When one space colony declared its independence from the Earth Federation, the devastating 7th Space War, an all-out war between Earth and space, resulted. The Federation responded to the Space Revolutionary Army with mobile suits, called Gundams. However, the Space Revolutionary forces played their trump card and dropped hundreds of space colonies onto the Earth, plunging the planet into a seven-year-long nuclear winter. The Federation collapsed, but the Space Revolutionary Army was unable to invade the Earth in the aftermath of the colony drop.
Fifteen years have passed. The year is now After War 0015, and a New Federation has sprung up on Earth to restore order. In space, the colonial leaders have been rebuilding their own forces as well. By chance, fifteen-year-old Garrod Ran has discovered an old Federation mobile suit, the Gundam X, and now he uses it to help out the Vulture ship Freeden in its struggle to keep the powers that be from repeating the mistakes of the past.
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Comentários
spiderjerusalem
Ah... Gundam X. How long I had waited to see you. It's a damn shame that After War Gundam X is the least popular of all the Gundam shows, because it really is an impressive piece of work and probably one of, if not the best of Gundam spinoffs. It has the realism that Wing does not, the maturity missing from SEED, and the extra kick lacking in 00. The only Gundam since the original to be cancelled, and to be honest that's the biggest fault X has. You can't help but wonder what could've been if only that episode count reached 50. Story: 10/10 At the startof the show we meet Garrod Ran, a young mercenary of only 15 years of age and lets just say, he does some pretty amazing stuff for a guy his age. After taking a rescue job he meets the target, Tiffa Adill, a mysterious young newtype girl. However, upon learning that his employer would only exploit her for her abilities, Garrod turns on him and joins the very group he "rescued" her from, the mercenary ship "Freeden". With the help of Tiffa's abilities, the crew of the Freeden continues their search to help any newtypes who are being unjustly used by others.
Gundam X has one very crucial element that no other Gundam spinoff does. It feels like a U.C. show. In the world of Gundam X, the colonists have seemingly dropped all of the colonies down to the Earth as opposed to just one, and the human population is relatively miniscule. Because of this, many people consider the After War universe to be an alternate reality to the Universal Century, as opposed to a standalone universe such as the Cosmic Era from SEED or the Future Century from G Gundam.
Without spoiling anything I have to point out again that Gundam X ended 11 episodes early at episode 39 as opposed to 50. Because of this a lot of people feel the ending is rushed. I have to disagree to an extent. Although the ending moves very fast(quite a bit happens in those last 8 episodes in very little time) it wraps things up quite nicely and I can't but feel that's almost exactly how the original ending would've gone. Still, I'd love to see those missing 11 episodes.
Art: 7/10
The art style is good, but let's just say the animation could've had a better budget for its time. Roughly the same quality as Wing. Definitely the biggest negative to X in the aesthetics department, but it's more good than bad. The gundam designs are pretty outlandish, but for how badass they look, they aren't invincible, unlike the SEED and Wing gundams, which is great. The Freeden pilots have an uphill battle ahead of them.
Sound: 10/10
Great voice acting and one hell of a score. The Gundam X openings (by the amazing group Romantic Mode) are some of my favorite openings in all the anime I've seen, and in regards to the ending credits, I rarely sit through ending credits but for this show I made an exception. The three ending themes(two of them are different language versions of the same song) are some the best that I've ever heard used in anything, anime or otherwise. As for the score, I'm always humming one or two tracks here and there. Great soundtracks.
Character: 8/10
At first I thought this was the biggest weakness Gundam X had. A few episodes later and I was proved wrong. All I can say without spoiling you is that it's definitely enough character development. At first the show seems to be only about Tiffa and Garrod, but over time it focuses on other characters well enough. Tiffa and Garrod are still the most important characters, but it doesn't terribly overshadow the anyone else. There are still flaws, such as expanding on a few bit characters who don't show up for more than 10 minutes of screen time, and the Frost Brothers up until the last arc, but overall it's all good.
Enjoyment: 10/10
Gundam X is definitely not the best Gundam show, but damn if it isn't the most likeable. It's hard to hate this show. It may not be a masterpiece, but it's one hell of a ride from start to finish. Garrod in particular is just an amazingly well done protagonist. He's impossible to hate, and he's always believable. He's extremely street smart, but not a genius; very skilled in battle but not exactly soldier by any sense of the word. From the very first episode, he is kicking things in gear and you just want to strap yourself in for the roller coaster ride he's going to deliver.
Overall: 9/10
I like to refer to Gundam X as the Daft Punk of Gundam. Anyone who's experienced it can't hate it in the least. I give it a 9 because hell, I can't deny how much fun I had. I enjoyed this more than G Gundam, and that's saying a hell of a lot. A great balance of the always enjoyable shonen heroism while still keeping that tomino-esque reality that the original gundams had. You can even find some parallels between X and Tomino's own Crossbone Gundam graphic novel, strangely enough. If you can watch After War Gundam X, then do so. Chances are you won't be disappointed.
TriumShockwave
Gundam X gets a bad reputation much of the time due to the fact that it was canceled—the only Gundam since the original to get cut short. We'll probably never know what set of circumstances led to the early end of its broadcast in Japan, but there is one thing I can say. Much like the original Gundam series, Gundam X was extremely underappreciated in its time. In a technical sense, the art, music and sound effects are roughly equal to Gundam Wing. They were produced back to back, so this is expectable. If you've seen Gundam Wing, then you know what Gundam X looks andsounds like.
What really sets Gundam X apart, especially from its immediate predecessor, is its characters. Gundam X is full of characters that you can actually care about. In particular, Garrod and Tifa's relationship is extremely genuine and endearing. This is quite a feat for a genre of anime not particularly well known for being able to develop a believable romance.
The plot of Gundam X is well paced, keeping a good momentum and tension throughout. Each episode tends to leave you hanging, and craving more. This structure worked well for Escaflowne, and it works very well here too.
Overall, don't write this Gundam off just because you heard it got canceled. I consider this the best of the AU Gundam series, and enjoy it on the same level as the original series. Any Gundam or mecha fan should see this series.
jmoriarty84
Alll I can say is, this is definitely one of the most underrated Gundams of the franchise, and an underrated anime in general. I don’t get why the hell they can bring SEED and SEED Destiny, and not X and/or Turn A? What I really liked about this series was it took a different direction with the newtype concept that was a re-occuring element in the UC sagas, mostly in Zeta and CCA. Yes, newtypes can be elite pilots, but Tifa demonstrates that newtypes aren’t exclusive to this rolel. Granted the extremity this anime took with that concept felt out of place for Gundam, inno ways did I feel any sense of intensity or suspense was ruined, but I felt it built it up. I would elaborate how unique this series makes its own interpretation of the newtype concept but it would be a spoiler and I encourage you to see the series for yourself to understand what I mean.
But other than that, it still retains the other characteristics from other Gundam series, and redefines and advances them. Garoad you can say is more of a modern day interpretation of Judeau Ashita from Double Zeta. He’s young, but he’s a guy who is out doing his job and circumstances just led him to where he is. What’s also unique is that he’s not a newtype but yet, he just naturally develops his piloting skills. Tifa’s character was just new to me, and I felt the nature of her character felt out of place for Gundam, but because this isn’t the original Gundam and the intention was to go for something different and new, I felt she just simply served her purpose though I don’t personally call her a top 5 female Gundam character. And as usual, the series will still have villains and antagonists you can relate to which the Frost bros do well at. The series does have some interesting twists and turns that will keep you guessing in relation to the characters and the overall story. I feel that because it’s uniquely both characteristically and not characteristically Gundam at the same time give a new distinction it’s trademark characteristics.
Well, this series premiered after Gundam Wing, so most of the color schemes and gimmicks of the mechs will probably not really stand out since it mostly follows the approach that Gundam Wing has. But I guess some of the features of the GX where its main weapon needs to be powered by a satellite brings a new element to the engineering and the firepower that hasn’t been used in past sagas makes it more fresh. And as I stated earlier, the mechs in general don’t have any qualities that are necessarily fresh or new. Like the Leopard is pretty much a green colored firearms, and the design of the GX looks like the Wing Gundam but with a different set of wings.
