Review: I eventually found my footing in Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning-

 How do you pronounce "GQuuuuuuX"? Quickly. It's the question on everyone's mind, what would be the question on everyone's lips, were they brave enough to give that...word (?)...a try. Don't feel bad if you're too scared. It's one of the most intimidating strings of letters I've seen in a while. It looks like someone died at their keyboard, leaving one final, cryptic message to try to decode after the funeral, to no avail.

If you feel crazy looking at it, you're not alone. And in Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning-, a couple characters discuss how to pronounce it, landing on "geekwuks," I think. Something like that. In-universe, it's a code name for a mech that the characters encounter. In our world, it's a little special something to make non-nerds' eyes glaze over. And sometimes, we need that.

-Beginning- is, like last year's Dan Da Dan: First Encounter, a chance to catch the first few episodes of a new anime on the big screen. Unlike First Encounter, this one is pure show -- no talking heads/documentary stuff to intro. We get right into it. GKIDS seems to be firmly in the business of this sort of release, which isn't surprising considering the popularity of similar releases from other companies (such as the Demon Slayer theatrical experiences from the past couple years). I dig it as a chance to taste test a show with a giant screen and loud sound. Next month, they'll be at it again with Witch Watch: Watch Party, which I'm looking forward to.

I think I've been aware of Mobile Suit Gundam for most of my life. The giant white mech is iconic, and has been referenced in a lot of media. But I've never actually watched it, and I've spent most of my life probably mixing it up with Evangelion. I'm a late-comer to anime, so I find myself doing a lot of catching up while also trying to keep up with what's new and hot and fresh. So maybe I'll get around to it at some point, but for now, this is my entry point.

Which means I don't have a lot of context to provide here. I don't know if any of the characters I met today are from the previous show (shows?). Any Easter eggs went right over my head. -Beginning- starts with a lot of table-setting, a wartime prologue that introduces us to Char, a skilled pilot who says he alone can't turn the tide of the war, but whose actions speak otherwise. A reconnaissance mission he's leading turns into an all-out firefight, during which he finds a Gundam that suits him well. He commandeers it and, after a couple upgrades and a paint job, it becomes his flashy red mech. But during a crucial moment of a crucial mission, he mysteriously vanishes, Gundam and all. 

During this whole bit, I was a little lost. I was having trouble telling which side was which, who the "good guys" are, what the stakes were. I imagine people who know the franchise would've found firmer footing out of the gate, so it's kind of on me, but as the start of a new spin-off/sequel series/whatever, this also has an obligation to try to invite in new viewers. And for me, that invitation was a little shaky.

But after Char's disappearance, we get to what feels like the meat of the show. We land at one of the floating space colonies where humans have set up. We're following Amate (also known as Machu), a high schooler whose chance encounter with a courier on the run leads her to the world of illegal mech fighting. Amate looks like she was plucked out of a Pokémon game -- I love her pink/green hair. The characters she meets are full of personality, and finally gave me something to latch onto. They're a lot more interesting to me than the military-level characters, whose presence is still key in the show, but ultimately intertwine with Amate and her new friends.

The animation is gorgeous, with the action and explosions all bringing the necessary oomph, but I was even more taken by how great all the characters look, how expressive they are, how nice all their designs are. In a couple scenes, Amate encounters the "kira-kira", which is some sort of mystical floating field of color or something. Whatever it is, it's gorgeous and mysterious, and I'm sure we'll see more of it down the road.

As a theatrical package, -Beginning- works really well. I didn't feel episode breaks (aside from when we move on from the war to Amate's story), everything moves along pretty seamlessly. And while this is obviously only a sliver of the story, it doesn't end on some massive cliffhanger. Rather, it finds a nice stopping point that will leave you wanting to watch more but without feeling like you're being cheated or baited or whatever. It definitely did enough for me to get invested, especially when graffiti artist Shuji comes in toward the end. Something about his vibe really clicked with me, maybe his calm demeanor, maybe the little robot on his head. Maybe what he's revealed to have (I won't spoil it here). There's some mystery afoot! And I want to know more.