T5W#396-Top 5 Ways The Witch From Mercury is Different from Other Gundam Series

A couple of nights ago, I watched the first episode of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, in English with a good friend and theu noted how…different the series was compared to other Gundam shows of the past.  While they didn’t like it, they at least got the point I, and other Gundam fans, have known for a while.  The Witch From Mercury has quickly become a crowd favorite for long time fans, casual fans and even non Gundam fans because of the unique number of changes its made to the Gundam formula, arguably making it one of the most talked about Gundam shows in a long time (probably since 00 or SEED).  With the Second Season coming our way April 9^th, two days after Gundam celebrates it’s 44^th Anniversary, today I’m gonna cover the Top 5 Ways The Witch From Mercury is Different from Other Gundam Series and show you why if you haven’t been watching this show, you might be missing out on a show that deserves all the hype and chatter its been getting.

 
#5-Femme Char

Mobile Suit Gundam’s Char Aznable made such an impression with his iconic Darth Vader inspired look in 1979 that every Gundam series has tried to replicate both the look and his character.  To my knowledge, there hasn’t been a Woman to bear a Char ensemble to date.  Enter Prospera, Suletta’s Mother.  Not only is her character shrouded in mystery, her motivations are even murkier.  Prospera, like Char, is proving to be a master manipulator of her own chess board, with her most valuable piece being her daughter.  Also akin to the Red Comet, Prospera seems dead set on revenge against the Corporations that tore her family apart and she isn’t above playing dirty to get her revenge…even if she has to use her very impressionable daughter to do so.

 
#4-Giant Robo School Rumble

I was kind of worried about the announced school setting for The Witch From Mercury.  We don’t come to Gundam for school lessons and after school clubs.  Luckily, the Asticassia School of Technology has a special committee that allows disputes among students to be settled in duels, specifically Mobile Suit Duels.  This is kind of similar to a certain Anime I’ll talk about later but for this point, this is a way to keep the show fun while also calling back to one on one bouts like those seen in G Gundam or even Gundam Build Fighters.  There’s also the added caveat that each participant must put something on the line if they want to battle, whether it’s the keys to their Mobile Suit or their relationship with a girlfriend, boyfriend or fiancée…again more on this in a bit.

 
#3-Corporate Wars

A common trait in every Gundam series is the civil unrest between those living on Earth and those living in Space; Earth Federation and Zeon; Earth Alliance and ZAFT; Gallajhorn and just about everybody.  There’s hardly ever a time when the two populaces are ever on good terms for more than a couple of years.  G Witch changes things up a bit with the overarching dispute and the players.  While Earth is still in rough shape, the main conflict of the series isn’t between two major military forces but rather the Corporations responsible for making Mobile Suits.  It adds a layer of intrigue as each organization fights their own little secret war with underhanded tactics from trades to bribes to straight up assassnations.  And when all of that fails, there’s still sending in a good old Mobile Suit murder team to get your way.

 
#2-A Romance that’d make Utena & Anthy proud

The moment it was announced that Suletta Mercury and Miroine Rembran would be the two central leads of G Witch AND that Miorine would name Suletta her “Groom”, every Anime fan went to the same place: Revolutionary Girl Utena.  In this classic Bishojou Anime, Utena Tenjou comes to a dueling academy to become a Prince and ends up winning the heart of Anthy the Rose Bride.  Their romance is one of the most influential and important for the Anime medium partly due to their same sex relationship.  Once again, I cant think of a Gundam Anime where the main characters are both girls and have been romantically involved.  Ok so by the end of Season One theyre not quite there yet (far from it now thanks to that cliffhanger actually).  But there’s still something to be said about the growing closeness between Suletta and Miorine, the former being nearly incapable of fitting into society and the latter trying to break the shackles of her own upbringing and forge her own path.  The near romantic chemistry between these two has been a major draw for new fans and I’m hoping Season Two starts to push them even closer.
 

#1-First Female Protag

Let’s be clear about one thing: girls play just as vital a role in Gundam as any of the boys.  However, they’ve mostly been relegated to supporting roles and the only major milestone is Haman Kahn being the only lead Female Villain of a Gundam Series in Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ.  Suletta Mercury holds the distinction of being the first Female Lead of a Gundam story.  As I said earlier, she’s socially awkward and hardly what you’d call a bad ass but that’s part of her initial charm as well.  She’s cute but not to be trifled with when she gets in the Ariel’s cockpit.  But there’s also a very, very alarming level of concern when it comes to Suletta’s rather malleable mind and her Mothers twisted motivations.  One need look no further than that Season One cliffhanger to see that Suletta might be even more messed up than some of Gundams more notorious child soldiers like Mikazuki from Iron Blooded Orphans, Setsuna from Gundam 00 or Heero Yuy from Gundam Wing.  Suletta has been well received amongst the fan base and personally I cant wait to see how she overcomes the hurdles that lay before her so she can rise to stand of the pedestal of Legend alongside her fellow Gundam Protags.