Kidou Senshi Gundam: Suisei no Majo Season 2

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury is a visually excellent sci-fi action show but suffers from its incredibly ill-defined world. The usual Gundam charm and polish with mech combat can only make up so much for the vagueness of its political and societal structures. As an ironic consequence, despite Gundam being considered a sci-fi classic that has stuck to the harder end of that spectrum, it is difficult for a viewer in that demographic to enjoy WFM. While the characters are certainly brought to life with fantastic voice acting and dramatic moments, it is hard to be sold and invested in them when the ... context they make their decisions in is so poorly explained or even convoluted at times. It constantly takes the viewer out of their suspension of disbelief because much of the world the characters interact with as core parts of the plot is never properly defined. There is this constant lip service to how complex or multi-layered all this corporate politics and economic oppression is, but never an actual exploration or even basic explanation. It is frankly more frustrating than a botched dive into it or having a more simplistic scenario. In those cases, there is at least an attempt to address or deliver on what was promised. Understandably, some viewers can be entertained solely by the drama and characterisation alone. But it is hard to call it good science fiction or even a Gundam series after it has deliberately brought up complexities in its world and narrative yet fails to explore them and leaves them as only cheap aesthetic window dressing. The only saving grace of the series is then the characters but they can only make up so much for things since they are ulimately beholden in believability to the setting.

Any interesting plot developments or meaningful actions by our characters affecting things rely on comprehending the political, economic and social structures they interact with. This might all sound incredibly cerebral and too complex, even for sci-fi or Gundam. But it really is just a formal and systematic way of saying that we need to understand, at least in the broad strokes, who is interacting with what, what powers they have, and what any of it means in relation to their objectives. Illustrating this point, we find out only after 19 episodes that there is an entity called the Space Assembly League. This sounds like some kind of traditional government institution. They appear to have authority and power over the Benerit Group. And at the very least, they clearly are a powerful and highly centralised organisation with how even a section of their armed forces is seen to be threatening to the Benerit Group. This is a major issue since WFM has been giving the impression for one and a half seasons that its world is some kind of corporate-controlled future where they run amuck and do as they please. The sudden departure from that is an issue since it shatters the already paper-thin safety net of the viewer being able to take it for granted that the Benerit Group controlled most things as a mega-corporation and that the series was a consequence of that.

It raises an incredible number of questions as to the nature of the conflict throughout the series, and the themes or ideas the show is attempting to comment on or explore. Namely, if the Benerit Group was always subject to a higher authority, how do they have so much power? Corporate capture of government institutions is a very real phenomenon and would be a sufficient explanation while also being an interesting point to explore. But the relationship between the two entities is barely brought up, much less explained in even a basic sense. The audience has no idea if the SAL is a traditional government entity representing the people of the Fronts (space colonies) or if their delegates only represent corporations. This distinction is important since it changes the nature of the show's world and themes. The latter would be more of an exploration into what a world run at the behest of corporations looks like, while the former explores corporate influence and control over a government and its consequences. Similarly vague is even the broad strokes of the political structures on Earth. When Minorine goes to negotiate to end the hostilities between the two sides in the wake of the attack on Plant Quetta, it is revealed she is not talking to government representatives on Earth when one of them tells her to leave the deals up to the politicians. This is mind-boggling since it raises so many questions about what authority or power these people from Earth would have to stop the fighting. And it seems like WFM is even dimly aware of how botched its world's coherence is since it does not even bother mentioning a cursory title or designation for these people like most other shows would. Instead of briefly naming them as representatives, a mayor, or even a CEO if they wanted to double down on this being a corporate world, they give no hints as to what positions they hold. Yet the viewer cannot even take it for granted that these are community leaders who deal with the Benerit Group since no other political institutions exist in this world. They directly mention the existence of conventional politicians elsewhere. Instead of giving intuitive cursory answers and letting the viewers fill in the blanks on their own, WFM only raises more questions. This can only be explained by incompetence or negligence when planning out the world, or as another deliberate attempt to create a complex and politically dramatic appearance without putting in the effort.

Even the Earthian-Spacian split fails to be a compelling motivator of the conflict because it is arbitrary and ill-defined, even after two full seasons. The main issue is that because this is not a traditional political conflict, we cannot take it for granted that the two sides hold animosity toward each other because of their differing allegiance. Again the lack of any explanation of the political situation has come back to undermine this. It is never made clear if the Earth and the Fronts are in some kind of political union or if it is a colonialist type situation. So we lack even that as a means for inferring the implicit goals of the Earthians, be it independence, autonomy, or a more just and equitable union of the Earth sphere. What we are left with appears as more of a class conflict. Yet the writers treat the issue as something more akin to a difference of ethnicity which is inherent to a person and affects their outward appearance in obvious and distinguishable ways. This is a significant issue since there is no difference between them besides economic means. There is no meaningful or even visible cultural difference between Earthians and Spacians, with them seeming to both be heterogeneous groups. And no inherent differences would necessarily distinguish themselves from other humans, like with Newtypes or Coordinators. What is left is that the only distinction is their place of birth. Hypothetically, someone born on Earth but raised by Spacians in a wealthy environment would realistically have zero allegiance to an Earthian identity. If this were a conflict drawn on class lines, most people in this situation of adoption would be defenders of the status quo since they benefit from it and have entirely different mannerisms because of their upbringing. Yet the characters of WFM treat the birthplace of someone as an overarching determinant without any comprehensible explanation. An eye-watering highlight from this is that if we were not told Shaddiq was part Earthian, the viewer would have no way to discern that. It renders the distinction unconvincing and shallow as a means motivator of conflict. It is a primarily class conflict, yet it is written as if it was related to race and ethnicity. And even then it is done without any particular depth and serves as a poor allegory for one.

It cannot even be said that the viewer holds an unfair expectation of the complexity of the series. WFM continuously brings up and hints at complexity and complication in its world, like with the vague statement that corporations created 'war partitioning' for their own benefit, but never explains or explores any of it. WFM provokes the viewer to see its world as complex, warranting the drama it derives from the heavy themes it covers, yet not only fails to deliver but absconds from the responsibility to back up any of these hintings with some substance. It is perfectly acceptable for a series to have a simple, closer to black and white conflict for the sake of focusing narrative time and resources on characters with their more personal stakes and drama. The problem is that WFM constantly holds up the pretence that it is a complex, multi-layered conflict while lacking the actual depth to do so. In fact, it is incredulous how little exposition there is in this series despite the multiple deliberate attempts the series makes to complicate and layer issues on top of each other. Many other series, some Gundam ones included, stumble into the pitfall of relying too much on exposition to explain the complexities of the politics behind their worlds. But at the very least they provide the viewer with some understanding of the conflict. Without that, it is hard to see any of the fighting our characters are put through as having some meaning, or even cause, beyond just being for the sake of entertaining spectacle. Even if WFM wishes to evade its Gundam name and the legacy that comes with it when it comes to viewer expectation, it still draws heavily on many ideas from the series. This is a hallmark of Gundam at this point, and it is interesting to see a new riff or adaptation of what are now classic Gundam elements. Yet it is hypocritical to say that WFM cannot be compared to Gundam standards when it benefits from so many of their ideas. The most obvious thing it adapts is Prospera Mercury being a Char clone through and through with all the motivations and plot consequences archetypical to this character type. It is unfair to say that WFM must address in depth all Gundam themes to a tee because of this legacy. After all, each series is its own unique entity which have differing level of focus on different aspects of Gundam. Yet they cannot say they are a part of the series and choose to do away with explaining politics on some level, especially after they keep voluntarily bringing up how complex and central it is to the setting.

In this, it is almost possible to call WFM an abject failure since it does not deliver on its promise and squanders its potential. We get no exploration on anything unique to a world where corporations are in control. Nothing about the dangers of corporate overreach or exploitation despite it being touted as a major flashpoint throughout the series on Earth. And nothing about the perils of the military-industrial complex and how that relates back thematically to meta-tension in Gundam of mobile suits being cool of the audience yet also weapons of war. The little lip service we get of this is related almost entirely to the Ariel and the datastorm technology instead of the more grounded questions with mass-produced mobile suits. It leaves it all with the distinct impression that the corporate setting surrounding the Benerit Group and the economic oppression of Earth are nothing more than aesthetics. It is the aesthetics of a serious issue that is used to make the series appear deeper than it really is. A veneer to add gravity and drama to events without doing any the work to explore its causes or ramifications. For emphasis, WFM is constantly flaunting these themes and elements to the viewer instead of it being an unfair adult expectation placed on a juvenile action show. The failure to then satisfactorily explore this, even if it is just on the surface with only notional answers, is a major issue that detracts from things. It is an incredibly blatant failure in managing audience expectations.

The only saving grace is then the show's characters, which are charming and exceedingly well voice-acted. The opening of many of the character mystery boxes has greatly eased WFM's reliance on uncertainty to create character drama. Though it still reveals how most characters have not grown so much as finally being shown to the audience and understood. Guel and Chuchu were still the highlights of the series again as the few characters with any real depth or different facets to them. It is obvious by now that this is a consequence of using an overwhelming number of character mystery boxes. A character cannot be developed if so much of their past and motivations remain hidden, which limited a vast majority of growth to Chuchu and Guel since they were the only real known quantities to the audience. They are the only ones that can have a change of character while the rest have 'reveals' of them. This even applies to Suletta, who is functionally a pawn with little agency until the final episodes of the season. While her character arc and story are still compelling enough, especially helped by Ichinose Kana's fantastic performance, having a character that the plot essentially happens to until the last moment does not make for an ideal protagonist. It is still serviceable, but it contributes in no small part to Guel feeling like the story's actual protagonist since he is put through the most conflict. This amount of choice and ramifications is usually reserved for the story's protagonist with how much growth and agency he receives. This is more of a structural issue than anything particularly wrong with the characters, but it does create this issue of audience expectation since Suletta's perspective is better suited to a different genre of show. There are some attempts to develop what would probably be considered tertiary characters like Martin and Lauda. But given how little time is spent with them with their initial characterisation and how quick the build-up is, it either feels flat, like in the case of Martin or rushed to the point of melodrama with Lauda.

