Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX – Ep. 7

I got to the halfway point of GQuuuuuuX before the Summer season kicked in and that left me at a bit of a crossroad on what to do with the show. I was warned ahead of time in a comment by AWJ that the second half isn’t going to make sense for me so I wondered if maybe I should put this show on an indefinite hold and move on with a different Gundam. In the end, I decided to just finish the show as I’ve come to dislike jumping around so much and it might be worth jotting how a newer Gundam fan interprets this show. It’s probably not the best idea but let’s just roll with it.

So despite some tensions between the two of them, Nyaan does agree to help Machu in escaping to Earth with Shuji. For the next Clan Battle, Nyaan pilots the GQuuuuuuX while Machu sneaks off to steal the Pomeranians’ price money. Considering that Machu is the one who technically earned that money, it’s only fair for her to take it. That Machu lets Nyaan pilot her precious Gundam is a little curious. She was so mad about it last episode but I guess if it’s for Shuji, she’ll swallow her pride. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes a little.

Machu gets caught red handed by Annqi. Having been tipped off from Xavier that there’s two pilots capable of using the GQuuuuuuX, Annqi is able to figure out the switcheroo ahead of time. It’s pretty rich of Annqi to call Machu out and warn her that she’s going down a dangerous path. Like, she’s one of the people who encouraged this in the first place. Still, Annqi has a point. This is not the right life for Machu and it’s only going to get worse from here. I figured Machu would pull the trigger in self-defense. There’s some worthwhile shock value to that and it’s a good moment to illustrate how much Machu is deteriorating. What is surprising is that Annqi and the Pomeranians more or less disappear after this scene. By the time the feds find their hideout, the gang is nowhere to be found. I suppose these guys have served their purpose but it is a bit of a shame to have Machu’s affinity with them end on a bitter note.

The Clan Battle of the week doesn’t really happen this time around. Immediately, things look suspicious as Nyaan and Shuji are led out in a public space and they face Gates and Deux, the Cyber-Newtypes introduced last episode. As it turns out, this duel is just a ruse for Gates and Deux to kill Kycilia while she’s attending the summit. After a little bit of fighting, Nyaan and Shuji escape the chaos and let their opponents wreak havoc. During the respite, Nyaan abandons the plan and she asks Shuji to run away with her and without Machu (and it’s worth noting that this point, Nyaan is aware that Machu has feelings for Shuji). For whatever reason, the Red Gundam then triggers a Zeknova, causing it and Shuji to disappear and leave Nyaan behind.

This should be a big, emotional moment in the show and to GQuuuuuuX‘s credit, the music and direction tries to get the scene to come across that way. But I don’t know, the writing isn’t up to par. A big problem with this scene is that I just don’t buy the love triangle between the three main characters. What does Nyaan and Machu even see in Shuji? I suppose there’s the kira-kira and the fanservice from before does convey a physical attraction but that’s about it. It feels so shallow and as a result, seeing Nyaan try to have Shuji for herself and then lose him falls flat for me. Add onto the Zeknova happening for seemingly no reason and the scene feels incredibly baffling.

Somehow, the Zeknova causes an adverse effect on Deux, causing her to go berserk. A bit moot as it’s not like it’ll impede her ability to finish the mission but it does offer a bit of foreshadowing I’ll get to in a bit. Before she and Gates can kill Kycilia however, Xavier and Challia arrive to defend her. As cool as it is for this scene to demonstrate how powerful and skilled Challia is, it’s disappointing to see Gates and Deux killed off so quickly. Compared to Shiiko, who got a whole episode dedicated to her, it barely feels like we ever got to know these two characters.

Machu manages to find the GQuuuuuuX but not before getting spotted by the military police, who manage to identify her. I feel bad for Tamaki when she later sees the wanted poster on the news. Like, maybe she should’ve noticed more than she’s not truly there for her daughter but the shock is still understandable. Machu escapes with the GQuuuuuuX and her Newtype abilities being to fluctuate as she gets upset that Shuji is missing and her plan has been ruined. Before the Gundam can respond to her however, Challia subdues her and takes her custody.

Meanwhile, Xavier finds Nyaan and invites her to join the Principality and serve directly under Kycilia. Curiously, Xavier seems to think Nyaan is the only pilot for the GQuuuuuuX. With nowhere to go, Nyaan accepts the offer. Kycilia is convinced of Challia’s loyalty after he protected her from Gates and Deux though funnily enough, we then see Challia decide that he’ll have to assassinate both her and Gihren to prevent Zeon from entering a civil war. Given this situation, it feels very intentional that Machu is with Challia and Nyaan is with Kycilia. I’m guessing the final battle will pit the Sodon crew against the Zabi family, with Machu and Nyaan respectively representing each side. That seems like the best way to both resolve all the political drama going on in the show as well as the rivalry brewing between the two main girls.

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Watch Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX on Amazon Prime Video