The character designs mostly in relation to the costume are a little wilder than your typical Gundam series, thus giving some reflection to its post apocalyptic nature. But other than that, you have generic bishounen and bishoujo designs but very tolerable. My favorite design is that of Jamil with a modern day old school approach. He wears a very ancient military style uniform, and his side burns and hair style is something more characteristic of a 1970s anime hero. And Tanya is just simply hot.The character design is nothing really cutting edge but still appropriate for its setting at some capacity. The battles are pretty interesting since a majority of this Gundam series takes place on Earth and I was wondering if there was ever going to be any traditional space battles, which has always been an iconic trait of the franchise. But I feel that the engineering and the gimmicks of the Gundams presented justified keeping the battles on earth territory for most of the series. But the battles are still intense and they excellently know how to apply land and air war fare with a different approach with more reliance on transforming mechs.
Personally, I loved Takagi Wataru’s unique approach to playing Garoad Ran. Even though he’s achieved world fame as Onizuka Eikichi from GTO, I loved how he still retained his nasal voice and make Garoad come across as a teenager and as a wise ass. I thought it was a very brilliant performance. Granted Garoad has comedic traits, I think Takagi’s addition who mostly does comedy roles does a great job in a more serious role such as this one himself. I think Jamil’s voice actor, Horiuchi Kenyuu who is famous as playing Raiden in the Metal Gear Solid games brought a unique charisma to his character and also made him sound very intimidating. And another unique actress is Mitsuishi Kotono, who was also still playing Sailor Moon at the time is also the voice of Tanya, the bridge captain. Later she would come back to Gundam SEED. as the Captain of the Archangel. With her role in Gundam X, she brought Misato’s party girl side to her character.
The music is just intense and beautiful. The opening theme DREAMS just has this militaristic feel with how it opens, but yet transitions to this powerful song about hope and determination, and the ending themes sung in English sound like Love Lift Us Where We Belong, but brought a refreshing feel to the series. The background music is very appropriate for the series.
Well, sadly, this Gundam had to be cut due to low ratings, but I heard that this series is finding rejuvenation in Japan with the DVD releases and people are appreciating it more. Artistically as I said earlier, it really does nothing to advance Gundam but I think it still maintained its spirit and really brought a unique and distinctive redefinition to some of its original foundation. Such as the themes and concepts behind the series with new types was what made it unique and was first brought into an alternate universe of Gundam which would later be brought back in SEED which I think they did a bad job of that concept in that series. I say it is required to have some familiarity with the original Gundam to understand the origin of its concepts such as colony drops and newtypes, and some familiarity with Gundam Wing to understand the mech design and style. This is something truly made for Gundam fans, and I think this is probably something that a casual anime fan or a hardcore anime fan that isn’t into Gundam could probably handle.
ZakuHead
Before watching Gundam X, I often heard how it was considered to be one of worst Gundam series out there since it only ran for 39 episodes, since it had been canceled due to low rating. But after finishing it just now, I have to say, its probably one of the best Gundam series I've seen and quite possibly one of the more under appreciated anime out there. Story: Gundam X takes place 15 years after the war between the Earth forces and Space Rebellion which wiped out almost all of the Earth's population due to the use of Newtypes, individuals with advanced abilities. The storyfollows Garrod Ran, a 15 year old boy who runs into a mysterious girl called Tiffa and later decides to join the Freeden, a ship led by Jamil Neate, a former "hero" in the war(think Amuro Ray), in order to protect Tiffa, while traveling the Earth to prevent the abusive use of Newtypes and eventually to stop a war that could result in the same tragedy 15 years ago. The plot set-up can almost be thought of as a pre-cursor to Eureka 7, the main character chooses to join a group of ragtag individuals in order to protect a girl they've taken interest in,not to fight for peace or anything close to it.
Art: Being released in 1996, the art looks dated but still holds up fairly well 14 years since its release. For those who have seen Gundam Wing, you know what you're expecting
Sound: The sound effects and background music are fairly well done( despite the fx sounding a bit old-school and thus similar to Wing again), but the opening themes are very well done and quite catchy too.
Characters: Despite the high enjoyment quality of all other Gundam shows, most of the main characters, were rather annoying, throwing out angst and other "emo" actions that seemed rather siily. Gundam X has a decent set of characters that are all fairly fleshed out and really likable and don't display any of the cliches established by its predecessors. Garrod is a rather interesting main lead and often displays some traits that most teens could relate to. Despite some "angst" he displays in the few beginning episodes of the anime, it actually makes sense why he acts this way. Jamil is a mix of Char, Amuro and even Bright, and acts as the leader figure among the crew of the Freeden and his past involvement in the war only makes him more interesting. Roybea and Witz, the other 2 Gundam pilots, are interesting characters as well and they even have good intentions being involved with the Freeden. The Frost brothers are the ones who truly shine in this show, they are the very definition of evil and will do whatever they want to get what they want.
Enjoyment: Every episode was well done and did a good job of building up to the conclusion. It started out as showing out with showing how the entire cast only worked to find Newtypes scattered around the globe, but slowly begun to realize that encountering them would lead to them becoming involved in a war once again. The only flaw I can think of is that the show was cut short, so starting around episode 30 to the last episode, it felt a bit rushed as I was hit with so much information in a few episodes, but was wrapped up really well overall.
Overall: Don't let the fact that Gundam X gets a bad vibe from many Gundam fans steer you away from watching this. The plot is well paced and the characters are all done fairly well and even has a bit of the political themes found in almost every Gundam series( but to a more limited extent here). This under-appreciated gem is a must watch for anyone who is a fan of mecha, romance or anyone who is an anime fan in general.
TakaCode
Before I even watched Gundam X. I have been told by people that Gundam X is either one of the most underrated Gundam shows or one of the worst Gundam shows. Also, notice that Gundam X only had 39 episodes instead of 49 episodes like Wing. Well after finishing Gundam X from start to finish I really have to say this. Gundam X is not only one of the best Gundam shows that I have seen but it’s one of the most underrated animes I have ever seen in a long while. Why is that you may ask? You will soon find out. Story. It is the year afterwar fifteen. Fifteen years after the 7th space war which ultimately destruction of the whole world and killing billions of people. Many of the surviving residents of Earth now try to make a living as best as they can in the new post apocalyptic world with many of the mobile suits and the technology that was left over from the war becoming extremely valuable to many civilians and organizations.
The story of Gundam X mainly focuses on a 15-year boy named Garrod Ran who make a living by selling and taking old jobs. He eventually gets hired to rescue a mysterious young girl named Tiffa who is later revealed to be a special kind of human called a newtype.
During a struggle between Garrod and the people who hired him, he discovers a powerful mobile suit that took part in the 7th space war and that mobile suit is called the Gundam X. He uses it to fight off his enemies and protect Tiffa. The two young teens meet up with a crew of vultures lead by Jamil a man who wants to rescue and protect new-types like Tiffa from being exploited by enemy organizations. Soon Enough Garrod and Tiffa part of the crew and throughout the series they will come face to face with various opponents that as the prevent another war.
The story of Gundam X is really good and well executed
Aside from some typical elements from the Gundam franchise like the young boy discovering a Gundam as the presence of char clone kinda character, it's unlike most of the other Gundam shows that are out there. All of the Gundam shows minus G Gundam, this show Turn A, Build Fighters and G Reco revolve around a full-scale war between two factions but Gundam X in a post apocalyptic setting where people are trying to prevent war and most of humanity is trying to regain their lives. Out of all of the alternative universe shows Gundam X has the closet with the universal century timeline.as it has a lot of elements that we all familiar with within the universal century such as the appearance of newtypes. The newtypes in X play a much bigger war in X than any of the Universal Century shows.
Themes of exploitation, power abuse, moving forward in the future instead of being clinging to the past were well explored and they expanded as the series progresses.
If I had minor complaints of the story in X it would be the pacing for certain story arcs. Unlike in Gundam Wing constantly had bad pacing as well as having too much info-dumping from that stupid narrator. Gundam X mostly had good pacing but some of the arcs were either pacing way too long or way too fast like the final arc which I will explain now.
Gundam X was originally gonna to have 49 episodes like Gundam Wing and G Gundam but it was reduced to 39 episodes after the decline of the ratings.
This explains why the ending of Gundam X was kinda rushed as well as having no time to build up a proper climax. Despite that, the ending of Gundam X does ties up most of the loose ends giving us the feeling of satisfaction.
Overall despite Gundam X being cut down to 39 episodes, I thought the story of Gundam X was really good and well written.
8.5/10
Characters.
The characters in Gundam X are mostly great as they are very likable, relatable and they were enjoyable to watch from start to finish.
Garrod is honestly one of my favorite Gundam protagonists.