This comes back to a large overall pacing and tone issue that seems to plague the series. Past Gundam series have had far longer continuous runs, and it feels like WFM is suffering from having only 24 episodes to tell an entire Gundam story that usually runs for roughly double the length. It leads to it feeling like an abridged version of Gundam with a particularly tropey cast in how much their personality is exaggerated to speed up characterisation. In fact, this might also explain why so little has been developed about the larger politics of the series. Though instead of dialling it back, they still tried to have their cake and eat it too. The pacing issue and general time squeeze only really highlight itself with how little Minorine actually interacts with Suletta this season. The major flashpoint between them feels melodramatic with how little build-up it receives and the severity of their outburst. While it is appropriate to a degree for teenagers to react that emotively, it could certainly have done with more time to breath. The tonal whiplash of going from the Plant Quetta attacks, a seemingly paradigm-shifting event, back to attempting to play school heavily stretches believability. This seems like a consequence of having a two-season format which necessitated a climax midway even though the series had not finished what it wanted to do with Astacasia as a setting. It really does feel like another instance of wanting it both ways, having a dramatic conflict yet continuing to play around in the school setting indefinitely. To the show's credit, it is far more gruesome than usual with its depictions of the cost of war. And appropriately, it has some outstanding moments with how hard it is for characters like Guel and Chuchu to return to playing war in their duelling after seeing real combat. Yet a lot of this bloodshed has this distinct undertone of feeling like cheap shock value at times because of how incoherent the world is.

Overall, Witch From Mercury feels incredibly botched in how vague its world is. While charming and lively, the characters can only take the series so far. Their believability is linked to the world they inhabit, and that element is constantly being eroded with every reminder of how vague it is and the needless complications of it without answers. And it feels like the world of WFM is almost irreparably damaged with how long it has gone without being properly explained. The entire premise of the Benerit Group feels like a cheap aesthetic choice with little merit. With how little they cover themes about corporations, it would have been better to stick to it being a world with more conventional political organisation. In fact, if the Astacasia School was a peacekeeper training academy, it might have made it feel far less out of place than some corporate high school. It is hard to recommend this despite WFM still being entertaining enough with its action and quirky characters. There is a lot to like, and will probably appeal to viewers less interested in the sci-fi's more cerebral or abstract aspects. But it is hard to say it is a good representative of the Gundam series with how little it cares about its themes, though it is definitely better than the average in terms of its character. Perhaps too much time was sacrificed from other elements for that. Given it is frustratingly vague and even vapid but still at least functionally entertaining as a story, a 5 out of 10 rating seems appropriate.

It is entirely understandable why a viewer looking primarily for cool fights and character drama for entertainment would like WFM. In that, the show has succeeded. I would recommend it as a digestible modern taster of the Gundam aesthetic and themes, though not as an archetypical representative of the series as a whole. But for viewers like myself who would like something more thematically interesting to chew on and think about, it hard to recommend it with how impossibly vague it is. Especially because WFM quite blatantly promised that to us yet did not deliver. It makes one wonder if it really just misses potential at times or deliberately stringing a major part of the usual Gundam audience along with the hopes of a political explanation.

G Witch Season 2 is an upgrade in every way to season 1 and represents a return to the bloody, political, emotional and action packed style of story we’re accustomed to. And now that the story is complete, I can confidently say this is the best Gundam I’ve ever seen.

I’ve been a big fan of G witch from the very beginning. I personally really liked that the first cour felt like Gundam for the modern age. It allowed us to connect with the characters in a way we haven’t really been able to in a Gundam before, as well as making the franchise accessible for ... newcomers. Some may argue that the season was slow and boring. I disagree. I think those slice of life and intimate moments were essential to making the things that happen in season 2 more impactful.

Going to school along with these characters, seeing them build their own company and come up with these ideals of equality between earthians and spacians, ultimately makes seeing them have everything taken away hit even harder. This season is a straight up bloodbath. Almost every episode is filled with pain, death and suffering. Seeing our characters who were so filled with optimism in season 1, now down and out was tough.

But, it’s in this pain that we realise just how emotionally invested we’ve become in this story. There were so many times during this season where I screamed at my tv or got emotional during a battle or death just because I felt the character deserved better. There’s really no better mark of character writing than that.

Speaking of character writing, I was very happy with what they did with our main characters this season. After the cliffhanger of season 1, you knew something would have to change between Suletta and Miroine and that it did. Seeing them navigate and overcome their difficulties both individually and collectively down the stretch of this season was a joy. Suletta in particular grew so much. Truly charting her own path as a character and it was great to see.

Sunrise’s ability to keep this show Yuri baitish while not going full explicit Yuri, thus keeping everyone happy, also has to be praised. They did the same with birdie wing recently and they’re great at it. I personally like stuff like that as it gives you the ability to play with multiple ships in your head.

You of course can’t talk Gundam without talking about the fights. As I said earlier, there’s way more action in this season and the job Sunrise did on the fights is insane. The sound design, choreography, sakuga and direction during the big action set pieces were among the best you’ll see. If you felt the first season was boring or slow, you are definitely not going to have that issue here.

Now if I must offer some criticism of the season, it’s that the political and business aspect of the story really lost me this season. It feels like it got a bit convoluted and I was honestly confused after about episode 4. There’s a lot of things going on behind the scenes in this story and it can honestly get a little overwhelming. Yuri bait, mechs and cute girls is more than enough to overcome that for me, though.

In brief, G Witch II is Gundam at its best. It’s emotional, action packed, has tremendous amounts of drama and is a very fun watch. Even if you’re not a traditional Gundam fan you’ll like this series. I will miss this story a lot.

G Witch S2 gets 10, out of 10.

Deus ex machina through cyber-gnosis or simply: Kidou Senshi Gundam Suisei no Majo.

First of all I would like to appoint that the pace of this show is somehow compromised to help build a relationship between the characters(it starts slow and later gets rushed), that despite this, end up being very clunky just because some of the characters aren't real persons but intend to be like archetypes or merely someones will(some of the characters are literal homunculus), the post prologue beggining is kinda shady about its aim and attain to some college vibes, mixing the casual life of a brand new student with some transhumanist dilemmas. ... So at the first glance it's not that bad nor that good, but it's enough to keep the viewers interest...

Moving to the second phase of the show; the conflicts from the prologue starts to come to the surface and this is where the show fails so terribly to deliver what we were expecting and instead it is totally eclipsed by the will of Suletta Mercury, every topic raised before turns out to be only a shallow background and all universe bends to the whim of Suletta; no one is held accountable for their actions, no one really pays for their sin or even have to burden with them, all by the power of the "witch" who manages to transcend the gundams curse further and beyond with no consequence, Prospera ends up getting what she wanted through the intervention of Suletta despite wrecking havoc on Earth, so both of the wives can have heavy criminals as their father and mother-in-law. Shaddiq is the one scapegoated to receive all the blame for everything willingly and with a smile on the face as he was destined for this and more than that as he himself chosen this path beforehanded. The old hags from Peil who were supposedly the villains in the last arc got retired to their houses to drink tea like some good gramdmas and Delling Rembran is just a passenger observing the story.

Overall this is just lost potential, during the development of the show there are really some interesting topics that are trashed or simply put aside to force a happy ending around Suletta who at least metaphorically turns out be a mini demiurge that can rewrite the flow of history based purely on personal interest.

I pity you if you got introduced in franchise with that anime.

Gundam Witch from mercury it's for me the perfect symbol of modern otaku. The modern otaku is a shallow being with IQ under 85 that watch anime at 1.5x speed. If you look for a rollercoaster of emotions, good writing, good characters and a good story this anime IS NOT FOR YOU.

WFM was made for who wants to get off watching a bad yuri couple, look for an anime character's thights (Secelia) or see one of most weird and bad wrote characters ever get the only thing that you could call as ... "character progress" (Guel) . If you are the kind of person that just hype an anime because there are lesbians or fit into anything above, this anime is for you.

Every season has an anime hyped due either being part of a big franchise or the names behind it. Gundam Witch From Mercury is one of them. Trying to use Shakespeare as inspiration, Okuichi brought to us what i consider one of... Worst things that i ever watched. Not only a offense to Shakespeare but the lack of originality, terrible pacing and narrative, holding itself in a beautiful animation and sound effects. This one and Iseleve hold itself as 2 of most horrible things and waste of ink, time, money and effort ever made. It copied so much of other animes (Utena) and Gundam Unicorn that is pretty weird see people liking scenes and narrative elements that was present in OTHER STORIES and being copied in pretty shameless way.

As a long fan of Gundam franchise my disappoint is immensurable. People might try to say that "Char and Amuro was a gay couple" because a interview of Yoshiyuki Tomino with Hideaki Anno (Neon Genesis Evangelion creator) or "you're just a homophobe." Don't let these idiots try to down your opinion if you just disliked it. It's pretty valid say that a bad anime is bad just because it's really bad.

