T5W#452-Top 5 Alternate Universe Gundam Sequels I’d Like to See

This past weekend the Gundam World got a major announcement for the 45^th anniversary of the franchise.  Not only did we get official word of a brand new entry in the Mobile Fighter G Gundam universe, there was also added news that new projects were in the works for Mobile Suit Gundam Wing and After War Gundam X.  Needless to say, this is kind of a big deal.  After all, it was 30 years ago that G Gundam took Gundam into the realm of the Multiverse beyond the Universal Century.  It’s only right that with Gundam SEED and Gundam 00 getting sequels that these titans of the franchise from the 90s get the same kind of love.  Since we only have an announcement and no titles or ideas (save for one I’ll talk about), today’s Gundam Centric Top 5 Wednesday will be looking at my choices for the Top 5 Alternate Universe Gundam Sequels I’d Like to See. 

 

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury Part 3 Episodes 9-12

While things seem to be going well for Suletta and Miorine’s Gund-Arm Company, the Benerit Group’s warring factions begin to grow weary of Delling Renbram’s tyrannical and seek to eliminate him.  Everything comes to a head at Plant Quetta, where Suletta is given the controls of an improved Gundam Aerial.    Plant Quetta is where history will change for the better…and the worse for all present. It is here where she will cross swords with the bloodthirsty “Witches from Earth” and make a split second decision that could destroy her growing romance with Miorine forever.

Holy crap I cant believe what I just watched.  Few moments in Gundam have made me virtually gasp so hard I stopped breathing.  But whoa, I mean WHOA!!!! That just freaking happened.  It’s such a moment that it casts a moon sized shadow over everything else that went down in this mid series set, save maybe for one very tender moment between Suletta and Miorine, if only because of how big of an impact THAT moment had on it afterwards.  Still, overall this is a set of episodes that elevates The Witch from Mercury to the upper echelon ranks of the franchise.  It’s too early to say whether or not it’ll match the greats like 0079, 0080 or 08^th MS Team but still, this show has already had my interest, now it’s captured it and isnt letting it go until the end.  Alright, enough being vague, let’s get into what went down and how it blew my mind.
 

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury Part 2 Episodes 5-8

Suletta has certainly made a splash in her short time at Astacassia.  She is in possession of a forbidden Mobile Suit, the Gundam Aeriel.  And she’s become the intended Groom for the beautiful Miorine Rembran.  All eyes fall on this shy and timid girl from Mercury and her powerful Mobile Suit and some are determined to get their hands on both, by any means necessary.  To protect her Groom to be, Miroine takes a gamble on a bold declaration to her father and the rest of the Benerit Group.  Meanwhile, Suletta’s mother, Prospera Mercury, watches with great interest as her own plans begin to fall into place.

Even though it’s straying away from its more traditional storytelling structure, I’ve gotta give it to The Witch from Mercury, it’s fascinating as Hell.  Sure it has the cute leads and the kick ass Mobile Suit battles and they work as well as ever for Gundam.  However, much of the best moments and world building occurred off the battlefield, or rather they took place on a far different battlefield than the one Gundam is used to showing.  It’s all shaping up to make this one of the best Alternate Universe Gundam series in a good while.  Let’s get into the shows sophomore set of episodes.
 

T5W#451-Top 5 Moments from Mobile Suit Gundam

This Saturday marks the official 45^th birthday of the Anime that changed Mecha Anime forever.  First aired on April 6, 1979, the Mobile Suit Gundam series became revolutionary for being the first Anime to feature Giant Robots used not to defend Earth from an Alien invasion but instead in a bloody civil war between the Earth and Human Space Colonies.  While not a mega hit when it first aired, subsequent reruns bolstered its popularity and ensured Gundam wasn’t just a one off.  For all the successes that have followed from Zeta Gundam to Gundam Wing to The Witch from Mercury, none of this would be possible without the wins scored by the title that started it all.  Seeing as how we’ve finally kicked off reviews of The Witch from Mercury, we’re paying homage to Yoshiyuki Tomino’s legendary epic on Top 5 Wednesday today with my Top 5 Moments from Mobile Suit Gundam

 

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury Part 1 Episodes 0-4

It is the year 122 of the Ad Stella Calendar.  A young girl from the planet Mercury, Suletta, has come to the Astacassia School of Technology to begin her education in Mobile Suit Piloting.  Here, she meets Miorine Rembran, an heiress determined to travel to the Earth.  Mirone becomes Suletta’s guide to the cutthroat and dangerous world of Astacassia, where the offspring of leaders of Megacorporations fight to uphold the legacies of their families and their own honor.  In a world where only the strong survive, the seemingly meek Suletta brings with her the Aeriel, a Mobile Suit whose power quickly catches the eye of everyone in and outside of Astacassia.  For this Mobile Suit bears a resemblance to a weapon long ago banned and outlawed, a Mobile Suit called “Gundam”.

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury is a big deal for the Gundam franchise for a number of reasons.  For one, this is the first true to form original Gundam series (not a Compilation Series or Build Divers sequel) since 2015’s Iron Blooded Orphans.  It’s also the first ever story to have a female lead character at the forefront.  As we’ll get into, there’s more to the uniqueness of G Witch but those first two aspects are definite cause for piquing interest, more so when it comes to Suletta and her being positioned with a beautiful love interest in Miorine.  Heck, I’ve been excited to get to this one for a while myself.  I had originally planned to look at G Witch first in November 2023 after it had finished its original airing, then moved it to January 2024 before finally settling on now because it’s April, Gundam’s Birthday, and it’s the 45^th Anniversary of the entire franchsie.  So, enough gabbing.  It’s finally time for the Gundam Anime Corner to tackle as Peter Cullen said about Gundam Wing on Toonami, “a new chapter in one of greatest Anime sagas of all time,” Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury.