Reception
According to Japan's Weekly The Television magazine, the series' terrestrial broadcast ratings reportedly peaked at 6.2% with the first episode, then declined over the first ten episodes, averaging 4.3% during the first two quarters.[18] A decision was subsequently made to shorten the broadcast from a planned year to a final 39 episodes; Sunrise's official catalog confirms a 39-episode run from April 5 to December 28, 1996, on TV Asahi.[19] In the key Kantō market, the TV Asahi broadcast was also moved from a Friday 5:00 p.m. slot to Saturday 6:00 a.m. beginning with episode 27, a change noted in period summaries of the show's performance.[20]
In Japan, contemporary ratings troubles colored perception during the 1996 broadcast, but later critical retrospectives have been more favorable. Writing for culture outlet Real Sound, critic Haruka Ihara highlighted protagonist Garrod Ran as "the most down-to-earth hero in the Gundam lineage," arguing that the show's human-scale road narrative and emphasis on "life after war" distinguish it within the franchise's alternate-universe cycle.[21] A separate Real Sound column likewise framed the series' curtailed run as "ironically clarifying" its themes, noting that the finale "lands with restraint rather than spectacle," and crediting the Garrod–Tiffa relationship for giving the narrative a consistent emotional axis.[22] Mainstream tech/entertainment press has echoed these points in coverage tied to later digital availability; for example, Dengeki Online introduced a late-series episode by spotlighting how Gundam X treats Newtypes "not as a miracle, but as an ability," and by underscoring the show's focus on character relationships over escalating set pieces.[23]
Reception in the West has been more polarized. Reviewing Nozomi's DVD release, Lauren Orsini of Anime News Network argued that the cancellation "might be the best thing that could have happened," noting that while the series "begins sluggishly," the shortened run forces it to "pick up the pace" and ultimately "concludes cleanly" within the time it has.[24] Other critics were harsher: John Oppliger of AnimeNation dismissed the series for having "absolutely no likeable characters," describing it as a test of "aggravation tolerance,"[20] while Carlos Ross of THEM Anime Reviews called it "bland," criticizing its bleak tone and limited emotional range, and ultimately deeming it "downright mediocre."[25]
At the same time, more favorable appraisals have also emerged in Western commentary. A retrospective review praised the series for offering "everything I want in an anime: an interesting but easy to understand storyline, great characters with their own lives and backstories, beautiful animation, a great soundtrack, great twists," highlighting its ability to resonate even with viewers unfamiliar with the wider Gundam franchise.[26] Similarly, the site Mechanical Anime Reviews emphasized the show's hopeful outlook despite its grim setting, describing it as "a powerful force of good and hope" and praising protagonist Garrod Ran as "a complete, awkward dork that dares to challenge fate."[27]
As a result, while After War Gundam X is frequently cited as a weaker performer in terms of ratings and merchandise during its initial run, later Japanese and Western commentary has recognized both its flaws and its strengths: uneven pacing early on versus a tighter back half for some Western reviewers,[24] and, in Japan, enduring appreciation for its grounded tone, road-movie structure, and focus on ordinary people surviving the ruins of war.[7][8]
