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

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by Twi

Ironically enough, Suletta still managed without even knowing. Tis fate.

With her Gundam being so OP compared to everything else, she was pretty much bound to end up as number one at some point. It happened really fucking fast though

Ironically, that ended up saving the archnemesis' life. The horribly bad timing of that assassination attempt really stretches disbelief by the way.

[Obelisk ze Tormentor]

Originally Posted by Kanon

Ironically, that ended up saving the archnemesis' life. The horribly bad timing of that assassination attempt really stretches disbelief by the way.

The timing for the assassination was fine, assuming that Jeturk CEO can only do it when the target is in a shuttle 10 minutes after leaving port. He was just unlucky that his son Guel didn't last the duel that long 😅.

Speaking of Guel, did he intentionally miss all of his shots when Aerial was getting up? Coz that was Stormtrooper-level of aiming 👀.

[ryllharu]

Originally Posted by Obelisk ze Tormentor

Speaking of Guel, did he intentionally miss all of his shots when Aerial was getting up? Coz that was Stormtrooper-level of aiming 👀.

Suletta calling him trash over the Aerial's loudspeaker to Miorine brought him into a full rage. His brother was even warning him to calm down. Throw away spear, start firing blindly, and then miss all your shots because of that.

[kari-no-sugata II]

Originally Posted by Obelisk ze Tormentor

The timing for the assassination was fine, assuming that Jeturk CEO can only do it when the target is in a shuttle 10 minutes after leaving port. He was just unlucky that his son Guel didn't last the duel that long ��.

Didn't even last two minutes with a change of pilots included.

Speaking of Guel, did he intentionally miss all of his shots when Aerial was getting up? Coz that was Stormtrooper-level of aiming ��.

I had the exact same thought. And the first time he was on target is just when Aerial conveniently has its shield ready...

I also have to ask, how did he go from being so close at one point to being so far away 30 seconds later...?

Not the first time that Gundam has used "rule of cool" or the like though.

[Frontier]

I wonder if they're actually going to make Delling more complex and sympathetic because so far he seems completely unlikable and a terrible father. Which, hey, will make it all the more satisfying to see him finally get a proper comeuppance that he's been due since Suletta was a child, but I kind of wonder if there's more to it .

[kari-no-sugata II]

Originally Posted by Frontier

I wonder if they're actually going to make Delling more complex and sympathetic because so far he seems completely unlikable and a terrible father. Which, hey, will make it all the more satisfying to see him finally get a proper comeuppance that he's been due since Suletta was a child, but I kind of wonder if there's more to it .

So far the only sympathetic male character we have is Suletta's dad... who's dead. Unless I'm forgetting someone. I guess we'll have to wait and see what the rest of the male students are like.

But sure, a bit more nuance from Delling would be welcome.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by kari-no-sugata II

So far the only sympathetic male character we have is Suletta's dad... who's dead. Unless I'm forgetting someone. I guess we'll have to wait and see what the rest of the male students are like.

But sure, a bit more nuance from Delling would be welcome.

I think the blonde dude might turn out to be okay...

[kari-no-sugata II]

Originally Posted by Frontier

I think the blonde dude might turn out to be okay...

He looks like as big a flirt as the student council president from Utena

[SonicSP]

The GundamInfo YouTube simulcast for G-Witch will start this Sunday with Episode 1 and 2 coming back to back. Weekly episodes will thereafter be released regularly at Sunday 6PM Japan Standard Time.

https://en.gundam.info/news/video-music/02_7398.html

[Laevatein]

WfM's references to Shakespeare's The Tempest:

[velvet nightmare]

i'm only on episode 1, but i'm so confused why gundam decided to go in this direction.

they expect their traditional fan base to acclimate to a protagonist that's a stuttering lesbian?

who exactly is the target audience for this series?

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by velvet nightmare

i'm only on episode 1, but i'm so confused why gundam decided to go in this direction.

they expect their traditional fan base to acclimate to a protagonist that's a stuttering lesbian?

who exactly is the target audience for this series?

I mean, it has a lot of what people expect from Gundam...high-quality Mecha, politics, adults ruining their childs' lives, an enigmatic masked character, and slaps...it's just in this instance the two leads are both girls .

[BBOvenGuy]

Originally Posted by velvet nightmare

they expect their traditional fan base to acclimate to a protagonist that's a stuttering lesbian?

She doesn't stutter normally, and she's not a lesbian. Well, not yet, anyway.

And what's wrong with trying to expand the fan base? I, for one, never went anywhere near the Gundam franchise before. It was the change-up that got my attention.

[velvet nightmare]

Originally Posted by Frontier

I mean, it has a lot of what people expect from Gundam...high-quality Mecha, politics, adults ruining their childs' lives, an enigmatic masked character, and slaps...it's just in this instance the two leads are both girls .

ok I can agree with that.

It's got that star wars episode 1 feel. Has all the content you would expect of the (SW/gundam) universe, but then you have a jar jar binks character in there that's shoehorned in

The universe itself is incoherent too "oh girls can get married to each other here, we're modern"- said the lead after a judicial duel.

[Infinite Zenith]

Originally Posted by BBOvenGuy

She doesn't stutter normally, and she's not a lesbian. Well, not yet, anyway.

And what's wrong with trying to expand the fan base? I, for one, never went anywhere near the Gundam franchise before. It was the change-up that got my attention.

I've got some readers who also say that Witch From Mercury catches their eye despite their being new to Gundam or only having watched one other series. I'm content to let people enjoy this series however they want. For me, I'm going to focus on the mobile suits and mechanics as I've always done, and I'm going to ignore all of the Utena comparisons because social media hasn't done an adequate job of explaining why the comparison is significant.