He may have an outgoing personality who is filled with life but he's not afraid to get serious when he needs to be. Also unlike Heero his a well-written character who gets great character development. What makes Garrod stand out from other main protagonists from Gundam that he is just a normal kid. No special powers( Amero), no intense military training( Heero) and no martial arts mastery (Domon). He is just a normal human like you and I. Even though his a normal human being he still proves himself to be a badass pilot.
Tiffa is one of the best female characters from the franchise.
She is quiet and tends to hide her emotions but she starts to open up more as the series progresses especially around Garrod. Tiffa's role in Gundam X is unique in Gundam since she is a newtype with extraordinary powers thus making her a very valuable target for many people that tried to capture her.
The relationship between Garrod and Tiffa gives a lot of Eureka Seven vibes even though Eureka Seven came out after this show. The one thing that I really loved about it is how different they personalities are. Garrod a loud mouth while Tiffa is calm and collecting. Aside from that, it's a really down to earth relationship that was build up extremely well and it makes you believe that they are really made for each other. It’s personally one of my favorite pairings in the Gundam franchise.
Another character that I really like is Jamil who is one of my favorite captains from the franchise. His background is based off Amuro Ray but his adult personality is very similar to Bright Noa with a little bit of Char mixed it making him a great badass combination of three of the most iconic characters in the franchise.
Roybea may be a lady's man and Witz may be a hot headed but they much more dimensional to them as characters as opposed to the Wing boys in Wing, The Mary sues in Seed, and the Try Fighters from Build Fighters Try
The other characters are also great and very likable with some of my other favorite Gundam X characters being Ennil El, Malme Toniya and Kid Salsamille.
The only characters I was not a fan were the Frost Brothers aka the main villains as they come off as generic villains’ They were not bad characters but they could have been much better but the end of the day I pick the Frost Brothers over the Try Fighters and the Wing Boys.
Minus the Frost Brothers, I thought the character cast for Gundam X to be pretty great as they are very memorable likable, interesting not to mention they have a purpose and have an important role in the story.
This is one of my favorite characters casts from the Gundam franchise.
9/10
Visuals.
Visually Gundam X is very similar to Wing, however, it a massive improvement over Wing in every field.
The characters designs are well designed and they are mostly consistent.
As for the actual animation, it's a big step from Wing. The mecha battles are fun to watch and we actually see a lot of skill being shown by the pilots throughout the fights.
Also, the mecha designs are really good.
The Gundam X may appear like average Gundam but once the moon is out and it charges its satellite cannon. It will terminate anything in its path. The X divider is pretty cool but its big brother the double X is in my top 3 favorite Gundams. Gundam Leopard
The other Gundam designs also great Gundams like the Air Master, Gundam Leopard, and the Versago.
Overall the visuals of Gundam X are really good as it a massive improvement over Gundam Wing and the battles were very exciting.
8.5/10
Sound.
The soundtrack of Gundam X is just beautiful filled with memorable tracks.
The first opening Dream is a very hard hitting J POP song.
The same thing can be said to the second opening theme Resolution which is one of one of my favorite opening themes in Gundam.
The first ending theme Human Touch is easily one of the best composed in all of Gundam as well as being one of my favorite ending themes in anime.
The second ending theme Gin-Iro Horizon is pretty good.
The voice acting of Gundam X is amazing that is filled a lot of talented and high profile Seiyuus.
Some of my favorites performances were Knyuu Horiuchi as Jamil, Mika Kanai as Tiffa, Chieko Honda as Ennil, Motoko Kumai as Kid Salsamile, Kazuya Nakai as Witz and I could go on.
Sadly Gundam X didn’t get a dub which is honestly sad because if anything this was the show that needed a dub.
9/10
Final Thoughts.
Overall I really liked Gundam X. I think is one of the best Gundam shows from the franchise.
The story was well written, almost all of the characters were great, relatable and likable, the visuals still hold up well compared to Gundam Wing, the mecha battles were exciting to watch and the soundtrack is just amazing.
If this show were to have all 49 episodes as well maybe having an English dub than I would have giving it a 10/10 as well as being my favorite Gundam show but sadly that isn’t the case.
Gundam X ended getting canceled making it the only other Gundam show besides Gundam 0079 to get canceled before finished. There’s has been a lot of speculation on why it was canceled. One theory stated that it got low ratings due to a sudden timeslot switch and an another theory state that people were just burned out from watching Gundam after four years of back to back releases. Whatever the case may be I still thought Gundam X was an amazing show and I consider it to be one of the best Gundam shows in the franchise.
If you are tired of Gundam having the same old formula from past Gundam shows then I highly recommend watching Gundam X as it offers a different yet amazing experience for anime fans as well as hardcore Gundam fans.
Gundam X has been licensed by Rightstuff in the US on DVD.
Final Score 8.5/10
DarkSharinganZ
- Story Gundam X takes on a 'what if' scenario. Basically 'What it Amuro Ray from Gundam UC0079 had never stumbled across the Gundam RX-78? Basically, the war would have dragged on and ended with many space colonies dropped onto the Earth wiping out most of humanity and destabilizing Earth's weather. 15 years have passed since the war ended and the story from here on follows 15 year old Garrod Ran, pilot of the Gundam X, on his journey along with the crew of an all-terrain ship called the Freeden in their quest in search of Newtypes around the world and offer them protection from anyone outto find them and use them to start another war.
Throughout the journey, he is assigned to protect the Freeden's most important crew member, Tiffa Adill, a girl with Newtype powers that are sought after by anyone who knows of her and her abilities as well as Garrod's love interest. We've seen love interests in Gundam but none of the relationships affected the story like in X. Garrod and Tiffa's relationship is the most authentic you'll see in Gundam.
Nothing you'll see in this story is arbitrary, the characters are all well-conceived for the post-apocalyptic Earth setting. So there's always some rhyme or reason for each character's history and actions. And I bloody praise the show for its clever writing.
- Animation:
You can tell it’s dated 90’s animation but not to the point where it looks obsolete and hideous compared to cleaner anime like SEED, 00, and AGE. It’s still a joy to look at especially since this reduced the amount of recycled animation which was present in and many other anime shows at its time and if was digitally remastered, get ready to eat your heart out.
It would be an understatement to say that this series art style and animation is ‘similar’ Wing’s because it is in fact EXACTLY the same to the point where it would feel like watching a redimensionalized version of it. You could take a character from Wing and put him/her in X or vice versa and they’d fit in perfectly. Even the mech designs are Wing-ish.
- Music and Sound
The soundtrack is a mixed bag, some are good, some are dull and easily forgettable. In fact, it’s kind of disappointing that they didn't do as good a job with Zeta Gundam and Wing series.
- Overall
This series was the most refreshing of all the Gundams I've seen. It does contain familiar elements but at the same time it takes liberties in such a clever way to prevent it from not being Gundam. It is different from other Gundams for these reasons, and they are a big deal
- It's post-apocalyptic
- Strong romantic subplot
- Takes place mostly on Earth
- No war
Regardless of what may or may not have happened if X's animation crew had their way with episode count and story progression, whatever they had to wrap up was done well without leaving anything unresolved. So for what it is, Gundam X is in my opinion a true gem not just in the Gundam sagas, but in anime in general.
BowlingJD
Sunrise and yet another Gundam product of the 1990’s along with long time director Shinji Takamatsu (School Rumble, Gintama). Too bad this anime was cut short from the 50 episode mark to 39. This was due to the underwhelming lack of views after the already low mark from the first 10 episodes. Gundam X is set 15 years after a devastating war ravaged mankind causing inevitably a colony dropping on Earth. Already, there is a plot from the original Gundam series but set after the war focusing on the remnants and after effects of it all. A great idea with a fantastic set up, but poorlyexecuted. Remember, the original series was canceled too.
The remains of the two factions, Federation and Space Revolutionary Army, try to reclaim the power they once had. In the case of the Federation, they try to unite Earth again and wage war against space, again. Needless to say, this is the focus of 90 percent of the anime due to cancelation causing the space part only being the last bits.
As the plot is usually slow and character grinding, the main characters of Garrod (pilot) and Tiffa (newtype) along with the rest of the Gundam X cast are incredibly archetyped by the plot and filled with too much over dramatizing and teenage angst on top of it all. It gets to the point of suffering, predictability, and the worst offender of all, re-hashing. Everything from fight scenes to “romantic” developments are constantly re-hashed and not to mention the worst villain(s) to ever come out of a Gundam series. Characters in Gundam X are so blank and insufferable it is no wonder the anime got cut.