If you want a good Yuri, watch Strawberry Panic, if you want a good introduction to Gundam Franchise go for Gundam 00, if you want a good romance them i think you should get Spice and the Wolf.

Mobile Suit Gundam Witch from Mercury is a waste of resource, time and possible a braincell killer.

And now, finally, this train wreck is over.

I'll get to the point. I don't like it. The world building is bad. The plot is bad. The finale is even worse.

Now to expand on why: for me, good world building makes coherent sense. I can believe this would happen. At the same time established elements of this world should be reinforced to make it more believable. If you're going to open your series with "oh, homosexuality is actually common place" I at least expect a homosexual character aside from the two leads (No, there's no one besides those two that are homosexual.) While one may call ... this a nitpick, the anime does this all the time. The epilogue literally forgot it's an epilogue, with one of the major criminals going to trial 3 years later despite confessing to everything. Son of ceo or not, did they just decide to have him in custody for 3 years awaiting his trial? Other inconsistencies include: Ai existing but never used, lazers in duels being weak enough that armor can withstand it (due to their powers being regulated) but everyone still bothers to dodge them for some reason, manslaughter of an entire fleet in an army going unpunished despite the simple act of assault being a reportable offense.

And that manslaughter brings me to the plot. There's so many moments that don't make sense solely there to reach a certain endpoint. For example, Character A wants to meet her love interest and talk to her. Another character, Character B, doesn't want that and challenges her to a duel over it. And suddenly they reappear with fencing equipment. WHY? When has fencing in this story been established as a verified form of dueling? Why does the building they're in have fencing equipment? Why do either of these characters know how to fence? It's almost like this scene exists solely for Character B's emotional developement or whatever. Here's some more pointless plot points: Why was Suletta brainwashed by Prospera to be a puppet of some sort? Miorine was able to convince Prospera to leave Suletta alone (at great cost) but what would have happened without this intervention? what was Suletta's role in quiet zero that only she could do? Quiet zero was built in the end without the involvement of any of the characters and activated too.

Oh and the finale. Propsera, murderer of tens if not hundreds, never takes accountability for her actions. But Shaddiq does. Why? She's the mastermind behind a major conspiracy, instigated the riots on earth which led to the death of many more, has killed an entire fleet of an army, but she gets a pass? The anime seems to brush this off as "oh she just really wants her daughter to be happy". Because remember kids, tragic backstory should be used to excuse villainous acts, not explain them. How far would the plot have allowed for Prospera to go before it's time to put her in a cell? The rest of the finale is just resolved by Suletta going super s- I mean permet 8. It also speaks to the stakes of all this. We're told that Permet 5 is bad enough to cause Suletta massive amounts of pain, that permet bad, higher permet = even worse, and yet our hero just does it anyways with no cost that hasn't healed. I suppose a finale that got started by a Deus ex Machina should be ended with a Deus ex Machina. good job there writers.

There's still so many inconsistencies I can list, in plot and in worldbuilding, like why Elan never asks for a few henchmen to help him along with his attempts to kidnap Suletta or take her mech, how miorine's goal of going to earth would likely be a suicide mission given how bad it is over there, how Suletta's dream of teaching mercury kids was never realized, but I don't like going on for too long. A lot of these problems stem from the writers clearly having an ending in mind and didn't think through the process of obtaining that ending. So a word of advice for those who watch this: the anime can stll be enjoyable. just turn your brain off and don't think too hard.

The second season was an expected life-changing twist in the story that would take the show back to the "real Gundam" side, ditching the much-maligned "high school romantic comedy" format of the first season. And to be honest, the start really seemed promising when the show took the first season finale, which many called "one episode worth 11 episodes of mindless high school nonsense" and ran with it. But unfortunately, having dealt with a number of the problems of the 1st season, the 2nd season created its own.

First of all, it is the pace and writing depth. This is the shortest TV Gundam ever, only ... two cours long and it really feels like it. So much so that the staff seemed to be forced to work at a crazy pace, or they themselves decided to work in some kind of crazy speed competition. The second season is pretty good at creating subplots, especially compared to the first season. Not to mention being true to the Gundam philosophy as a franchise. It explores the use of violence to protect justice in desperate situations, false flag violence, desperation in an attempt to protect loved ones, and finally, the toxic nature of aggression. However, most of this is very badly and disappointingly resolved, often quite formally, as if the creators did not have the time or, most importantly, the desire to bring the intrigue and exciting plot to the end. It's extremely frustrating, especially when you're really involved with the story and care about the characters. Because of this, most subplots seem very formal, as if they exist only for the technical content of the plot. Somewhere in the middle of the season, we will be given two large subplots that will develop over several episodes only to then have everything decided in a couple of short scenes with minimal resistance.

The show is critically afraid of killing important characters or taking the plot in a truly tragic direction. Throughout the anime, countless nameless characters will be killed and a couple of sacrificial lambs who are the villains of one of the arcs and that's it. This further separates the show from the prologue (prepare for the villains to avoid any responsibility and punishment for war crimes and violence thanks to shonen-ish forgiveness and the power of friendship), with its ability to set the stakes and make the death or suffering of characters an important part of the plot. It comes to the ridiculous, in one of the scenes they literally want to cause hard feelings from us after the characters suffer due to the death of a character whose name is literally all the information we know about him. This is so strange that it can even make you laugh. All that important characters can expect is a resurrected version of the old American cartoon "she's in a coma" meme. I'm not at all going to be your typical edgylord who thinks that gloominess and cruelty will make any thing better, smarter and deeper. But with this approach, the show just doesn't work as either a Gundam mecha anime or a political conspiracy show, because it just discounts any bets it tries to make, only making it worse with the solidified formula of "school kids who change the world when adults can't do anything." It was so pointless that for the finale they even had to come up with something like the last boss out of nowhere to create at least some kind of threat to the characters.

Secondly, the second problem, or one might say, the weak point of the show is the relationship between the two main characters, Suletta and Miorine. From the beginning of the show, it was made clear and open that the relationship between the two would be the focus of the show. Regardless of how it ends, it is first and foremost "shoujo-tachi monogatari". This works great if you're involved in their ship and are ready to declare them lovers ahead of time, as many people have been doing since the premiere of the first episode. The characters have quite strong bonds and you can easily believe in the depth and sincerity of their affection for each other. But if you're neutral about it, then things start to fall apart very quickly when you realize that the engagement has not only become an artificial hook to keep them together, but at some point it actually took over every other topic on the show.

G-Witch is one of those yuri shows that suppress as much as possible any manifestation of romantic affection between women, either turning any words of affection between them into the most ambiguous lines, or never going beyond what can be taken as physical intimacy on the surface. To such an extent that until the end of the show or official resources avoided any mention of romance or love as such (with the exception of the American twitter Gundam info, which in an attempt to be trendy even caused several ship wars), and the first time when girls directly spoke about love there were words about love between parent and child in the penultimate episode. Even when the characters finally said things with an almost direct romantic context, it was cut off with an artificial cliffhanger, after which the characters not only did not return to it, but even continued to call each other friends. Even the ending isn't immune to it, muting any affection to a set of hints in speech or character interactions. This, again, is incredibly disappointing and strange for a show with such a central theme, where all the straight characters always talk about their romantic feelings directly and without any ambiguity. Of course, Miorine's words in the first episode about the familiarity of same-sex relationships for their universe remain the butt of one joke, you literally will not see anything LGBTQ in the show except for the described relationships of girls and a couple of some blurry couples (?) from side characters in, again, the last episode. Unsurprisingly, back in the first season, it got to the point where Guel at some point became more popular than both the main girls combined due to his development and a really unpredictable judge, because of which many people even preferred ship Suletta with him (even the usually formal Japanese media wrote that Guel is more interesting to watch, since Suletta is the type of protagonist who is tough and invincible from the very beginning).

This could still easily work for a potential same-sex relationship between the two best friends, and to be honest, at some point the show does try to break off the engagement in order to seem to make the development of their relationship more sincere. But no, we are not only being returned to the artificial status quo, but even covered up with an almost open rationalization of arranged marriages, which actually completely destroys the good development of Miorine before and throws her entire subplot as a character from the first season into the trash(which, if you think about what I described earlier, is especially ironic, considering how their wedding itself ends up being left out of the picture, devaluing all the intrigue of this engagement subplot). This suggests that the show's writer either overdid it with creating suspense out of the blue by censoring the display of affection between the characters in a formally unambiguous relationship, or, returning to the topic of haste, simply couldn't figure out how to write it more deeply, tying them to each other. sincerely not noticing how this destroys the chosen subtle approach to writing the development of their relationship. Which is really extremely strange if you think that the show was never positioned as romance, but at the same time, at the end, it literally completely boiled down to romance, throwing out all the previously declared main themes.

We were initially shown Suletta as a very meticulous person about duty, to the point where she instantly agreed to become Miorina's "faithful husband" only because of a formal engagement in the second episode (obviously at that point there was no talk of real romance on either side yet didn’t go) or perceiving her status as a fiancé as a responsibility to Miorine and a guarantee of their friendship, so such a depiction of their relationship devalues ​​them very much, making you suspect the girls that their love is just a formal union in the spirit of the IBO final (if you think about it, shows are really suspiciously similar to each other, especially in the final part). Of course, this will not be a problem for shippers (many of whom literally follow the show just because of it) who will say that they always knew that the characters were a couple, even if at the point under discussion in question, there was clearly nothing between them yet But if you're not one of them, it's just confusing and makes it hard for you to understand the intentions of the authors. To sum it up, despite the show's writer's huge love for Utena and the cult show's strong influence on G-Witch, Ichiro just doesn't know how to write Nisekoi-type romance, turning the characters' relationship more into a forced-debt and pink promise-based romantic friendship than a full-fledged romance. Especially when next in the season you could see the show Otonari no Ginga with a similar plot, where the characters not only built an unusually relatable romance even being engaged against their will, but also in the end deliberately canceled it in order to get together already on sincere and honest terms.

