 After War Gundam X (Alternate title: New Mobile Century Gundam X) Following the phenomenal success of New Mobile Report Gundam Wing, After War Gundam X premiered in April 1996. Directed by mecha veteran Shinji Takamatsu (Brave Express Might Gaine, School Rumble), this series was the third of Bandai's alternate universes, and the last Gundam series to air for several years before 1999's Turn A Gundam. Because of a familiar backstory, the series can almost be viewed as a 'what if' on the Universal Century's One Year War. What if a Zeon-like organization had dropped dozens of colonies instead of just one and destroyed Earth's surface? What if most of the world's population died, leaving the survivors in a ruined Mad Max-like world? That basic premise is the setting of Gundam X, which uses the After War (AW) calendar. The star of this series is fifteen year old Garrod Ran, a member of the Vulture scavenger group that searches the wasteland for old technology. While the series had an intriguing concept, it was canceled after only 39 episodes, just 10 short of the intended 49. Why was it canceled? There are several theories as to the reason, but no clear evidence for any particular one. What is clear is that the series was moved from a favorable Friday afternoon time slot to a dismal early Saturday morning one. The series is available on DVD in Japan, but it hasn't been released in the U.S. |