Music and art are slightly above average for the time in the mid-90s. Although, consistent re-hashing of fight scenes and fast paces low pitched music create a less impressive overall look to the anime. Really, nothing memorable animation or music wise tends to stand out.
Gundam X has been called a sleeper mech and under appreciated, but a good idea and great setting can’t make up for bland characters and bland execution.
Firechick12012
I don't like mecha anime. I never did like anime about giant robots beating each other up, mostly because they were either too complicated for me to understand, especially with technobabble and politics, or because they just never appealed to me. I watched Gundam 00 when it first came out, but only because of Tieria, and I've seen a few episodes of Gundam Build Fighters since it's different, but I had to put it on hold partly due to real life obligations, and partly because it didn't really hook me. I didn't think there would ever be a day where I would like a giantrobot anime...but then I discovered Gundam X. Wow, I never thought I'd say this, as I'm not a fan of the Gundam franchise in general, but I really freaking love Gundam X! It has everything I want in an anime: an interesting but easy to understand storyline, great characters with their own lives and backstories, beautiful animation, a great soundtrack, great twists, my goodness, I could sing about Gundam X all day, and I will!
The story begins after a terrible war between the Space Revolutionary Army and the Earth Federation. After a space colony was driven into Earth, the planet became a shambled mess, and everyone on it had to endure years of hard times. People in space have still progressed, but Earth is still having trouble. In the midst of those hard times, a boy named Garrod and a psychic Newtype girl named Tiffa (No, NOT Tiffa Lockhart if that's what you're thinking) are brought together thanks to an old Federation mobile suit, the GX-9900, aka the Gundam X, and meet in a rogue battleship called the Frieden, led by ex-Newtype Jamil Neate and his friends. Together, they have to fight various empires and make sure the mistakes of the past will not be repeated and learn the truth about Newtypes and the world around them.
Gundam X originally had 49-50 episodes planned, but due to insane amounts of executive meddling, the episodes were cut down to 39. But oddly enough, that didn't stop the writers from wanting to resolve it in the way they felt was best and giving it a good ending. The fact that they cared enough about this show really shows in everything, the animation being one such example. It looks rather messy compared to some other shows that were airing during the time, but that messiness actually works, since the conflicts between various parties, such as Earth and space, are also very messy. But it also helps to bring out a kind of untainted beauty within everything else. Also, have I mentioned how much I absolutely ADORE the character designs? Everyone looks practical, like they could be real people you could run into! Garrod looks like a football jock, Jamil looks like a shellshocked veteran, Tiffa looks like that girl you could sit next to in school, everyone just looks great without being over the top. Plus, the character movements are very fluid and the explosions and designs of the Gundams all play off each other very well and are drawn beautifully. It's just very appealing to me.
The soundtrack is another glorious thing I must sing praises about, as it's just wonderful! The opening songs are hotblooded but still subdued and try not to be too over the top, while the ending themes are soft, soothing ballads. I especially adore Human Touch, and Warren Wiebe's voice is beautiful. His song is just so nice, uplifting, and inspiring! It's a shame he had to go before his time, from what I've read on various articles. But it does kind of suffer a problem that Kiniro no Corda: Blue Sky had, where a BGM piece would continue playing and then suddenly get cut off by something else, such as the eyecatch. Thankfully, it's not as bad here as it was in Corda, but it's still rather noticeable if you pay close attention.
The characters are obviously the best part of the series, and the thing is, at first they start off like they're going to devolve into their stereotype, but completely go against it as the series goes on. Normally I absolutely hate the idiot heroes who go against orders, cause trouble, and are hyper, but...I really like Garrod! 1. He actually matures and develops. 2. The circumstances behind his bad decisions are actually explored. 3. He's actually a lot smarter than he looks, plus the fact that his first scene is his hijacking a mobile suit with a gun and a grenade! And normally I absolutely despise the perfect little yamato nadeshiko characters as they usually don't do much, but...I really like Tiffa! Sure, she's shy, quiet, and can be a damsel in distress sometimes, but she actually does do things in the series, has her own wishes, and doesn't always rely on others, and she also develops awesomely. It's very slow and gradual, but she develops. She could have easily been written badly, but the writers executed her character very well. All the other characters are great too, with their own quirks, personalities, lives, and weaknesses that play off of each other very well. I especially find myself liking Jamil, as I thought he'd been kind of a good hearted but strict boss, but he's actually not as uptight as I expected him to be. I even find myself liking the two main villains, because their struggle and petty reasons for doing what they do is very relatable, and the fact that they go to great lengths just to get what they want really makes them good villains. They actually go out and do something and try to make their vision happen, not just sit around on a throne and watch everything. That's what makes a good villain! Make them proactive and willing to get what they want, no matter what it takes!
But speaking of the characters, I do find one flaw about most of them: their backstories haven't been fully explored, especially Tiffa's! Where are her parents?! What kind of life did she live before she came to the Frieden? None of that is explored here! At least some episodes focused on Jamil, Witz, and Roybea, and Garrod and Toniya's pasts has only been touched upon with single lines of dialogue, that's it. I love these characters dearly, but I'd care for them a whole lot more if we knew what their lives were like. The Digimon series was very good at this. Also, there are some things that don't really get explained, and when they're brought up once, they're never brought up again. For example, in episodes 2 and 3, it's established that Tiffa has the ability to feel the pain people on the battlefield feel as they die and because it's too much for her to handle, she falls unconscious...but after that, it's never seen or brought up again, even during times when it should happen, it doesn't. Consistency, people! It's not that hard!
Yeah, I like a mecha anime. Never thought I'd say that. I also never thought it'd wind up being one of my all time favorite anime. What are you sitting around here for? Go and watch it!
ServantOfPriss
Gundam X is, in my very, very personal opinion, the best Gundam series. It has flaws, and its run is completely disappointing, but if there's something Gundam X that most other Gundam series fail at (with a couple of exceptions), is that it presents, it portrays, characters that are sympathetic, likeable and act in character throughout the entire show. Garrod is a teenager, and acts like one; Tiffa lives up to her Newtype status by being a shy, lonely girl, who slowly opens up to other people; Jamil is the conflicted, but wise and disciplinary, mentor, who is protective of his subordinates and those he caresabout; and I could go on.
Gundam X has characters than have that human factor, which allow an average viewer who isn't even familiar with the franchise to highly enjoy this show.
Now if there is another thing I commend Gundam X of doing, is that the series isn't like most of its "AU" brethren (Alternate Universes, for those not very familiar with Gundam terminology): while it indeed has the obligatory UC (Universal Century) references and tradition in it, it actually does something with them: whereas shows like SEED and AGE simply use these tropes and copy paste them on their own shows, X deves into them, cooks them up, and creates its own identity using this exact tradition. I would mention them in detail, but with the aim of not spoiling the reader, I shall only say that, if they have watched UC beforehand, they are into a treat, especially if they have gotten tired of a certain annoying cliché involving potential love interests.
In addition to this, and despite its early cancellation, the show manages to tie its plot points very effectively and creatively.
The music is astounding, especially for a 90s anime series steming from a long-running metaseries like Gundam. X's predecessor, Gundam Wing, had a very, very neat soundtrack, one pf the best of the franchise in my opinion: but Gundam X manages to get to its level, if not surpass it, in some cases. The opening and ending themes are absolutely beautiful, which makes one wonder why Romantic Mode's career did not continue; the rest of the instrumental sountrack is feature film-level of goodness. You can tell they really put effort in composition and execution when it came to Gundam X's soundtrack. Whether it's a sad track, a sweet track, or an epic, battle-inspirational track, it hits the nail.
I would also like to address UC fans to tell them that this is the best way to introduce someone to Gundam and lead them to UC tradition: whereas Gundam Wing only revels in action and randomness most of the time, X actually attempts to be a fully good series, and it succeeds. Add to the fact that both UC and AW (After War) have practically some of the same concepts (Gundam X is the only Alternate Universe that has Newtypes), it's more suitable for someone who is reluctant to introduce a newcomer to Gundam due to the dated animation of 0079 or the incoherences of Wing.
The series isn't without flaws, though: the mechanical designs, while effective, ironically do not seem to be very original and seem more like Wing/UC hybrid rejects (although I will point out that the Virsargo and Ashtaron are some of the exceptions), and some people might not initially buy just how jolly and normal everyone seems to live in an post-apocalyptic world (although, serving as devil's advocate here: Gundam has never handled "apocalyptic scenarios" quite well in my opinoin), and the final arc is very, very, very rushed, despite concluding, ironically, quite effectively.
