GWitch is the Best TV Show Since Sliced Bread
Somehow, it pulls off Neon Genesis Revolutionary Girl Gundam: The Tempest Ragnarok Succession every week FLAWLESSLY.
Welcome back to Klaudia's Corner!
For the uninitiated, each issue I bring you 1 piece of media that has captivated my heart and soul lately, and break apart why it is wonderful, why it is (or could be) popular, and why you will love it, too.
This week, I'm very excited to introduce...
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury
You may ask, "Klaudia, you talked about an anime last time, ANOTHER anime?"
Just trust me on this one, even if you are not normally an anime, or even giant mecha franchise, enjoyer.
The Witch from Mercury dares to ask: what if you COULD have it all in a TV show? What if you could have amazing animation AND deep sociopolitical themes AND crazy mecha fights AND diversity in animation AND sapphics? What if you made Neon Genesis Revolutionary Girl Gundam: The Tempest Ragnarok Succession, and it was not only coherent, but a masterpiece, every single week? What if, for one glorious moment, TV was perfect?
Everyone from critics, to Gundam fans (well, except the homophobic ones), to yuri anime fans, to casual viewers, loves this thing, and for good reason: it BANGS, it has something for everyone. (You should read this great Polygon article about why before you proceed as well!)
I am in no way an expert on mecha, and this is also my first Gundam series, so please know that my recommendation comes from the POV of a filthy casual just like probably most of you. You can watch this show having 0 Gundam knowledge, or even 0 anime knowledge, and still come away from it in awe. (And, I hear from the deep cut Gundam fans, that you will be EATING, too).
The Witch from Mercury deals with many of the same issues that Gundam, and mecha as a genre, is known for: the ethics of war, how far we are willing to go for our ideals, transhumanism, what constitutes the self, and what we are willing to put children through. But it combines ALL of this and somehow MORE. GWitch uses the framework of the historical witch hunt, where women's autonomy was literally demonized to further feudal, patriarchal and religious power, to critique late stage capitalism and war profiteering. But in an elite military high school where a girl uses a giant robot to battle for another girl's hand in marriage.
How the FUCK do you make a concept like that work? Through the inexplicably chipper and loveable main character of Suletta Mercury, the "witch" from Mercury herself. She grew up on Mercury, which was fairly rural compared to the rest of Spacian society, and upon arriving at Asticassia School of Technology, her status as a "witch" who pilots illegal GUND technology, and the little she knows about the corporate society around her, make her the perfect conduit for the audience to learn all the complex ways these elements tie together. (While still avoiding the boring viwer insert hero problem - she's interesting on her own!)
I must protect the tomato from the world's harms.
Anime enjoyers may notice that some of this setup is almost exactly the premise of Revolutionary Girl Utena, just with Gundam, and you would be absolutely correct. I would even say that Utena is required viewing before GWitch, if possible, because of how much it takes from it, thematically, visually, and otherwise.
(You can actually watch both the English dub and the original Japanese with subtitles of Utena for free on YouTube, if you haven't already. It's a classic I think everyone should watch at least once.)
The writer of GWitch, Ichirō Ōkouchi, has worked on almost every iconic anime series you could think of, but may be best known as the writer of GWitch studio Sunrise's other classic, Code Geass (He also wrote the Utena light novels so, nothing in here is a coincidence).
However, somehow, GWitch seems to be the BIGGEST reference to something else entirely - Shakespeare's The Tempest.
It also, apparently, may be the Gundam version of the coming of Ragnarok, the end of days in Norse mythology. (There's also a smattering of Greco-Roman mythology in there, too).
If all of this wasn't enough to get you interested, there is also:
Body diversity in anime - yes, that's right, there's MULTIPLE fat people who are not demonized but treated as normal! And in space!
Racial and ethnic diversity, including several Black characters, drawn WELL in anime (to be fair, a low bar considering the history of anime, but when I think of another reboot of a classic mecha franchise that attempted to have racial diversity and gay people and absolutely fumbled the bag, aka Voltron: Legendary Defender, it's nice to see GWitch sweep the floor with it)
The sapphics, the WLW, the GIRLS AND THE GAYS, the yuri icons: SULEMIO. I say sapphics because Suletta might be bi/pan/queer, we're not that sure, it's not focused on too much, but my god! These bitches GAY! GOOD FOR THEM (And while the series gets very dark for them, it has a happy ending, a rarity in Gundam AND for sapphics in media in general.) This shit is so gay that they named the titular Witch from Mercury's love interest, the "bride," Miorine, after the Japanese space agency's MIO orbiter around Mercury, and are doing an OFFICIAL COLLABORATION WITH IT.
