The column of "Mobile Suit Gundam: Witches of Mercury"] Reexamination of Season 1, which brilliantly updated the traditional Gundam elements and Tomino-isms, and a great forecast for Season 2!

Season 1 of "Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch of Mercury" (hereafter referred to as "The Witch of Mercury") has come to an end.

The "Mobile Suit Gundam" series, which started with Yoshiyuki Tomino as director, is known as a robot animation series with a long history, but "The Witch of Mercury" is an independent work from the Gundam series that Mr. Tomino worked on. The main character, a young girl named Sletta Mercury, enrolls in "Asticasia High School" with a mysterious mobile suit (robot) "Gundam Aerial (hereafter, Aerial)" from the remote planet Mercury. At this academy, where dueling mobile suits decide everything, he meets Miorine Rembrandt, a girl of the same age who is competing with him in a duel as a "bride" in a political marriage, and becomes his "bridegroom" after winning a duel with Gweru Jetarc, who was initially her "bridegroom. The story is about Sletta and Miorine's personal transformation and growth through school life and duels.

The story is about Sretta and Miorine's personal growth and development as human beings through their school life and duel for the bride. That's my personal impression."

What is pleasing is that this excitement was not limited to heavy Gundam fans. Although this is a new work that is independent of the previous series, it has been well received by both those who were not familiar with the Gundam series before, as well as the old Gundam fans. The way in which fans of different generations discussed the latest Gundam series was truly Gundam-like.

The Witch of Mercury," an updated version of "Gundam-like

So, what exactly is "Gundam-like"?

Because this work contains the aforementioned unusual elements, it was sometimes called "un-Gundam-like" before it was broadcast. However, it is not unusual for people to say, "This new Gundam is not like a Gundam," whenever a new work is announced. For example, before the broadcast of "Mobile Budoden G Gundam" (1994), in which unique Gundams representing different nations fight mainly in combat, some said, "This kind of fighting game is not like a Gundam. Going back a little further, even "Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ" (1986), a sequel to "Mobile Suit Z Gundam" (1985), which was created by Mr. Tomino himself, was criticized in its early stages of broadcast for its cheerful, comedic tone, saying, "This is not like a Gundam. It is no exaggeration to say that the Gundam series has a history of being spun while being called "not like Gundam. In other words, it could be said that "not being like Gundam" is one of the elements that make up the "Gundam-ness" of the series.

Looking back at "The Witch of Mercury" today, I feel that it has a strong "Gundam-like" atmosphere, as I mentioned above. This is just my personal impression, but I feel that "Witch of Mercury" is a work that once again accomplishes one of the things that the first "Mobile Suit Gundam" did. That is, "to add new interpretations and elements to the romance of giant robots, and to present a fresh image of robots.

Mobile Suit Gundam" presents an image of robots that had never existed before: "mobile suits," which are robots interpreted in the manner of actual weapons. As readers know, this was called "real robots," and it not only caused a boom at the time, but continues to be very popular even today. On the other hand, "The Witch of Mercury" develops the idea of "a robot = mobile suit as a practical weapon" and positions the Gundam as a special machine for the modern age. The "GUND-ARM," a weaponized version of "GUND technology," which is "an extension of prosthetic limbs and medical technology to help fragile humans adapt to the harshness of space," was interpreted as a Gundam, a forbidden aircraft.

The development of artificial limbs has made sports for the disabled more popular, and "myoelectric prosthetic arms" that transmit the will of the user to the machine and prosthetic arms that can be operated by brain waves have been developed.

The film also has a strong Tomino-ism and respect for this. In "Mobile Suit Gundam," a part of the human race becomes "new types" with special mental sensitivity adapted to space, and the story depicts them fighting in mobile suits, robots that are supposed to bring about human innovation and serve as working weapons. In contrast, the Gundam of "The Witch of Mercury" is a weapon of GUND technology that allows people to adapt to space, and its use causes phenomena such as psychosensitivity. In other words, the Gundam of "Witch of Mercury" is a setting that combines two important elements of "Mobile Suit Gundam," namely mobile suits and new types, and adds a realism that is only possible in the 2020s. The difficult theme of "What is Gundam?" is interpreted in a modern way, going back to the first Gundam, and in this way, a deep respect for Tomino's ism can be felt.

