Gundam GQuuuuuuX‘s various universe spin on the world of the franchise’s beloved primary timeline has already paved the best way to some fascinatingly geeky riffs on the unique Gundam collection. However because the present begins to maneuver on from the fast curiosity of the world it spun out of the occasions of the unique present, the place it’s heading might embrace enjoying with one of many 1979 basic’s most intriguing characters.
Thus far, a lot of GQuuuuuuX‘s alt-remixing of Gundam‘s Common Century has leaned closely on the absence of sure focal characters from the unique present. Char’s theft of the Gundam in the inciting incident that turns the One 12 months Warfare in Zeon’s favor implies that to this point authentic protagonist Amuro Ray has been ignored of the image, and to this point each the present itself and the expanded materials glimpsed in its film compilation Starting have teased different main figures from the unique Gundam and their components to play on this new story. And that’s earlier than Char’s personal absence within the present’s primary five-years-later story has change into a driving issue to its core thriller, as each our younger protagonists and their opponents within the Zeon forces alike attempt to discern simply why the Purple Comet’s stolen Gundam has returned after its disappearance.
However one attention-grabbing 1979 determine’s absence from GQuuuuuuX to this point is turning into a central focus of the collection’ personal interpretation of Gundam‘s Newtype idea—and its newest episode dropped our largest trace but that they’re going to make their presence within the collection identified in some means on the very least.
“The Witch’s Warfare,” the fourth episode of the collection (and our first to not explicitly re-cover materials from the Starting compilation) primarily sees Machu and the Purple Gundam’s newest pilot, Shuji, confront a One 12 months Warfare veteran craving for revenge in opposition to the Gundam. Having misplaced her personal Cellular Go well with fight associate (referred to as a “Mav” in GQuuuuuuX‘s terminology) at Char’s arms in the course of the battle, the mysterious “Witch” Shiiko Sugai finally perishes in a clan battle in opposition to Machu and Shuji, when the latter makes the choice to not incapacitate her swimsuit, however spear its chest with a beam saber, immolating Shiiko and destroying the enemy swimsuit totally to Machu’s horror.
However simply earlier than Shiiko dies, each Machu and Shuji’s emergent Newtype connection resonates much more profoundly than it did upon their first assembly, not simply granting them a second to achieve some type of understanding with Shiiko within the second of her demise, however sending out a psychic message that onlookers hear as a didactic piece of music… one very acquainted to basic Gundam followers because the sing-song leitmotif of Lalah Sune. The leitmotif appeared briefly in GQuuuuuuX earlier than when Machu first started to expertise her personal Newtype talents, and in Starting throughout Char’s disappearance, however not in that diagetic sense, and never, because it’s referred to explicitly within the present itself this week, particularly because the “La-La Sound.”
Launched in the course of the last stretch of the unique 1979 anime, Lalah is a particularly highly effective emergent Newtype, recruited by Char within the last phases of the One 12 months Warfare as a secret weapon not simply in opposition to the Gundam and Amuro’s personal growing consciousness of his psionic talents, however as a part of Char’s personal brewing makes an attempt to usurp Zeon’s ruling Zabi household. Lalah, whose psionic talents are heralded in battle by a haunting, ethereal refrain of “la-la” chanting that may be heard by each Newtypes and odd people, finally falls at Amuro’s arms whereas defending Char, however not earlier than she and Amuro share a profound second of connection because of their Newtypism. It leaves a long-lasting affect on each males’s lives all through the remainder of their appearances throughout Gundam‘s UC storytelling.
Though Lalah’s position within the authentic Gundam is comparatively temporary, her legacy as one of many present’s first explorations of the Newtype idea, and her relationship to each Amuro and Char, makes her a captivating determine for GQuuuuuuX to the touch on. Within the present’s alternate retelling of the One 12 months Warfare, Lalah is noticeably absent from Char’s first learnings about Newtypism, resulting in his partnership with Challia Bull. However her presence right here by way of her leitmotif, and now particularly in its nature as a diagetic sound inside GQuuuuuuX itself, raises some very attention-grabbing prospects about simply the place the present is heading.
It’s not been the one clue that Lalah may very well be part of GQuuuuuuX we’ve had to this point, both. The framing of Shiiko’s demise has direct parallels to the presentation of Lalah’s personal demise within the authentic present, simply the most recent within the collection’ riffs on particular cinematography decisions from the primary Gundam, however “The Witch’s Warfare” additionally returns to a different concept briefly touched on by GQuuuuuuX earlier than. Within the collection’ prior retelling of the One 12 months Warfare, it was revealed that Zeon was conserving one other mysterious object known as the “Rose of Sharon” in secrecy, earlier than it disappeared from underneath them simply as Char vanished within the psionic “Zeknova” that ended the battle.
In “The Witch’s Warfare,” Shuji states that his solely want is to deliver the Purple Gundam (which he consistently refers to as being in dialog with) to Earth, in the hunt for a mysterious rose, presumably the identical “Rose of Sharon” that Zeon have been conserving secret. The Rose of Sharon itself is a biblical reference, showing in variations of the Previous Testomony to explain a flower talked about within the Music of Songs, but additionally a contemporary horticultural time period, used to discuss with a number of styles of flowering plant—together with the golden-flowered Hypericum calycinum, which definitely feels evocative of the flowing yellow gown Lalah wore within the authentic collection.
Whether or not we see her or not, or if she stays solely a part of this model of the unique Gundam‘s world by way of her sing-song leitmotif, it’s already clear that any grand thriller that GQuuuuuuX needs to play with with this new technology of Newtypes will join all the best way again to the unique present’s first explorations of the idea. It appears then, as we get nearer and nearer to determining simply what occurred to Char on this model of occasions, the lady that will form the remainder of his life within the “primary” Gundam continuity could have a equally important position in GQuuuuuuX.
Cellular Go well with Gundam GQuuuuuuX is now streaming on Prime Video
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