The Official Gundam: The Witch From Mercury Anime Thread Mk I

[PowerdGNFlag]

Sidenote, for those of you in the US, does the G-Witch episodes from GundamInfo YouTube work for you?

According to this tool, the availability of the episode uploads on GundamInfo are similar to the available region for the Ani-One release with the addition of the Indian subcontinent.

[SonicSP]

Interesting. Would that mean it's a Crunchyroll exclusive in places like the US for now?

[Mafty]

Maybe, Given licensing its possible that Crunchyroll has the rights inside at least North America at this point.

[SonicSP]

Yes that seems to be the case apparently.

http://imgur.com/a/x4cXn7X

It's shown on GundamInfo in Asia and Oceania and Crunchyroll everywhere else.

I had to look into the GundamInfo YouTube Community tab to find the info. A corresponding post doesn't appear to be on their EN website, even though some others are.

Would have just linked it directly to the post but the app doesn't allow me to share a link, so screenshot it is.

[Ryujin]

Feels good not having to rely on Crunchyroll.

Anyways, it's interesting that the conflict that's bound to shape up is an entirely internal affair within the Benerit Group. Makes me curious about who the other big corporate groups are. Also, given the writer, I wouldn't be surprised that somewhere along the line the student body declares full autonomy for Asticassia followed by drastic reactions from Delling.

[Mafty]

It really seems so far that the Benerit Group and assorted companies are basically the government in this universe, at least from what we've seen so far. They wield a lot of power, and each corporation has what amounts to it's own army. Though this does bring up the questions of, is there any kind of government in this universe, and how exactly did this state of affairs start to begin with?

On another note

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We now see the Darilbalde , and it is quite powerful. It manages to completely destroy the two test mechs it's fighting against. So who is the pilot? I think it's going to be Guel. Him redeeming his honor by fighting in Dellings place seems like something that could happen. Also so far he's being built up as Sulettas rival, so giving him the rival red mech makes sense. Also given the fact the suit destroys the two test units, does that mean Guel may actually try to kill Suletta, possibly on Dellings orders? So far it is somewhat vague on what would happen if somebody died in a MS duel. However Delling scheming to kill Suletta and then have Guel take the fall, sounds like something he'd try. He's not going to suceed, but still.

[SonicSP]

Well according to the basic story text, a few corporations basically entered space and built an economic system that they dominate.

I guess it's like the super privatization of space exploration and space resources. Permet for example is an important mineral that is mined at Mercury, a process that is very dangerous.

Just my speculation but I suspect most of the governments are back on Earth while the big companies are given leeway to develop - but also dominate space.

I guess it's sort of like Dutch East India Company and other similar entites in the past? They were granted monopolies and the right to exploit resources in certain far away areas to their home governments. It was also the richest company in history adjusted for inflation.

Quoting from Wikipedia, ,"It was a powerful company, possessing quasi-governmental powers, including the ability to wage war, imprison and execute convicts, negotiate treaties, strike its own coins, and establish colonies."

This doesn't sound too dissimilar to what we are seeing in G-Witch.

[tHeWasTeDYouTh]

This series is written by the guy who did Code Geass, but also Valrave. I don't know what to think. There is a high chance this is great or cringe. no in between

[Mafty]

It seems to be off to a much better start than Valvrave, that show was all over the place from the first episode. G-Witch holds together much better, plus it has high audience praise from the start. People seemed to be making fun of Valvrave episode by episode from the very beginning(no, I'm not just talking about Tv Tropes, there's criticism from other sources as well).

As for the East India Company thing, that could well be the influence for the setting. Gundam has often taken influence in storytelling from history, so it's certainly a possiblity. The whole corporate angle is similar to the Zaibatsu as well.

[Kuruni]

For all good things, I have to say that Guel's inability to shoot at the immobile Aerial is possibly the most jarring instance of plot armor.

[Ryujin]

Okay, that was an incredibly entertaining episode, and it came down to a messy brawl of a fight where everyone got a chance to shine. Fun to see how the silly theories that Prospera isn't Suletta's mom gets shot down in the first few minutes, and more seriously, how certain questions from the previous episode regarding Jeturk Sr.'s willingness to cooperate with Prospera get answered. Anyways, Suletta is such a good girl, holy moly.