It is also interesting that Gundam is seen as an extension of prosthetic limbs. The technical difficulty of controlling a humanoid robot in "real life" has been pointed out by various commentators since the broadcast of "Mobile Suit Gundam," and is now widely known, including through actual experience at robot contests. The "Neon Genesis Evangelion" (1995), in which a person with special aptitude controls a general-purpose humanoid battle weapon, Evangelion, by synchronizing his or her nervous system with that of the weapon, is one answer to this problem. The Gundam in this work is set to exhibit overwhelming combat power through "body extension control," in which the aircraft is linked to the pilot's psyche using GUND technology. In this process, a phenomenon called "data storm" occurs, and the pilot is severely damaged, which is considered problematic and contraindicated for the existence of the "Gundam" (Sletta, however, is in good health, and this mystery seems to become one of the important points of this work). The GUND technology, developed for medical use, becomes a weapon when the company is bought out, causing tragedy that afflicts not only enemies but even allies. The scene in which a technology that was supposed to be correct is harmed by an evil capital has a modern realism, and it has something in common with the theme that Mr. Tomino depicts in the Gundam series: "Technology is a tool, and anything can be done depending on who uses it.

The film also offers a modern interpretation of the nature of war. In "Mobile Suit Gundam," a war is depicted in which oppressed space immigrants try to gain independence from the oppressive Earth. Season 1 of "The Witches of Mercury," on the other hand, continues the conflict between space and earth, but reverses the position of the rich space immigrants, the Spacians, and the poor inhabitants of earth, the Arcians, and then the dark struggle between the large corporations develops into a real war. The big corporations do not fight directly, but rather use the economically disparate Arcians as an executioner force. Like the mobile suits, the war is interpreted in a modern way while respecting "Mobile Suit Gundam.

Parent-child conflict and characters torn apart

In "The Witch of Mercury," the characters' personalities are Gundam-like, yet modern. Sretta is a communicator from Mercury, which is considered a rural planet in this world, and although she is usually unable to speak properly with others, she shows great ability when it comes to mobile suit battles. On the other hand, he is also nervous, unable to gauge the proper distance between himself and others, and when he is excited about making friends, he sometimes feels alienated and lonely, sometimes eating in the toilet by himself. He deeply respects his mother and has a long way to go before he can separate himself from his parents.

He is a likable character with whom we can empathize in many ways. Amuro Ray, the main character of "Mobile Suit Gundam," is also a boy who is nervous but shows talent in piloting mobile suits, and as a Gundam fan, I am interested and happy to see the deep respect for his character development.

However, Sletta's mind is manipulated by her mother, and at the end of Season 1, she becomes a person who does not feel guilty about killing people. She beats a living person to death with her aerial hand and then offers her bloodied hand to Miorine, even though she is trying to save Miorine (she was strongly influenced by her mother, who taught her combat techniques, and she fights on an aircraft developed by her mother, similar to Uso, the main character in "Mobile Suit V Gundam"). ).

On the other hand, Miorine, the "bride" at the center of the story, is a young girl struggling with her relationship with her father. Her father is the president of a large corporation and the director of the "Astikasia Higher Vocational Academy. He takes a dictatorial stance toward his daughter, deciding everything from her lessons to her friendships and even her expulsion from the academy. Miorine hates her father, whom she calls a "dubsta-fucking father," and spends her days plotting her escape from the academy to Earth. Isolated from everyone around her, Miorine is able to live in the school without having to join a dormitory, thanks in part to her father's power, but she is unwilling to admit it.

However, through her encounter with Sletta, her inner self gradually begins to grow. In order to protect Sretta, who was in danger of being expelled from school for using the forbidden Gundam, she started her own company, "Gundam Co. He bows to his father to receive investment, and together with his students, he begins to struggle to manage the unfamiliar company. The dissatisfaction with his parents and his introduction to the adult world are universal themes, and at the same time, there is a modern poignancy in the way he establishes the company with his excellent strategic thinking, despite being a student. Miorine herself is not a ruthless person, but rather a communicator in a different sense from Sletta, who is simply unable to express her feelings for others. The growing distance between the two is an appealing and sympathetic story of friendship. As the story progresses, you will find yourself rooting for the two, and this is a triumph of scriptwriting ability.

