Get ready, Gundam fans! The highly anticipated new anime, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, a joint production from Khara (of "Evangelion" fame) and Sunrise ("Mobile Suit Gundam"), is set to premiere on April 8, 2025. Its theatrical precursor, "Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning-," has already raked in over 3 billion yen at the Japanese box office and performed well in Taiwan.
However, just before its big debut, the official broadcast schedule from Nippon TV (NTV) has sparked a furious debate across social media. What exactly has fans so riled up?
According to official announcements, the anime is slated to air on "30 NTV-affiliated stations." But when fans checked their TV guides, they were shocked to discover that this brand-new series was scheduled in the *same time slot* as the variety show "Ueda & Women's DEEP Howling Night"!
Many fans, who still habitually record their favorite shows in Japan, found that due to the bizarre scheduling, the program title appeared as "Ueda & Women's DEEP Howling Night & Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX." This layout instantly made the anime look like nothing more than an add-on to the variety show.
Even worse, on the desktop version of the TV guide, character limits meant the title was truncated to a mere "Mobile..." leaving many to believe "Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX" wasn't even airing! While the mobile version displayed the full title, the variety show's name still came first, cementing the anime's "subordinate" status.
This peculiar arrangement has caused a host of problems. Fans can't search for the show using "Gundam" as a keyword on the official website. On some devices, the program isn't even categorized as an anime. What's more, "Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX" is completely absent from the "Anime Section" on NTV's official website!
NTV has yet to comment, so it's unclear if this is a scheduling error. Regardless, this handling has left many fans feeling disrespected.
Fans have voiced their frustration loudly: "I have to record an hour of variety TV every week for a 30-minute anime? Who can put up with that?!" and "I wanted to record it, but finding out it's bundled with an unrelated show, I might as well just wait for streaming."
▼ Japanese media outlets have also reported on the issue, confirming fan dissatisfaction with NTV's scheduling.
In fact, this late-night slot was previously occupied by "Late Night Theater DEEP" until March, and it's confirmed to return after "Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX" concludes. This suggests the chaotic scheduling might just be a post-time-slot-change oversight, but fans are still far from pleased.
Nevertheless, this marks the first time a Gundam series will air on NTV, and it's the only terrestrial broadcast option. To stir up controversy before it even airs is certainly an unexpected start. Fans are hoping for a more appropriate arrangement moving forward, ensuring this highly anticipated new work receives the respect it deserves!
via： おたくま経済新聞