Gundam X
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After War Gundam X (or "Gundam X") is an anime television series from Japan. It is a part of the Gundam franchise that started in 1979, but takes place in an alternate universe called After War Era. The series has 39 episodes, aired in Japan from April 51996 to December 281996.
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Overview
Following the phenomenal success of Gundam Wing (and the end of its run), After War Gundam X (released in Japan as 機動新世紀ガンダムX, or Mobile New Century Gundam X) premiered in early 1996. Directed by Sunrise veteran Shinji Takamatsu, this series was the third of Bandai's alternate universes, and the last Gundam series to air for several years. This series can be consider a 'what if' on the Universal Century's One-Year War. What if the colonists had dropped dozens of colonies instead of one and destroyed Earth's surface? What if most of the world's population died, leaving the survivors in a ruined Mad Max-like world? That basic premise is the setting of Gundam X, which uses the After War (AW) calendar. The series begins in AW 0015, as the Earth is just beginning to recover. The star of this series is fifteen year old Garrod Ran, a member of a "Vulture" (a scavenger group that patrols the wasteland for profits) which is on a mission to find and save mistreated Newtypes in the world from those who wish to take advantage of them.
The series was canceled after only 39 episodes, just 7 short of the intended 46. This was due to the pulling of support from the sponsors due to the slumping TV ratings and merchandise sales in Japan. While the series started off strongly with a viewership rating of 6.2% TV tuned in for the Kanto area of Japan, it subsequently dwindled to a measly 2% after 10 episodes. From that point on until Episode 26, the ratings only exceeded a 4.3% rating twice, whereas 4.3% was the average rating for the previous series, Gundam Wing. After a few sponsors pulled their support, the series was moved to an abysmal 6 AM Saturday morning slot, where the ratings declined to unprecendented levels for a Gundam series, with 0.6% viewers tuned in for the final episode.
There are several explanations for Gundam X's unpopularity. These include speculation that its attempt to merge Universal Century concepts with the flashier elements of previous alternate universes alienated rather than unified the two sets of fans, or that Japan was, with a new Gundam series and/or movie released every year, simply experiencing "Gundam fatigue". Another explanation was that the show simply lost out in poularity with another mecha anime running at that time, Neon Genesis Evangelion. However, no clear answer has been established. The series was structually different from other Gundam series. All previous Gundams followed one basic storyline, but Gundam X was presented in a series of story arcs, which may have turned some fans off. One of the more memorable parts of this series, however, is that it gives an answer to the everlasting Newtype question.
Cast & Crew
Japanese Cast
- Carris Nautilus - Yuko Mizutani
- Ennil El - Chieko Honda
- Fixx Bloodman - Shin Aomori
- Garrod Ran - Wataru Takagi
- Jamil Neate - Kenyuu Horiuchi
- Lancerow Dawell - Hiroshi Takemura
- Olba Frost - Nozomu Sasaki
- Roybea Loy - Takumi Yamazaki
- Shagia Frost - Toshiyuki Morikawa
- Tiffa Adill - Mika Kanai
- Toniya Malme - Kotono Mitsuishi
- Witz Sou - Kazuya Nakai
- Zaider Rasso - Kazuhiko Kishino
Staff
- Director - Shinji Takamatsu
- Character Design - Nobuyoshi Nishimura
- Art Director - Masaru Sato
- Mecha Designer - Kunio Okawara & Junya Ishigaki
- Music - Yasuo Higuchi
Story Guide
Alternative Arc
- 01 - Is There A Moon?
- 02 - Power, For You
- 03 - My Mount is Fierce!
- 04 - Time Critical Operation
- 05 - You Pull the Trigger
Saint Angelo Arc
- 06 - I Don't Like It...
- 07 - I'm Going to Sell the Gundam!
- 08 - I Won't Forgive Him!
- 09 - Like the Rain on the Street
Fort Severn Arc
- 10 - I Am A Newtype
- 11 - Just Run Without Thinking!
- 12 - It's My Best Work
- 13 - I'm A Fool; Shoot Me
- 14 - Can You Hear My Voice!
At Hometown Arc
- 15 - I Wonder if There's A Heaven?
The Lorelei Arc
- 16 - Because I'm A Person Too
- 17 - Please Determine that for Yourself
- 18 - The Sea of Lorelei
- 19 - I Feel Like I'm Dreaming
Saint's Island Arc
- 20 - ...So We Meet Again
Zonda Epta Arc
- 21 - My Dead Wife's Favorite Saying
- 22 - The Ghost from 15 Years Ago
- 23 - My Dream is Real
- 24 - Double X, Activate!
Estard Arc
- 25 - You Are Our Star of Hope
- 26 - Don't Say Anything
- 27 - It is Time for Goodbye
- 28 - Must I Shoot?
Newtype Lab Arc
- 29 - Look At Me
- 30 - I Feel Like I May Never See You Again
Cloud 9 Arc
- 31 - Fly, Garrod!
- 32 - That's the G-Falcon!
- 33 - How do You Know Me?
- 34 - I Can See the Moon!
D.O.M.E. Arc
- 35 - I Will Not Let the Light of Hope Go Out
- 36 - The Next War is the War We Wanted
- 37 - Freeden, Launch!
- 38 - I Am D.O.M.E. People Once Called Me A Newtype
- 39 - The Moon Will Always be There
Openings & Endings
Openings:
- Dreams by ROmantic Mode (ep. 1-25)
- Resolution by ROmantic Mode (ep. 26-39)
Endings:
- Human Touch by Warren Wiebe (ep. 1-13, 39)
- Human Touch - Japanese Version by Re-Kiss (ep. 14-26)
- Gin-Iro Horizon (Silver Horizon) by Satomi Nakase (ep. 27-38)
See also
Preceded by: New Mobile Report Gundam W
Followed by: ∀ Gundam
External Links
- http://www.gundam-x.net/ : Gundam X's official site. In Japanese, only.
- Gundam Plus (http://www.gun-plus.com/) : For in depth information and large screenshot / gallery images on Gundam.