Anime Review] "Mobile Suit Gundam: Witches of Mercury" Season 2 recap! A milestone that brought new possibilities to the Gundam series with its strong script and appealing characters

The "Gundam" series is a major robot animation series that began with the first "Mobile Suit Gundam" broadcast in 1979. Mobile Suit Gundam," which depicts the struggles of children caught up in battle, the irrationality of war, and "mobile suits," robots used as weapons, has influenced many anime, manga, and video games as the originator of "real robot anime. There are many other titles created by creators other than the original author and director Yoshiyuki Tomino, as well as titles set in an alternate universe called "Another Gundam," and "The Witch of Mercury" is a work in the "Another Gundam" vein.

The Witch of Mercury" is set in a future where giant corporations are competing with each other and the economic gap between Earth and outer space has widened. It is a dark world where the space dwellers (Spacians) are rich and prosperous, while the people of Earth (Arcians) are impoverished.

The main character, Sletta, is a naive girl who lives on remote Mercury and yearns for school life. She enrolls in the Astikasia High School in space with the mysterious mobile suit "Gundam Aerial" (hereinafter referred to as "Aerial"), a humanoid mobile weapon. There, Sletta meets her classmate Miorine, who is competing in a mobile suit duel as a "bride" in a political marriage. Sletta continues to win the duel with the overwhelming power of her aerial, and she grows as a person through her awkward interactions with Miorine.

Miorine, on the other hand, had been trying to escape from the role of "bride" assigned to her by her powerful father, but after becoming involved with Sletta, she begins to fight reality in her own way. Together with the students of the school, she founded "Gundam Co. Ltd. with other students at the school, and he strives to convert the technology of the Gundam, a cursed mobile suit that causes death to those who ride it, to medical treatment, and his relationship with his father improves.

However, Gundam Inc. is suddenly caught up in a terrorist attack, and the trust the friends have built between them cracks. It comes to light that Prospera, who was supposed to be Sletta's ideal mother, is actually not only manipulating Sletta's mind, but is also plotting a grand conspiracy behind the scenes using the mysterious "Quiet Zero" system. And Sletta, influenced by her mother, does not hesitate to kill a terrorist who tries to attack Miorine. Miorine is terrified of Sletta, who is capable of killing anyone under her mother's orders, and their hearts begin to cross. ...... is the synopsis for Season 1.

The story is set in a school with a female protagonist, and before the show aired, some said, "Doesn't it look like a Gundam? Witches of Mercury" was said to be "not Gundam-like" before it aired. In my previous article ([Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch of Mercury] Column], I reviewed Season 1, which is a wonderful update of the traditional Gundam elements and Tomino-isms, and made a big prediction for Season 2! ), so if you are interested, please take a look at it.

The storyline is a spectacular one, with carefully placed foreshadowing and character portrayals.

The sudden changes in circumstances and the relationship crises that befell the emotionally invested characters in Season 1 were so exemplary that one wondered how Season 2 would turn out, and the conclusion was that it was very interesting and a triumph of scriptwriting ability.

Now, since I made predictions about the mystery of the story and the development of Season 2 in my previous article, let's first try to answer them.

Sletta and Erict are different people, and the aerial contains Erict's personality.

Prediction

In episode 0, which depicts the past of the main story, a child named Erikto appears, who has the same hair color and voice as Sletta, but in episode 1, Sletta is the main character, not Erikto. Isn't he an enhanced human who was modified to ride the Gundam?

Result

Right on target. However, I was misled by the fact that Ericto's first person was "I" and concluded that what was in the aerial was just an AI, but the prediction itself was correct. The prediction that Sletta is an enhanced humanist was wrong. It was a "replicant child" created from the same gene as Ericto.

Miorine will save Sletta from the fate of the "Witch of Mercury"?

Prediction

In Season 1, Sletta saved Miorine from a dueling "brides". Miorine may save Sletta from the fate of the "Witch of Mercury" this time.

Result.

Hazretta. Sletta escaped from her fate as the "Witch of Mercury," but this was only due to Sletta's own power.

The reason I took the trouble to write the result of the prediction is not to boast that I hit the mark. I write this because I want to reaffirm that the clues were appropriately scattered, and that the story of this work was well designed from the beginning of the first season. In other words, it is a convincing creation of a high level of scriptwriting ability, which is one of the most highly sought-after qualities in today's entertainment.

Despite the large number of characters in the film, the emotional dynamics of the characters are carefully depicted, and the viewer is convinced by the story. What will happen to Sletta, whose mother has manipulated her mind? What happens to Sophie and Norea, who ride the Gundam in fear of death in a terrorist organization?