Ladies, is it gay to pilot a Gundam to get on one knee to propose to another girl after fighting in a duel for her hand in marriage?
TOXIC MILFs. This series dares to ask an important question: if Gendo Ikari was a hot MILF, would you support her being a fucked up individual? My answer is yes. If you don't know who Gendo Ikari is, just think of the worst father in fiction but then make him a hot woman. You'd apologize for her crimes, right?
When a male character is an asshole for about 5 seconds in the beginning, but then spends the rest of the series having the literal worst day imaginable as he works for his redemption.
Guel Jeturk is like if Zuko had pink bangs.
The messy drama of family-run corporate politics, like if Succession was about war profiteers with giant robots. There's a whole episode just about trying to get VC funding and it's one of the most dramatic in the entire show.
The extremely uncomfortable but necessary themes of socioeconomic disparity between peers at an elite institution that make certain school shojo like Ouran High School Host Club interesting.
Absolutely 0 sexist anime fanservice. They have low gravity-appropriate yet cute school uniforms that are loose shorts instead of awful jokes about short skirts. The very small amounts of sexism on screen are solely from certain characters to portray that they are bad and wrong, and it's not excessive. It's downright refreshing.
Leftist Discourse (TM) between different revolutionary groups, with the nuance of Andor. (In general, GWitch is to Gundam as Andor is to Star Wars - the somehow even more political addition that features gay women prominently this time.)
The only things you need to know to get into GWitch are:
The series exists in a separate universe from Gundam's Universal Century, so it can be watched on its own. The only thing you need to make sure to watch is the prologue "movie", helpfully listed as Episode 0, that sets up the main premise and absolutely FUCKED UP tone. It's extremely necessary to watch. If you want, after that, you can read the short story prequel, "Cradle Planet," before starting episode 1 as well.
Many people fast forward through anime openings and endings and sometimes miss after credits scenes. There aren't ALWAYS after credits in GWitch, but there is at least one that is very important, so be diligent and make sure. Some fans have also noticed slight changes to the opening over time each week, in both seasons, and at the end of the credits there is a cool piece of concept art in every episode.
GWitch is streaming on Crunchyroll both in the original Japanese with subtitles and dubbed. You can also watch season 1 for free with subs on YouTube, with season 2 coming to YouTube soon as well.
Content Warnings
Gaslighting and manipulation from a family member/parent
Obviously violence, but not just mechas fighting. There is blood, gore, and dismemberment.
Force feeding (of an imprisoned character)
Misogyny
Xenophobia (not racism as we see it now, in GWitch it is Spacians vs. Earthians)
Socioeconomic prejudice (in the same way as above)
Unethical scientific experimentation, cloning (we're not exactly sure how this works yet)
Torture
Forced marriage/loss of autonomy
Sexual harassment
This is Gundam, so there is a LOT of child death and endangerment in general
War crimes on civilians
De-personalization and disassociation
The dangers of the vacuum of space
The critical success of GWitch is vindication for Gundam fans and creatives who were told for years that a Gundam series starring a girl would never sell. While the misogynists and homophobes raged online, Aerial, the Gundam at the center of GWitch, now has the highest initial sales in history compared to any other gunpla set. As I always say - the girls and the gays move merchandise, and GWitch is no exception.
Truly the only drawback to GWitch is how short it is - you can tell from the worldbuilding how rich of a story they wanted to tell, but, the studio, probably unsure if a Gundam series led by a girl, and a queer one at that, would sell, only gave them 2 seasons to tell it. Gay marriage is not yet legal in Japan, and yet Gundam, one of the largest franchises in the world, has a critically acclaimed series led by a girl, centering her romance with another girl, where she saves the day with LITERAL rainbows and gets a happy ending that many in Gundam never even get.
Suletta can really do it all.