One of the themes depicted in "The Witches of Mercury" is the relationship between parents and children. Sletta and her mother, Prospera, who developed the aerial she drives. Prospera supports Sletta's positive challenges with her unique life lesson, "Running away is one thing, going forward is two things. At first glance, Prospera seems like an idealistic mother, but in fact, she is a person who is manipulating Sletta to take her own revenge (in the prequel "The Star of the Cradle" on the official website, she says, "If you want revenge, let's do it on our own. Don't get Sletta involved." (In the prequel "The Cradle Star" on the official website, Aerial monologues, "If you want revenge, let's do it alone.) Sletta is seduced by Prospera to commit murder in order to save Miorine, but she does not feel a shred of guilt about it. In other words, Sletta is a girl who has failed to separate from her parents.

The way a girl whose mind has been manipulated fights without any sense of guilt is like the "enhanced humans" (special soldiers created through brainwashing and body enhancement techniques) that repeatedly appear in the Gundam series. All "enhanced humans" end up in tragic ways, but what will happen to Sletta? What will happen to Sretta? Will she never come back to the school life she longed for with her friends and made a "wish list" of things she wanted to do?

On the other hand, Miorine is the instrument of a political marriage, given as a "bride" to the winner of a duel, and her father, Dering, the one who decided it. Dering is an authoritarian man, but he cares for Miorine in his own way and is willing to take a risk to save her if the situation calls for it. The situation between father and son is seemingly the worst, but they have feelings for each other, which is in contrast to Sletta and her son.

Güell, a sergeant in a big company, tries to win Miorine, and her father, Wim, tries to marry them and rise to the top of the group. Gweru loses in a duel, which disappoints Wim, and he is expelled from the school. Later, he is offered a position in Wim's subsidiary company, but he dares to run away from home and seek a way to support himself.

However, at the end of Season 1, during an attack by the anti-spacian organization "Foldo's Dawn," Güell takes Vim into his hands through an unfortunate misunderstanding. Independence from one's parents is a theme that no one can avoid. We can't wait to see the rest of the story to see how Gweru changes after going through the literal murder of his parents.

The relationship between Shadik, who is trying to make a name for himself by any means necessary after being adopted from an orphan by the CEO of a major corporation, and his father-in-law, Salius, who uses him but belittles him behind his back as an "adopted son of a bitch," is also not to be missed. Shaddik believes that the restrictions on Gundam created by his parents' generation are the cause of the stagnant times, and he plans to conspire to kill Salius. This is the opposite of Gweru, a deliberate murder of parents. The young man's sense of entrapment is very modern.

The Witch of Mercury" is a story that attracts people regardless of whether they are Gundam fans or not, thanks to its strong focus on the universal theme of parents and children. And the fact that people who try to understand each other are torn apart by war is a recurring motif in the Gundam series and one that is "Gundam-like," as in the case of Amuro and Lalaa, Camille and Fau, and Hathaway and Ques.

MS and science fiction setting in which the essence of modernity lives on

In "The Witch of Mercury," the battle using mobile suits is also fascinating. The development in which the pinned-down aerial fights off rivals is both interesting and cathartic as a competitive battle. Needless to say, the sight of a strong Gundam fighting is one of the "Gundam-esque" elements.

Aerial manipulates 11 small terminals called "Gambits," which separate and combine to attack and defend. The idea was inspired by the radio beam cannon "bits" that appeared in "Mobile Suit Gundam," and it is surprising to see that the coolness of countless terminals tossing enemies around has not changed over the past 40 years.

Furthermore, the fact that the terminals combine to form shields and large beam cannons is an interesting feature of the Gambit. It is clearly a technology that separates it from other machines and expresses the strength and terror of the Gundam. It is an idea that goes beyond mere following in the footsteps of the Gundam series. In the Gundam series, radio weapons such as bits and funnels are usually introduced in the latter half of the story, but in this work, they are introduced suddenly in the first episode, which is also interesting for Gundam fans. However, there are competing technologies in the series, and the battle is not a simple one. The future battles will be interesting to watch.