Despite the fact that various forces are involved in this work, the story is easy to understand, and it is interesting just to pay attention to the fate of the characters you are following. This means that the characters have charm, which is another element that is strongly demanded in modern entertainment. If we can find coupling-like moe in the relationship between Sletta and Miorine, the story of Gweru overcoming adversity after running away from home and being captured by terrorists has the appeal of a growth story. The way the members of Gundam Corporation struggle to run the company as students is a taste of entrepreneurship, and Shaddik's dark deeds are like a picaresque romance. There is a great variety of interesting aspects to the story.

The Witches of Mercury" depicts a realistic war in the 2020s.

What was unexpected, in a good way, was the treatment of school and war. The school element is an important element that broad viewers can relate to. Not to mention the usual events, even a tough exam can be a fun story, so there is no way not to use this element.

However, as long as the title of the film is "Gundam," there is a need to depict conflict. There is the option of a proxy war with a champion (representative fighter) system, as in "Mobile Butoden G Gundam," or a hobby competition, as in the "Gundam Build Fighters" series, but this work chooses a war as its setting. However, the school element and war do not go hand in hand. (There is an option to set it in a military school during wartime, as in "Mobile Suit Gundam: Principality of Zeon Childhood School," but this would be a spin-off subject.)

In fact, when I finished watching season 1, I thought that season 2 would be the "war" part of the series and that Sletta and her friends would join the military. But this prediction was confirmed in a good way. Sletta and her friends are not drafted into the army, but are involved in the war as students. In other words, the school element and the war went hand in hand. In one episode, Suretta is moe depicted eating Ra Noodle Mashimashi (in essence, Jiro-style ramen) in the school cafeteria, and in the next episode, the difficulty of dialogue in a war zone is depicted, allowing the viewer to enjoy a wide range of tastes. The fact that both the school and the war were able to be combined is probably due in large part to the fact that the war depicted in "The Witches of Mercury" is a modern war.

Conflicts abound on Earth, but space is generally peaceful. Corporations are engaged in fierce dark conflicts, but this too is not relevant to the average person in the universe. In other words, for the people in space, to whom the viewer is emotionally connected, the conflict is an event that is happening somewhere far away. However, both conflict and peace are occurring in the same world, and when the balance is upset, peaceful life can turn bloody in an instant. This is similar to the feeling we have today, where guerrilla and terrorist wars are more common than all-out wars between nations, and this combination of school elements and war helps to create a double sense of emotional involvement.

This story was made possible in large part by the fact that the shape of war has changed since the time of "Mobile Suit Gundam. When "Mobile Suit Gundam" was released in 1979, the Cold War was in full swing. It was a time when nations were on the verge of an all-out war, so it was inevitable that the war depicted in the film would be a battle between the Earth Federation and Zeon.

On the other hand, the year 2020, when the "Witches of Mercury" project began, was not an era of all-out war between nations, but rather an era of terrorism and other forms of unjust warfare, and for people living in peaceful countries, war was something that took place in some distant region.

Coincidentally, in February 2022, eight months before Season 1 aired, Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine. Many would have been reminded that a thin film is the only thing separating war and peace. In other words, "The Witches of Mercury" is modern in its depiction of war, and because it is the 2020s, it is a gundam.

It is well known that Takuya Okamoto, the producer of this work, was told by teenagers during the story's conception stage that "Gundam is not for us. If a story for the modern age is to be depicted, the story, characters, and setting must be updated for the modern age, and "The Witch of Mercury" is the result of paying close attention to these aspects of the story.

What is also frightening is the "war-sharing" mechanism depicted in this film. It is an exploitative structure in which space corporations exploit conflicts on the ground and profit from the sale of weapons, a setup that can be seen as a caricature of the military industry selling arms to conflict zones in the real world. War-sharing is portrayed as a kind of necessary evil, a gigantic mechanism that no one can resist even though they know it is wrong, but Miorine and his friends openly rebel against it. It is a reality of modern life that we live in compromise with necessary evils. Only young people can cut through such taboos. The film is emotionally charged, and at the same time, it is more convincing that the students are playing an active role.

In war anime, characters who are not pilots tend to play supporting roles, but this is not the case in "The Witch of Mercury. Miorine, for example, cannot fight, but as the CEO of Gundam Corporation, she tries to talk with Arsian people in war zones and to break down the war-sharing structure. She is a brilliant student in the Department of Business Strategy, something that Sletta could never do. Miorine, who cannot fight, has a sufficient presence while adding variation and depth to the story. This is a reality that is only possible in the 2020s, when it is no longer unusual for young people to play an active role.

Video game props tell the story of the world

The reason for the popularity of this film among the younger generation is that it does not take lightly the events that take place at the school. The words "school and war" might lead one to imagine a ...... type of story in which students living in a peaceful school are confronted with the harsh reality of war, but this is not the case in this film. However, this is not the case in this film. The students are desperately living their school life for various reasons, such as to get good grades, to get a job, and to be proud of their achievements. Astycasia Technical College is not a utopia, but a place where students strive to grasp something, and life there is also a battle.

