Written by Jonathan Klotz | Published
Gundam is one of the longest running sci-fi franchises, dating back to 1979 with Mobile Suit GundamDuring that time, it has been filled with different timelines, but there is one that stands out among the others, for better and for worse. Post-War Gundam X Set in a post-apocalyptic world, the film explores the series’ themes of war and suffering from a different direction, namely after the damage has already been done. On paper, this sounds like a great canvas to paint on another sci-fi masterpiece series, but in practice, every good idea is immediately undermined by some of the worst pacing in franchise history and the disastrous ending.
Post-apocalyptic Gundam
Post-War Gundam X It starts with mercenary Garrod Ren on a simple rescue mission to save a young girl named Tiffa, but since he doesn’t get much information about her, you can see one of the twists coming from a mile away. Sure enough, Garrod ends up joining the Vultures, the group that has been holding Tiffa captive, after his client turns his hand. It’s a standard start for countless anime, but the bigger problem is that even a mecha battle in a nuclear plant about to explode won’t be able to overcome the painfully slow pace.
There’s no intrigue between rival factions trying to rebuild civilization, and although the Vultures are interesting characters, it takes more than a dozen episodes to get there. Post-War Gundam X It eventually tends to introduce Newtypes in this alternate universe, competing philosophies about the nature of humanity and governance, and the usual staples of the franchise, but by the time that happens, most viewers will have long since given up. The back third of the 36-episode series starts to pick up the pace to make up for all the good parts of the story and cram it into 12 episodes, but that’s not enough to redeem the show.
Short and undeveloped pieces
Cramming in multiple episodes worth of character development, discoveries, and mecha battles is very strange, and clearly wasn’t the original plan. Post-War Gundam X It flopped in Japan when it first aired in 1996, and the number of episodes was reduced as a result, from 49 to 39. The plot lines are not developed, but there is a conclusive ending, which should just embrace the gloom and anger of the world instead. It ends on a hopeful and inspiring note for other Gundam shows. It works as a Gundam deconstruction, but that’s not even enough to rise to the level of a hidden gem.
Jarrod, Tifa, Jamil, Enel, Rubia, none of the characters Post-War Gundam X They appear on any fan lists of the best characters from the series, and even the Gundam models, including the GX-9901-DX and its moon-based satellite cannon attack, fail to leave much of an impression on fans. As a result, this is one of the more obscure entries in the long-running series, ranking even lower in the rankings Mobile suit The compilation films, and while they will mostly appeal to completists, there are worse anime options. Befitting her status as the forgotten black sheep of the franchise, Post-War Gundam X It’s not streaming on Netflix or Crunchyroll like the rest, but it’s free on Tubi, so it’s at least cheap to watch.