T5W#443-Top 5 (Happy) Romances in Gundam

When it comes to the subject of “Love” in the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise, it’s rarely a happy topic.  In fact, in keeping with the “War is Hell” message, most potential or official romances are ruined by tragedy, usually involving one or both members of the couple perishing at the hands of a giant robot: Amuro Ray and Lalah Sune; Kamille Bidan and Four Muramase; Chris Mackenzie and Bernie Wiseman (ok those two never officially hooked up but they were into each other).  Point is, Love and Gundam don’t exactly mix.  Which is why it’s always refreshing to see romance blossom and somehow make it to the end of a brutal conflict.  Todays Top 5 Wednesday is going to highlight those pairings that don’t end up meeting a tearjerking fate in a Gundam story.  These are my Top 5 (Happy) Romances in Gundam.  Quick note: having conflict in a relationship comes with any tale of true love.  The point is, these couples reach the end of their respective show or movie intact and still very much in love.

 
#5-Shiro Amada and Aina Sahalin (Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08^th MS Team)

The Universal Century is fraught with tragic romances across decades, but Shiro and Aina’s thankfully isnt one of them.  From their first encounter, these two are incredibly cute together: Shiro the handsome and cunning Feddie Captain and Aina the Zeon Test Pilot with Girl Next Door looks. Even though they only share about a third of the show’s screentime together (maybe less actually), 08^th MS Team really makes you care about the love these two share.  Thankfully, these two don’t get the Romeo and Juliet treatment and actually get a happy ending…granted part of that involves Shiro losing a leg but hey, the last we see of them in the Series Finale, Aina’s very much pregnant, so it’s a small price to pay for true love.

 
#4-Suletta Mercury and Miorine Rembran (Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury)

These two could not be more opposite.  Suletta is a constantly stuttering nervous wreck and Miorine is a no nonsense business woman in the making.  Together, these two brought out the best sides of one another, even if Miorine had to do something she knew would hurt Suletta deeply just to help her become her own person.  These two became incredibly popular during G Witch’s run and their will they/wont they romance amongst the Giant Robot Action got non Gundam fans to turn in week after week.  The conclusion of their story is a bit iffy amongst the fan base (Spoiler Alert though: They do make it to the end, hence why their on this list).  But I’ll touch more on that when I get to review Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury this April.
 

#3-Domon Kasshu and Rain Mikamura (Mobile Fighter G Gundam)

Honestly, this pairing is both spending and kind of frustrating to watch. Domon may be the ultimate kicker of ass but for the bulk of the first part of the series, he really takes Rain’s support lightly.  I mean come on dude, she’s your best friend and she’s a total 10/10 who can do anything from medical needs to sharp shooting to even piloting the Gundam if need be.  Thankfully, Domon’s penchant for thinking with his fists dies down in the back half and as Rain begins to distance herself from him, he begins to see how much he does need her.  It all culminates in the ultimate act of true love: performing a dual ultimate finishing move on a demonic Gundam and saving the world in the process.
 

#2-Kati Manacan and Patrick Colasaur (Mobile Suit Gundam 00)

God I wish these two had more episodes just dedicated to their unexpected romantic subplot.  Patrick is the most egotistical of pilots (and much needed comic relief in a super serious series).  But once he meets Kati, his demeanor changes.  After a while, even Kati has to relent and give him a try and after that, it’s locked in.  Patrick dedicates his heart and soul to the woman he forever calls “Colonel” even after she’s promoted and even Kari begins to soften when she finds out Patrick joined her in the A-Laws just to make sure she’s safe.  Seeing these two get married is one of the best endings for any character (especially after it looked like Patrick finally bit it in the Series Finale).  And probably my favorite scene from the 00 Movie is seeing them act like a true loving, married couple for even a few minutes.  This relationship should not work but dammit I love it as much as Patrick and Kati love each other.
 

#1-Bright Noa and Mirai Yashima (Mobile Suit Gundam)

The funny thing about this love story is how subtle it is.  Throughout the original Gundam series, Bright is the commanding officer of White Base while Mirai is the ships pilot.  As things progress, these two become confidantes and Bright finds himself leaning on Mirai for advice often and he admits he always wants the two of them to be on the same page.  You can feel something deeper blossoming between the two even if it isnt outright shown.  At one point when Mirai’s falling for Sleger (we all make mistakes), Bright privately tells her that while he’ll support her,  he’ll always wait for her no matter what.  Dammit why didn’t we see these two kiss at least once?  Well at least Bright and Mirai did go on to get married after the One Year War ended and start a family together.  We’ll have to see how Hathway screws up the family’s happiness in the continuing Gundam Hathaway Trilogy but for now, Bright and Mirai take the top of this list for being one of the longest lasting couples in the entire franchise.