In various incidents, including the activities of Gundam Corporation, Miorine, Gweru, and the others are reminded of their immaturity, but they are not depicted as "just being students. In other words, the film is not made in the manner of "adults teaching children about war and the harshness of reality," which is precisely because it is made to deal with the younger generation.

Another impressive modern detail is the use of smartphones and other electronic devices. The spherical robot "Halo," the mascot of the Gundam series, is not only mounted on various devices and controlled by them, but is also displayed on the altar in the confessional in episode 18: AI robots are conversational but not human, keep secrets strictly, and are free from contempt, making them perfect confessional listeners. This means that they are also great confessional listeners. It is clear that modern ideas are packed into even the smallest of scenes.

What I personally found interesting was the treatment of video games in the film: after failing to escape from the school in episode 2, Miorine holed herself up in the bathroom and played a smartphone game while muttering, "Die, die, die, die ......". It is too cheap to play, moving the turret from side to side and shooting enemies that don't even move, and "Space Invaders," released in 1978, still looks more thrilling. Needless to say, this is a depiction of "Miorine venting her unresolved indignation, but nothing gets resolved," which would be a blur if the content were as rich as today's smartphone games. If one reads it more deeply, it can be taken as a deep carving of the character's personality, "Miorine, a business strategy student, is too busy studying and has no interest in games, and does not bother to select and install good games" (the reason why the enemy looks like a monster is because it is a free tie-in game to a sci-fi thriller or something being aired in this world). (The reason why the enemy looks like a monster is because it is a free tie-in game to a sci-fi thriller or something that airs in this world. The fact that the game asks for confirmation to start the next stage is also a finely crafted effect linked to this scene. (The fact that the game stops progressing after each stage could be due to a per-stage charge or a stamina system, again strongly suggesting a free game.)

In episode 15, a game console is placed in Sophie's room on Earth, and this console, which appears to be a type that can be inserted into a ROM cassette, is an old item even from 2023. The Earth of this film is a poor place, exploited by the universe to the extent that in episode 19, there is a young boy begging for money from the Spacians. Even such an Earth needs entertainment. The old video game console provided a small pleasure for Sophie, who was sadly doomed to die one day due to the curse of riding a Gundam (even an old video game console is a considerable luxury item, and one might not be able to get one unless he or she was willing to trade his or her life for a Gundam). ) This is an excellent performance that silently and eloquently depicts the economic and technological disparity between Earth and outer space.

The Witches of Mercury" comes to a conclusion in episode 24. Although there were many incidents and twists and turns along the way, viewers were able to watch the final scene with a refreshed feeling, probably because this is a story that affirms weakness and mistakes while moving forward.

The film is full of flaws, starting with the two main characters. Sletta is an excellent fighter, but she is not independent from her mother and is not good at interpersonal relationships. Miorine has excellent grades, but she is fed up with being used as a tool in a political marriage and is planning to escape from the school.

No one is perfect, and she stops at the same point of anguish that everyone else in the real world seems to have. They are unable to gauge the feelings of others and are spinning out of control. We are overwhelmed by ideals and discouraged by the weight of reality. They are afraid to face their peers and give up halfway through. He acts cool, but is afraid to die in a Gundam. Crushed by the mechanisms of the long-running corporate war and the curse of Gundam, he does not know what to do with his ineffectual self.

It is a natural worry that everyone can relate to. In this film, both adults and children are suffering equally. The film does not portray that adults who know the reality are strong and faultless, or that children are immature and get lost in trivial matters. In this film, there are not adults and children, but people from different standpoints. And "The Witches of Mercury" depicts them moving forward after acknowledging the natural weakness that we all have. Their progress is slow, but their efforts are never mocked.

Sletta breaks free from her mother's influence and, of her own volition, rides the Gundam, a cursed mobile suit. Instead of believing in the life lesson that her mother instilled in her to manipulate her, "If you run away, you get one; if you advance, you get two," she has come to find her own way of life, "Even if you don't get anything, just do what you can. Miorine, who had been thinking only of herself, was now able to dare to shun Sletta in order to free her from her mother's vengeance and Gandam's fate. Gweru, who had been all about pride, also came to recognize his own weakness and was able to fight not for himself but for others. The story of everyone moving forward, little by little, is what made the film so sympathetic and moving.

Sletta, who had been shunned by Miorine, her mother, and the aerialists and had become a shell of a person, broke out of her seclusion not because of a revelation or because she had acquired new powers, but because she was hungry and went out to scavenge for food, and everyone found her. It was a human reason, and isn't that wonderful?

