Evangelion’s Hideaki Anno is only providing support for new Gundam GQuuuuuux, its real creator is FLCL director Kazuya Tsurumaki, staff emphasizes 

Since Bandai Namco’s announcement of the brand-new Gundam TV anime series Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, fans and media alike have been focusing on Hideaki Anno’s involvement (including the headline of our own article). While Anno is credited as the title’s co-writer, a member of the team has stepped in to redirect some of the spotlight to Kazuya Tsurumaki, the anime’s director. 

In a post on his personal X account, veteran mecha designer Ikuto Yamashita told fans that, “Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX is the work of director Kazuya Tsurumaki. He will make all the decisions. Anno may step in to provide support from the sidelines, but that’s all.” Ending on a humorous note, Yamashita adds, “That said, Anno is Khara’s president, so he checks things while they’re in progress. We’re trying to put off showing him things until the last moment so that he doesn’t turn the tables on us or try to meddle.” 

Kazuya Tsurumaki, the director of Gundam GQuuuuuuX, is a veteran animator often referred to as the protege of Anno. He did a lot of assistant direction work on Neon Genesis Evangelion at Gainax, and debuted as a full-fledged director with the acclaimed experimental anime series FLCL. He went on to work as a director on Diebuster, Khara’s Rebuild of Evangelion tetralogy, and The Dragon Dentist. 

The new peculiarly named installment of the Gundam series will primarily be the creative work of Tsurumaki, as Yamashita wanted us to know. His post has also made fans eager to find out what kind of “meddling” Anno will get up to. 

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX is set to air on Japanese TV. Information on the overseas release is TBA. Prior to the TV series’ initial broadcast, a movie version using edited episodes will be coming to theaters in Japan on January 17 under the title Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning-.