Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury — BrandWiki

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury

native name	機動戦士ガンダム水星の魔女
genre	Mecha Military science fiction
creator	Hajime Yatate Yoshiyuki Tomino
director	Hiroshi Kobayashi Ryō Andō
producer	Naohiro Ogata
writer	Ichirō Ōkouchi
music	Takashi Ohmama
animator	Sunrise
company	Bandai Namco Filmworks Sotsu MBS
network	JNN (MBS, TBS)
first aired	October 2, 2022
last aired	July 2, 2023
country	Japan
language	Japanese
num seasons	2
num episodes	24
list episodes	List of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury episodes

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury (機動戦士ガンダム水星の魔女) is a Japanese mecha anime television series and the fifteenth mainline entry in Sunrise's long-running Gundam franchise. It was directed by Hiroshi Kobayashi and Ryō Andō, with scripts by Ichirō Ōkouchi, and aired from October 2022 to July 2023.[1]

Set in a society where powerful spacefaring conglomerates dominate the economy, the series centers on mobile suits called "GUND-ARMS," which were derived from "GUND," a medical technology originally designed to mitigate physical disabilities caused by space habitation.[2]

The Witch from Mercury is notable for being the first mainline Gundam series to air entirely during Japan's Reiwa era and the first televised installment to feature both a female and LGBTQ protagonist, Suletta Mercury.[3] Thematically, the series explores issues of capitalism and political corruption, drawing stylistic inspiration from Shakespeare

Story

Setting

The series is set in the new calendar system dubbed the Ad Stella (AS). In this timeline, humanity has advanced into space yet a conflict occurred that caused a split between the inhabitants of space colonies, also called "Spacians" and the Earth-born "Earthians",[5] with a vast economic inequality between the two. These conflicts revolved around the material, Permet, which was mined because of its information-linking properties. Various technologies have been developed by mixing Permet with other materials or propellants for control purposes, including Mobile Suit development. Several megacorporations are established in this timeline which all focus on the development of technology for Spacians but also caused the social and political divide between them and the Earthians.

Plot

In the year Ad Stella 101, researchers at the Vanadis Institute created "GUND", an advanced brain–computer interface that enabled the human nervous system to control artificial appendages and organs. The purpose of GUND was to enable humans to survive in the harsh environment of space. After receiving funding from mobile suit manufacturer Ochs Earth, the technology was developed into the "GUND Format" and employed for military uses, leading to the creation of "GUND-ARMS": mobile suits that use the GUND Format to increase the performance of their pilots. However, extensive use of GUND-ARMS resulted in pilots being crippled or even killed.[6][7]

In response, the Mobile Suit Development Council, led by the top mobile suit development companies, ordered an entire permanent ban on the GUND Format and all its applications. Council member Delling Rembran, president of the Benerit Group, deployed the special forces team Dominicus to destroy the Vanadis research facility Fólkvangr, killing everyone aboard to erase all traces of the technology. Only two people survived: mobile suit test pilot Elnora Samaya and her four-year-old daughter Ericht Samaya. In the aftermath, those responsible for the development of the GUND Format were ostracized, and because the team was primarily composed of women, they became known as "witches".

In Ad Stella 122, 21 years after the Vanadis incident,[8] Suletta Mercury transfers from Mercury to the Asticassia School of Technology, an academic institute run by the megacorporation Benerit Group. Upon arrival, she encounters a girl escaping the institute, Miorine Rembran, who wants to escape from the control of Delling, her father. Miorine is engaged to be married to the highest scoring duellist in a mobile suit - currently Guel Jeturk.

As their paths cross in the academy with different ambitions and goals, Suletta will have to prove her worth as a pilot as she steps into the academy alongside the Gundam Aerial, a mobile suit built with forbidden GUND Format technology.

Production

The project inception can be traced back to early spring 2020, when producer Takuya Okamoto received a proposal under the existing series title "The Witch from Mercury," originating from a creative planning unit known as Morion Airlines. This proposal formed the initial conceptual seed for the series' world-building and core themes.[9]

Development continued into 2021, when the series was formally revealed at Sunrise's 2nd "Gundam Conference" (September 15), within the GUNDAM PROJECT, which included initiatives such as G-PARTNER educational outreach. Okamoto revealed that teenage attendees expressed feeling disengaged from the franchise, saying that "Gundam wasn't made for them," which prompted the creative decision to center the story around a school setting in order to better connect with younger fans.[10][11]