Remaining problems like Suletta becoming more and more Mary Sue, who can only lose because of betrayal and foul play, excessive superficial copying of other shows, or the degradation of most side characters and themes to tools that return to the screen only to artificially twist the plot in one way or another direction already seem to be secondary consequences of what I have described above.

Ultimately, we got a show that could well have been a great experimental fresh spin-off to one of the Gundam series than a full-fledged new TV show. Ichiro Okouchi is really good at building interesting subplots and creating relatable characters, making us care and cherish them with his favorite over-the-top twists, cliffhangers and trendy writing, but a lot of that goes to waste due to sheer rush and pacing issues due to unusually short time for a television Gundam anime. The weird writing decisions between the girls, which are only made more painful by the fact that at some point the show drops all other topics in favor of just focusing on their relationship, definitely doesn't help matters. I really believe that this could have been a good spin-off, despite the problems I described above. All this would obviously be perceived much easier and simpler if the show did not have excessive ambitions and, accordingly, did not meet high expectations. The show just can't satisfy them, especially because it's overloaded with influence, homage, or even outright copying of old or relatively old shows like Utena, Kannazuki no Miko, the Last Witch Izetta, or a number of later UC Gundams, because of what it claims to be "New Age Gundam" and the second SEED in terms of attracting a younger audience just feels like a local show full of references. And it's kind of weird that people seem to like it, since at one time the more Gundam-like Darling in the Franxx was outright accused of plagiarism due to the similar overuse of nods to old shows.

It's not a bad show and I really would like to love it. I even feel real relief that it's finally over. Even leaving aside my salt with Sunrise's attempt to turn the show into a trendy zoomer bishoujo mecha, or the resulting controversy between old and new fans(ironically, this is one of those Gundams where at the end the Gundams are destroyed for world peace, which really creates implications). But I just feel disappointed at how much it shattered my high expectations, even though it could easily have been avoided. In the end, even if it wasn't my favorite anime, I could at least just like it, it just turned out to be another original show that was blown away in the final stages. Ichiro's traditional abusive twist and cliffhanger writing style, as usual, only reinforces and worsens this, because being involved and then frustrated makes you feel manipulated and emotionally exploited in an effort to at least temporarily get your attention. Now I can only hopefully wait for new Gundams, including previously announced UC and SEED updates, to remove this sad aftertaste. And also with even more excitement to wait for the previously announced anniversary Macross from Sunrise, as this creates a risk that the problems of writing G-Witch can successfully move there as well.

While Season 1 was a let down in terms of 'Gundam-ness', Season 2 of Witch from Mercury continues to explore the complex themes of war, sacrifice, and the human condition that are at the core of the Gundam franchise. Enjoyers of the yuri and school setting Season 1 will likely feel betrayed by this season, as Gundam returns in all its bloody and child soldier glory.

The battles are intense and thrilling, with beautifully animated mecha designs that capture the essence of the series. Sunrise has done an excellent job at making the fight scenes fast paced and smooth (enough) looking. I wouldn't look too ... close though as some detail is lost with the fast movement of mechs. The mobile suits themselves are incredibly well-designed, with intricate details even for grunt suits. From sprawling cityscapes to desolate wastelands, the series showcases a wide range of environments, each with its own unique visual style and atmosphere. The series features a mix of orchestral and electronic music, with each track designed to evoke a specific mood or atmosphere. The battle music is particularly impressive, with high-energy tracks that build tension and excitement during the intense mecha battles.

The character development is also notable, with each of the main characters undergoing some significant growth and change. Although, some common tropes are still present with certain characters (Chuchu lol!). The designs are still very much the same as Season 1, and at least you can tell the characters apart easily. Season 1 featured most of the character introduction and world building required for a Gundam series, and I expect Season 2 will heavily focus on politcal drama rather than individual character relationships.

Overall, "Kidou Senshi Gundam: Suisei no Majo" Season 2 is a worthy continuation of the Gundam franchise, with excellent animation, compelling characters, and a grim story that keeps viewers entertained. Fans of mecha anime and the Gundam series in particular will find much to enjoy here. Although, enjoyers of Season 1's rom com story won't be enjoying this season quite as much with the introduction of a larger war story.

I absolutely hated the first season but I thought I'd give Season 2 a try to see if there's an improvement and it will make WfM overall worth the watch. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
Season 2 left much to be desired and failed to fix the mistakes of the first season. From underdeveloped characters to a lackluster plot, this installment fell flat and "Whatever" ride again.

One of the most glaring issues with Season 2 was the lack of character development. It seemed as though the majority of the characters were merely placeholders, barely contributing to the overall plot. Many of the supporting characters lacked depth, ... and their actions felt arbitrary and inconsequential.

Despite the premises made in the first season, the duels, marriage, and even Elan's story felt utterly inconsequential in Season 2. The narrative seemed to meander aimlessly, with events unfolding in a haphazard manner. It was as if the writers were trying to fill the show with too many tropes and ideas from other shows until the last four episodes, which ultimately carried most of the weight and importance.

The climax of the series was a major letdown. With a rushed and unsatisfying conclusion, it became apparent that the series had squandered its potential. It felt as though the writers realized they had run out of time and hastily tied up loose ends without providing any satisfyingly battles or ending. Watching both seasons was time wasting honestly. There's nothing memorable or special about this show.
It's generic, bland, tasteless, and obviously trying to attract new fans by using Yuri and overused tropes and elements from other stories.

Gundam: The Witch from Mercury Season 2 was a frustrating experience overall. The lack of character development, the insignificance of major events, and the overall filler-like nature of the majority of the season left me questioning the purpose and direction of the show. The rushed and unsatisfying ending only added to the disappointment, leaving a bitter aftertaste. As a fan of the Gundam franchise, I had hoped for so much more, but unfortunately, this installment failed to deliver.

At the end, this show will not be remembered for anything except that it disappointed both old Gundam fans and Yuri fans

Let me preface - Witch from Mercury S1 and S2 are my first and only Gundam shows, but if the others are to this standard, then I want to watch them too. The main characters from S1 get appropriate growth and the side characters get their time to shine too. The plot is full of turns and secrets and drama, between characters but also organizations and, of course, Gundams/mechs. The art and animation are amazing - don't get me started on the sound design. And the soundtrack continues to be unique with one of the best OPs and EDs of the ... season.
The only shortcoming, in my opinion, is that the show can sometimes be a little bit confusing, since there are so many motivations, secret plans, names, and characters to keep track of.

If I'm to get into more detail without writing my heart out, then I will also add that this is a show about how different personalities make piece, or not, with what life deals them. Everything else - the Gundams, the themes of life and death and power, the art - all come second. The show lets characters shine by placing them in predicament after predicament, struggle after struggle. We come to sympathize and understand the motivations of everyone, from the guys guys (ofc) but also the terrorists and the ultimate baddies of the show. Even though the cast is huge, everyone is distinct and has their ways of processing conflict and pain. Of course, the main duo of Suletta and Miorine and their relationship is the core of the show, as even when apart they influence one another.

While the last episodes are not yet out, and I believe how a show ends had ramifications on the rest of the series, I have faith that everything will be addressed satisfyingly (but not too satisfyingly, as a S3 would be delightful).

Editing my review after now seeing the final episode on Jul 2nd.

The ending: Extremely disappointing and I am listing my reasons for changing my review:

Overall Story Direction from Season 01-Season 02:
Let me start off by saying, everything I said below still stands. This is my first major introduction to a main Gundam anime. Even though my true introduction was Infinite Ryvius. Infinite Ryvius made me fall in love with Mecha Anime back in the early 2000s. Which is also a semi-school type of show. The show focuses on a brother dynamic that is not close, emotional, and often affects the both characters in ... unchangeable/societal ways while having to save their peers stuck in space. While figuring out who is trying to attack them. However, the dynamic between the two brothers is portrayed realistically compared to some of the emotional reactions I see in Witch from Mercury. So when I saw Witch from Mercury, I was excited. But Sulettas go-happy and go lucky personality is off putting in so many scenes that one would not react as such. And with the way the show ended so fast, this is super noticeable. I feel everyone in a way got the go happy-go lucky treatment, esp the mother. I think everyone can agree we want wanted a good ending for the characters/Miorine/Suletta. Especially LGBTQ representation type of ending. However, the ending was way too rushed, poorly constructed, and characters who were pushed the side made the story-line even more confusing. I mention below in my initial review how Nikita and other characters are pushed to the side and really play zero influence on the story progression. Also, mass murder was committed on a huge level by so many characters, especially the mother. The mother had one goal the entire two seasons and the goal vanished in a split second. Why does Suletta become a character who continues to care for her mother, which in a way I can understand keeping that mentality. But the consistent theme seems to be, who cares if you commit mass murder gain and move forward right??? But her mother reverts to caring about Suletta, or does she, does she care for Suletta towards the end? That was very confusing to me? Yet the mother drastically changes because she goes from wanting to kill/manipulate suletta to give her Ericht towards the end. To then being given forgiveness by everyone around her, esp from the random ghosts of past characters appearing. Claiming they are proud of the mom? Why are they proud of her?? She killed many people all for her daughter. The mother at the end is sleeping in a wheelchair, but I do not understand how that correlated with Erich turning into a keychain?? I thought the keychains originally related to Miorine and Suletta? So why is she in a keychain? A lot of things kinda just happen with no explanation or context.