In addition, the Aerial is an unfathomable mobile suit that holds many mysteries. The Aerial can sometimes disable the aforementioned counter-technology against the Gundam, and fights as if it could predict the future. In the cockpit, where no one else is supposed to be, Sletta is having a conversation with someone. Who is she talking to? The Gundam itself is one of the vertical axes driving the story.

The school days are also an interesting part of the story. One of the charms of being a student is the interaction among a wide variety of people. Once you go out into the world, you tend to interact with people of similar ethnic backgrounds, but this is not the case during your school days. In "Astycasia Technical Academy," the setting of this film, there are aspiring pilots, managers, mechanics, and Spacians and Arcians all packed together, and there is an interesting clash between people from different backgrounds. One of the reasons season one was widely popular was probably due to its slow depiction of miscellaneous school life. Even though they are students, everyone takes life seriously. They bite their parents, play fisticuffs to protect their pride, and work hard to live up to the expectations of those around them. Some people wondered before the airing if a school story could be Gundam-like, but in fact, when you watch the show, it is firmly Gundam.

The ensemble drama of people living their lives to the fullest is one of the "Gundam-like" elements of the series.

Another appealing aspect is the addition of a modern essence to the school story. As mentioned above, Miorine has set up Gundam Inc. to take on the great challenge of the peaceful use of GUNDAM technology. She makes signs in a hurry while staining her gym clothes with spray paint, gets together with her friends and contributes to the company by using her special skills, creates a logo and PV, and watches over the testing of the GUND prosthetic leg she has worked so hard to create. ...... It is hard not to find the universal fun of starting something as a team, combined with the modern essence of student entrepreneurship, appealing.

In the episode, Sretta and his team create a PV for Gundam Inc. The company song that Sretta and the other employees sing in the video is a bad song, and the aerial footage of the dancers is poorly cropped, leaving traces of green backgrounds. These "one-off" details allow the viewer to imagine the production site being just as lively as Sletta and Miorine, and make it fun to watch.

＜Official Video "Gundam Inc. Promotional Video

The setting of the story, "Astycasia Technical Academy," is a school built on an asteroid floating in space. Inevitably, the story is filled with detailed depictions of life in space, and the attention to detail is also overflowing with Tomino-ism and "Gundam-like" characteristics.

In the first episode, Sletta rescues Miorine floating in space. The scene in which the vastness and loneliness of space are expressed through breathing is reminiscent of the beginning of "Gundam: Mobile Suit Gundam. Sletta rescues Miorine by wrapping her in her aerial hand, and in episode 12, the same hand crushes a terrorist. Even the same "hand to help" produces different results depending on Sletta's mind, and we can feel Tomino's ism that "technology is a tool, and it depends on the user.

Miorine grows tomatoes at the school, and goats, cows, and chickens are raised in the "Earth Dormitory" where the Arsians gather. Farming and cattle raising are essential for people to live permanently in space, and we can see the "Gundam-ism" and Tomino-ism in his commitment to life in space (it is a well-known story that he had a strong interest in space from childhood, joined the "Space Travel Society" when he was in junior high school, and wrote a paper on space travel; he was also a member of the "Gundam Society for the Study of Space Travel"). (It is a well-known story that this obsession led to the realistic depiction of space in "Mobile Suit Gundam," in which he repaired damages on his space suit with tape and moved in zero gravity by holding on to a moving lift grip on the wall.) In zero-gravity space, they move with a small jet-powered device. The realism of holding on to the device's handles and flying like a swimmer makes me want to experience this in real life. A minor point is that the bread that Sletta eats while crying in the second episode has a logo that seems to be a company logo. In this world, one cannot be alone even when eating, and I personally felt a strong sense of dystopia.

I have written about the charm of "The Witch of Mercury" at length, but it is an original work that is "not" a space century work that continues from "Mobile Suit Gundam," and includes unusual elements such as a female protagonist and a school. ...... It is not difficult to imagine that there were many difficulties in the production of this series, as it had to be a commercial success as a Gundam series while taking a non-traditional Gundam route. However, as readers know, as soon as the series was televised, it became a hot topic of conversation. Even people who have never seen the Gundam series can enjoy this work, and Gundam fans like myself can feel the Gundam-like atmosphere. I am simply happy to see a new work that is not only interesting but also has a "Gundam-like" feel. With deep respect for the challenge and respect of the production team, I look forward to Season 2.