Overall, this is my favorite Gundam series. I guess my tastes may be too generic for the more "expert" viewers or something, but I have no regrets. Gundam X is my ideal Gundam series. And I highly recommend it to anyone, newcomer or veteran viewer, of the franchise, and anime as a whole.
josenewtype
After war gundam resets the values created by the UC timeline. This gundam asks "what-if" this happened in the one year war, and the after math is what's presented in the anime. The characters are deep, the plot is deep, the only thing holding this anime back was the sound and animation. Other than that, if you're a UC gundam fan, you would absolutely love this and will not regret expanding your UC gundam lore. Overall 8/10, a great one!
Nyren
After War Gundam X was the third alternate universe Gundam series to be created, preceded by Mobile Fighter G Gundam and Mobile Suit Gundam Wing. Following hot on the heels of Wings 50 episode run, Gundam X shared a very similar art style and mobile suit designs. However, due to a very bad time slot as well as franchise fatigue(X aired two weeks after Wing finished, and Wing itself had begun airing two weeks following G's run.), Gundam X was cut down from 50 episodes to 39, causing the ending of the series to be rushed and parts cut out. Though surprisingly, this did notdetract at all from the story, though it didn't really do it any favors either.
Part of the reason that Gundam X still succeeded despite the rushed story was because of the excellent characters and their development. The protagonist is Garrod Ran, a 15 year old orphan who made a living taking high risk jobs and defending his home from Vultures. What separates Garrod from most Gundam protagonists is that he is not some special snowflake. He is an average Human being who happens to be good at piloting mobile suits. And he isn't some concealed Newtype or anything like that, because two of his companions would know right away, and they never said a word. Garrod manages to accomplish feats that rival that of Newtypes, which makes him one of the most powerful Gundam protagonists due to his ability to adapt to any enemy or situation. Alongside him are the Newtypes Tifa Adiil and Jamil Neate, as well as the mercenaries Roybea Loy and Witz Sou, along with the rest of the Freeden crew. What's satisfying is that almost all of these characters are likable in their own ways and have their own stories to tell.
The emotional impact of Gundam X is emphasized by its soundtrack, which is just plain beautiful. The ending theme "Human Touch" is just so good that I had it on repeat for weeks. What I found odd and yet refreshing is that it is entirely in English, despite the fact that the series was never dubbed. It's a beautiful song, and one that deserves to be heard even without the context of the series. The sound effects or course are mostly reused from Wing, which honestly goes well with the art style which is, again, pretty much the same as Wing.
The theme of this series is something that I had never come across before in anime: Labels. We're all familiar with how labels work. When you give something or someone a label, you are essentially defining who or what they are because that label comes with a predefined definition. In this case, Oldtypes and Newtypes. And each faction has a different definition for each of these labels, which leads to the series major conflicts. This was a refreshing change from the usual themes and the series conclusion did justice to that theme.
In the end, After War Gundam X is quite possibly one of the greatest Gundam series to ever be produced. The problem with its popularity lies in the time slot it was placed in as well as the timing of its release. Both of those factors contributed to its commercial downfall. It has, however, gained a cult following in the many years since its initial release in 1997. This series truly deserved a full 50 episodes, and had it been aired in the US following Wing, its likely that it may have seen the popularity it truly deserved. I recommend this series to anyone who could use a break from the normal themes or is just looking for a great story and characters. I highly doubt you will be disappointed.
PoeticJustice
The sun shines a crimson glow on the horizon. All we see in front of us are the wastes, the remnants of a world that once was. The effects of war have stained the planet and now all that is left are us and very drops of hope left. Here we go, storing those droplets of hope as we walk towards an uncertain future. The 1990s is considered by some to be the golden age of the Gundam Franchise. Coming off of successful entries such as 0080 and 08th team, the people at Bandai thought about expanding their property beyond the Universal Century Timeline. The fruitsof this expansion were G Gundam, Gundam Wing, and After War Gundam X. After War is a reimaging of the One Year War if there was no Amuro or Char who existed. It takes place on a barren Earth, riddled with crime and debris. The damage that the One Year War had done on the planet can be seen from the very first episode. We are introduced to what seems like a young mercenary, Garrod Ran, taking on a mission to rescue a mysterious girl from a band of thugs. Little did he know that the girl was a newtype, a type of human being with psychic(or supernatural powers depending on the situation) and the fate of the world rests in the hands of these newtypes.
The new type portion of all Gundam shows has always been very divisive, starting with its almost random inclusion towards the end of the original Gundam. This both to the show's advantage and detriment. Symbolically, Newtypes have always represented humanity's ability to create meaningful connections on a spiritual level. To look past political differences, skin color and to see what humans are on a fundamental level. However, newtypes are abused and used for immoral purposes throughout the Gundam franchise. After War X is not an exception to this tradition. The major failing of the newtype in X has to be how the psychic abilities of newtypes are exaggerated to a point of disbelief. Say what you will about Tomino but he always made it clear what Newtypes are capable of. In X, Newtypes are essentially gods on this earth. They talk to the dead, communicate with animals(some animals are newtypes apparently) and all sorts of crazy things.
The episodic structure is similar to Gundams of past. They follow a strict formula: idle chatting -> philosophical debates -> mission introduced -> battle -> post battle reflection. If you found other Gundams to be a chore to watch, this won't change your opinion. Where After succeeds, is in the moments of reflection. The characters cast their eyes upon a dying world and try to find the reason why they fight. Some may fight for love, to escape their past, or to fight for a better future. It is in these moments, that After War becomes something special. The show has its flaws but there is a genuine warmth and tenderness lying at the center of each episode that is greatly appreciated. And interestingly this series in conversation with Tomino's prior Gundam entries. Gundam has always been a dialogue between cynicism and hope. Gundam's creator, Yoshiyuki Tomino, often times sided with cynicism and it showed in his story choices and directorial style. X adds a lot to the dialectic, often times directly challenging Gundam's creator in subtle ways. "Why don't you have hope in humanity!?" "There is going to be a better future for us." seemed to be aimed at Mr. Tomino itself. That is one thing I have always loved about Gundam, more specifically the universal century timeline, each entry was in dialogue with each other. That is something that made Gundam head and shoulders above its competition.
We all know the saying, "all that glitters is not gold" and applies to this series as well. It suffers from plodding pacing at certain points, and it was cut short of several episodes. These episodes were direly needed to make the show complete from both a narrative and thematic perspective. Long plot arcs are cut short to unsatisfying conclusions, leaving you with metaphorical blue balls. And the ending is the only seemingly contrived portion of the show due to its length. The warmth and kindness seem hamfisted and rather patronizing here.
There were also some character issues here as well. Our protagonist, Garrod Ran, is a rather underwhelming protagonist. Coming from the Gundam tradition of angsty, psychologically damaged Gundam pilots Garrod is rather milquetoast. There is nothing about him that makes him stand out from your average, run of the mill, good guy protagonist. However, what the show lacks in its protagonist, it more than makes up for in its supporting cast. Characters like the lovable mercenaries turned good guys, Roybea and Witz, is when the Gundam character tradition comes into play. They are both likable but with interesting backstories that affect everything they do. The show would have been much better if Garrod was not the main character and these two became the focus instead. Jamil Neate, the protagonist of the ship is a veteran with PTSD from the one year war. His beliefs and his guilt for his war crimes make him a pretty compelling character in his own right. The show is also lacking in the villain category. The villains, the frost brothers are two of the most boring villains in Gundam history. They lack the sociopathy of Scirocco, the wittiness, and sensuality of Haman. They are just there to seemingly make the plot move forward.
After War Gundam X is a Gundam left to the annals of history. Overshadowed by its more popular and retarded brother, Gundam Wing. It is also a case of missed potential and if it wasn't cut 12 episodes short I know it would have been a good, dare I say great entry in the Gundam franchise.