The planning team, which included Okamoto, director Hiroshi Kobayashi, co-director Ryō Andō, and writer Ichirō Ōkouchi, crafted a thematic framework focused on corporate competition, futuristic witchcraft, and innovative Gundam technology (the GUND-Format). This concept married elements of Shakespeare's The Tempest and early-modern witch trials, positioning the technology itself as an allegorical "curse."[12] They deliberately structured the story as a dual-audience narrative, appealing to newcomers through a relatable academy backdrop and to longtime fans through morally complex character arcs and signature "dark turning points."[11]

Character visuals originated from mogmo via Morion Airlines' proposal. Animation-adapted character designs were handled by Marie Tagashira (main characters), Shuri Toida, and Hirotoshi Takaya (supporting roles), while mechanical design was split among JNTHED (lead Gundam EXA-Aerial, Lfrith), Kanetake Ebikawa, Ippei Gyōbu, Wataru Inada, Kenji Teraoka, and Takayuki Yanase according to in-universe factions. The creative process emphasized balance, with Kobayashi occasionally generating character visuals himself to ensure narrative cohesion.[13]

This was the first Gundam TV series produced under the newly rebranded Bandai Namco Filmworks (formerly Sunrise since April 2022), marking a new corporate era for the franchise and its media strategy.[14]

Media

Anime

A self-contained Prologue episode debuted on July 14, 2022, at the cross-venue "Gundam Next Future – Link the Universe" event, which connected the life-size Gundam facilities in Yokohama, Odaiba, Fukuoka, and Shanghai; it later streamed worldwide via the official GundamInfo YouTube channel on September 1, 2022.[15][16] The main television series premiered across the Japan News Network (including MBS and TBS) from October 2, 2022, to July 2, 2023, within the revived nationwide Nichigo programming block. A second season aired beginning April 9, 2023.[17][18]

Internationally, Crunchyroll simulcast the series outside of East Asia,[19] while Medialink streamed it in Southeast Asia through Ani-One Asia on YouTube, Netflix, and Bilibili.[20] GundamInfo expanded streaming to additional territories across Asia and Oceania.[21] An English dub, produced by Crunchyroll's Texas-based talent, was released on January 30, 2023, marking the first time the Gundam franchise employed the studio formerly known as Funimation.[22] A Spanish-dubbed version aired on Mexico's Azteca 7 beginning February 16, 2024.[23]

The series featured multiple theme songs: Yoasobi performed the first opening "Shukufuku" (祝福), with an English version released alongside official music videos;[24] Yama performed the second opening theme "Slash,"[25] while Shiyui and Ryo provided the first ending theme "Kimi yo Kedakaku Are" (君よ気高くあれ), and Aina the End performed the second ending "Red:Birthmark." The score was composed by Takashi Ohmama.[26]

Print

An official web novel titled "Cradle Planet" (ゆりかごの星), written by Ichirō Ōkouchi, was released by Sunrise on their official website on October 2, 2022.[27][28] The English version was subsequently released on November 10, 2022, translated by Eriko Sugita.[29] The web novel serves as a link between the Prologue and the main series and is told from the point of view of the Gundam Aerial. A live reading of the novel was released on YouTube on November 13, 2022, with Kana Ichinose as the narrator. The anime was later adapted into an ongoing light novel in Kadokawa Shoten's Gundam Ace magazine from November 26, 2022, written by Yūya Takashima with illustrations by Shūei Takagi. The novel adapts both the Prologue and main storylines, and will also include some original characters and subplots[30]

Merchandise

Alongside other merchandise releases, the series is also part of the long-running Gunpla line of plastic model kits by Bandai Spirits. Kits based on the Mobile Suits in the series were released in 1/144 scale. High Grade and SDEX models of the Gundam Aerial were released in 2022, and a 1/100 scale Full Mechanics kit was released in 2023. Action figure releases include those in the Chogokin, Robot Spirits, and Gundam Universe lines.[37]

According to an official Bandai press release, the High Grade Gundam Aerial recorded the highest initial sales "among the HG TV series lead role Gundam versions",[38] going on to become the best selling Gunpla kit of 2022, while the High Grade Gundam Calibarn became the best selling kit of 2023.[39]

Shortly after the release of the series, Sunrise partnered with Yamazaki Baking for a cross-promotion following a string of Internet memes stemming from the Bic Camera

Video games

The Gundam Aerial, along with Suletta, appeared in the mobile game Mobile Suit Gundam UC Engage as a limited event unit.[41] It also made an appearance in the action RPG video game SD Gundam Battle Alliance as a DLC unit.[42] It reappears as a playable unit again in the arcade game Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs. 2 OverBoost and later supplant by the Gundam Pharact from the First Season and the Darilbalde from the Second Season. The Gundam Aerial is set to appear as a bundle in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III.[43] In Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs. 2 Infinite Boost, Gundam Aerial Rebuild is a playable unit, however, the unit has two slots with different pilots.

