Official After War Gundam X Thread

[Amion]

Very interesting, Count. I'm sure there's arguments contrary but it does seem to make sense that the Estard arc was more or less unaffected by restraints and the following episodes were. Prince Willis and Caris especially could have made some good screentime, although I'm positive the SRA would have had some more stuff added, especially the lab director/official.

I really wouldn't consider Chaotic Century to be a good example. If anything, the alliance between the Empire and Republic caused more chaos, if perhaps far less bloodshed. X began with no real power, and then slowly Bloodman knit everything back together on Earth best he could and the SRA were preparing to fire a laser of doom at Earth.

On an off-topic, have you ever seen Zoids Genesis? I never felt bothered to watch it, but caught the last episode to see a pretty violent spectacle, if perhaps cliched. Made me wonder if Tomino slithered in and attempted to orchestrate a catastrophe.

Thank goodness X didn't go that route, I wouldn't know what to think if they went "oh heck" and created a second Idion with Dome blowing stuff up or something...

[Mythgarr]

Now that would definitely put X on the map again, back in the days.
Especially if previously the Frost Brothers bared their fangs and unleash their madness and start killing left and right in glorious fashion, instead of being in the background and backstabbing all the time.

And Tifa started screaming madly everytime she nears DOME.
And Garrod started falling into despair.

But maybe not.

The reason I said those things above is that somebody said somewhere that X was not flourishing because it had to compete with emo-filled Evangelion....

[LightningCount]

...I really wouldn't consider Chaotic Century to be a good example. If anything, the alliance between the Empire and Republic caused more chaos, if perhaps far less bloodshed. X began with no real power, and then slowly Bloodman knit everything back together on Earth best he could and the SRA were preparing to fire a laser of doom at Earth.

On an off-topic, have you ever seen Zoids Genesis? I never felt bothered to watch it, but caught the last episode to see a pretty violent spectacle, if perhaps cliched. Made me wonder if Tomino slithered in and attempted to orchestrate a catastrophe.

Thank goodness X didn't go that route, I wouldn't know what to think if they went "oh heck" and created a second Idion with Dome blowing stuff up or something...

I was satisfied with the DOME ending as it was, I just wish there had been a little more animation to back it up, and a little more build-up from previous arcs that were seemingly cut short. And I'm not saying I have the definitive concept of what would/could have been, but I think some of my points are worth consideration given the facts.

As for Zoids, I never saw Genesis, no. The art style and CG from Chaotic Century to New Century Zero had really developed well and defined the franchise for me, and when they started tinkering with it, simplifying the art and stripping the cel-shading off the CG (both Fuzors and Genesis), that irked me. I think this was a result of a change in studios/staff. Moreover, the story, while intriguing, seemed to completely reboot the franchise as far as I could tell. I was curious to see it at one point, though. (As a side note, the cel-shaded CG pioneered by Xebec in Zoids, I believe, really paved the way for the modern cel-shaded CG mecha we see now. For instance, Xebec and IG are connected, and Xebec was the one working with blending CG mecha and animated characters prior to GITS: SAC. Before Xebec's 3 seasons of Zoids--which improve in technique over time and seasons--most or all CG was using blended coloring, not cel-shading, IIRC).

As for Chaotic Century, it's not a perfect example, but think about it and you'll see a lot of parallels to Gundam X. Following a major war between two powers, we've got a handy non-pilot kid who finds a girl with a connection to a powerful and ethereal tool from cataclysmic wars past (used in the story's climax), who gets entangled with bandits, some of which who are secretly working for sinister government forces, some which are mercenaries who become allies. The journey starts out in these backwater areas with seemingly disconnected events, and eventually culminates into a formal war. That's the short version, as this is a Gundam X thread, and I don't want to go into every point.

[Khandri]

Where do people keep getting the idea that Gundam X was competing against Evangelion? Eva started in '95, while GX started in April '96. There might've been a small overlap of the former wrapping up as the latter was getting started, but they weren't competing.

[LightningCount]

Where do people keep getting the idea that Gundam X was competing against Evangelion? Eva started in '95, while GX started in April '96. There might've been a small overlap of the former wrapping up as the latter was getting started, but they weren't competing.

Don't know exactly where, Khandri, but I do know that it's been widely cited over the years by fans and fan sites as a factor toward GX moving time slots and "failing." I don't know that it has much credence, either.

My guess is it's a combination of Gundam fatigue (the weakest excuse, IMO), GX's slow-ish arc build-up format, and maybe people being hungry for more Gundam Wing (with Endless Waltz making its appearance around GX, IIRC). Plus, 08th Team was coming out, too, which might have stripped away desperate UC fans merely putting up with AU. Who knows?

[AmuroNT1]

Eva's last episode aired March 27, 1996; Gundam X's first aired April 5, eight days later. Therefore, there was absolutely no competition between the two shows.

And yeah, it's a popular legend among anime fans, which is why it persists in the face of facts and reality.

[Mythgarr]

Or probably simply because X's designs are much closer to UC than other G and Wing, therefore less "eye catching" compared to them. And there are less bishonens in X than in Wing.

[Amion]

I'm currently watching Eva, and I have to say that its animation and X's can't be compared. I'm sure that had something to do with it. The original's story is marred by such after all, and that hinders the story for a lot of people who can't see through it to the real treasure of the characters.

[Mythgarr]

With the release of MG Gundam X and X Maoh being prominently shown in HGBF, hopefully people's interest with X can increase and this series can have more love.

And we can get another protagonist in a new Gundam universe that is as bad-ass as Garrod

[LightningCount]

Or probably simply because X's designs are much closer to UC than other G and Wing, therefore less "eye catching" compared to them. And there are less bishonens in X than in Wing.

