Four years ago, the release of a prologue started the newest series in the Gundam franchise. After many years of lackluster releases the next generation of the Gundam franchise was born and an audiovisual masterpiece was created.
The franchise of Gundam stretches back to the 1980s starting with “Mobile Suit Gundam.” There were many releases of different TV series since then and many prominent ones being “Mobile Suit Gundam SEED,” “Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn” and “Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans.” For many years after the release of the “Iron-Blooded Orphans,” there was no real sense of a solid television series of the Gundam franchise. Nevertheless, Studio Sunrise continued to develop newer Gundam series that lead to the release of “Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury.”
“The Witch from Mercury” was Gundam’s long awaited return to mainstream media, attracting the attention of new and old fans of the franchise. Its modern animation style and robust soundtrack garnered attention from newer fans to the series. “The Witch from Mercury” takes the older common tropes of the Gundam series and paints them in a newer and darker picture. The series being a completely new start that is not connected to any other series allows for it to be a good starting point for many new viewers.
The show follows a girl by the name of Suletta Mercury as she pilots her mobile suit. The audience learns that she is not used to being around other people due to her upbringing in the far away planet of Mercury. Furthermore, the mobile suit she pilots is one considered unorthodox and due to being considered like unholy magic similar to witchcraft thus the title “Witch from Mercury.”
Furthermore, every series in the Gundam franchise is incomplete without the signature political warfare. In this case, it is different. Instead of a war between countries and planets, the conflict is between corporations and industries. The corporate warfare has an extreme level of intensity with the stakes being how much one can generate profit even being a point of life and death.
Additionally, the animation, the soundtrack, the sound design and the voice acting of the series rivals most of the Gundam franchise. Studio Sunrise has matched the quality and care of most modern anime even similar to Mappa studios, another animation studio known for its high amount of quality. Whether it’s the specific detailing on the mobile suits or the plant-life on Earth, Studio Sunrise has done an amazing job with even the minute details.
The soundtrack created by Takashi Ohmama has a level of variety that most modern television series dream to reach. Whether it is the simple, whimsical vibe of the main character accompanied by her friends or the dramatic build up into the orchestral release of the main theme. The original soundtrack elevates the series at a level that cannot be matched with a generic theme.
The voice acting of the series, especially the performances of Kana Ichinose, Youhei Azakami and Takeo Ootsuka have been able to enunciate such emotion and physical feeling. One can feel the screeching agony of the mobile suit and the shellshocked feeling of the multiple explosions. The performance of Youhei Azakami shows the growth of a character as they mature throughout the series.
Verdict: The flashy action of the mobile suits and the intense political warfare of “Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury” builds up on what the Gundam franchise is about. However, its new fresh take on the series and incredible animation takes it to the next level and should be watched.
