When Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX (pronounced “G-kwuuks”), the latest entry in the long-running military sci-fi anime franchise, was first announced in December 2024, the majority of focus was on the fact that none other than Neon Genesis Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno would be working on the series.
While Anno is indeed integral to GQuuuuuuX, he’s not the director; that would be Kazuya Tsurumaki, the maverick mind behind the epochal anime hit FLCL and 2004’s Diebuster. A protege of Anno’s, Tsurumaki has come into his own over the years as a creator who garners notoriety and respect among his peers and fans, with Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX marking his first major directorial project after co-directing the new theatrical versions of Evangelion alongside Masayuki, Mahiro Maeda, and Katsuichi Nakayama.
Polygon spoke to Tsurumaki via an interpreter about the origins behind Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, his motivations in attempting to tell a “Cold War alternate-history” version of Yoshiyuki Tomino’s iconic mecha anime, and what it’s like to reflect back on the legacy FLCL has left behind.
[Ed. note: This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.]
Polygon: In recent interviews, you’ve stressed that Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX isn’t a parallel universe story, but an “alternate-history war chronicle.” Why is it important that audiences understand that distinction?
Kazuya Tsurumaki: When it comes to the Gundam series, it’s often said there are two main pillars. One would be the Universal Century, and then the other would be the alternative [continuity]. So, whenever there is a new release, the fans will ask, “Which [one] is it going to be?” And in fact, for the most recent movie, it can fit into that question, but it actually can be a totally different framework. That is what is extremely interesting in terms of the positioning of this project. So it is, in a sense, part of the Universal Century series, but it’s not as we’ve known it; it’s actually something quite different from what we have previously known, and that is something that we really like to communicate and put across through the movie.
Yōji Enokido, the co-writer of Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, said that you and he used to talk about Gundam a lot while working together on FLCL, and that you joked about making a Gundam anime about Challia Bull. What is it about Bull as a character that fascinates you, and why was it important for him to play a role in Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX?
That’s maybe a difficult question to answer, but let me try. So when I am trying to portray one series within the universal century, I felt that it’s very important for me that I create a Gundam that [deals with the concept of] Newtypes. I know that this is a very important concept that I really wanted to interpret and incorporate into the movie. So when I look into the world, there are actually various characters, but I felt that the Challia Bull has a very unique positioning. And I would say that his character is a more mature character because when it comes to the Newtype characters [like Amuro Ray or Kamille Bidan], they tend to be more immature, more childish, maybe naive and unstable. But when I’m trying to portray a [Newtype] character, I want to portray someone that is a more mature adult. And in terms of Bull, I felt that that part of him has not been fully communicated or portrayed before. So I felt this expression will expand the understanding of this character. That’s the reason why I chose him as an important part in this movie.
Image: Sunrise, Studio Khara/Amazon
I understand that Clan Battles, the two-person fighting sequences seen in Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, were your idea. They reminded me of the episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion where Shinji and Asuka worked together to fight an Angel using a dance routine. Did your work on the Evangelion franchise at all inspire your work on Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX?
The idea of Clan Battles was not directly influenced by Evangelion. However, in Neon Genesis Evangelion, there was an episode where Shinji and Asuka had to synchronize to attack Angels, and in Evangelion: New Theatrical Edition, there was an episode featuring a double entry plug system where two pilots had to synchronize to operate one Evangelion unit together. When depicting characters in battle stories, I found the idea of two characters having to cooperate interesting, so I’m now using that concept in Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX.
It’s been over 25 years since your directorial debut on FLCL — how do you feel you have grown as a director since working on that anime? How have your tastes and sensibilities changed?
You are right; it’s actually been over 20 years since I created FLCL. But from my end, I really don’t think that I have grown that much. [laughs] I will be actually 59 years old, but within myself, I consider myself to be in my mid-thirties. And therefore, in terms of mentality, I really don’t think that I have changed much or grown much from the times that I was making FLCL. But one thing that I can definitely say is, with regards to physical strength, I do feel that I am aging. So unlike before it’s very hard for me to really push myself to work extravagant hours.
Image: Sunrise, Studio Khara/Amazon
Are you at all surprised by the fandom that FLCL has amassed over the past 25 years? Did you know that a reanimation of the “Brittle Bullet” episode, drawn by over 300 animators, is premiering on the series’ 25th anniversary this weekend?
I actually was not aware of that event! So when initially we created FLCL, we did not make it so that it would be appreciated. Over the years, I just produced something that I wanted to make at that time, and as a result, it turns out that it is still very much appreciated. But we really did not anticipate this coming. And one thing that I can say, however, is that there are a lot of fans who appreciate it. So for example, the main theme song this time [for Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX] is handled by Kenshi Yonezu, and he actually told me that he thought that FLCL was extremely fun and exciting. So from time to time, I do hear these comments and they tell me that they love FLCL, so it really makes me feel good that I worked hard to create that piece.
This isn’t your first time reimagining a beloved mecha franchise. You co-directed the new theatrical version of Evangelion films with Hideaki Anno and others, and before that you directed Diebuster, the sequel to Anno’s Gunbuster. What has been the most challenging and exciting part for you in reimagining Mobile Suit Gundam?
For [Neon Genesis Evangelion], I was a part of the original staff. Therefore, for me to be involved in the remake, I felt that I just needed to pursue my responsibility within what I am used to and I worked hard for that. For Gunbuster, actually, I can say that I am a huge fan, to be honest with you. I think maybe I am the number one fan of Gunbuster in Japan. So for me to be making the new series, I felt that it was actually a natural goal and I was very confident in handling the new series. But when it comes to Gundam, it was a little different. I am a fan, but I am not such a huge fan that I felt confident enough to make a new Gundam series. So when the producer proposed to me about this idea at the beginning, I was a little puzzled and I told them that maybe I lack the confidence.
Image: Sunrise, Studio Khara/Amazon
You’ve described Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX as a “Cold War” story, with characters who are living in the midst of secret war being waged between Zeon and the remnants of the Earth Federation resistance. What does it mean to you to tell a “Cold War” story?
The first director of Gundam, Mr. Yoshiyuki Tomino, he actually knew [the experience of] physical war. Obviously, he was not actually participating in the battle, but I do believe that he was there. He lived through World War II, he knew the atmosphere of what it was like. However, I personally do not know about physical war. I only know about the Cold War. So during my boyhood, I could actually have that sense of the Cold War. There is no direct battle going on close to me, but I was afraid we don’t know when a war might break out and when. And so those are the experiences that I’ve had in my boyhood. And I felt that because of that experience, I could actually portray that in this series.
As both the director of Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX and fan of the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise, what is your personal favorite Mobile Suit?
Hmm… Gelgoog is my favorite Mobile Suit.
Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX airs new episodes on Prime Video every Wednesday.
