Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX Tomoyo Kurosawa x Yui Ishikawa x Simba Tsuchiya Official Interview

The advanced release of the movie Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- was released in January this year, followed by the TV series Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX starting on April 8. The story shocked Gundam fans and depicted the fate of three characters: Machu (Amate Yuzuriha), Nyaan, and Shuji Ito. We had Tomoyo Kurosawa as Machu, Yui Ishikawa as Nyaan, and Simba Tsuchiya as Shuji to delve into GQuuuuuuX.

―― I’ve hear that you three weren’t given the full details of the first part of Beginning during the recording.
Kurosawa: That’s right. We were told it will depict what happened before U.C. 0085, the setting of the main story, and that the outcome of the One Year War had been altered. However, we didn’t know exactly how it was changed, nor how that affected U.C. 0085 during the recording.
―― So you found out after watching the movie?
Kurosawa: Yes. Aside from what was in the script, we had no idea what Challia was carrying on his shoulder. His obsession with Char was a complete mystery to us the whole time.
―― That’s interesting.
Kurosawa: We finally understood the connection after watching Beginning.
Ishikawa: It all came together when I saw what he went through.
Tsuchiya: A lot of it made so much sense. I think Beginning helps viewers get into the TV series.
Kurosawa: Absolutely.
Tsuchiya: But I also want to say that there are a lot of important details hidden in the main TV series, so there’s plenty of story to look forward to. (laughs)

―― Let’s talk about the characters you portray. What kind of character is Machu to you, Kurosawa-san?
Kurosawa: She lives with her somewhat well-off family in the Izuma Colony within Side 6. Her mother is a government official, and she attends an elite girls’ school. She has a strong desire for freedom and the truth. Side 6 is sort of an artificial city, so she feels she’s been trapped in a fabricated environment built on a false sense of peace. From the beginning, she’s talking about things like “the true sky” and “the true ocean”, so I think she’s sensitive to those things.
―― I believe the audition material described her as a “mannish and coquettish girl”, right? How did you interpret that?
Kurosawa: Mannish and coquettish are such contradictory traits. Does she look mannish but act coquettish? Or does she seem coquettish but is actually mannish? When I asked at the audition, all I got was “No, she’s both mannish and coquettish,” (laughs). As I went through the recordings, I gradually understood director Tsurumaki’s taste and finally was able to grasp Machu’s character. I believe she’s a character crafted to reflect his preferences.
―― I see you nodding in agreement, Ishikawa-san. How did you see Machu from Nyaan’s perspective?
Ishikawa: Machu is hungry for stimulation and excitement. Nyaan, on the other hand, craves love. To her, Machu and Shuji are the friends she’s never had, which makes her want to stay close to them.
―― So she’s drawn to Machu, even if they live in totally different worlds.
Ishikawa: I think there’s also a sense of admiration for a privileged life. I wonder what will become of the two…
Kurosawa: Fufufu.
―― Tsuchiya-san, what is your take on Machu?
Tsuchiya: My first impression? She’s a cicada. (laughs)
Kurosawa/Ishikawa: A cicada?! (laughs)
Tsuchiya: Yes, a cicada sleeping underground. She’s been buried her whole life, but believes that something is waiting for her in the outside world.
Kurosawa: Won’t she die in like a week or two? That’s so sad (laughs).
Tsuchiya: No, no, not like that (laughs). I mean the way she questions the world. It’s like she suddenly becomes aware of that teenage discomfort—of society, of her own life.

―― My next question is about Nyaan. She takes a shady job to make ends meet.
Ishikawa: She doesn’t really have a choice, but I think she’s lucky enough to survive that kind of life. Courage isn’t her strong suit, but she manages to pull through with what she takes on. On the other hand, she’s shy when it comes to social connections, including her relationship with Machu. During recording, I was told to “always keep in mind that her conversations don’t always click,” to reflect her personality.
―― How did you see Nyaan through Machu’s eyes?
Kurosawa: Their lives are so different that there’s a big disconnect in how they understand each other’s intentions. There are some moments when they feel they’ve connected, but their next actions completely miss, leaving them in awkward situations. It’s like, “Weren’t we close friends?” I thought the relationship was moving forward, but…
Ishikawa: Then we take a few steps back. (laughs)
Kurosawa: Yeah. (laughs) But there’s a part of us wanting to be together.
Ishikawa: Nyaan’s thinking, “We could get along if you’d just look at me more,” but Machu’s like, “Yeah, we’re good!” and before I know it, she’s already taken off.
―― Tsuchiya-san, how did you see Nyaan?
Tsuchiya: Nyaan seems cool and collected, but deep down, she has a burning passion. That really stands out to Shuji, which is why he finds her so intriguing.

