Gundam X: the one AU series that is loved by all the fanbase

[HalfDemonInuyasha]

I like to think of Gundam X as a mixture of Mobile Suit Gundam and Gundam Wing.

MSG because of the (mass) colony drop, colony laser, and other obvious comparisons, but Wing in that the Gundams are still supposed to be the more powerful MS units made, forcing a majority of frontline MS to the back (which is why so many, including more powerful mass production units like the Octape, survived).

But it's also balanced as in, as mentioned, the Gundam-type MS are NOT supremely powerful compared to virtually everything else except eachother or newly-created ones and have constantly had difficulties in battles, which only worsened when both sides began rebuilding their military and introduced newer, more modern units (or bringing back older, but still very powerful ones), which forced complete overhauls for each Gundam ala Deathscythe Hell and Altron, and even then, they still faced various challenges. The same with the Virsago and Ashtaron.

Also, I like to think of the Gundam X's and Gundam Double X's (twin) satellite cannon as a more "realistic" version of the Wing Gundam (Zero's) (twin) buster rifle; needing a whole power system dedicated specifically for its use, the Flash System for Newtype pilots (or recorded brainwaves for the Double X) to use that system, and a charge-up time before it's able to fire, but obviously extremely powerful in being able to take down colonies or multiple MS with a single shot. I guess there's also the detachable controller too, especially when you consider how many times Wing Gundam (Zero) kept getting passed around/stolen/etc, lol.

[Mr Bushido]

I've always seen groups of people who dislike X. And about 10 years ago when it was less seen by Western audiences, a lot of people were trashing it as a bad show simply because it had been canceled.

I can attest to this observation because I know a person on another forum i go to who disliked X because solely of the fact that it was canceled. I'm pretty sure he said he never watched it.

Other than this not many people I know who watch Gundam have seen X or any others outside of more notable series like Zeta or 00.

Personally I liked X and I would have liked it to have that extra 10 episodes or at least get to the same number of episodes as MSG.

[2NA Fish]

I don't hate Gundam X, but I don't rate it as one of the better Gundam series. It's rather meh for me.

I found the series a bit too slow paced for my liking. The music was decent, but very forgettable. Wasn't a fan of the mech designs either. The environments were also a bit bland.(post apocalyptic wasteland yeah we know, but still...) On top of that, I couldn't help but feel annoyed when at the end of the series they declare

Spoiler

LOL! There's no such thing as Newtypes!

That being said though, the series has very very likeable characters, well written dialogue, and some well thought out fight scenes including the most devastating use of vulcans in any series.

[Zball]

I'm a big fan of GX, honestly. The entire series had me sold when Vultures trying to take the Gundam X are dragging the wrecks of other Vulture MS off the field for scrap.

[Cybaster]

I'd like to present you subject A: Shakti from Victory Gundam. Lol, I think she needed more rescuing than Tiffa if I remember.

That, and Tiffa had a very good reason to keep getting kidnapped --- she's virtually the only true Newtype we see in the entire series despite the setting's hype about them, aside from D.O.M.E, but when the SRA discovered that Tifa was born on Earth their motivations to keep her around dropped pretty quickly --- whereas Shakti's predicament mostly comes from her simply being the 'Princess' of the Zanscare Empire (Queen Maria's daughter and Cronocle's niece). In that vein, Shakti is far more like Princess Peach than Tiffa is.

That said, you simply weren't around when Gundam X actually first came out, nearly right on the heels of Gundam Wing...and everyone hated it because a) it wasn't Wing and didn't live up to Wing's style of action-oriented storytelling and b) it was competing against Neon Genesis Evangelion at the time GX aired, which Gundam X simply couldn't win. Even Mark Simmons himself, when Gundam Project was still virtually the only source on Gundam North American fans had, didn't have a very good opinion of it back then, and he was the go-to guy for Gundam if you lived in the West. Combined with the above, Gundam X's start was pretty shaky, unlike today.