[SonicSP]

The only non-Gundam things I see with G-Witch are the school setting and the female protagonist. Everything else definitely feels like a traditional Gundam series. A bloody massacre, non-Earth settlements, Earth vs Spacenoids, revenge plot, political assassination (almost executed), Char clone, Gundam hijack (minimum one, possibly two depending on definition), Titans organization, powerhungry leader, Psychoframe powers and political intrigue.

Hell the only thing left are thought communicating Newtypes and a monoeye green Zaku clone.

[Shinji103]

Well, I’m definitely enjoying Mobile Suit Utena. It’s a great series to watch while we wait for the next Gundam series.

Seriously though, I do like this show.

Why do I not count it as Gundam? Where’s the gritty war setting to hit and shape our young protagonist? Gundam X was the closest Gundam series to having no war setting(technically G Gundam too I guess), but even with the war ended (or on hold as it turned out), it still had that life-or-death combat setting that developed Garoad into the man he became. Where is that here?
A bloody massacre? What bloody massacre? It looks like Suletta doesn’t even remember anything that happened that day besides becoming friends with Lfrith/Aerial. It certainly hasn’t affected her.
Political intrigue? That alone a Gundam setting does not make, and masked figures/revengers aren’t even unique to Gundam anymore. (they haven’t been for a long time) I’m not counting these against this series, but just having them doesn’t make it Gundam.
The part that actually irks me though is…………..an academy?? With duels????? Like we’ve been getting as many as two or three light novel promotions of almost every season?????? Like dozens of light novels, maybe even hundreds, both good and bad, out there?????? Really, Sunrise??????? They even copied the done-to-death formula of having the overpowered transfer student MC duel and easily destroy the arrogant bully with little to no effort in episode 1!!!!
I’d like to say how I feel using a cheap copy+paste setting instead of a war/conflict like an actual Gundam series has to do with their seriousness about the MC being the first female MC, but I don’t want to dive into that can of worms. This being the shortest “Gundam” series by half doesn’t make that seriousness look any better, though.

On a separate note, I do question the potential yuri. While it’s not my cup of tea I don’t have anything against yuri really, and if it’s leading to a Kira/Athrun friendship then there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. But if their aim is a romantic relationship, why make it yuri???? Were they just that worried about making a male romantic partner into a prince in distress/beta to an alpha female?????

I hope this actually becomes a Gundam series. I really do. But for now, I honestly enjoy Mobile Suit Utena. I really like Suletta and Miorine, the animation has been beautiful, and it’s solidly on my weekly must-watch list with Tensei shitara Ken deshita, Bleach, and Urusei Yatsura in a few days. So far it’s a great show for what it is……....which is not Gundam.

[ryllharu]

It's definitely become more The Tempest than it is Utena at this point.

The Utena comparisons feel far more like an homage to that series just due to some similarities in the initial setup. As a benefit, it was a taunt to Gundam traditionalists.

But if you skip over episode 1, all you see is The Tempest.

[SonicSP]

Originally Posted by Shinji103

A bloody massacre? What bloody massacre? It looks like Suletta doesn’t even remember anything that happened that day besides becoming friends with Lfrith/Aerial. It certainly hasn’t affected her.

Suletta wasn't even aware of most it and wasn't even aware of what was actually happening given her mood in that cockpit. Her mom does though and her primary motivation of setting everything in motion is revenge. It also doesn't the change the fact that the massacred happened and they are still trying to bury Gundams even later on, likely with ulterior motives.

I hope this actually becomes a Gundam series. I really do. But for now, I honestly enjoy Mobile Suit Utena. I really like Suletta and Miorine, the animation has been beautiful, and it’s solidly on my weekly must-watch list with Tensei shitara Ken deshita, Bleach, and Urusei Yatsura in a few days. So far it’s a great show for what it is……....which is not Gundam.

We would have to agree to disagree though, this definitely feels like a Gundam show to me for the most part especially by Episode 2. And I was a bit worried about the school setting myself for months.

On a separate note, I do question the potential yuri. While it’s not my cup of tea I don’t have anything against yuri really, and if it’s leading to a Kira/Athrun friendship then there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. But if their aim is a romantic relationship, why make it yuri???? Were they just that worried about making a male romantic partner into a prince in distress/beta to an alpha female?????

Why not yuri though? It's not exactly a rare concept in anime for a long while. Just like there wouldn't be anything wrong if if was a heterosexual couple or yaoi couple.

Suletta also very much wouldn't be an alpha female. She's not even the alpha female in the current potential pairing.

[Obelisk ze Tormentor]

Originally Posted by velvet nightmare

The universe itself is incoherent too "oh girls can get married to each other here, we're modern"- said the lead after a judicial duel.

To be fair, the "duel rules" came from Delling, a corporate dictator. Even other characters in-universe were baffled by his rules for this school.

And that is still a much better writing compared to Marvel's Black Panther. Asticassia is just a school. Imagine if the fate of an entire country is decided by duels. In BP, the people of Wakanda claimed that they are technologically, socially & culturally more advanced than other countries....only to have "tribal duel (to the death)" being the deciding factor for any champion of each tribe to be king & rule the kingdom . And that movie was nominated for Best Picture in the Academy Awards .

Originally Posted by BBOvenGuy

I, for one, never went anywhere near the Gundam franchise before. It was the change-up that got my attention.

Very interesting. What was your perception of Gundam franchise before WFM?