―― Let’s move on to Shuji. He’s positioned as the mysterious young man piloting the Red Gundam.
Tsuchiya: There was one particular line in the audition where director Tsurumaki and I had the same interpretation of how to portray Shuji and his character. I held on to that during the recording sessions. But it turns out the answers he gave me when I asked questions didn’t even cover the full scope of the movie, which was just a sneak peek of the whole story. (laughs)
―― Sounds like he withheld information to steer your performance.
Tsuchiya: Let’s just say it was a lot more than “some information.” (laughs)
―― How did Machu and Nyaan see him?
Kurosawa: What did you think of this guy?
Ishikawa: Oh yeah, this guy…
Kurosawa: He’s the kind of guy girls get pulled into.
Tsuchiya: But everything about him screams danger. (laughs)
―― And this guy is piloting the Red Gundam.
Tsuchiya: Makes you wonder why, doesn’t it? (laughs)
Kurosawa: It was bugging Challia Bull too.

―― Did the recordings give you a new perspective of the Gundam series?
Kurosawa: Recordings were about once a month, sometimes with gaps of more than a month, and in the end, the whole process took over a year. If we’d recorded weekly, I might not have fully grasped this mysterious story by the end. The time we had between sessions gave us the opportunity to communicate when we got together, and I believe that helped out a lot.
Ishikawa: I agree. If it were a regular recording schedule, I could’ve forgotten a lot of the content and left it as something I don’t understand. Spending over a year on the project allowed me to pick up on details during the recordings and gave me the time to read over the script to understand the character’s feelings. We absolutely needed that time. I also think each recording session was longer than usual.
Kurosawa: Yeah. Our first recording session almost went on until midnight.
Ishikawa: It was tough to grasp the characters and the story, but the long sessions helped build a strong sense of camaraderie with the team.
―― Since you were working on this project for so long, do you feel it helped you grow?
Ishikawa: Hmm… Did it? (asking Tsuchiya)
Kurosawa: Shuji didn’t have many lines.
Tsuchiya: No, he didn’t. Shuji isn’t quirky per se, but we don’t know why he’s here, nor do we know where he came from, so I felt a lot of pressure (to grasp his character). But this pressure helped me become sensitive to what’s going on around me.
Kurosawa: I remember you asking the most questions to director Tsurumaki, but he would always reply with a smile and a “maybe.” (laughs) We never got the precise answer, so we had to try one thing, and if it didn’t click, we’d try another.
―― So he was like, “something something, director says so”
Tsuchiya: Yeah, just like that! (laughs)
Kurosawa: His “maybe” was just as memorable as Shuji’s “Gundam says so.” (laughs)
Ishikawa: There are even some lines that we still don’t know which recording will make it into the production.
Tsuchiya: There are a lot of them.
Ishikawa: There were so many variations—not just in the physical distance between characters, but also in whether we were facing each other or speaking back-to-back.
Kurosawa: We also have recordings like only me recognizing Nyaan, and Nyaan also recognizing me. I’ll probably be anxious to see which one made it into the show when watching it on TV. (laughs)

―― Is there antying you want to say to the fans looking forward to GQuuuuuuX?
Kurosawa: Some industry veterans who know Gundam well have been guessing or even worrying that it’s going to be a serious, heavy story. But is it, really?
Tsuchiya: Well… as Shuji, there's not much I’m allowed to say… (laughs)
Kurosawa: I’d say we didn’t suffer that much.
Ishikawa: Yeah… well, maybe a little.
Kurosawa: Anyway, I hope you’ll watch and find out for yourselves!