The problem with Gundam X that immediately soured its reputation when it first came out, in fact, was its premise. Everyone thought GX was a failed attempt at a Wing clone featuring CCA elements, mostly stemmed from its mecha designs --- to the Gundam audience back then, the GX, Leopard and Airmaster likely seemed to be little more than shallow clones of the Wing Gundam and Heavyarms (the Airmaster even had two guns named Buster Rifles despite them being simple Beam Rifles!), while the Virsago and Ashtaron seemed like Epyon and Shenlong knock-offs. Also, in featuring Newtypes and having Jamil and Lancerow's starting rivalry to mirror Amuro and Char's final MSG battle, Gundam X seemed to also throw back to the OYW in what people might've perceived as a desperate attempt to reattract older Gundam fans. Going into the series after Wing's run finished, that premise meant that the average Gundam fan then had a difficult time perceiving Gundam X as anything but a messy knock-off of Wing's popularity, rather than see X as its own series with its own story. So while Wing still had many side stories and sequels coming their way long after Wing's run was finished (such as G-Unit and Blind Target, and the official Endless Waltz sequel), X continued to fade into obscurity.

Of course, now that Wing's hype had largely died down (except for the resurgence through Frozen Teardrops), fans finally became calm enough to really look at Gundam X as its own story and like it for not being Wing with CCA elements. I personally like it, and GX is my second favorite series behind G Gundam --- yeah, I said it. <_< The characters were interesting and remain mostly fresh throughout the entire series, and whereas in most other Gundam series the main characters end up buying into someone else's philosophy or join/become conscripted into a military faction blatantly stated to be the 'good guys', Garrod remained his own person, and simply followed his dreams and morals throughout the entire series without letting anyone convince him to believe in some other grand ideal (such as Athrun buying into ZAFT's ideals of Coordinator superiority). Witz, Roybea, and Jamil have their own interesting stories to tell, too. Even the Frost Brothers' motives, who are simply out to rule the world as human Gods ('Newtypes'), were relatively simple and easy to understand. The mecha could've been better, although that's mostly Okawara's fault than due to any actual production faux pas --- the Daughtress was a little bland even compared to the GM, and the Gundams still resembled shallow Wing clones even after the mid-season upgrades (Okawara hadn't completely burnt out by then and still had some good ideas, though, such as the Divider Shield and the underwater Gundam Leopard), and while the G-Falcon combinations had immense potential, they were mostly never used. As for Newtypes, I found that actually cleverly managed --- the setting hypes them, and then goes about systematically debunking that hype by eventually coming to the conclusion that Newtypes are not the be-all, end-all of Humanity as notorious UC villains such as Char, Scirocco and Gihren all claim: they're just gifted, and the strong will to live that Garrod exhibited throughout the series is far more powerful than any Newtype perception can offer.

(Although I have to wonder what D.O.M.E would have to say about Laplace's Box, though. Maybe if a G Generation game came out for the 3DS... )

Overall, because GX isn't Wing, you either like or hate the series --- It's still true even with more modern series such as the running disasters known as SEED and SEED Destiny, and the far better 00. In regards to X, it's certainly unique, at least in my opinion. It skirts a bit too close to being a Wing clone with CCA elements so the Gundam elements are familiar enough, but at the same time remembering that it has its own story to tell. All in all, I rather like X for that.

[HalfDemonInuyasha]

Yeah, while there still is a lot of obvious resemblances to other series, at least it wasn't blatant copies like the ZAKU Warrior, GOUF Ignited, DOM Trooper, etc. (Right down to general appearances and weapons overall.)

Still, even with it being so close to Wing + CCA, I still prefer it over Wing due to the MSG/CCA/etc-like balance in the MS. While the Gundams were the big guys at the time, they weren't nigh-invincible and, as shown with the X and Bertigo, and Airmaster and Gadeel, better pilots and/or more modern MS/MA were able to take them down which forced them to become more modernized themselves, resulting in their overhauls into the Divider, Burst, and Destroy.

Of course, it wasn't without its own unique units like the MS Bits, Gabel, Britova, Correl and such.

[mcred23]

b) it was competing against Neon Genesis Evangelion at the time GX aired, which Gundam X simply couldn't win.

I thought the Evangelion myth for Gundam X's problems had long since been debunked? Based on the airdates of the two series on ANN, and the TV ratings on Gunota, Gundam X was moved to it's Saturday morning death slot before Evangelion started airing, so it's not like the two were in direct competion against each other (Assuming they had the same timeslot, something I'm not totally sure of). Although it's ratings were below average for Gundam (And well below those of Wing, which had done very well), AFAIK the reason for the timeslot change remains unknown...