And now the sun slowly sets upon our world. Our journey was drastically cut short yet we still carry the warmth and heart of the human spirit with us.
ggultra2764
I've heard of Gundam X receiving mixed receptions from fans of the Gundam franchise with some going as far as considering it the "black sheep" of the franchise. So curious to see what the series had going for it, I chose to download the series and see if it was anything worthwhile. Suffice to say, I think I can see why reception to this series is mixed. Gundam X is supposed to depict a "what if" scenario in the Gundam franchise to depict what would happen to Earth if the war between Oldtypes and Newtypes got heated enough where a space colony drop was implemented anddevastated the human population and atmosphere on Earth. To a degree, Gundam X does a solid job in setting up its world featuring many people trying to survive on their own and groups of hired vigilantes and thieves known as Vultures taking up jobs for any money they need for their survival or mercilessly destroying and killing anything in their way for personal gain. Remains of the Federation still exist in this new era as they try to reclaim the old power that they once had by conquering areas of the world that refuse to unite under their cause. Newtypes are also focused on as they still face a good amount of prejudice in this world with corporations and Federation forces still seeing them as tools of war and some elements similar to racism are brought up in later episodes regarding differences with the origins of Newtypes and their abilities.
What does work against the series though would be its style of plotting and its very characters. Gundam X is divided up into several plot arcs focused on the journey of Garrod, Tiffa and the crew of the Freeden as they seek out Newtypes, evade hostile Vulture ships, evade Federation forces and try to prevent a second catastrophic event like the colony drop from 15 years ago. While the arcs help to flesh out more elements to the world of Gundam X and occasionally develop the characters, the pacing to said arcs in many instances tend to be a bit slow and cause progression to grind to a halt at points. I also found that the series was trying too hard at dramatizing a number of serious scenes that took place throughout the show thanks to its overuse of angst and melodrama with its major developments. The last arc for the show's final two episodes is rushed in its developments special thanks to said early cancellation of the show as the series tried to cram the major plot developments for said final arc. The final arc is notable in that it reveals the origin of Newtypes, but said revelation felt vague and left a sour taste in my mouth. Gundam fans might not want to take what is revealed at the end at heart considering this is another alternate continuity in the series franchise.
I also had issues with many of the characters portrayed throughout Gundam X as well considering many just followed standard character archetypes found in other anime or being used as plot devices you would have seen done before in earlier Gundam titles. Male lead Garrod's the hot-headed and defiant teen you would have already seen with Amuro and Kamille, only he's not as well-fleshed out as the two mentioned characters and he quite often has to conveniently get his hide saved in life-threatening situations by other members of the Freeden crew or other new characters that happen to be around, which make me question why he even is the male lead of this series. Female lead Tiffa isn't much better off either as her character is much more flat than Garrod's as she plays the all too-common "shy, quiet and reserved female character" archetype needing a male lead to give her a confidence boost which has been done to death in enough modern otaku-pandering shows. As you can pretty much see, I could care less about the romantic developments that Gundam X was pushing with these two because of how shallow and archetypal their characters were. I don't even want to get started mentioning the Frost Brothers as I found them to be the weakest villains I've seen in any Gundam series that I've seen thus far due to how poorly developed and shallow that their motivations were for their actions and manipulations throughout the series.
In terms of animation, Gundam X is of standard animation quality you would find for a mid-90s anime series. Yet compared to Gundam Wing which was made around the same time period, X is better polished in its scenery and character designs and its quality doesn't degrade in heavy action scenes like what occurs with Wing. However, the show still relies on a number of animation shortcuts as reused frames and speed stripes are used rather frequently throughout Gundam X. Much of the music used throughout the series consists of low-pitched and fast-paced tracks used for the title's tense moments and action scenes while more slow-paced and light instrumental tracks are used for the title's calmer and dramatic moments. Both diversities do their part in enhancing the key scenes that take place throughout Gundam X, but nothing memorable stuck out with them for me. And while I did enjoy listening to the English and Japanese versions of the title's ED song, "Human Touch", I didn't think the song fitted in too well for a Gundam series and seemed better suited for a romance drama title.
Overall, Gundam X did present some interesting ideas for its "what if" scenario in the setup of its post-apocalyptic world from the heated Oldtype/ Newtype conflict from Universal Century titles in the Gundam franchise. Unfortunately, the title's cliched characters and style of plotting did hurt its overall quality for me as it didn't seem to want to try making something as significantly different and unique like Turn A Gundam for an alternate continuity series. I guess as many will say, your mileage will vary on how well you get latched on Gundam X as I certainly didn't find myself enjoying it all too well.
Toucanbird
X marks the spot...to catch a pretty decent mecha anime. I have to applaud Sunrise for doing something a little out of character for them. Their primary focus was putting on the display of human misunderstanding and when that misunderstanding escalates to war and suffering. Of course, while prior and latter Gundam series have had a similar focus, I haven't seen it become the overwhelming theme like it was in this series. Even the mecha battles were pushed aside for this theme. The plot surrounds a 15-year-old orphan named Garrod Ran, who through a set of circumstances meets Tiffa Adill, a girl the same age that isbelieved to have Newtype powers and many people are trying to get their hands on that power. Through saving Tiffa, Garrod gets his hands on a Gundam GX-9900, also known as the Gundam X, and their adventure takes off from there. Overall, I found the plot and story to be decent. It's a pretty typical plot for a Gundam anime, but what separates it from it's predecessors and it's followers is its overwhelming themes of human misunderstanding and trying to solve the problems caused by those misunderstandings.
The characters were some of the most likable I had seen in a Gundam series. Garrod is ambitious and believes strongly in his ideals, much like his predecessors. One thing that does separate him though is he's a quirky character with a pretty good sense of humor. He's a bit more crafty than his predecessors. He doesn't really have any "emo" moments and honestly, I found his character to be much closer to that of a teenager than the likes of Amuro Ray, Kamille Bidan, Judau Ashta, Heero Yuy, Kira Yamato, Setsuna F. Sei (essentially enter any Gundam pilot here). Another nice thing about him in comparison is, he doesn't have any supernatural Coordinator/Newtype powers. He's just a normal kid who's good at adjusting to his surroundings while operating a Gundam. Tiffa is one of the more adorable Gundam heroines I've seen in a series. It seems as though her thoughts are pure while it seems a great deal of her focus is put toward her power. I will admit, it does cause a pretty obvious lack of character from her, but wasn't enough to detract from the quality of the series. My biggest complaint is that there is very little character development, especially with the two leads Garrod and Tiffa. We learn next to nothing about their history other than their parents are dead. I understand that these characters are living in the moment and not in their past, but it would've been nice to know a little more as to why they are the way they are. Of course, I do also believe their lack of development is somewhat linked to the theme of the series...they are two of the few characters that aren't living in the past and are instead looking toward a future. The supporting characters and antagonists also suffer from the same problems. There really isn't that much development about them and we're supposed to learn about their characters through their interactions with each other and minor exposition dumps explaining their motives. The antagonists themselves were actually rather weak in comparison to many other Gundam series, but then again, even they are considered to be the products of human misunderstanding rather than being inherently evil themselves.
I do think the weakest aspect of this series is the editing. For a Sunrise produced Gundam series, the editing was extremely lackluster. There were moments where the OP and midway points of the episode would jump-scare me. There was even a tender moment later on in the series that essentially got blown up by the blaring music and the black "After War Gundam X" title card that COMPLETELY spoiled the mood. As I mentioned before, the episodes would start out usually showing flashbacks of prior episodes or early plot setup for the next small arc in the story and then the OP would come blaring in out of nowhere. I swear to God, it's like the people at Sunrise have never heard of a fade transition before. On top of that, and this goes back to the writing, I found Gundam X to be strangely paced. The first 25 episodes or so have a rather slow pace, seemingly taking a while to build up to what the plot is really about. The last 14 episodes or so felt somewhat rushed. Of course, that's because the last 1/3 was focused more on war while the first 2/3 of the series was focused more on Earth and it's after effects of war. This does go back to character development a little bit, but I wish the producers would've toned it down a bit with it's narration and focused more on character. Now that I think about it, this series had a lot more narration than most other Gundam series and I'll admit, most of it was unnecessary and felt like episode filler. All-in-all, this was pretty lousy production work from Sunrise.
Overall, it does sadden me that Sunrise butchered this a bit with it's production, because I found that in regards to plot and characters, this was actually one of the better Gundam series. I will come out and say Garrod is probably my favorite lead character in any of the Gundam animated series and I found the supporting characters to be pretty good as well. However, it's obvious what sets this series apart from the others and that's the message of the story. I found the message to be much more profound and focused than other Gundam series. I know the "moral of the story" is a pretty overused cliche, especially when it comes to storytelling but I found the "moral" of Gundam X to be much better than it's predecessors and it's followers. If you're a fan of the Gundam series, I do recommend giving this a watch. Despite the many flaws, the message in itself makes it at least worth of a watch through.