LGBTQ Representation:
The show claims to provide lgbtq representation indirectly/directly at times. It some scenes I can see the representation like in the beginning stating everyone should marry whom they want. However, I couldn't tell if they stated this to make a point for Miorine to get away from her father, or if she actually is a lesbian. I am unsure if it is true that they were truly trying to bring acknowledgement to lgbtq people. What I got more from the show and episode 12 ending was they were very good friends with a deep bond. It was never expressed in the show specifically if Suletta/Miroirne/etc were gay or queer. I kept on seeing many American articles claiming amazing representation from this show, excitement, etc. Yet Miorine marries a man at some point in season 02 for a brief period. As a lesbian, I am always on the fence with these kind of interpretations, esp from mainstream articles whom I am unsure of watch Japanese animation, yet alone are familiar with Japanese culture. But this show got a lot of acknowledgement from Mainstream lgbtq articles. Esp some claiming it re-defined the Gundam Genre. But as I watched, it was very evident that in a way the show was down-playing the representation to cater to the conservative people possibly watching the show in Japan. This became super super evident in the last episode of season 02. They do not state anything about Miorine and Suletta other then their a brief mention of a "mother in law." However, they show no wedding, nothing representing lGBTQ for their relationship. If you are going to state lgbtq representation in your works, why hide it? I felt like it was supressed with the way it ended. Its not obvious but enough to say "mother in law" so playing the safe card. Because like I said in my initial review, I appreciated the representation scenes in certain episodes. But what I got more from the show was a strong bond between the two female characters and less of a romantic relationship.

Transition Scenes:
Sometimes this show at times was hard to follow, there were traumatic scenes happening one moment, then quickly transitioning to being in a whole different ship/location. This happens in almost every starting episode/sometimes fight scenes.

Magic????
Okay, nothing in this episode had anything really to do with Gundam, everything became about magic. How is it possible all the dead characters re-appeared. What did that have to do with Gundam? Because if there is Magic then what is exactly Gundam? That sort of threw me off a bit.

Ericht becoming a keychain:
I am sorry, but a keychain? Bro gets to live their remaining life in a keychain??? How does that make any sense, considering the mother wanted her daughter to live freely. If the daughter couldn't live freely, why didn't they make her into something AI? Something that makes sense part of Gundam.

Older Review before Season 02 finale:
If one asked me to write an initial review regarding Season 01- into the beginning of season 02, episodes 01-04, I would say I like the show and I was excited to see how the build up was arriving. However, after season 01 ended and now knowing what I know. I am a bit worried how they were going to complete a whole story in a matter of 12 episodes. My concerns seem to appear more and more as each episode passes in season 02. I feel like as I continue watching, knowing now only 2 episodes are remaining, I am a bit let down by some character's story-lines briefly touched upon and then abruptly dropped.

Can you make this gramatically correct


Editing my review after now seeing the final episode on Jul 2nd.

The ending: Extremely disappointing and I am listing my reasons for changing my review:

Overall Story Direction from Season 01-Season 02:
Let me start off by saying, everything I said below still stands. My review has gone from recommended-to mixed feelings-to not recommended ALL in a short time span, which is really sad. This is my first major introduction to a main Gundam anime. Even though my true introduction was Infinite Ryvius. Infinite Ryvius made me fall in love with Mecha Anime back in the early 2000s. Which is also a semi-school type of show. The show focuses on a brother dynamic that is not close, emotional, and often affects the both characters in unchangeable/societal ways while having to save their peers stuck in space. While figuring out who is trying to attack them. However, the dynamic between the two brothers is portrayed realistically compared to some of the emotional reactions I see in Witch from Mercury. So when I saw Witch from Mercury, I was excited. But Sulettas go-happy and go lucky personality is off putting in so many scenes that one would not react as such. And with the way the show ended so fast, this is super noticeable. I feel everyone in a way got the go happy-go lucky treatment, esp the mother. I think everyone can agree we want wanted a good ending for the characters/Miorine/Suletta. Especially LGBTQ representation type of ending. However, the ending was way too rushed, poorly constructed, and characters who were pushed the side made the story-line even more confusing. I mention below in my initial review how Nikita and other characters are pushed to the side and really play zero influence on the story progression. Also, mass murder was committed on a huge level by so many characters, especially the mother. The mother had one goal the entire two seasons and the goal vanished in a split second. Why does Suletta become a character who continues to care for her mother, which in a way I can understand keeping that mentality. But the consistent theme seems to be, who cares if you commit mass murder gain and move forward right??? But her mother reverts to caring about Suletta, or does she, does she care for Suletta towards the end? That was very confusing to me? Yet the mother drastically changes because she goes from wanting to kill/manipulate suletta to give her Ericht towards the end. To then being given forgiveness by everyone around her, esp from the random ghosts of past characters appearing. Claiming they are proud of the mom? Why are they proud of her?? She killed many people all for her daughter. The mother at the end is sleeping in a wheelchair, but I do not understand how that correlated with Erich turning into a keychain?? I thought the keychains originally related to Miorine and Suletta? So why is she in a keychain? A lot of things kinda just happen with no explanation or context.

LGBTQ Representation:
The show claims to provide lgbtq representation indirectly/directly at times. It some scenes I can see the representation like in the beginning stating everyone should marry whom they want. However, I couldn't tell if they stated this to make a point for Miorine to get away from her father, or if she actually is a lesbian. I am unsure if it is true that they were truly trying to bring acknowledgement to lgbtq people. What I got more from the show and episode 12 ending was they were very good friends with a deep bond. It was never expressed in the show specifically if Suletta/Miroirne/etc were gay or queer. I kept on seeing many American articles claiming amazing representation from this show, excitement, etc. Yet Miorine marries a man at some point in season 02 for a brief period. As a lesbian, I am always on the fence with these kind of interpretations, esp from mainstream articles whom I am unsure of watch Japanese animation, yet alone are familiar with Japanese culture. But this show got a lot of acknowledgement from Mainstream lgbtq articles. Esp some claiming it re-defined the Gundam Genre. But as I watched, it was very evident that in a way the show was down-playing the representation to cater to the conservative people possibly watching the show in Japan. This became super super evident in the last episode of season 02. They do not state anything about Miorine and Suletta other then their a brief mention of a "mother in law." However, they show no wedding, nothing representing lGBTQ for their relationship. If you are going to state lgbtq representation in your works, why hide it? I felt like it was supressed with the way it ended. Its not obvious but enough to say "mother in law" so playing the safe card. Because like I said in my initial review, I appreciated the representation scenes in certain episodes. But what I got more from the show was a strong bond between the two female characters and less of a romantic relationship.

Transition Scenes:
Sometimes this show at times was hard to follow, there were traumatic scenes happening one moment, then quickly transitioning to being in a whole different ship/location. This happens in almost every starting episode/sometimes fight scenes.

Magic????
Okay, nothing in this episode had anything really to do with Gundam, everything became about magic. How is it possible all the dead characters re-appeared. What did that have to do with Gundam? Because if there is Magic then what is exactly Gundam? That sort of threw me off a bit.

Ericht becoming a keychain:
I am sorry, but a keychain? Bro gets to live their remaining life in a keychain??? How does that make any sense, considering the mother wanted her daughter to live freely. If the daughter couldn't live freely, why didn't they make her into something AI? Something that makes sense part of Gundam.

Older Review before Season 02 finale:
If one asked me to write an initial review regarding Season 01- into the beginning of season 02, episodes 01-04, I would say I like the show and I was excited to see how the build up was arriving. However, after season 01 ended and now knowing what I know. I am a bit worried how they were going to complete a whole story in a matter of 12 episodes. My concerns seem to appear more and more as each episode passes in season 02. I feel like as I continue watching, knowing now only 2 episodes are remaining, I am a bit let down by some character's story-lines briefly touched upon and then abruptly dropped.

Character Development:
Ceres, Elan: They do this whole buildup about him being a copy-then is killed-a new Elan appears, and all he does is sit around for most of season 02. Then they show his reactions to having to fight around episode 09, but what makes it confusing is why is he being forgotten about, what was the purpose of killing off the Elan copy? If Elan's character is just sitting around doing nothing... to then have an epiphany that fighting=bad=see the world. So is this new Elan a better version? Because both copies have the same realizations, but in different ways and are dropped story wise. I can't imagine how much of a development they can add for his story arch in the remaining episodes. And it should say how little of an importance his character plays as he isn't even listed on the season 02 character list on MAL...

Nanaura, Nika: Nika also was another character who sits around for most of season 02. It was a bit confusing to me what her goal was in season 01. Then it was quickly explained in season 02. I don't understand how her goal is to now bring peace, but she originally paired with a semi terrorist organization. I honestly do not understand her character. So I cannot give much input.

(Supporting Characters) Shaddiq, Norea Du Noc, etc. I feel like characters that were given a story arch were quickly dropped or were too quickly killed off. Esp since they seem like characters who had important influence on the story. Supporting characters play an important role regarding how stories move forward. Especially if you have a large amount of supporting characters. There are so many supporting characters and story lines, I am not going to name them all. But clearly because of there being such a short 12 episodes, not every character that was brought has a fleshed out story line. But it is really noticeable in Shaddiq's story line, how he had a goal and it was quickly resolved to continue the story. Then Norea Du Noc, sharing how she felt angry by spacians take-over, killing people they loved. And there are many scenes of Elan, Norea Du Noc, and Nika sitting in a storage room. But nothing was addressed as to why they were sitting inside the storage room. It was kinda forgotten about. But then randomly they are able to leave the storage room and Norea Du Noc is shown drawing a lot of season 02 and it seems her drawings play a very important role. I do not understand why they show that, as they quickly killed off her character. I feel like she would have played an important role or influence. Because when the school was attacked, they started killing off random student's characters and it was done so fast. As they transition into focusing on the main characters forgetting all about her. I am unsure if that is just a personal opinion. Because her death felt important.

The only main/supporting characters I feel like are well written are Miorne, Suletta, Eri, Guel, Prospera, Chu Chu, the team Suletta joined together with her fellow pears, and that is about it.

Artistic stand Point
I really love how Sunrise is able to make action scenes so beautiful, hinting on some reliability on 3d scenes without going too over-board and staying true to 2d animation.

Overall Conclusion-The story is not bad, I really appreciate that Sunrise created a female focused Gundam series. But it does lack something, but it does not mean I did not enjoy watching the show. But what I do not understand is why the show is moving very quickly as there are other Gundam series with multiple/ many seasons. Is it because it is female focused? Did the show not do well in Japan? I cannot imagine that is the case as Gundam is very popular. But I could be wrong about that. I also like how the show touches on sexuality. I feel like the point of the show is not caring about who you are with. What matters is being with someone who loves you. Nobody cares in the show whether you are with a woman or a man. You can love a woman or a man and not be judged. I think that was very beautiful to add into the series. I think they did a good job touching about that in a light-hearted way. As they seemed to focus on the importance of female bonds and how those relationships matter. As I have said in prior reviews of other anime's. I feel like now-a days shows are being given the McDonald/fast food treatment. The show has so much potential, but is being forced to be concluded by the 12 episode mark. In addition, they will create all of these characters and consistently abruptly end character developments, character relationships, and just move on to something else. This is not new to anime, I have seen many older anime's do this. But what is different now is how much anime is being produced that this observation is becoming more and more consistent in what is considered a main stream anime. I am disappointed a bit, but I enjoyed it. So I give the show an 7/10.
ChatGPT

Editing my review after watching the final episode on July 2nd.

The ending: Extremely disappointing, and I am listing my reasons for changing my review:

Overall Story Direction from Season 01 to Season 02:
Let me start by saying that everything I mentioned below still stands. My review has transitioned from recommended to mixed feelings to not recommended, all in a short time span, which is really sad. This is my first major introduction to a main Gundam anime, even though my true introduction was Infinite Ryvius. Infinite Ryvius made me fall in love with Mecha Anime back in the early 2000s, which is also a semi-school type of show. The show focuses on a brother dynamic that is not close, emotional, and often affects both characters in unchangeable/societal ways while having to save their peers stuck in space. While figuring out who is trying to attack them. However, the dynamic between the two brothers is portrayed realistically compared to some of the emotional reactions I see in Witch from Mercury.

So when I saw Witch from Mercury, I was excited. But Suletta's go-happy and go-lucky personality is off-putting in so many scenes that one would not react as such. And with the way the show ended so fast, this is super noticeable. I feel everyone, in a way, got the go-happy-go-lucky treatment, especially the mother. I think everyone can agree we wanted a good ending for the characters/Miorine/Suletta, especially LGBTQ representation-type of ending. However, the ending was way too rushed, poorly constructed, and characters who were pushed to the side made the storyline even more confusing. I mention below in my initial review how Nikita and other characters are pushed to the side and really play zero influence on the story progression. Also, mass murder was committed on a huge level by so many characters, especially the mother. The mother had one goal the entire two seasons, and the goal vanished in a split second. Why does Suletta become a character who continues to care for her mother, which in a way I can understand keeping that mentality? But the consistent theme seems to be, who cares if you commit mass murder gain and move forward, right??? But her mother reverts to caring about Suletta, or does she? Does she care for Suletta towards the end? That was very confusing to me. Yet the mother drastically changes because she goes from wanting to kill/manipulate Suletta to give her Erich towards the end. To then being given forgiveness by everyone around her, especially from the random ghosts of past characters appearing. Claiming they are proud of the mom? Why are they proud of her? She killed many people all for her daughter. The mother at the end is sleeping in a wheelchair, but I do not understand how that correlated with Erich turning into a keychain?? I thought the keychains originally related to Miorine and Suletta? So why is she in a keychain? A lot of things kinda just happen with no explanation or context.

LGBTQ Representation:
The show claims to provide LGBTQ representation indirectly/directly at times. In some scenes, I can see the representation, like in the beginning, stating everyone should marry whom they want. However, I couldn't tell if they stated this to make a point for Miorine to get away from her father or if she actually is a lesbian. I am unsure if it is true that they were truly trying to bring acknowledgment to LGBTQ people. What I got more from the show and episode 12 ending was they were very good friends with a deep bond. It was never expressed in the show specifically if Suletta/Miroirne/etc were gay or queer. I kept on seeing many American articles claiming amazing representation from this show, excitement, etc. Yet Miorine marries a man at some point in season 02 for a brief period. As a lesbian, I am always on the fence with these kinds of interpretations, especially from mainstream articles whom I am unsure of watch Japanese animation, yet alone are familiar with Japanese culture. But this show got a lot of acknowledgment from Mainstream LGBTQ articles, especially some claiming it re-defined the Gundam Genre. But as I watched, it was very evident that in a way the show was down-playing the representation to cater to the conservative people possibly watching the show in Japan. This became super evident in the last episode of season 02. They do not state anything about Miorine and Suletta other than a brief mention of a "mother-in-law." However, they show no wedding, nothing representing LGBTQ for their relationship. If you are going to state LGBTQ representation in your works, why hide it? I felt like it was suppressed with the way it ended. It's not obvious but enough to say "mother-in-law," so playing the safe card. Because like I said in my initial review, I appreciated the representation scenes in certain episodes. But what I got more from the show was a strong bond between the two female characters and less of a romantic relationship.

Transition Scenes:
Sometimes this show at times was hard to follow; there were traumatic scenes happening one moment, then quickly transitioning to being in a whole different ship/location. This happens in almost every starting episode/sometimes fight scenes.

Magic:
Okay, nothing in this episode had anything really to do with Gundam; everything became about magic. How is it possible all the dead characters re-appeared? What did that have to do with Gundam? Because if there is Magic then what is exactly Gundam? That sort of threw me off a bit.

Ericht becoming a keychain:
I am sorry, but a keychain? Bro gets to live their remaining life in a keychain??? How does that make any sense, considering the mother wanted her daughter to live freely? If the daughter couldn't live freely, why didn't they make her into something AI? Something that makes sense part of Gundam.

Older Review before Season 02 finale:
If one asked me to write an initial review regarding Season 01 into the beginning of season 02, episodes 01-04, I would say I like the show, and I was excited to see how the build-up was arriving. However, after season 01 ended and now knowing what I know, I am a bit worried how they were going to complete a whole story in a matter of 12 episodes. My concerns seem to appear more and more as each episode passes in season 02. I feel like as I continue watching, knowing now only 2 episodes are remaining, I am a bit let down by some character's story-lines briefly touched upon and then abruptly dropped.

eres, Elan:
They build up his character as a copy, then he is killed, and a new Elan appears. However, for most of Season 02, all he does is sit around. They show his reactions to having to fight around episode 09, but it is confusing why he is being forgotten about. What was the purpose of killing off the Elan copy? If Elan's character is just sitting around doing nothing, how does he have an epiphany that fighting equals bad and seeing the world? Is this new Elan a better version? Both copies have the same realizations, but in different ways, and their stories are dropped. I can't imagine how much development they can add to his story arch in the remaining episodes. It should be noted how little importance his character plays, as he isn't even listed on the Season 02 character list on MAL...

Nanaura, Nika:
Nika is another character who sits around for most of Season 02. It was confusing to me what her goal was in Season 01, but it was quickly explained in Season 02. I don't understand how her goal is now to bring peace, considering she originally paired with a semi-terrorist organization. I honestly do not understand her character, so I cannot give much input.

(Supporting Characters) Shaddiq, Norea Du Noc, etc.:
Characters given a story arch were quickly dropped or killed off too fast, especially those who seemed to have important influence on the story. Supporting characters play an important role in how stories move forward, especially with a large number of supporting characters. Due to the short 12 episodes, not every character brought in has a fleshed-out story line. It is noticeable in Shaddiq's story line, how his goal was quickly resolved to continue the story. Then Norea Du Noc, expressing anger by Spacians' take-over, killing people they loved. There are many scenes of Elan, Norea Du Noc, and Nika sitting in a storage room, but nothing is addressed as to why they were sitting inside the storage room. It was kind of forgotten about. But then randomly they are able to leave the storage room, and Norea Du Noc is shown drawing a lot in Season 02, and it seems her drawings play a very important role. I do not understand why they show that, as they quickly killed off her character. I feel like she would have played an important role or influence because when the school was attacked, they started killing off random student characters so fast, transitioning into focusing on the main characters, forgetting all about her. I am unsure if that is just a personal opinion, because her death felt important.

