This was written to give my honest opinion but also to clarify wrong assumptions a few reviewers have made either by not watching the show fully (this is why you should or don’t write a review at all) or by being blind/salty. Look what you made me do. You made me write this and put effort into it. So many years here and this is my first review. Damn you all.
This review has no spoilers besides what you can read in the anime’s synopsis.
Gundam The Witch from Mercury is the new newbie friendly entry of this franchise, which means any one not familiar with the
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show can watch it standalone without having to watch previous Gundam entries. I’m one such person so I’m not going to be comparing it to other Gundam titles, not that I think it should be despite what some veterans seem to be doing, it’s a standalone show after all.
Story (10/10)
The story focuses on Suletta Mercury’s adventures navigating school life, which doesn’t seem to be peaceful at all for our protagonist. The school has a dueling system that decide all kind of matters depending on the victor’s stakes but also who is to marry Miorine Rembran, the daughter of the director. Suletta wins the first duel and is now declared Miorine’s groom.
I will take this opportunity to say, this show isn’t queerbait and is extremely LGBTQ friendly. That being said, keep in mind this is the first cour and as I can’t yet predict the future despite my hardest attempts, I can’t speak for the next cour. However, what you see here is very genuine and there aren’t other interpretations for it. This show is focused on their budding relationship, with their ups and downs. Relationships not being a straight line of rainbows and unicorns does not a queerbait make.
Besides, we gays are used to suffer for happiness, yes? Yes.
Anyway…
The framing of the duels and Miorine’s greenhouse, will be very reminiscent of Utena, which is understandable as the man behind G-Witch’s script, Ichirou Ookouchi, was also the one behind the manga version of this anime.
(As such, to my fellow reviewers saying it’s a rip-off of their favorite anime, maybe you should have researched it better about who also helped making your favorite show good.)
The level of symbolism in comparison isn’t as deep however, it’s hardly superficial as well and it’s enough for a show that isn’t surrealist like the former and is more grounded in our reality, decrying the grim realities of capitalism how ruthless it can be.
Some examples of symbolism are the greenhouse as Miorine’s favorite place representing her acceptance of people and how she sees them and how they act towards her, the tomatoes representing the relationship between characters and the overall lighting in certain scenes.
The show draws a stark comparison between the relationship between Suletta and Miorine and how it develops, sometimes subtly yet just as meaningfully, into a rich and tightly knit relationship based on support and the world of the adults, full of ploys and plots in desperate attempts at achieving their goals even at the cost of treating their own children as tools. All of this is enveloped in mysteries for which we can only theorize an answer, such as the incident depicted in the prologue and its repercussions and the nature of Aerial which seems to be one of the greatest question marks in the show.
Regardless, expect the unexpected, that’s what this kind of story is, sometimes developments will catch you off-guard by the developments, much to my delight.
Characters (9/10)
The characters are expertly written and tend to be way more than it seems at first. They feel like actual people which is a breath of fresh air for me.
Both Suletta and Miorine are layered and nuanced characters, each defined by their respective pasts and traumas, there is no action they make that can’t be explained by the experiences that defined them as a person, being it Suletta’s unabated helpfulness towards others or Miorine’s pragmatic yet caring personality. They are both beautifully written and their development is a joy to watch as the show doesn’t spell it out for the viewer like a shounen anime and instead trusts the audience to understand their 'show, don't tell' writing.
The supporting cast is as much a joy to watch, with each of them with their own goals, motivations and struggles. They’re very layered as well (looking at you, Guel and Nika), they interact well with the protagonists, sometimes as foils, and remain important throughout the narrative instead of being treated like cardboard cutouts as you often see in recent shows. They add drama, comedy and wholesomeness to the story and they all serve a purpose. You love to see it.
The adults are a bit contrasting with the kids yet just as layered, often portrayed as masterminds and looming over their children.
Special mention to Prospera who seemingly plays 5D on the weekends and is very hard to get a read on. She’s a major propeller of the narrative in spite of not having as much focus as the main characters.
My only complaints thus far are the characters that make up the entourage of one of the rivals, as it stands they are nothing but a checklist of tropes for me. That being said, they’re also not relevant so I’m willing to give it a pass.
Animation (9/10)
While it has their very rare instances of rough around the edges bits, the animation is consistently amazing.
The show is mostly 2d which is impressive considering the fast pace of mobile suit battles, they sometimes swap to CGI mostly in non-key situations but it’s hardly noticeable at all in 90% of the scenes. It’s honestly a great blend and it stays consistent throughout the show.
The animation of the characters’ expressions, emotional moments, even key scenes that don’t involve mechas are expertly and lovingly animated, sometimes even to the point of being reminiscent to how Ghibli works with characters’ movements and expressions.
Music (10/10)
It slaps as hard as Aerial does. Enough said.
In short:
G-Witch is an amazing, unpredictable rollercoaster of a show. It’s not a break-neck speed of a story and is meant to be enjoyed with time even if it isn’t a slow-burner either. It’s clearly a passion project and you can see the love this anime staff has for it at all times.
The animation will leave both veterans and newbies satisfied and the music will hype up any scene.
Don’t expect an indiscriminate anime with constant colony drops but also don’t expect a wholesome slice-of-life story where nothing happens. Prepare to see the characters fight their way to satisfying developments at all times. Assume the tone the prologue sets is the tone you will get in this show and watch it until the end before making baseless assumptions like many reviewers here. Brace your heart.
A lovingly crafted masterpiece for me, I’m hoping the next cour continues the zero disappointing episodes streak.
All (29)FriendsRSS Feeds |
Jan 8, 2023
This was written to give my honest opinion but also to clarify wrong assumptions a few reviewers have made either by not watching the show fully (this is why you should or don’t write a review at all) or by being blind/salty. Look what you made me do. You made me write this and put effort into it. So many years here and this is my first review. Damn you all.
This review has no spoilers besides what you can read in the anime’s synopsis. Gundam The Witch from Mercury is the new newbie friendly entry of this franchise, which means any one not familiar with the ... |