So, we're 3 for 3 now on episodes where:
-- Miorine curses her kuso dad
-- Guel gets slapped
-- Suletta

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ends the episode going "Eehhh?!?"

Also, Guel

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just took a big swerve into the Patrick Colasour lane.

[Poochi]

I can't see myself continuing with Mercury.

This is just another shonen anime set at a middle school with battles. It's like 99% of the other shonen anime out there. Bandai has made Gundam generic.

[Dark Duel]

Elan creeps me out for some reason, but I'm still really curious to see/learn more from him, not least of which when and how the Pharact enters the equation.
The episode overall was fun. I'm not wild about the Darilbalde, though I find its concept interesting, and it's certainly an improvement aesthetically over Guel's Dilanza with that goofball feathered crest. But the highlight of this episode, for me, apart from Suletta continuing to be the same adorkable socially-awkward cinnamon roll she is(which I find alternately adorable and hilarious) was Guel himself. This episode really showed that there's more to him than just the arrogant showboating we saw from him previously, and I'm exceedingly interested to see what happens next...especially with that last minute development he threw at us. Honestly, first impression was that he was just gonna be another Jerid-style loudmouth loser rival, but I'm glad to see that there appears to be more to him than that, and I'm looking forward to what happens next.

I also did like that moment when

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the others were making fun of Guel, and Suletta stepped in and defended him.

Also...

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"Mio-Mio" is adorable and I love it. Hope it sticks.

The other thing that amused me is that they're not even bothering to pretend like there's any mystery as to

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who Lady Prospera actually is. They gave us a massive hint in Ep2 with the prosthetic arm, and then right off the bat first thing that happens in the episode is confirmation that it is in fact Suletta's mother, via a phone conversation with her, unmasked. I did notice that her skin isn't as dark as it was in the prologue and she changed her hair, but neither of these is particularly surprising

[Quiddity]

I'll just come out and say it; 3 episodes in and Suletta is already in the conversation for favorite Gundam protagonist for me, at least on a sheer likability level. She is such a lovable character and so easy to root for. No wonder she's gotten 2 marriage proposals in 3 episodes! How many Gundam protagonists come off as really likable characters from the get go? Beyond Loran is there really anyone else? It's so different than what I'm used to from our main character.

Surprised they just came out and revealed that her mom was the masked woman right away. Don't particularly mind it though. If the Char of this show is her mom, then she isn't really going to be able to serve in the traditional Char-clone role, which I'm all for. Continue to mix up the formula like you have with the main character.

[Mafty]

Especially because shows like Zeta Gundam made clear exactly who Captain Quattro was from the start. The writers here must have decided to follow suit, as everyone could guess already. The mystery isn't exactly in who Lady Prospera is, just how exactly she changed. Obviously she's a different person from the prologue, but how is she with Suletta. Aside from awkwardness , Suletta is quite nice, and relatively well adjusted, plus she seems to have a good relationship with her mother. Compare this to the likes of Gendo Ikari and Patrick Zala and how open they are about using their offspring as pawns to their endgame. That being said however it's not actually clear how much Elnora's relationship is a façade,? Does she care about Suletta? Or has she lost all connections in her quest for revenge? I guess we'll see as the show goes on.

Also we get to see some more background discussion of the Mercury colony. It seems to be a rather harsh, isolated life. Suletta doesn't even recognize water, and evidently never attended a normal school. This sees a bit like the Cicero mining colony in ZZ, where Runtina seemed to be the only child present, and works at the office rather than going to school (of course Judau and his group rarely attended colony classes either in favor of working to support themselves prior to joining the army as 14 year old's, seriously most Gundam universes needs more child protection laws).

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A rather important question is raised about the Gundam's development history, How was it actually built? After losing their colony its not really clear how the Ochs Earth Corporation became the Shin Sei Development Corporation, or where they got the necessary supplies/workforce to build more units. The colonies and outer solar system are often shown to foment rebellion in Gundam, so it seems likely there's more going on at Mercury than earth companies realize, and destroying one mining satellite was hardly enough to stop them, if anything it made them more determined.