The only main/supporting characters I feel are well-written are Miorne, Suletta, Eri, Guel, Prospera, Chu Chu, the team Suletta joined together with her fellow peers, and that is about it.

Artistic Standpoint:
I really love how Sunrise is able to make action scenes beautiful, hinting at some reliability on 3D scenes without going too overboard and staying true to 2D animation.

Overall Conclusion:
The story is not bad, and I appreciate that Sunrise created a female-focused Gundam series. But it does lack something. However, it does not mean I did not enjoy watching the show. What I do not understand is why the show is moving very quickly, as there are other Gundam series with multiple/many seasons. Is it because it is female-focused? Did the show not do well in Japan? I cannot imagine that is the case as Gundam is very popular. But I could be wrong about that. I also like how the show touches on sexuality. I feel like the point of the show is not caring about who you are with. What matters is being with someone who loves you. Nobody cares in the show whether you are with a woman or a man. You can love a woman or a man and not be judged. I think that was very beautiful to add into the series. I think they did a good job touching on that in a light-hearted way, as they seemed to focus on the importance of female bonds and how those relationships matter. As I have said in prior reviews of other anime's, nowadays shows are being given the McDonald/fast food treatment. The show has so much potential but is being forced to be concluded by the 12-episode mark. In addition, they will create all of these characters and consistently abruptly end character developments, character relationships, and just move on to something else. This is not new to anime; I have seen many older anime's do this. But what is different now is how much anime is being produced that this observation is becoming more consistent in what is considered a mainstream anime. I am disappointed a bit, but I enjoyed it. So I give the show a 7/10.

If the first season ended on a perfect interlude, this season finished the job with perfection. I tried to start with Gundam from the last one (Orphans), but I really disliked it and thought that every Gundam was like that. However, now I can say that it really depends on who created the story. A story created by the same creator of one of the most perfect anime already created (Code Geass) made me want to go back and watch every Gundam to understand more of this universe.

I love this type of melancholic story with political and philosophical elements. Suisei no Majo brings us to ... a dystopian future where we don’t have planets with their own governments like we see in countries, but enterprises using monopoly and firepower to create “order”. The contradictions placed in the anime and their answers by the people around the protagonists are amazing. They talk more than they fight, which was the first reason for a lot of low ratings and hate that the anime received. If you like full action robots fighting, this one isn’t for you.

The animation was perfect. They used a lot of 2.5D elements that were really beautiful to see. At no moment in the anime can you see a horrible 3D object that breaks all the immersion of the show’s art like we see in a lot of mecha anime.

The sound director was incredible in selecting the songs, and man, Yoasobi, Aina, and Yama were perfect choices. Their songs mixed with the anime were something really special.

I can’t express more because I don’t have confidence in my English haha, but this is what I can say: this season 2 will hold the title of “anime of the year” until any other project proves it wrong. And I really want another project to rival this anime, even if it only happens in the last season of this year.

Season 2 had promise but was just a rushed mess. They overloaded with so many fights with little in between time, and it didn't explain what was happening. It is almost impossible to feel anything due to how they had to wrap it up and fix season 1's slow pacing. Aside from the main fight, most of them were pretty forgettable, only one maybe daeriblade vs mihaelis.. This is largely because you didn't have a central suit, and factions weren't easily defined. They crammed so many suits, you have to literally pause to find which is which. This show had the most suits pushed into ... the small amount of cours ever. Many characters as a result struggle to have purpose especially Miorine who seemed to have done nothing all season. Suletta largely did not feel she went through hardship. Guel was the only good character in this show. The show struggled to have an antagonist and the last minute reveals while foreshadowed, cannot save all the series misteps.

There is really nothing too much redeeming about this series and not even anitube can explain why this show was so good, and have a poor frame of reference not seeing the classics. Please see stuff like UC and Cosmic Era. This is just another in a line of gundam au flops

There was a lot to like about season 2 but also a lot to feel frustrated with. I liked that the season tried to explore the political situation that the world is set in. I liked that there were difficult choices and I enjoyed the antagonist reveal that occurred. However, what made this season frustrating is it felt like something that should have took place over at least 24 episodes but we only got 12 to tell it in and it suffered because of that especially at the end that felt very rushed. It was a true shame because I think that Witch from Mercury ... definitely had enough story to be a 36 - 50 episode anime like many Gundam series that came before it. It would have been nice to be able to dig deeper and let things resolve at a more appealing pace.

That said, I didn't dislike the series as a whole or this season despite its flaws. It was great to watch Suletta go on her character arc and also to watch the other characters meet their challenges no matter how sped run they were. I just wish that we could have had more breathing room for the story and ended up with a better product.

I do recommend this season if you enjoyed the previous season, but I think it's best to go into it knowing that it'll be a bit rushed and not as satisfying as it could be.

The slow decline in popularity of the mecha genre has been well documented by many people. Once a juggernaut in anime, the genre has declined in interest and popularity over these years. While we’ve had standouts like Darling in the Franxx, 86 and finally getting the last entry in the reboot Evangelion movie series, the quantity hasn’t been nowhere near as prevalent as it once was. Yet, there’s one franchise that still kicking along consistently and that is Gundam. Granted, being the face of the mecha genre does help with that but Gundam has still been trucking along; not fazed by the trend and putting ... out consistent anime entries, whether it would be mainline, spinoffs or standalone entries, Gundam still keeps going.

Which brings us to the anime in question today, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury. The latest standalone entry and not part of the Universal Century timeline. Standalone entries are always welcome because they are ways for new fans to get into a Gundam series without relying on the prior knowledge of all the mainline Gundam entries that you need since the very first one over 4 decades ago now. And I have to say, I really enjoyed this series a lot more that I thought I was going to. Granted the only other Gundam series I’ve ever watched is 00 so I don’t know how it stacks to other series but as a standalone anime, I had a really good time with this. This second cour in particular has been consistently a top three most enjoyed anime this season for me. Which is surprising considering how I felt about the first cour and I thought it was alright until the last few episodes where it started getting good; with the second cour taking those last few episodes and running away with it for the rest of the series. Despite my enjoyment though, there are problems with this series that need to be addressed.

Also by the way, this review will cover both seasons since they essentially just got split into cours.

The first problem is that it struggles to maintain a consistent pace. It starts off slow because it needs to set up this setting and its characters. It starts picking up pace and moves steadily and then it starts going too fast and not giving us enough time to process what is going on. Like, slow down and let us wrap our heads around what is going on. The show only has a steady pace in the last few episodes of season one and halfway through season 2, where the show hits its high point but it’s steady increase in speed that makes the pacing inconsistent.

The other problem is that I wish there was more of it. Not in the happy way where this was so good that I wish there was more, but more of the, “There’s got to be more here right?” It feels like that there is more to be told that the show just kind of glosses over so things that could really do with explaining more and expand the setting. We are given the necessarily things to follow the story which is fine, but it feels like there’s more going on that’s worth exploring. You could honestly put an entire new season in to explore all these storylines with competing parties, governments and companies vying for power and there’s the whole subjugation on Earth and the prejudice that comes with it. Politics can make your story very interesting. Whether to understand people’s agendas, allegiances and what deals can be made that will affect the story down the line. We get some things explored but only surface despite it could make things really interesting. That’s why I ask if there is more, because there’s clearly more there to explore but the show never goes far enough with it.

So with those noticeable problems that would bring down a lot of other shows, why did I like The Witch From Mercury so much? I think it mainly comes down to what the show has given us is done really freaking well and is very well executed. The character moments are the main highlights of both seasons, especially season two. This is where the slow setup worked in its favour because we are introduced to these characters, their personalities and their agendas and use those to create scenes that make for some very good moments that make you want to keep watching. The first season’s final few episodes were great way to start making these moments more impactful as the show went on with it ending with squashed tomatoes. Season two goes, “What if we take the emotional impact of those squashed tomatoes and do it every episode?” What we got is every episode able to deliver one great scene after another that’s able to keep me hooked and want to come back every episode to find out what’s going to happen next. It builds on these scenes to make and exciting narrative and when the show starts dropping bombshells, it just makes what’s going to happen next more exciting. The stakes get bigger, the emotional weight gets larger, it starts acting like a Gundam series and it’s here where the plot really shines.

Another thing is that I really like these characters. The main duo of Suletta and Miorine (which, side note, her name is hard to say properly) makes for one of the more interesting storylines and how their personalities affect one another. Suletta is a nervous, timid and doesn’t really stand up for herself but has a kind heart. Miorine is a stern, cold and is not afraid to say what is on her mind. Both of their personalities rub off each other to grow as characters. Suletta slowly gains more confidence and belief in herself and Miorine starts being more compassionate and open to others. Their relationship is one of the highlights because of how they grow both as individuals and how they affect one another. It being a will they, won’t they? Yuri relationship does help because after Lycoris Recoil, it seems to be a hot trend at the moment.

Of course they are not the only characters that make this cast great. You’ve also got Suletta’s mother, Prospera, who...um...yeah, she’s certainly something, isn’t she? You’ve got best boy, Guel, who goes on his own character arc on learning humility and doing what he believes is right, instead of doing it for his father’s sake. He also has his own dedicated episode this season which was one of the best honestly and I think that solidified his status. They, along with Suletta and Miorine, are the standouts in a very large cast and while some of them are victims of the show’s surface level story, they do at least, leave a lasting impression where you can recognize them and understand their motives and agendas. It helps with the character moments in the story to get a clearer picture as to what’s going on. It may not be perfect, but it least gets the job done.

