Immediately after the broadcast, the internet was in utter chaos with comments like "I got goosebumps the moment I heard the intro" and "The combo of the original plus the Char's Counterattack song is absolutely unfair." The appearance of the RX-78-2 alone was shocking enough, but when "BEYOND THE TIME"—a "sound directly connected to memory"—overlapped with it, the excitement instantly surpassed its critical point.

This song resonated not just as a mere insert song, but more like a declaration to the story. Many viewers likely felt as if they were being confronted with the message that "the world of GQuuuuuuX is no longer a safe 'what if'" as it played alongside the appearance of the canonical Gundam.

Furthermore, after the broadcast, Studio Khara's official X account posted what was attributed as a comment from Hideaki Anno: "Those guys really did it!!" This also became a hot topic. Emotions that couldn't be contained, such as "The history of Gundam is changing" and "Are they trying to end Gundam!?" overflowed across the internet.

The original Gundam and the theme song of "Char's Counterattack"—the ending of episode 11, which simultaneously thrust both the "origin" and the "culmination" of the series at viewers, was a shocking blow demonstrating that "GQuuuuuuX" has dragged the "official history" into the center of its narrative.

"Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX" is the latest installment in the "Mobile Suit Gundam" series that has continued since 1979. It tells the story of Amate Yuzuriha, a high school girl living peacefully in a space colony floating in space, who becomes embroiled in the illegal mobile suit duel competition "Clan Battle" through her encounter with a girl named Nyaan.

The joint production between Studio Khara, which has worked on the "Evangelion: New Theatrical Edition" series, and Sunrise became a hot topic. The theatrical advance screening released in January 2025, ahead of the TV series, recorded a massive hit with box office revenue of approximately 3.4 billion yen. In June 2025, it was re-screened in 368 theaters nationwide, and a special event was held at North America's largest anime event "Anime Expo 2025," gaining popularity both domestically and internationally.

(C)SOTSU·SUNRISE

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