Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury - General Discussion Thread

[Shinji103]

2nd trailer just dropped.

https://youtu.be/bBjzNiGSC3A

Not sure some people will appreciate how much this feels like an academy/school setting out of a harem anime. Not saying that this is a harem, but it feels like the school setting in one as opposed to the gritty war/combat settings we usually get in Gundam. That OP theme certainly reflects that more than a war/combat setting. I actually got some low-level vibes of Ichika coming to the IS Academy from that trailer…….

Guessing from the key visual art at the end of the trailer, there will be a Kira/Athrun kind of friendship between Suletta and the Miorine.

The main page has been updated with the new key visual and some other updates.

[ryllharu]

Originally Posted by Shinji103

Not sure some people will appreciate how much this feels like an academy/school setting out of a harem anime. Not saying that this is a harem, but it feels like the school setting in one as opposed to the gritty war/combat settings we usually get in Gundam. That OP theme certainly reflects that more than a war/combat setting. I actually got some low-level vibes of Ichika coming to the IS Academy from that trailer……

I would suppose the peace of the school setting lasts for as long as it takes the cast to figure out Suletta/Ericht uses GUND ARM technology that was supposed to have been stamped out utterly a decade prior.

The vibe I get is less Infinite Stratos and more Valvrave with the gore shock factor dialed down. There's an optimism from Suletta, tempered by a sinister coldness from the rest of the student body or at least the aloof attitude of the Student Council looking types who are probably all the scions of the major MS manufacturers who conspire to destroy the GUND ARM tech.

Someone obviously flips her switch and Suletta shows her absolute pride and faith in the Aerial's technology.

[Twi]

Not sure if Valvrave is the best comparison.

[kiak666]

There's a masked woman shown in the new trailer. Could she be the new Char clone?

[GN0010 Nosferatu]

I'm expecting the low stakes school life aspect of anime to last for one half, and then the other half about a war being triggered.

[Dextro]

Originally Posted by Twi

Not sure if Valvrave is the best comparison.

I would probably love it if we got something akin to Valvrave but I'm not sure Bamco is willing to troll people like that

[ryllharu]

Originally Posted by Twi

Not sure if Valvrave is the best comparison.

I said Valvrave because it has a high school setting, mechs that harm their pilots, political conspiracies, and an actual plot for better or for worse. Infinite Stratos has only the first of the four.

I'm not saying that Witch From Mercury has some curious vibes of a reskinned Valvrave reboot, but...

[Tactics]

Originally Posted by ryllharu

I said Valvrave because it has a high school setting, mechs that harm their pilots, political conspiracies, and an actual plot for better or for worse.

I'm not saying that Witch From Mercury has some curious vibes of a reskinned Valvrave reboot, but...

Some kind of pattern appear on pilot face, scientist that believes the mech system will open new possibility for humanity, OS that has pilot preference ...

Only lacking super agent to accompany Eri, Eri unconsciously 'attack' her classmate and magical alien race ... or maybe simply, "Do you resign as human being?"

[Frontier]

Looks like Suletta is trying to prove the Gundam and the GUND system through showing it off in the academy? Maybe that's how she's trying to honor her family instead of straight up revenge ?

Originally Posted by kiak666

There's a masked woman shown in the new trailer. Could she be the new Char clone?

I feel like they'd make the mask cooler and more intimidating if she was meant to be the Char clone.

[foxbox360]

I hope the story is good and doesn't become crazy, because the last time Sunrise did a female protagonist of a mecha anime was Cross Ange and that show was over the top!

[Twi]

Originally Posted by Tactics

Some kind of pattern appear on pilot face, scientist that believes the mech system will open new possibility for humanity, OS that has pilot preference ...

Only lacking super agent to accompany Eri, Eri unconsciously 'attack' her classmate and magical alien race ... or maybe simply, "Do you resign as human being?"

....Crap, the signs are all there.

Fine. I once liked Valvrave before they lost their minds, killed all the male pilots, and wasted time on a time skip that didn't matter.

But the first sign of an AI getting curious about reproduction and I walk.

[Laevatein]

Given Ichiro Okuchi's involvement, I would suggest Code Geass instead of Valvrave...

[Obelisk ze Tormentor]

Originally Posted by ryllharu

I said Valvrave because it has a high school setting, mechs that harm their pilots, political conspiracies, and an actual plot for better or for worse. Infinite Stratos has only the first of the four.