Reception

Critical response

The Witch from Mercury has been praised by critics for its writing, characters, animation, voice acting, dark drama, yuri elements, and its unique take on the classic Gundam formula. IGN gave the first season of the series a rave review, giving it a 9/10, praising the show's drama and striking imagery.[44] Polygon also gave the show's first season a glowing reviewing, claiming the series is becoming the "ultimate Gundam show" and is finally an anime in the prestige franchise that anyone could enjoy.[45] Kim Morrissy from Anime News Network has also praised the series, citing the show has good emotional moments.[46] Harry Nugraha from Game Rant was less impressed with the first season, finding the school life drama to be "disappointing". However, Nugraha thought the show featured some "thrilling combat scenes" and felt the series was picking up steam in the last few episodes of the season.[47][48] Vulture listed the first season as the third best anime of 2022.[49] Following the finale of the second season, Tsunehiro Uno of PLANETS criticized the series for failing to adequately engage with the first season's issues of mediocre direction and breaking out of comfort zones, noting that the theme of conflict was ultimately relegated to being an Easter egg of the school life setting.[50]

Mamiko Noto's portrayal of Prospera has received acclaim, with many lauding her theatrical performance and the complexity of her character. Gizmodo positively compared Prospera to the Gundam franchise's iconic villain Char Aznable, referencing how both characters wear masks and the duality of their personalities.[51] Christopher Farris from Anime News Network also raved about the character, applauding her effectiveness as a villain and found her storyline to be "gripping".[52]

The English dub received controversy due to the decision to have Suletta Mercury be voiced by white voice actor Jill Harris. Suletta Mercury is implied to have Middle Eastern or North African heritage and her father's name Nadim Samaya has Arabic, Hebrew, and Indian origins.[53]

Reaction to the Season one finale

The end of the first season of the Witch from Mercury featured Suletta piloting the Gundam Aerial to smash a terrorist violently. Many viewers and commentators were caught off guard by the sudden act of violence, especially the imagery of Suletta's blood-stained hands and Miorine's horrified reaction.[54][55] The finale was compared to a major twist from Code Geass, another anime project worked by Ichirō Ōkouchi. Both the Witch from Mercury and Code Geass trended on social media as fans reacted to the gruesome scene in Gundam.[56] Japan's Broadcasting Ethics & Program Improvement Organization shared complaints from parents about the violent nature of the episode, with many finding it to be too graphic to show at the 5:00 PM timeslot when children are still up to watch it.[57]

Criticism on working conditions for Season two finale

The Witch from Mercury garnered some criticism after the airing of Season Two, Episode 24, when it was revealed that over 90 key animators worked on the series' final episode. The end credits of said episode listed 94 key animators who worked on the series finale, an unusually high amount for one episode of a half-hour animated TV series. One of the credited character designers, Marie Tagashira, praised her colleagues for completing a difficult and impressive work but excluded an unnamed few from her celebratory tweet. Fans and journalists took this as a hint animators involved in the creation of the show suffered from mismanagement that was forced to be addressed via human-wave tactics and overtime.[58]

Removed mention of same-sex marriage

On July 26, 2023, an interview with Witch from Mercury's voice cast in the September 2023 issue of Gundam Ace magazine included a quote from Kana Ichinose in which she referenced Suletta and Miorine's marriage. Miorine was also directly referenced as Suletta's wife by the official English-language Gundam Twitter account on the day of the finale.[59] Following the release of the magazine interview, the hashtag スレミオ結婚 (SuleMio Marriage) trended in Japan.[60]

Days later, however, the digital version of the Gundam Ace interview was edited to remove the direct reference to marriage, causing an immediate backlash from Japanese and Western fans of the show, who claimed the characters' "undisputed" status as a married couple was being deliberately censored.[61]

On July 30, a statement was released by Kadokawa in which they claimed the discrepancy was a "proofreading mistake" and that the marriage reference was based on "editorial speculation".[62] An accompanying statement was released on the official Witch from Mercury website in which these claims were repeated, in addition to implying the events of the series are open to interpretation by viewers,