I get that there are UC references and the intro plays out like an alternate 0079 ending, but to me, overall, Gundam X has always had more in common with Gundam Wing (the on-foot action, the Gundam designs, the dynamic/unconventional characters, the political tones, etc), and I'd always welcomed it as a brother to that show. I would have very gladly welcomed it on Toonami after Wing aired.

As an aside...I had hoped an update to this thread meant Gundam X was coming to DVD overseas.

[Mythgarr]

Well, LightningCount, I was commenting on the mecha designs, but you're right, other aspects of the show has similarities with Wing, like you mentioned.

[Deus257]

When I was a kid and barely got into Anime via Toonami, I honestly though Gundam X was an actual sequel to wing

[Mythgarr]

I don't know why Sunrise seemingly unable to cast brave young badass that doesn't carry much angst as main protagonist nowadays. They usually act as death-flagged role models or evil one. The young ones that do usually so full of angst you can smell it on the screen.
Garrod, I think, is the last animated protagonist that can look himself in the mirror and say "F the world, I got my girl and my gundam, the rest is detail!"

[Dark Duel]

I always loved X, from the very first time I saw it.
Though I do think there were a couple of occasions where Garrod did stuff that just made me facepalm.
But how can you not love a series that is set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland after a war that killed 99% of the population, and is essentially almost entirely devoid of angst?
Plus, here's something else: For all the "accidental pilot" cliché's prevalence in Gundam, not many pilots actually actively stole their Gundams.
Garrod not only stole every mobile suit he's ever piloted, but he did it twice in the first episode. The first time armed with nothing but a pistol, a grappling hook, and an improvised flashbang.
And then in episode 24, he did it a third time (He had help that time though).

Looking at across the franchise(just Gundam), pretty much every other protagonist I can think of had major angst, parental abandonment issues, or both.
The only ones I can think of offhand who had neither are Shiro Amada and the boys in Build Fighters.
Weeell, arguably there's the Bishie Brigade in Wing(except possibly Trowa, who's just weird that way, and Duo), but all five of them were total head cases anyway.
And looking at anime in general, there's a lot of that as well. And the rare ones that don't are often totally insane to begin with anyway.

[Mythgarr]

Okay, enough about Garrod.

Anyone still remember that the Gundams are supposed to be mass product things? At least we have 3 Gundam Xs (Garrod's, ex-Jamil's, and that manga one). I wonder how many Airmasters were made? It seems the thing's weaponry is too light to be a stand alone unit. No doubt some Airmaster pilots were able to use Flash-System and accompanied by dozens G-bit Airmaster units.

[Wingnut]

No doubt some Airmaster pilots were able to use Flash-System and accompanied by dozens G-bit Airmaster units.

No need to even speculate on that point. In the opening flashback of the series you can see a flight of Airmaster bits in formation around a Airmaster as they transform and advance while a Leopard and its MS bits form a firing line with their inner arm gatlings.

[Mythgarr]

I am also wondering whether at that point, the name "Gundams" had become a feared name just like in UC timeline or in SEED, or Gundams are brand new machines mass-produced and put into battles right away.

[Amion]

From the dialogue I heard in the prologue, it appears the Gundams or at least the X was a trump card the Federation pulled at the very end to put an end to the colonies, only the colonies got the swell idea to unleash the Apocalypse by dropping as many colonies as they could manage. So I'm guessing most of the Gundams ended up destroyed at about that time and the few remaining became prize catches for all those Gundam thieves.

EDIT: So yes, they probably became well known, but not quite as much as in Wing because they were so few. The Federation and Revolutionaries at least remember them well.

[Zeonista]

While After War Gundam X is not one of my "top 5" Gundam series, I think it is a good and under-appreciated anime. It's always tossed in the "Nineties AU bin" next to Gundam Wing, G Gundam, and Turn-A Gundam, but it's actually its own category. Gundam X is a UC AU of sorts, but there are no direct ties so it can claim to be its own world. The storyline is plotted & paced like some of the Sunrise non-Gundam anime of the Eighties, with a traveling band of heroes who have bursts of dynamic energy directed at major threats & goals, and sections on the road with little short-term plot development. There are multiple Gundams on both sides, but they do not automatically dominate the battles. The heroes' Gundams have specialized roles which complement each other, a trait which will not appear again until MS Gundam SEED. Newtypes are present, but they are not part of the meta-plot, just possessed of useful characteristics, like RPG psionicists. All in all, the anime has its own world & its own feel, which makes it unique & worthy of consideration.

As to the discussion on why the series was considered to be a failure & foreshortened, I think I can put it down to executive meddling. After Tomino more or less left the world of Gundam in the Nineties and the original young fans of the original series were now getting jobs, families, & mortgages, Sunrise had to find some new fans to watch Gundam & buy stuff from sponsor Bandai. Gundam Wing & G Gundam were successful at the task, drawing in new fans and giving the old franchise some room to grow. Gundam X with its retro story structure looks like an attempt to blend old & new features together in an attractive package. The attempt failed, since the new fans were expecting action levels similar to the previous 2 anime, and the UC fans wanted something else...or were not watching much TV that year. The schedule-switching was a definite sign of a series in trouble, and the change did not help! Sunrise decided to cut its losses, and the episode schedule, and moved on to other projects. Maybe if Gundam X had gotten a couple of breaks, or had run a year or two later, it would have been the contender for SEED's role as the generation-unifying Gundam series.

[Mythgarr]

I swear when I saw Gundam Strike for the first time, what lights up in my head is: Dang it, Bandai is refreshing X design with modern flavor

When I saw the Strike packs, I immediately commented: X that can turn into "Airmaster and Leopard" depending on the backpack

I was hoping to see renewed Virsago design, but no such luck...