LaLeLuLiLo
Whenever there is talk about the gundam franchise, many titles are brought up. However two titles always seem to be left in the wayside. These two titles being after war, and Gundam age, so when it came time to watch After war i could only expect it to be surprisingly good or really bad. In the end, it was really just another ok gundam show. After war takes place in an alternate timeline but instead of being its own thing, the show is more of a “what if?” scenario for the universal century. Before the events of the show took place the world they inhabitedhad a conflict reminiscent of the UC One Year War. the difference is that the outcome for this war lead to devastating apocalyptic-like climax for both earth and the space colonies. It’s several years later when the events of the start to take place as it focuses on a young man named Garrod as he tries to make it by through the post-apocalyptic planet that is on its way to being how it was before the war. Garrod making a living through any means possible is contracted to rescue a girl from a group of people, which he willingly accepts. This in turn is what kick starts the plot, when during his “rescue” attempt, through circumstance learns that there is more to this girl and the people surrounding her. This ultimately leads to Garrod returning her to her “captors”, and also going them along on their mission to find newtypes. Since the girl, Tiffa, is a newtype she in someway has the ability to vaguely locate newtypes leading the group on their journey.
While the story for the most part is the crew following the directions that tiffa have set out, their are still many plot and character elements intertwined into the story. Most notable in the beginning is Garrod being accustomed with working with other people since he has mostly lived alone for most of his life, and also learning to handle a mobile gundam suit in combat. There is also he set-up of several recurring character, most of which are the antagonists of the show as well as hints to the re emergence of certain factions responsible for the previous war. Other than that there’s not much to it as each place they go leads to more conflict and sometimes having Tiffa be kidnapped that comes off as repetitive. There is also a sort-of romance sub-plot between Garrod and Tiffa which while not a well presented romance sub-plot, it’s the best and most endearing that the gundam franchise has had at that point. In the end though the show was cut short due to its ratings leading to a shorter than average gundam show which forced the writers to wrap the story early leading the the final episodes feeling rushed and disappointing.
When it comes to the characters they all come off as ok. I do appreciate that the show has more focus on other characters than the pilots. While it doesn’t focus on all the crew members, it at least gives the mechanics, doctor, and bridge personals a sense of presence within the story. Each one having their own stories and reasons that make them feel more than one-dimensional. Of course they aren’t the most well written, and at moments it can feel cheesy or forced, but in the end they all at least have more to them than their personalities. Garrod for the most part is a decent character who goes through some development in the story, but still is two-dimensional in the end. The antagonists are probably the low point of the show with the most common recurring villains being the most one-dimensional, while the others may have some development but shallow depth.
The art for the show is ok for the most part. The character designs feel like a downgrade to gundam wing, while still trying to maintain the bi-shounen/shoujo aesthetic. They still all look ok and jamil even looks cool even though his glasses doesn’t have that translucent appearance making them more obviously drawn on. The mechs are for the most part ok with the gundams looking no more bizarre than the ones in gundam wing, and the space colonies suits being reminiscent of UC zeon suits like the Zakus. The animation really isn’t the best with much of the action coming off as dull explosions that lacks the carnage and twisting metals of older titles. The show still uses much of the sound effects like many of the other gundam shows from the bleeping of computers to the sound of gunfire. The soundtrack is ok although its utilization feels off since the show tries to portray something one way but the music sounds the complete opposite of what is happening one screen. Not the best production values, but not bad for the most part.
Overall After war is just an ok. It doesn’t really do to much to stand out as being good or bad. It really feels like it doesn’t really do much at all, leaving not much to be remembered by.
cavbr
I found the other user's comments interesting how much they rated Gundam X very optimistically. Myself, when I first watched the series, in 2016 (and it was the first TV series in the Gundam franchise that I watched, having only seen Gundam 08th Team before), my assessment was much better than the current one. Reviewing the series, however, it became easier to understand why the series was canceled and was practically forgotten by Sunrise after it ended (they basically published a spin-off manga, and remembered the series in Gundam Build Fighters, but nothing more) . Story: 5/10 It didn't have a clear direction. In the beginning, it was basicallyFrieden looking for Newtypes, with the Frost brothers getting in the way, almost as if it were the Pokémon's Team Rocket. Apparently the TV Asahi's audience did not like the idea, and in the middle of the serie they returned to the formula that enshrined the franchise: a political plot. But then it was too late.
Art: 7/10
The character design is very reminiscent of that of Gundam Wing. Art as a whole is not bad, but for a 1996 anime, I expected more. In fact, the animation techniques used differ little from the 1979 series, with some innovations (several of them already coming from Gundam Wing), but nothing that enhances the art as a whole.
Sound: 7/10
The soundtrack works well, but it is noticeably less than Gundam Wing. It is a little striking trail, and its presence is sometimes ignored.
Character: 7/10
Ran Garrod is the opposite extreme of Heero Yuy, and is just a little more interesting than Amuro Ray. In the beginning, his personality bothered him, but by the end of the anime, this was partially corrected, but enough to make him more nice.
Tiffa Adill doesn't have the same appeal as Relena Peacecraft, and apart from her skills, she adds little to the group. She only got more interesting in the end, when she took over her relationship with Ran Garrod.
Jamil Neat is the most interesting character in this series. With an antagonistic look, he is a serious character, but one with good feelings. His backstory is interesting, and it praises the character.
Sara, Tonya, Shingo and Dr. Techs are good support characters.
Witz and Roby don't like it very much at the beginning, but they improve during the series.
Enil El at first reminds Yubel of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. But it seems that she did not please the audience of TV Asahi, and was somewhat out of place for the rest of the series, ending up as one of the group's allies at the end, which was not exactly convincing.
Brothers Shagia and Olba Frost are the most boring characters in the series. Their antagonism is fragile and not justified, and they are more annoying than adding to the story. It basically reminded me of the essence of the Pokémon's Team Rocket. They make a mess, but when the situation gets complicated, they just run away. They are futile and irritating.
It is important to highlight how much trouble Hajime Yatate has in creating non-Japanese names. But this is a defect of Yoshiyuki Tomino himself.
Enjoyment: 6/10
Gundam X takes time to get interesting, but when it does, the story needs to end, because the series was canceled in episode 39, and it didn't win 4 episodes like it happened with Gundam 0079. Following the series was not a pain, but Gundam Wing was good more interesting. At least, unlike Gundam Wing, the dialogues are not so philosophical, which makes the series easier to follow.
Overall: 5/10
Overall, Gundam X tries to be interesting, but comes up against unfriendly characters, boring villains, and a story that only evolves in the second half of the series, but still with reservations. It recalls the essence of Gundam 0079, but the hasty ending really spoils the series, negating a concept from UC (which was being better explored), and basically contradicting the plot itself. Alone, Gundam X is not terrible, but whoever watched Gundam 0079 and some other series in the franchise (like Gundam Wing) will really realize how much the series is inferior, and how much it was canceled in episode 39 was understandable.
earl_of_sandvich
This show is a rarity for Gundam anime: It's probably the one show aside from G-Saviour that Sunrise absolutely wanted people to never find out about, at least until the Super Robot Wars series re-introduced the mecha from this show. Why? Well, after 2 underperforming cours, their sole broadcaster essentially ordered the production to commit seppuku. I wish I were joking. Not only were they told to cut the show by 10-11 episodes (forcing the story to become a mad dash at the end), their time slot was moved to 5 AM on a Saturday. I bet they never bothered to update fans (since the Webwas just starting in Japan, and late-night viewing/recording of anime wasn't really a thing until the year after), and I bet a lot of fans at the time thought the series was cancelled at episode 24. Think about that. Not only are you asked to slash a labor of love by about one-third its remaining life, you are asked to perform to an empty house for the rest of the broadcast. I can't imagine what the writer and the rest of the production must've thought as they were compelled to do this.
This is a show that takes its time with plot and characters (until studio demands otherwise). Once you get to the third arc in episode 10, the characters are now one team, and you start to see some chemistry. By episode 20, even one of the recurring villains starts on the path to redemption. While there are some places where the animation cut corners (a few frames of the new Divider look very hastily drawn), when the moment really counts (stealing the Double X, the captain and pilots getting their mechs back), the action is fantastic.
