LogFAQs > #970801140

(Time to continue my bashing of popular mecha franchises. Only one more airing anime remains after this)

BONUS. Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury
https://myanimelist.net/anime/49828/Kidou_Senshi_Gundam__Suisei_no_Majo
Fall 2022 (12 episodes) plus 1 extra
My Score: TBA, MAL Score: 7.96/10
Best Character: Prospera

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqZ9tCxq9Yw

Premise: Suletta Mercury is going to a prestigious academy where most things are decided through duels using mobile suit mechas. Despite her shy demeanor, Suletta proves to be a strong combatant, but many people can't help but notice that her mobile suit looks suspiciously like one of the banned Gundam formats.

The Good: The Witch from Mercury is the latest series in the Gundam mecha franchise. I've never watched any other Gundam media (the closest I've come is a minor character in Birdie Wing who likes the model kits). I was told this one was standalone and would be an okay introduction, but I'm starting to wonder if that's true because I'm finding a lot of things about the setting to be poorly explained and confusing. Still, this is the good section, so I'll say that the production values are solid. Whether it's a low-key slice-of-life scene between Suletta and her new friends or a high-octane mecha battle, the animation is great. I'm also a fan of quite a few of the ideas the series has, including the academy and the business/political intrigue.

The Bad: Unlike most people, I'm not enjoying The Witch from Mercury. I wont lie, I was mostly drawn in after hearing about Suletta winning a 'bride' in one of her first duels. No matter how many times anime has hurt me with shitty yuri romances, it appears that I never learn. Individually, I don't like the two main characters Suletta or Miorine. Suletta is shy and anxious in an exceedingly annoying way. She stammers through most sentences and hides behind things whenever someone speaks to her. She also rarely seems to comprehend the intricacies of anything she's involved with, and it's kind of lame that she's just a pawn in all the political intrigue. Miorine is more involved in that end of things, but I really dislike her personality. She's cold and distant most of the time, but there are moments where the story pretends they've been slowly growing closer even though they haven't been. Her relationship with Suletta felt like it changed for no reason between each episode, so I just couldnt get into it. It sucks that the main thing that drew me to the show is being handled so poorly, at least in my opinion, but I didn't like anything else either. All the other characters are either bland, annoying, or over-the-top evil. As for the setting, it's sad that, after one season, I'm still not entirely sure about who's on what side in the overall conflict. There has been a lot of world-building with factions in the big corporation and how Earth is an oppressed backwater compared to the space colonies. They just haven't really delved into it all in a way that's clear to me. So many episodes were wasted on meaningless duels that I'm still not sure about the bigger picture.

Overall: The Witch from Mercury isn't over yet, and theres always a chance the later parts will save it for me. I don't outright hate it, though at the moment it's a 3/10. I like the idea about a lot of things it explores. I just think the characters, setting, and plot have all been mishandled. Still, I'm in the minority on that given how much everyone else seems to be loving this show! I think the way it's handling characterization and world-building just isn't for me.