My imagination is bursting! Great Predictions for Season 2!

Lastly, I would like to consider the development of Season 2, the mystery of the aerial, and the ending of the story that everyone is anxious to see.

As mentioned above, Sletta was talking to someone when the aerial displayed its mysterious power in episode 9. Sletta calls the Aerial "family," indicating that she is attached to it as more than just a mobile suit.

Now, I would like to remind you of episode 0. Here, Gundam Lubliss, a Gundam similar to the Aerial, Ericto Samaya, a four-year-old girl who resembles Sletta, and her mother Elnora Samaya, who is instrumental in the development of Gundam Lubliss, are introduced. In the first episode, however, Erikto does not appear, and Sletta, who has the same hair color and voice, rides the aerial. Are Erikto and Sletta the same person? Who was the one who was talking to Sletta in episode 9?

Another thing to remember is the last scene of the opening video. After Sretta, Miorine and the others who had been shown until then suddenly disappear, a girl who looks like Ericto appears there. It is as if the girl who resembles Ericto had finished watching Sretta and her friends' school life on the screen and turned off the switch.

Then comes episode 10. Through Elan, we learn that "in this world, there are enhanced people, people who have been modified to ride Gundams, and they have technology that allows them to change their faces and even their voices at will. Normally, one would think that Sletta is the one that Erikto grew up to be. But in fact, could it be that this is not the case, and that the two are different people?

Sletta is an enhanced human made to board the aerial, and her appearance was made like Eran, wasn't it? And Erikto is in the aerial (or has his personality recreated by AI), watching over Sletta and the others. Could it be Ericto who was conversing with Sletta in episode 9?

In episode 10, Prospera tells Miorine, "I can trust you with my daughters. Why does she refer to her "daughters" when she has only one daughter, Sletta? And why does Prospera manipulate her daughter Sletta? If Ericto is in the aerial and Sletta is not his own daughter, but an enhanced human being, these questions can be explained to some extent!

And Sletta was admitted to the academy with the support of everyone on Mercury, but there is no word from any of them. There are other students at the school who are in a similar situation. Tutu is one of them, and he came to the school with high expectations from his hometown. In episode 4, there is a heartwarming scene in which Chuchu calls her hometown. So why does Sletta not have a scene where she talks to her hometown, but Chuchu does? In fact, everyone on Mercury is a false memory that was implanted when he became an Enhanced, and such people do not exist! I was so enthusiastic about ......, but when I re-read the "Star of the Cradle" on the official website, this hypothesis was blown away in one shot.

In this novel, Sletta's life on Mercury is described in fragments, with "I" as the first-person aerialist. Ericto is referred to as "daughter" on the official website, and is not "me" by any stretch of the imagination. The fact that the Gundam and other mobile suits are equipped with AI was mentioned in episodes 0 and 3, so it is not surprising that the aerial has AI.

Hypotheses are always correct with fewer assumptions. Sletta and Prospera are pseudonyms ("Cradle Star," "Mother fled to this Mercury alone with her daughter.") given by Erikt and Elnora, who fled to Mercury after episode 0. . Prospera's hair color is different from that of Elnora in episode 0 because of the accident that caused her to wear the mask. Elnora saw Elikto's success with Gundam Rubris in episode 0, and came up with the idea of using it for revenge. The reason why there is no scene where Sletta talks to her hometown is because her mother is from that hometown, which is probably correct ....... It's already a really good theory with a lot of holes.

Nevertheless, it was fun to fantasize about all sorts of things, and I hope that readers will be able to predict what will happen next. Personally, I predict that at the end of season 2, Sletta, who has not been able to separate from her parents, and Miorine, who has separated from her parents, will face off. In Season 1, Sletta saved Miorine from a dueling "brides". This time, I suspect Miorine will save Sletta from the fate of the "Witch of Mercury".

In any case, we are looking forward to Season 2, which is scheduled to begin airing in April 2023.

(Text by Shinichi Yanamoto)