The soundtrack is one of the gems of the production. While other Gundam shows might feature epic themes for the hero mobile suit (AGE-FX theme on infinite repeat, anyone? Freedom Gundam?), the composer here writes themes that exude atmosphere (fun fact: he knew the legendary Dr. Osamu Tezuka of Astro Boy fame). Using little-known techniques like tapping the wood of the bows on stringed instruments (col legno), the soundtrack can create the tension of ambush, or by utilizing dissonant horns, it can induce the dread of facing a powerful adversary. While it was only used in the latter part of the show (the colony arc and afterward), there was a track that screamed "space conflict" through the use of vocals and violins, culminating in a climactic riff led by the trumpet section. Even though the show itself was doomed to a quick end, the music was never compromised. There are, however, two tracks that didn't make it to the OST for some reason: one featuring pizzicato like part of a famous Tchaikovsky symphony (played once in episode 20), the other much more folksy and featuring a lute-like instrument (played once in episode 35 or 36). This guy, like any great orchestral composer (think John Williams or James Horner), is a master of every section of the orchestra.
If Two-Mix was probably the best thing to happen to Gundam in the 90s, I say Romantic Mode is the second-best. The first opening theme to most Gundam shows never really grabs me for some reason, and Dreams was no exception. The second theme, though, was what ultimately drew me in. Human Touch is one of the extremely rare English songs in anime, and it's fantastic... but then they had to make a crappy cover in Japanese. #YouHadOneJob
So why am I giving it an 8? It's not the abrupt episode cut and change of time slot, although those inevitably affected production quality. The animation is inconsistent at times-- one shot, the Gundams look fantastic, the next, they look like someone quickly sketched a small frame and had the photographer zoom in (the worst example is episode... 11?). I'm thinking, Evangelion and its highly-regarded visuals had aired a year prior to this, so GX didn't look nearly as good in comparison. Secondly, while they were some of the best-directed villains in all of anime, the writing for the Frost brothers wasn't nearly as well-developed as the rest of the regular cast. This could be attributed to the mad dash late in the production, so their backstory had to have been severely cut. Their cold-blooded actions throughout the show made me think "Oh, their story's gotta be good", and when episode 38 rolls around, I was like, "... Srsly? That's it?? Oh, they so deserve that beating..." I gotta say, fansubbing the hero's lines there was therapeutic. Their dialogue was also dreadfully repetitive; the voice actor for the younger brother became sick of saying "Nii-san", and this show predates imouto moe shows.
Even cut short, the production staff made the most of a terrible situation, I think. Despite dated visuals and static villains, the soundtrack is outstanding, the Gundams aren't ridiculously overpowered (well, all right, the villains' Gundams are), and the sole screenwriter made sure that there was solid themes and narratives (kinda like a slightly less epic version of J. Michael Straczynski). If anything, it's a post-apocalyptic space opera with giant robots, and it's definitely better than G Gundam, in my opinion.
thenwhowasphone
I first had the chance of watching Gundam X back when local TV networks were capitalizing on the anime resurgence back in the very early 2000s. The first anime series that were shown back in the 70s were Mazinger Z, Voltes V and Daimos -- all super robot shows. With the premiere of Gundam Wing on local TV, I was introduced to the real robot mecha genre. Now Gundam Wing and G Gundam were immensely popular, the former for being the first taste of mecha in the country and with solid robot designs to boot (my first GunPla was a no grade Deathscythe); the latter,for having incredibly fun fights ala shounen that were airing around the same time (Yu Yu Hakusho, Dragon Ball Z) and harking back to super robot which, I'm guessing, people here have a spot for.
Enter Gundam X which was the third Gundam series to premiere and sadly, I was not able to finish as a kid due to reasons I have forgotten now. All I remember was that the main team was composed of three pilots instead of the accustomed five in Wing and G and that the Satellite canon was destructive as hell. I'm glad that I recently went back to watching Gundam as I have recently come back to GunPla as a hobby.
Story - 8
Gundam X's story and setting were refreshing. People talk about its "what-if" aspect and how similar it is to the UC entries. I liked the Mad Max-esque world building they set up in the first half with the Vultures' adventures in post colony drop earth. There is some lull in the middle with the Ennil El arc, newtype dolphins and enemy mobile suit of the week parts but nothing so jarring as to make you want to drop the show altogether. Towards the end, it does feel rushed as the show was cancelled/ordered to be shortened but the series does end on a high note, a quick one if you may, but it absolutely does not end badly. In the end, the show wants to deconstruct what being a newtype means and if labels we associate with the unknown are just illusions. I liked that very much.
Art - 8
The lack of stock footage was a major plus especially after seeing SEED's shameful application of it. The way the mobile suits moved was not akin to the speed with which some other Gundam shows had e.g. Wing Zero, Heavy Arms jumping around. I would say the fighting was more grounded and similar to UC style which is why the animation was fitting. Character designs were simple but by no means simplistic and there were only a few instances of inconsistencies in the way the characters' faces were drawn. As for the Gundams and mobile suits, the art was solid but not masterful.
Sound - 9
Stock Gundam sounds are present which is a good thing. OST and background tracks were actually pretty good especially towards the end with the Garrod-Tiffa romantic scenes. But what really shines for me is the two Openings ("Dreams" and "Resolutions"). Amazing tracks and they had you hyped up to watch the rest of the episodes. Really, the only thing keeping me from giving sound a perfect score is the Ending songs which feature a soulful ballad which I understand was to reflect Garrod and Tiffa's relationship but I just found myself not listening to it after hearing them the first time.
Character - 10
This is where X really excels and I find some characters to be the most memorable in all of Gundam. Aside from Garrod and Tiffa, Jamil, Roabea, Witz, Shagia, Ennil, Caris and even Lancecrow all had good setups of their backgrounds, motivations and goals. Just excellent character development and dialogue all around and despite Garrod repeatedly bumbling around with his Gundam, you can't help but root for the kid as he fights for Tiffa. At first, I wondered why the Double X's incredibly devastating twin Satellite cannons were so underused but then I remembered Garrod wasn't a trigger happy lunatic who wanted to destroy entire countries because he felt like it. Ultimately, he uses it to protect Tiffa which is the core of his character. Jamil is also the best captain in the franchise for me.
In summary, Gundam X is a very solid Alternate Universe Gundam show with stellar characters and good and well-executed narrative that has something different to offer amidst all that's been said about newtypes in the UC timeline. It may not have the iconic designs of Wing or SEED or the high octane fighting 00 or IBO have but I think X's message is one of the most profound and illuminating I have yet to experience in AU titles.
ZeraX
You probably heard about the most underrated Gundam show, this is it! A post-apocalyptic backdrop and great characters, Gundam X presents a tale of survival, hope, and the consequences of war. Gundam X might looks like a what-if scenario of "what if Zeon dropped thousands of colonies instead of 1", but what sets Gundam X apart from other entries in the Gundam franchise is its unique setting and exploration of the aftermath of war. The series delves into the consequences of humanity's destructive tendencies and the struggles of those left behind in the war-ravaged world. The characters in Gundam X are well-developed and relatable, each carrying theirburdens and motivations. Garrod Ran, the protagonist, undergoes significant growth throughout the series as he learns the true meaning of hope and fights against despair.
What makes the main character here interesting is that he just a regular normal human, with no special power, or special abilities, or background experience in military or combat, yet he overcomes all of his obstacles through growth, skill and love for Tiffa. He loses, he fails, but never gives up... which is really a nice growing up development to watch.
The side characters are also similar to Garrod, normal people that just fight to live and seeing each of them develop and change throughout the show is sweet.
The setting is also refreshingly good. It's like an RPG game where the cast moves from town to town, meeting new friends and enemies and overcome trouble.
Visually, Gundam X looks outdated now and sometimes inferior to Wing (maybe just me), but still has detailed mecha designs and cool action sequences.
While Gundam X received mixed reception during its initial airing due to its slow paced storytelling in the early episodes, and maybe no mysterious evil bad guys like a Char Clone, it has gained a dedicated following over the years. Its exploration of complex themes and its ability to create an emotionally charged atmosphere make it a standout entry in the Gundam franchise.
In conclusion, Gundam X is a mecha anime that offers a unique post-apocalyptic experience. It's not deep, it's not complicated, it's not trying to re-invent the wheel. It's just trying to to tell a love story in a destroyed world full of hatred and evil, With its loveable characters, realistic narrative, and memorable mecha battles, it is a must-watch for fans of the Gundam series and those seeking a mecha show that isn't about OP main heroes, Newtype space magic or Overpowered broken mechs that never lose.
