[Staff Spotlight! Uncovering Treasured Works] "Mobile New Century Gundam X" - Sci-Fi Robot Warfare Story by Shinji Takamatsu, director of "Bisho High School Chikyu Boueibu LOVE!

Staff Spotlight! Treasured Works Unearthed Part 3.

Anime is more interesting when you look at it through the staff connection!
In this column, anime writers introduce past good works that they would like to focus on in relation to the staff.

Bishio High School Chikyu Bouei Bouei Club LOVE!", which has been airing since January, is an original TV anime that takes a handsome, transformable bishoujo story and turns it into a very serious affair.

Director Shinji Takamatsu, who oversees production, has created many gag anime, including "Gintama" (2006, first director), "Everyday Life of High School Boys" (2012), and "Ixion Saga DT" (2012). Although his current specialty is parody-filled gag anime, he was a craftsman director at Sunrise in the 1990s, producing such signature works as "Yusha Tokkyu Might Ga-in" (1993), "Yusha Keisatsu Jidecker" (1994), and "Kogane Yusha Gordoran" (1995).

Among these, "Mobile New Century Gundam X" (1996) is notable as one of Director Takamatsu's best-known works.

Pure, warm, and unique "Gundam

Mobile New Century Gundam X" is not a "Gundam" from the so-called "Space Century Series," which is considered to be the canonical history of Gundam. For this reason, it is not highly regarded by Gundam fans. Even at the time of its broadcast, the time slot was moved and the number of episodes was shortened from the beginning to a total of 39 episodes, which was unfavorable treatment.

However, "Mobile New Century Gundam X" is, on the contrary, quite enjoyable for anime fans who do not have strong feelings for the "Gundam" series. It is especially interesting when viewed as an original work by director Takamatsu, a master of storytelling.

In a word, "Mobile New Century Gundam X" is a "boy meets girl pure heartwarming Gundam. Although it depicts the tragedy of war, there is something warm and fuzzy about the main character's personality and the story's touch that gives the impression of warmth.

Incidentally, the work itself is neither a gag anime nor a parody anime. Just to be clear.

Boy Meets Girl: A "postwar" adventure that begins with love at first sight

Mobile New Century Gundam X" is a "Gundam" without military personnel, a "Gundam" that depicts the post-war era. Although military personnel do appear, the main characters are not military. They are a group of ruffians called "vultures" and freelance mobile suit riders.

The English title of "Mobile New Century Gundam X" is "After War Gundam X. A.W. (After War)" means "after the war," and is also the chronology of the time period in the film. The story begins in the year A.W. 0015.

Fifteen years ago, there was a major war between the Earth Federation and the Space Revolutionary Army. As a result of a foolish exchange of power, several space colonies tragically fell to the ground, and the world's population plummeted to one-hundredth of its original size.

The protagonist, Garod Lang, is a bright, energetic boy who was born after the war and has survived on his own since losing his parents.

He makes a living by using his sense of engineering, which he inherited from his late father and parents, to nimbly defeat the marauding mobile suits that attack the city, and sell the machines and their parts. He is a jack-of-all-trades, but Garoad has no sense of sorrow. He has the positive thinking, tact, and strength to do what is necessary to survive.

Then, Garoad receives a request from a gentleman. He was asked by a gentleman to rescue a young girl who had been kidnapped by vultures. He boards the surface ship Frieden, where he meets a lonely, taciturn, beautiful girl named Tifa Adiel and falls in love with her at first sight. Then he learns that Tifa is being targeted because of her mysterious powers, and he runs away with her and meets the mobile suit Gundam X as he is led on a run.

A boy with a slightly sleazy life force happens to meet a mysterious and lonely girl, and they instantly connect with each other. This beginning has the flavor of a universal adventure tale, similar to "Laputa: Castle in the Sky" and others.

To borrow an expression from the preview of the film, "indomitable purity of heart" is an apt description of Garoad. Garoad is devotedly protective of Tifa and devotes himself to her pure heart. Tifa, who did not know how to express her emotions, responds to Garoad's feelings with a subdued manner, and eventually comes to know the emotion of love.

As their hearts gradually grow closer, the two try to live together in this harsh world, which is quite heartwarming.

One of the charms of the single-minded boy Garoad is his voice. He is played by Wataru Takagi, known for his roles as Genta Kojima and Detective Takagi in "Detective Conan. His voice has a mature tone for a boy actor, but this is what makes Garoad's "boyishness" so appealing. He is cheerful, free-spirited, and straightforward when it comes to love. The boyish innocence comes through well, and his interactions with Tifa are very funny.

Scars left by war: Where are the new types headed?

One of the keywords in "Mobile New Century Gundam X" is "Newtype," which refers to humans with new powers such as precognition, telepathy, and advanced cognitive abilities. 15 years ago, Newtypes were sent to the battlefield as tools of war in the Great War. The mobile suits Gundam X (model number: GX-9900) and Gundam DX (model number: GX-9901-DX) are mobile suits that can only be activated by the Newtype.

Tifa was born after the war and is a natural-born Newtype. Jamil Nieto, captain of the surface ship Frieden, which is the home of Garoad and Tifa, is a wartime hero and a Newtype who has lost his former powers. How the two live and what kind of future they hope for is directly related to the theme of the story.

Jamil wants to protect and find a wounded Newtype who is in the same situation as he is. As Frieden's journey progresses, new truths are revealed. As the pieces of the puzzle fit together, the hatred and deep emotional scars of so many people come to light, haunting the world like ghosts 15 years after the war. A new ambition moves in search of a new order, and a new spark is set in motion. Another war begins. ......

It is Garoad's desire to push through this reality that is straightforward and unwavering. Garoad has fallen in love with Tifa regardless of her being a Newtype, and he tries to protect her body and soul everywhere.

Garoad's gruffness also affects and saves Jamil, who has been burdened with great sin and trauma. Jamil then teaches Garoad himself what is important to him as a person. As a result, Garoad grows up and his view of the world expands. Mobile New Century Gundam X" is an unwavering story of Garoad's growth.

Due to the shortened broadcast period, the second half after episode 25 is a bit rushed, but the episodes are compact and the story is well told until the conclusion. You can rest assured that the story is well told up to its conclusion.

The narration in the next episode's preview, which is played over the ending, spoil the highlights quite sparingly. Some of the expressions are so spot-on that they are a bit amusing. This sense is similar to the vertically-written summary that Director Takamatsu currently specializes in, which appears on the program offering screen and in the previews. It would be good to enjoy this aspect of the film.

Director Takamatsu says that his goal with this film was to create a "Gundam that thinks about Gundam. As a result, some people believe that the "World War 15 years ago" and Tifa and the other "New Types" in the film symbolize the "Gundam" works up until this film. In this way, a metafictional allegory can be found in the story.

However, there is no problem in enjoying "Mobile New Century Gundam X" even if you discard such connotations. As Garoad exclaims in the film, feelings about the past wars and their causes are not something that should be imposed on "postwar children. Just as children who are forward-looking and unencumbered by the past are building their future, they should enjoy this adventure tale by separating it from the past series.

(Text by YAMAYU)