by In the currently airing anime “Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX,” “sparkle” is the keyword of the story. What on earth is that sparkling world that can be seen during the battle…? The answer to this mystery may be found in episode 41 of “Mobile Suit Gundam .”
The protagonist of the latest Gundam series, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, Amate Yuzuruha (CV: Tomoyo Kurosawa), is enveloped in a mysterious glow while fighting in a cutting-edge mobile suit. This “sparkle” seems to be deeply related to the abilities of Newtypes, but its true nature remains a mystery.
To explore the mystery of the sparkle, episode 41 of “Mobile Suit Gundam ” may provide a clue. Lalah Sune (voiced by Keiko Han) and Amuro Ray (voiced by Toru Furuya ), both Newtypes, are enemies, but they resonate with each other through battle. And they connect in a spiritual world where everything around them sparkles.
However, Char Aznable (voiced by Shuichi Ikeda) interrupts them, saying, “Stop talking nonsense with him!” bringing Lalah and Amuro back to reality. After a fierce battle, Lalah loses her life, leaving deep wounds in the hearts of Amuro and Char. The title of this 41st episode is, quite aptly, “The Shining Universe.”
In “Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuX,” not only “sparkle” but also “Lalala sound” appear as keywords. Is the “sparkle” in the anime the same phenomenon that Lalah and Amuro experienced? And does the ‘lalala’ sound have something to do with Lalah? It is surprising how the character Lalah Sune has a strong presence that has influenced subsequent works even after nearly 50 years since the broadcast.
The currently streaming anime series Mobile Suit Gundam is a robot anime produced by Sunrise, which aired from April 1979 to January 1980 and was directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino. It pioneered a new genre called “real robot anime” and had a massive impact on the robot anime that followed.
The show’s ratings were initially poor when it was first broadcast, but its popularity surged with reruns and theatrical releases, ultimately sparking a Gundam model boom. Many subsequent Gundam series and spinoffs have been produced, and the series remains popular to this day. A new anime series, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuX, is airing in April 2025.
