The story starts promisingly, depicting the lives of a scavenger crew as they travel a post-apocalyptic world. It is through these adventures that new characters, motifs, and plotlines are introduced: it works well, and operates similarly to Gundam 79 with enough differences in the setting to set it apart. Regrettably, the last cour dissolves these differences for the sake of producing a sappy ending, with the writing being about as subtle as Wing’s. In this aspect the journey is definitely better than the destination, with the adventures in the settlement of Fort Severn and seawater battles standing out from the rest of the pack. I wouldn’t mind an OVA or side story in the setting, as there is some good potential here. It’s just a shame that the direction the show takes is so lackluster. One thread that I do enjoy is the love story - it’s heartwarming, effective, and has tangible effects on the characters and their attitudes. I believe it’s a strong point in its favor that saves the plot from total mediocrity.
In terms of characters, it is a relief that the antagonist twins are the only ones that fall into similar pitfalls as the story. At first, the older brother is defined by his even-keeled nature and belief in superstitions, using tarot cards to draw the duo's fortune in battle: this was a cool moment when it was first introduced, but is never used again. I am certain there is a logical explanation for this, but it doesn't solve the problem that the twins are pretty flat otherwise. The younger one is even worse: his defining traits are that he’s protective and ends all of his sentences with nii-san. I can understand that they have a greater endgame in the story, but they are a boring pair nonetheless. The upshot to this is that the minor antagonists get to shine on-screen: the archetypal crazed raiders, genteel warlords, and all the rest are more than welcome after the wooden twins spit out their lines. The supporting characters are excellent as well - they’re cheeky yet good-natured, providing solid levity whenever there’s slack or exposition. Very few of them are batshit crazy like the ones in Zeta or ZZ, which will either sour or please viewers with little room in between. The protagonist’s arc is an interesting inversion of what I’ve come to expect from a Gundam series - I won’t spoil it, but I believe it works in the show’s favor. A good showing overall.
The animation is something I am lukewarm on. The designs look like outtakes from Wing, and the artstyle can look pretty rudimentary at times. A benefit to this is that the action is quite fluid, with movement and dynamism to back it up. A couple of the designs are nice, like the Bertigo and Virsago chest break. The character design is my least favorite part of the whole deal, but can be forgiven when the characters themselves are generally entertaining.
The sound is serviceable but unmemorable. I think people sing the OPs’ praises enough for it to go without examination, and the Human Touch makes for a nice ED. But while the sound effects do their job suitably, the BGM is weakly nondescript. Not much to love here.
To conclude, After War Gundam X is a series that is not a trainwreck, but not quite a success either. It’s something to pick and choose pieces from to enjoy: certain mobile suits, openings, characters, etc. Even so, it’s a lot more consistent than lesser efforts like IGLOO and ZZ - I would like to think that the silver linings it carries make it worth a try.
