the time, I was simultaneously handling post-production and promotion for *Shin Ultraman*, preparations for the *Hideaki Anno Exhibition*, and location scouting, art, and costume meetings for *Shin Kamen Rider*. In reality, these were all ideas I had been jotting down since April 22, 2021, which I organized in about a day.
August 29, 2021: I compiled my accumulated notes into the first plot outline.
February 5, 2022: After letting the ideas simmer for a while, I completed a revised outline. During this period, I was also working on post-production for *Shin Ultraman* and *Shin Kamen Rider*, as well as editing for *Shin Thunderbirds*.
May 12, 2022: I completed the first draft of the screenplay. The second draft was finished on July 6, 2022, and the third on July 14, 2022. All the while, I was also in charge of post-production for *Shin Kamen Rider* and producing the video extras for the *Rebuild of Evangelion* films.
December 4, 2022: The fourth draft of the screenplay was completed and submitted to Director Tsurumaki as the final version. After it was confirmed, we moved into the storyboarding phase. At that point, I was still deep in post-production for *Shin Kamen Rider*. I was also commissioned to write a supplementary script for the latter half of the One Year War, covering the "Second Battle of Solomon."
July 12, 2022: I submitted the first version of that script, which also served as a plot outline. I was also assisting with ship designs and handling VFX checks for *Shin Kamen Rider* at the time.
July 10, 2023: The second draft of that script was completed.
August 18, 2023: The third draft was finalized and confirmed with Director Tsurumaki. During this period, I was also working on storyboards and providing other support for *GQuuuuuuX*.
To sum it up, for me, all this work was a way of "returning the favor" to Director Tsurumaki. He has been a comrade-in-arms for many years, ever since he worked on the key animation for the first episode of *Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water*. My passion for *GQuuuuuuX* stems from that.
In addition to the movie, I will also offer suggestions for the TV anime series as my schedule allows, in the hope of making the work even better. This is also part of "returning the favor." The critical reception and box office performance of the prequel movie, *GQuuuuuuX -Beginning-*, will mark a significant new achievement for Director Tsurumaki in the industry. I ask for your continued support. Thank you.
—Hideaki Anno
Fans were floored to discover that *GQuuuuuuX* has been in the works since 2018, and even more so that Anno managed to churn out so much script material while juggling his other massive film projects.
While he calls it "returning the favor" to Tsurumaki, Anno's passion for the Gundam franchise is undeniable. This sheds light on a recent interview where Tsurumaki mentioned that Anno was in a "completely unleashed state" on this project, bringing a relentless flood of ideas to the table.
With *Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX* set to premiere in April, the hype is building. Although the prequel movie *Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX-Beginning-* already covers the opening episodes, everyone is eager to see what this dream collaboration between Khara and Sunrise, powered by a fully invested Hideaki Anno, will ultimately deliver. The countdown is on!