Gundam GQuuuuuux Creator Talks “Revitalizing” The Franchise

Hideaki Anno is best known for his work on creating Neon Genesis Evangelion, the anime series that blended mech battles with psychological issues of those who piloted the robots. In a shocking twist, the anime director was revealed to create his own Gundam series, throwing many anime fans for a loop as Anno will lend his talents to the Mobile Suit franchise. With the first compilation film of this new series hitting North America later this month and the television series arriving this spring, Hideaki recently took the chance to discuss the series and how he is hoping to see it “revitalize” the Gundam franchise.

In a new social media post, Anno himself took the chance to discuss the new story’s opening and how his creative team was aiming to create a “new building” for the franchise, “Because the staff’s energy and enthusiasm were so high, the visuals at the start of GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- may surprise you with its high level of fidelity. But in essence, we believe it is merely a new building we have constructed on the vast grounds that is the Gundam franchise. Rather than demolishing and expanding the main house, we think of it as an annex building next to it.”

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Neon Gundam Evangelion

On top of discussing Gundam’s opening, Anno went into more detail regarding his take on the Mobile Suit universe, “As we are involved with the huge content and IP that is Mobile Suit Gundam, we aim to further revitalize and expand Gundam, create a work that will be enjoyed by more people, and try to pioneer a new direction with a different approach from what has already been done. With this in mind, I approached Tsurumaki about depicting a prequel section within a certain timeframe. I hope you enjoy the theatrical advance version, which is structured to run as a prequel in its entirety. Best regards.”

Gundam has long had the strength of creating major storylines that resonate thanks to placing the mechs into alternate timelines and new universes for the Mobile Suits. Without diving into spoiler territory, Gquuuuuux is a story that will dive into the origins of the series and have some surprises for fans that have stuck with the franchise for quite some time. Even with this upcoming series, there remains numerous projects that Gundam is working on in the background.

The Gundam Universe Expands

On top of the upcoming anime, Gundam is currently working on the long-awaited sequel of Hathaway’s Flash, the series that focused on the man known as the heir apparent to both Amuro and Char. In a recent headline, the franchise also confirmed that the live-action adaptation had begun production as both Bandai Namco and Legendary Entertainment were teaming up to recreate the story of Gundam for a new generation. Regardless of what part of the Gundam universe you like, it looks like the franchise has something for everyone.

Want to stay updated on the Mobile Suit franchise? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on all things Gundam and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

Via Khara