I'm not saying that Witch From Mercury has some curious vibes of a reskinned Valvrave reboot, but...

Originally Posted by Tactics

Some kind of pattern appear on pilot face, scientist that believes the mech system will open new possibility for humanity, OS that has pilot preference ...

Only lacking super agent to accompany Eri, Eri unconsciously 'attack' her classmate and magical alien race ... or maybe simply, "Do you resign as human being?"

Yeah, this is what I already addressed in Page 6 back in June. I don't wanna be pessimistic but there's always a chance that this can be another Valvrave which is a bad thing in my book. But there's also a chance that Okouchi actually learnt from his mistakes & improves (hopefully).

Originally Posted by Laevatein

Given Ichiro Okuchi's involvement, I would suggest Code Geass instead of Valvrave...

Okouchi was the main writer of both. So either one is a sound argument.

[Shinji103]

Does anybody know if this is going to be another split series like 00 and IBO, hence it’s pretty much their trend? I could see the academy story being for the first half and then an actual war/conflict for the second. I’d hate to see them bringing up the moral horror of a four year old not understanding she killed three people just for it to be forgotten with a school story. (this is why I think people out there might not be happy with the idea of this being an academy setting like out of a harem story)

[Frontier]

Speaking of Valvrave...man, that brings back memories of huge investment and less than stellar satisfaction .

Originally Posted by Shinji103

Does anybody know if this is going to be another split series like 00 and IBO, hence it’s pretty much their trend? I could see the academy story being for the first half and then an actual war/conflict for the second. I’d hate to see them bringing up the moral horror of a four year old not understanding she killed three people just for it to be forgotten with a school story. (this is why I think people out there might not be happy with the idea of this being an academy setting like out of a harem story)

I think it's probably going to be a split 24-26 episode season like past "main" shows.

And I think there's probably a good chance things will get more serious in the second half.

[Tactics]

Originally Posted by Laevatein

Given Ichiro Okuchi's involvement, I would suggest Code Geass instead of Valvrave...

The prologue IMO already mixtures of both, so far.

Another parts from Valvrave:
- Main antagonist is a war veteran (Caim in Valvrave also a retiring successful soldier).
- Group of old man wanted to have upper hand over another race despite relatively peace state of affair (Magius).

Then from Code Geass, we got:
- MC unconsciously killed people after gain access to new power (Lelouch first time using Geass);
- MC is red-haired female teenager mecha pilot, attend school and living with her mother after death of significant family member (Kallen);
- Main antagonist made speech about current state of world, hiding personal interest to exploit the forbidden power (Charles).

Opposing faction attempt to steal mobile suit is from Gundam.

[SonicSP]

There's also a chance we only get one 2 cour season like G-Reco did. Though I'm hoping it would be more like two 2-cour seasons like IBO and 00.

[Chosen_Hero]

Not a fan of how the story seems to be portraying transhumanism as the "good side" (something a lot of Gundam likes to do, still think that newtypes and their ilk like the innovados/innovators are dumb), at least they showed the bad side to it in this prologue but the existence of the MC being the chosen one who is able to perfectly sync with technology kind of hints that the story has chosen a definite side on this, but hopefully there's more nuance to this series than I am currently giving it credit.

With that said, the animation and artstyle is on point and am glad they chose to forgo 3d animation for the mobile suits and went with hand drawn instead, this just looks really good in motion.

[Obelisk ze Tormentor]

Originally Posted by Chosen_Hero

Not a fan of how the story seems to be portraying transhumanism as the "good side" (something a lot of Gundam likes to do, still think that newtypes and their ilk like the innovados/innovators are dumb)

I don't know what you're talking about. The franchise has quite a few examples of "bad Newtypes" & "bad Innovados" out there. The "good side" are the people who don't seek war or hurt others (among other virtues).

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by Obelisk ze Tormentor

I don't know what you're talking about. The franchise has quite a few examples of "bad Newtypes" & "bad Innovados" out there. The "good side" are the people who don't seek war or hurt others (among other virtues).

What he means is that Gundam usually frames Newtypes and others like them as the future of humanity and therefore a good thing. The GUND system was meant to help humanity adapt to the harshness of space, so this series probably won't be different.