For Beginning movie viewers such as myself, this is the first new episode of GQuuuuuuX so I’m going in just as blindly as everyone else now. I’m pretty excited to see what happens next. Being stuck on the same point in the storyline got kind of tiring for two months.
While only a short period of time has passed since Machu’s first Clan Battle, the girl has already gotten the hang of piloting the GQuuuuuuX and she’s now on a steady win streak with Shuji. The rapid progress may have to do with the show being one cour. Compared to a 50 episode Gundam, this show can’t really take things slow. Then again, Machu is a Newtype and Newtypes automatically get good base stats for piloting Mobile Suits so I guess it’s not that unrealistic.
After a recent Clan Battle victory, Shuji explains that he hopes to use the money he earns from Clan Battle to take himself and the Red Gundam to Earth. Lacking any goal of her own, Machu decides that she wants to go to Earth as well. Later, Machu and the Pomeranians meet Shiiko Sugai (Manami Hanazawa), a former ace pilot for the Federation known simply as the Witch. I believe GQuuuuuuX was developed around the same time as WFM so the use of the word is likely just a coincidence. Still, it feels a bit cheeky to see Gundam use the phrase again.
Shiiko deduces Machu’s identity as the GQuuuuuuX‘s pilot and explains that her Mav was killed by Char in the Red Gundam during the One Year War. Since then, she has become obsessed with destroying the Red Gundam. With the Red Gundam situated in Side 6, Shiiko decides to partake in the next Clan Battle, even forsaking a peaceful life with her husband and son to do so. Shuji being the current pilot of the Red Gundam somewhat muddles Shiiko’s vendetta. Like, wouldn’t it make more sense to go after Char? I suppose with Char still being M.I.A., destroying his Mobile Suit is the next best thing. While Shiiko’s family is nothing more than a plot device, it does works well in driving home how much she wants to have her revenge.
For the Clan Battle, Shiiko receives support from the CRS, a clan under a military security corporation, and receives an enhanced version of one of Zeon’s grunt suits, the gMS-01 Gelgoog. Shiiko is also revealed to be a Newtype though, curiously, she does not believe herself to be one, dismissing the concept as Zeon propaganda. Given these factors as well as her experience as a pilot, Shiiko proves to be a formidable opponent, often able to brush off the GQuuuuuuX and take on the Red Gundam solo. While I doubted Shuji would lose, there are some serious (yet also very cool) close calls in this fight, such as when he has to make his Gundam stay completely still to avoid getting hit by the Gelgoog’s lasers.
Before Shiiko can win, she suddenly experiences a kira kira moment with Shuji and Machu. During the phenomenon, Shiiko realizes that someone is somehow commutating to Shuji through the Red Gundam. Given that Shuji often says the Gundam is talking to him, this checks out. The most obvious candidate for who could be talking to him is Char. There’s no way Char isn’t showing up again in this show and there ought to be some history between him and Shuji to explain how the latter is currently in possession of the Red Gundam. It’d be kind of funny if Char is actually the Red Gundam itself now, if only because (spoiler alert:) that’d be yet another coincidence with WFM.
Thanks to the kira kira, Shuji’s senses get dialed up to 11 and he manages to land a fatal blow to the Gelgoog, killing Shiiko in the process. I figured Shiiko would be a one off rival but I kind of figured she’d just give up or something. It’s pretty surprising to see her die and at Shuji’s hands no less. Given the first impression Shuji made last episode, you probably wouldn’t suspect he’d resort to murder. Killing the opponent is also unnecessary to win Clan Battle so it says something more about Shuji than the competition that he resorts to this. What I’m looking forward to seeing how this will affect Machu’s relationship with the character. Machu really gravitated towards Shuji last episode but earlier in this one, she realizes that she doesn’t actually know a whole lot about him. Fast forward to the ending and that’s a lot more apparent when Machu learns that Shuji is willing to kill to achieve his goals. The next couple of scenes these two shares ought to be really interesting.
Watch Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX on Amazon Prime Video
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