[Chris]

b) it was competing against Neon Genesis Evangelion at the time GX aired, which Gundam X simply couldn't win.

I thought the Evangelion myth for Gundam X's problems had long since been debunked? Based on the airdates of the two series on ANN, and the TV ratings on Gunota, Gundam X was moved to it's Saturday morning death slot before Evangelion started airing, so it's not like the two were in direct competion against each other (Assuming they had the same timeslot, something I'm not totally sure of). Although it's ratings were below average for Gundam (And well below those of Wing, which had done very well), AFAIK the reason for the timeslot change remains unknown...

These are both wrong and I don't see why, given how easy it is to look up this information. Evangelion aired during Gundam Wing's run and was over BEFORE the start of X.

[mcred23]

My bad on the dates (Misread Evangelion's start date as '96). Guess that really puts the nail in that coffin.

[Arbiter GUNDAM]

I'm in the middle of watching X and... now I've seen everything. Newtype Dolphins? Too bad Destiny never had any of those.

Seriously though,

Spoiler

what's this crap about a dolphin navigation system? Did the GPS network get taken out in the colony drop as well?

And another thing. If Enill already had a serious boyfriend on Saint's Island, why was she trying to seduce Garrod?

[Chris]

And another thing. If Enill already had a serious boyfriend on Saint's Island, why was she trying to seduce Garrod?[/spoiler]

She didn't have any boyfriend when she met Garrod. It's made pretty clear that this dude is her rebound guy.

[Wingnut]

what's this crap about a dolphin navigation system? Did the GPS network get taken out in the colony drop as well?

If there was one, you can bet it was. Plus dolphins have an incredible sense of direction that GPS can't even cover. GPS may be able to tell you where you are, but not where you're going. And I Chris beat me to the punch on Enil and Miles.

[TetraVaal]

It's my favorite Gundam TV series so far.

I loved the designs for the GX and Double X. I can totally understand why some people find the mecha designs unlikeable, though... outside of the GX and Double X, a lot of the designs were very forgettable. I thought Garrod and Tiffa's relationship was cute and humorous, with the latter having an importance on why I actually gave a damn about them throughout the series. I mean, it's not a perfect show, it has its flaws... but for my money, I think it's the most interesting and well written series I've watched from Gundam so far.

[Kenji]

what's this crap about a dolphin navigation system? Did the GPS network get taken out in the colony drop as well?

If there was one, you can bet it was. Plus dolphins have an incredible sense of direction that GPS can't even cover.

Adding an awesome bit of trivia: The Enterprise-D was originally gonna be staffed with dolphin navigators. Too bad that never happened.

[Wingnut]

what's this crap about a dolphin navigation system? Did the GPS network get taken out in the colony drop as well?

If there was one, you can bet it was. Plus dolphins have an incredible sense of direction that GPS can't even cover.

Adding an awesome bit of trivia: The Enterprise-D was originally gonna be staffed with dolphin navigators. Too bad that never happened.

The concept did however make it into Gunbuster which used dolphins onboard the new flagship in episode 6.

[Black Knight]

It didn't work well for SeaQuest DSV, either.

[Kenji]

Shows how much I remember SeaQuest...

Also makes me wonder how many other dolphin navigators are hanging around, but that would probably take this thread far off-topic.

[Arbiter GUNDAM]

Adding an awesome bit of trivia: The Enterprise-D was originally gonna be staffed with dolphin navigators. Too bad that never happened.

Actually you can still see the dolphin pools on the Enterprise-D's blueprints.

[InjuredPelican]

Not to belabor the dolphin thing, but echo location would not work in space anyways. It works by sending sound waves, something that can't travel through space. So a dolphin would be even more blind them humans out in space. Awesome idea.

[Arbiter GUNDAM]

I can see now why some people might not be in favor of X. I just finished the series (thank heaven for YouTube) and

Spoiler

that had to be the most anti-climatic final battle of any Gundam series I've seen. Yes, I know the show got canceled but still, it was a very "that's IT?!" moment, especially after I'd been enjoying the story so much.