Many small stories that tickle the hearts of old fans

What delighted the real-time generation of "Mobile Suit Gundam" fans were the numerous homages to the series and Tomino's anime.

The fencing duel between Sletta and Gweru, Miorine wearing a blanket, and Quiet Zero floating in space are just a few examples, even in Season 2. The fencing duel between Sretta and Gweru in episode 22 may be a reference to the fencing match between the main character Amuro and his mortal rival Char in Mobile Suit Gundam. This is a performance of necessity. Mobile suits such as Sletta's Aerial, Gweru's Diranza, and Daryl Barde were each given by their parents. They once dueled with these aircraft, but in the fencing scene, they have grown up and achieved independence from their parents. The fact that these two men face each other in the flesh is truly symbolic of this. Sletta's posture after her victory over Güell is the famous "last shooting" pose, with her legs spread and her right hand raised high, which is also heartbreaking. It is a positive homage that is more than just a tickler.

In episode 22, Miorine, who failed to engage in dialogue in a war zone, retreats to her room and covers herself with a blanket. Her appearance is similar to that of a heartbroken Amuro wandering in the desert in "Mobile Suit Gundam. The way she clutches her knees is similar to when Amuro, worn out both physically and mentally, falls ill with a disease that is "common among new soldiers.

Quiet Zero is a fortress that Sletta's mother Prospera put into operation to take revenge on the world. Simply put, the idea is to achieve enforced peace by seizing control of the world's equipment. The window-like sections lined up in the center of the massive structure accentuate the structure, which resembles the "Gand Roi" that appeared in "The Legendary God of Giant Ideons," directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, the same director of "Mobile Suit Gundam. Although the difference is that Quiet Zero faces vertically and Gand Roi faces horizontally, the design and the role of the final weapon that controls the world are similar, and it may be an homage to the "Gand Roi" (......), but is that reading too much into it? The huge weapon towering like a tower is similar to the giant battleship "Viral Djinn" from the same "Legendary Goddess Ideon.

In episode 23, the floating aerial, which has lost a limb, closely resembles the appearance of Char's mobile suit Hyakushiki in the final phase of "Mobile Suit Z Gundam. The gimmick of the aerial's "armor opens and the frame inside shines in various colors" is similar to that of the Gundam Unicorn in "Mobile Suit Gundam UC," and the idea of a mobile suit controlling a humanoid drone called "Gun Volva" looks like the "G-bit" in "Mobile Suit Gundam X. Gundam Unicorn in "Mobile Suit Gundam X".

The direction in episode 24, where "a green glow causes a miracle and people understand each other," is "Mobile Suit Gundam: Char of the Counterattack. The English text of the message at the end of the story is "Mobile Suit Gundam: Meguriai Universe" (......), and many homages seem to have been paid to it.

However, it should never be said that "The Witch of Mercury" was recognized by the real-time generation as "Gundam-like" because of its many homages, or that it would not have been recognized otherwise. One of the things that makes "The Witch of Mercury" Gundam-like is that it is an ensemble drama in which those deprived of their peaceful days suffer in the midst of conflict and continue to fight to survive. These homage elements are probably a bit of fan service.

In the work, the Gundam, which takes the lives of those who ride it, is considered a forbidden aircraft, and the phrase "curse of the Gundam" appears repeatedly. In the 44 years that the series has been running, the "Gundam-ness" of the series has continued to change with the times and with the audience. For some, it may be the story by Yoshiyuki Tomino, the creator of the first "Mobile Suit Gundam," while for others, it may be the gorgeous characters created by Hisashi Hirai of "Mobile Suit Gundam Seed. For others, it may be the stylish mobile suits created by Naohiro Washio and Kanetake Ebikawa in "Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blood Orphens. Thus, while different people have different definitions of "Gundam-ness," a new Gundam series must show "Gundam-ness. This could be called the curse of Gundam.

However, this work seems to have successfully overturned this curse. Even though it incorporates unusual elements that are not considered "Gundam-like," such as a female protagonist and a school setting, "The Witch of Mercury" is still "Gundam-like. In creating a new Gundam series in the future, the horizon that this work has opened up may have provided a great deal of freedom.

What I have realized so far is that "The Witch of Mercury" is a Gundam-like animation and a sympathetic story. This was made possible by an excellent script and the ability to create characters, a love of mecha that produced powerful battles that unfortunately could not be mentioned in this article due to the volume of the article, and the stamina of the production side that ran through all 24 episodes of the two seasons without any major breakdown in the artwork.

In other words, the various requirements for anime production were met at a high level, and there are no secrets or tricks to be found in this. The Gundam series will probably continue in the future, and I hope that in every generation there will be a work as powerful as "The Witch of Mercury," which is just like Gundam.

(Text by Shinichi Yanamoto)