Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury Explodes In 'Keep Marching On Instead Of Running Off'

Violence and chaos consume the twelfth episode of "Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury," the last of the show's first half. The Dawn of Fold mercenaries launch their attack on Plant Quetta. Guel fights his dad. Nika uses her shady connections to keep her Earth House friends safe but is caught by Martin. Delling is stabbed through the chest by debris protecting his daughter Miorine. Suletta is encouraged by her mother to murder a terrorist in cold blood and does so with a smile on her face. Robots tear through space, cold artillery shells mix with laser fire, and carefully seeded imagery of hands, tomatoes, and kneeling machines are paid off in terrifying fashion.

"The Witch From Mercury" is not subtle. It lays out its characters and conflicts well in advance. It encourages the audience to think, "Hey, wouldn't it be messed up if that happened?" Then it does those things and reaps the audience's reaction as fuel for the next big escalation. The series is 100% pure unabashed anime melodrama, red-hot with disaster energy. The only reason it doesn't fly out of control is that the staff of this series, who have been struggling in the final stretch, have otherwise kept such a firm hand. "The Witch From Mercury" proudly manipulates its audience in the same way that Lady Prospera manipulates Suletta. Some may find this approach overbearing and trite. Personally speaking, though, I thought this episode ruled.

For instance, just look at what happened to Guel this week. Guel was first introduced as an obnoxious bully who takes what he wants without apology. After losing to Suletta, his actions set him on a road to ruin. His father demotes him and finally expels him from Asticassia School of Technology entirely. His brother takes his place within the school's hierarchy. Meanwhile, the viewer learns that Guel has a deeply-buried sense of honor unique among the representatives of the Benerit Group's three branches. Caught in the Dawn of Fold attack by chance, he grabs a robot and rushes to Plant Quetta to keep Suletta safe. He overcomes his fears to destroy an enemy robot in battle along the way. Unfortunately, that robot was being piloted by his dad. Whoops!

Guel's tragedy in this episode is "Witch of Mercury" in miniature. It was not enough that Guel is defeated twice in battle. It was not enough that he be disrespected by his friends and by his family. Another series might have subjected Guel to great torment only to give him a heroic moment a few episodes later. For instance: allowing him to rush to Suletta's aid in her battle against Shaddiq. "Witch From Mercury" does no such thing. It kicks the dog until the viewer is crying, "Why are you kicking the dog?" Then it keeps kicking the dog. It is preposterous that the first enemy robot Guel would encounter en route to Plant Quetta would be his dad. I can't believe that his dad, who is terrible, actually cares about him after all this. But it's so, so funny. Watching Guel be tortured by his best intentions is the real Shakespeare in "Witch From Mercury."

This episode of "Witch From Mercury" also marks a turning point for Suletta. She spends much of its runtime outside of the Aerial, threatened by forces she cannot defeat by herself. Sophie chases her around in the Lfrith Ur. Faceless Dawn of Fold soldiers track her through the corridors. At a critical moment, Suletta's panicked breathing gives her away. Only the intervention of Lady Prospera keeps Suletta alive. At that moment, Prospera grants Suletta a new and improved version of her guiding maxim. Running away is good (by saving the lives of your enemies) but saving your friends (by murdering your enemies) is even better. Upon internalizing this, Suletta crosses a bloodstain on the floor to be with her mom, because "Witch From Mercury" is not subtle.

Suletta remains a uniquely frightening Gundam protagonist, per this very funny chart on Twitter. She's a hardworking student who just wants to do her best, in a world where doing your best inevitably means murdering people. She's been trained to be a loaded gun since birth, but at this time lacks the self-awareness to question what she's been taught or the willingness to rebel. The guiding authority figure in her life is a vengeful mastermind who may be even more ruthless than Miorine's bad dad. When Suletta crushes a man to death in the after-credits stinger of this episode, she feels no remorse because she has been taught not to. Gundam heroes do not behave like this; even Mikazuki from "Iron Blooded Orphans" only ever punches up in the beginning. I don't know if the Suletta we've met over the course of the series, who has learned so much from her friends, would really be so callous.

But then, does Miorine have the right to call Suletta a murderer? We know from previous episodes that the Benerit Group continues to drain and oppress Earth for its own material gain. The economic system perpetrated by Delling and its cronies is designed to crush opposition and prioritize established companies over new, innovative ideas. As far as we know, Dawn of Fold came to be as a response to this process of extraction. Suletta's mother lost her family and future to Delling's machinations. Miorine even requested in the previous episode that Suletta continue to protect her. Yet Suletta kills so enthusiastically. Wars and duels are not the same.

What might the future of "Witch From Mercury" look like? Series scriptwriter Ichiro Okouchi has a track record of second-season car crashes, from the outrageous "Code Geass R2" to the second half of certified anime stinker "Guilty Crown." "Gundam" has its own history of disappointing follow-ups, including "Seed Destiny" and the second season of "Gundam 00." All I can say with certainty is that so far, "Witch From Mercury" is better than I ever could have hoped. It's accessible to young fans but maintains the strengths of earlier entries. The cast is memorable and the 2D robot battles are a consistent highlight. I've seen folks in my circle not just come to love "Witch From Mercury" as their first Gundam series, but be inspired to check out earlier entries in the franchise. I can think of no better tribute to a show that, despite its dramatic flourishes and cute designs, has Yoshiyuki Tomino's deep-rooted anger at its heart.

Suletta's List: I like to think that "give somebody a high five" is somewhere on Suletta's list.

Suletta's Other List: Guel flies to Suletta's aid to marry her, only to be thwarted by fate. Better luck next season!

The Suletta and Miorine Power Hour: RIP, again

The Robot Watch: The Aerial assembles its various bits into a giant gun, so powerful that a robot's limbs are melted off just from being too close to the beam. I also appreciated Lfrith Ur's shoulder-mounted generator triggering its Permet-4 upgrade, allowing it to escape the influence of Antidote.

Earth House Watch: Poor Nika! Not to mention that Lilique had a panic attack this episode. A reminder that much of the cast are still children, and only have so much power in these situations.

Friends of Gundam: Since Twitter still hasn't collapsed, have some more Gundam fan art. Plus this great drawing by animator Yuu Yoshiyama.