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I also liked how Minorine turned the tables on the cheaters, by cheating right back. We also get to see more development for Guel. His brother has a great deal of admiration for him, and is probably the best relationship Guel has with any family member. It's sort of like a healthy version of the relationship between the Frost brothers. Plus despite his arrogance , Guel shows that he ultimately wants to win because of his own strength, not because of cheating.

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Ultimately the last seen really throws a curveball with Guel proposing to Suletta. Given how she bested him fair and square, and stood up for him. It seems like his feeling are actually genuine, and not just to get at his father.

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Also as Chris mentioned, could Suletta have had her memory manipulated? Does she remember the events of the prolog? Does she even know Suletta isn't her actual name?

[Ryujin]

Gundam universes needs more child protection laws).

Spoiler

A rather important question is raised about the Gundam's development history, How was it actually built? After losing their colony its not really clear how the Ochs Earth Corporation became the Shin Sei Development Corporation, or where they got the necessary supplies/workforce to build more units. The colonies and outer solar system are often shown to foment rebellion in Gundam, so it seems likely there's more going on at Mercury than earth companies realize, and destroying one mining satellite was hardly enough to stop them, if anything it made them more determined.

Given some logical speculations, I gather that the destruction of Vanadis would've been followed by

Spoiler

the dissolution of Ochs Earth. Now, I'm sure that Delling didn't go on a mass-murder spree involving its entire work force, so there's a good chance that everything just got restructured & the assets absorbed in bits & pieces to the various corporations which make up Benerit. GUND technology itself would've been verboten, but associated technologies such as remote drones could be repurposed and re-engineered, giving everyone else a bit of a head start (the Daribalde's free-flying forearms technology sure didn't just come out of thin air), and no reason to inform Delling about it.

Now, on the assumption that Ochs Earth was destroyed in the corporate, not literal, sense, it would stand to reason that there are a whole lot of ex-OE employees out there who are now in important positions within other corporations, in the same way that Eleonora worked her way up Shin Sei Corp. as alluded to in the short story. So BAM!, more than a dozen years later, Lady Prospera has a ready-made network imbedded all over Benerit who are sympathetic to her cause. A network that she was probably already organizing on her frequent trips to Earth as she climbed the corporate ladder. A network that would've been very helpful in sourcing equipment & materials needed to construct Aerial over the years (in-show comments strongly implies she's bespoke). A network good enough to suss out Jeturk's assassination plot--which by itself implies that Prospera is up to something bigger than just simply killing Delling for revenge.

[JulieYBM]

Suletta is so relatable. Sometimes it's just HARD to get through a conversation in a new place with new people. I like how she seems keen on being a duo with Mio-Mio, too.

[Mafty]

That's an interesting theory...

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If that is the case than the Shin Sei group is sort of like an underground Anaheim Electronics, being an incredibly powerful conglomerate that will build for anyone willing to pay. Of course if Prospera is the head of it, she can ensure that no designs are sold to the enemy factions. On another note I agree Prosperas game seems to be bigger than just getting revenge on Delling. Maybe she'll end up like Haman Karn, with a remote yet powerful and advanced army. That being said living conditions on Axis still looked way better than those on Mercury

Also does anyone think a war may break out in this show? For now we just have duels, but it has been shown that mny MS are capable of using actual weapons. So it may be a matter of time...

[JulieYBM]

I feel like a war is inevitable if the personalities of the capitalists clash enough, which we can see them doing already in just the first few episodes.

[Ryujin]

Also does anyone think a war may break out in this show? For now we just have duels, but it has been shown that many MS are capable of using actual weapons. So it may be a matter of time...

Storywise, the prologue was a brilliant move in that it's a figurative Sword of Damocles, looming just offstage, hanging over everyone's heads. A sizeable part of the audience can enjoy all these light-hearted moments now because of the promise that it'll all come to roost later (notwithstanding that The Tempest was a comedy, but this is a mainstream AU Gundam here).

Asticassia seems mostly insulated from the outside world, but I believe there's enough hints in place to suggest it's not a peaceful one. Things like the Benerit Group, for all its power, not even being the market leader for MS sales, Dominicus having its own warships or the overarching importance of the Duel (and the martial+technical+subversive skills necessary for victory) in Asticassia's academic life. It may just be Delling acting on long-suppressed chuuni impulses, mid-life crises or something, but the man sure didn't rise to his position by being a bureaucratic bean-counter.