The story really is character driven because a lot of the moments that help define the series are done by the actions of these character. Making decisions that either benefit them or have severe consequences that help change who they are. Obviously, some change the plot more than others, but almost each character makes a contribution that helps affect the narrative and how we get these strong character moments that help elevate the story of this show.

When it comes to animation, it’s solid. It’s honestly nothing special but it gets the job done and keeps the action enjoyable to watch. The most notable thing honestly is, hey, 2D mech fights. Sure, 3D mechs can make things fast and exciting, but there’s something about 2D mech fights that make it just as enjoyable as well. I think It’s the weight and impact of each fight that makes 2D mech fights enjoyable and you feel every blow because it moves at a slower pace when compared to a 3D mech fight. Considering the show’s emotional weight, it does make the fights that much better. That’s not to say the show doesn’t use CG, it’s mainly used when showcasing massive space stations or doing a panning shot and to it’s credit, it does look good. Character designs as well are solid, each having a distinct look from each other so it’s easy to tell who’s who.

The soundtrack is good. It mainly uses orchestral pieces to remind that this is serious and it’s happening right now but also uses slow pieces when it needs to calm the mood or starts speeding up when the situation changes or plot revelations are getting revealed to heighten the tension. The show is able to pull the right levers at the right time to make a scene better. It also does throw a little bit of electronic in there as well to make it more immersive with the Sci-fi setting but doesn’t detract from the orchestral to the point where it’s an abomination of the two. It uses it just right.

As for the OPs, both are good. The first OP which apparently is called, “Blessing” by YOASOBI, if you put in Google translate is probably my favourite of the two although both are good for the tone of each season. There both visually good although I would give the edge to the second OP, "slash" by yama, in the visual department but I think why I like the first one mainly come from the song. It has such a nice pace and rhythm to it that makes it rather catchy and YOASOBI puts in a good vocal performance. I think between this, Beastars S2 and Oshi no Ko, I have become a fan of YOASOBI. That’s not to say that the second OP isn’t good because it is. Again, I think visually, this one is better because I do think it’s animated better and better symbolically with its visuals. The song itself is solid and good to set the tone of season two.

As for the EDs, I think the show’s second ED, "Red:birthmark" by Aina The End is clearly the better one. It carries a lot of emotional weight and you can feel it in the vocal performance. It’s a great compliment to what just happened each episode because with each episode seemingly dropping an emotional moment at the end of each episode, the ED only seems to heighten that emotion. It makes for a great cap off for each episode. The first OP, ehhh. It’s not as interesting visually as the second one where I think that one is more visually creative but this one is merely fine. Same goes for the song where it’s fine but more suited for an OP honestly than an ED. I think the visuals being as meh as they are doesn’t help get me excited listening and it just ends up being pretty average.

Conclusion:

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury is a flawed show but it’s one hell of a good time that just needs more to expand on some things. The show’s characters and character moments keep the entertainment level high and we got from each character (to varying degrees) makes each fight and each plot revelation more impactful. It’s hard to explain because you kind of need to see it to believe why the show is just able to keep you hooked without using spoilers to explain it in more detail. The show is very character driven and while that does hurt the overall setting and its world building, it makes each engagement that much better because you’ve got some emotional weight behind. Season two in particular is where all of this is at its best because it’s done all of the setup and now it can act like a Gundam show. It felt like my patience was rewarded in some way, because I felt slightly indifferent when the first season started but it just started to get better and better that, yes had to sacrifice some things, but was able to execute what it wanted to do really well to make this season in particular one of my favourite anime this season.

I don’t know how this stacks with other standalone Gundams because again, the only other one I’ve watched is 00, although I do want to get around to watch Iron Blooded Orphans at some point. If you can get around the show’s flaws and the fact it doesn’t play out like your typical Gundam show to begin with, The Witch from Mercury is a very good time.


Story: 7/10
Characters: 8/10
Animation: 7.5/10
Sound: 7.5/10
My Personal Enjoyment: 9/10
Overall Score: 7.8/10
Recommendation: Watch It

As somebody who has never watched Gundam before I thought it was a cute kid's show about robots, now I have PTSD and I'm scared of mega mart. Definitely a great watch however as all the characters have a lot of thought put into them and none of them feel empty. The music was also very good nothing life-changing but it's definitely not a disappointment. Gundam designs are great I love the look of the more slimmed-down Gundam style compared to the OG Gundam style.

The prologue starts off really good with an interesting and engrossing story concept that seems like it's going to be very ... deep and engaging. Unfortunately it ends up being very rushed in part two so the story gets a bit fractured and they end up either doing lots of stuff off screen, it's left as implied or they just leave it out of the story. This is especially the case in respect to the world and faction building. It leaves them both very half-assed and hollow in some regards as a result, especially for a gundam series where the world and factions are generally a big part of it. They should have added another cour or two to the series and smoothed out the story and done some of that building. If they took their time and flushed things out the show could have been amazing, instead it was just alright.

The best things in the show were some amazing songs from the OP/EDings and the fight choreography and animation overall were really solid and a joy to watch. Then you had some good character development with and between the two MC’s, but yet again it was a little rushed and some of their changes were a little arbitrary because of it, but still decent. The best character development was strangle not even one of the MC’s though. It was a side character that has a nice zero to almost hero arc that feels much more “gundam” like then the rest in his experiences to get there.

Overall a good watch, but maybe not the most “gundam” of a show for the hardcore fans. It was still fun and has its moments though and we are so starved for even decent mecha shows these days that maybe my bar is a little lower as a result as this definitely does have some holes.

Part 1 - 8/10, it's a little rough in the middle, but the end scene makes up for it.
Part 2 - 8/10, still the better of the two with a conclusive and decent ending.

This is simply not Gundam. It goes against the philosophy of the franchise. I wouldn't even come close to going into this thinking that everything else is like this. It's a huge wall you're going to hit if you started here and want to experience Gundam in all its glory. This is just a boring Yuri. The wicks don't matter at all.

It's if Disney bought Gundam and ripped it to pieces. Do yourself a favor and watch the other series and skip this series. The story is boring, the characters the same. The animation is not bad and neither is the soundtrack, but what they ... did with the other sections is disastrous.

a huge step up from season 1, WFM is well-plotted, tautly written, and tropes-breaking, with great action scenes and animation that can be visually stunning. the story is fast-paced, each ep jam-packed w/ development, though it can feel quite rushed at times. the anime definitely has its faults - i wish it was at least a lil longer so both the intriguing worldbuilding and some other characters can be developed and explored even further, and things don't feel as rushed - but imo WFM is nevertheless a must-watch, if not for the story, action, themes and visuals, then at least for its thrills.

I’ve been a long time fan of the mecha genre, but it took me a long time to get into the Gundam series. But I’m very glad that I have, I’ve been having a lot of fun with it. WFM is the 4th Gundam series I’ve completed behind the original series, G Gundam, and Gundam Seed, but it’s my favorite of the four and I think a lot of that comes down to the central relationships at play. Not just the relationship between Suletta and Miorine but also between Suletta and her mother as well. It roots all the corporate intrigue in something tangible and ... provides a solid backing for the world and the characters who inhabit it.

The animation and music are both gorgeous. I especially like Red Birthmark, the second cours ED. The production values are fantastic throughout. But where the series really shines is it’s characters and the forward momentum of the plot. Deciding to tackle a world of corporate bureaucracy and the in-fighting between various groups is a unique choice for a Gundam series and WFM pulls it off. Having so much of it take place in a school where the characters interact across group boundaries allows it to serve as a microcosm of the world as a whole and leads to a lot of interesting developments.

There’s a lot to admire about WFM. It took the franchise in a new direction, and one that paid dividends for Sunrise. I wouldn’t be surprised if they eventually released a movie or an OVA or two. My one complaint is aimed at the ending. I’d have liked a little more exposition on a couple of key moments in the finale, but this is a small criticism. It has a suitable ending that provides closure for its key cast and for the audience as well, and I came away really enjoying the entire series. This is one I’ll be sure to revisit again in the future.

Kidou Senshi Gundam: Suisei no Majo Season 2 (2023)

Well, we know it isn't coming back and that isn't a bad thing since this was a nicely wrapped-up series in this larger spectrum.

The show is a marginal improvement from season 1 but you would expect that since season 1 essentially built the world and gave us the back story along with the prologue. The show honestly didn't go how I expected but it was still a great ride. It has turbulence and a lot of power of friendship moments which I can hate at times but Gundam can be so dark it was actually pretty ... nice for a change. Most of them have a darker way of doing the same thing but this was lighter.

The art is honestly great looking, it is very modern. The combat looked amazing and that was great to watch.

The soundtrack is great, the voices are fun, and again combat just has it down. Sometimes it is the sound that makes or breaks combat and here it was made.

Characters are basically all the same with the usual scheming from the characters that look like villains.

The show overall, was fun, friendly, a bit dark and emotional.

8/10. Honestly not as bad as people think.

Season two of WFM came out of the gates swinging. Interesting political developments that had me on the edge of my seat and, real and personal consequences in response to actions and trauma. This all culminated in a truly amazing mid season.

Art and music has been phenomenal throughout, truly a treat for anyone's eyes and ears.

However, the ending truly dropped the ball. Careful planning and character growth was thrown to the wayside for the sake of a rushed and neat happy ending. I'm disappointed. I truly thought it was going to be a 9 or even a 10, but the ending ended up denigrating it ... to being good at best.