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Mobile Suit Gundam: Witch from Mercury holds up as a 'Gundam Show' despite what many others may want you to believe.

As someone introduced to the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise a few years ago, I could say right off the bat that this anime has all the ingredients necessary to create an exciting and enjoyable watching experience through the lens of someone who is already used to similar content. Having delved into the world of Tomino's Gundam series, I have begun exploring other avenues the franchise offered, including Wing, Iron-Blooded Orphans, 00, and Age. For all it was worth, I've found Mobile Suit Gundam: Witch ... from Mercury captivating not because of the school setting or the female main character but the show's unique brand of pacing. The way this show introduces you to a world that already exists speaks more than just showing a colony and saying people lived there before everything became a dumpster fire. The writers and directors of this anime seem to show an appreciation for establishing the setting, the character's worldview, and tonal nuances before they get down to the nitty-gritty rollercoaster the franchise is known for.

Of course, suppose you have grown accustomed to some of the older shows of the '80s and '90s. In that case, you'll find yourself questioning why the characters aren't engaging in mobile suit skirmishes in every episode, like Zeta Gundam and Mobile Fighter G. Some long-time 'fans' of the franchise have continuously expressed their grievances over the shift of focus on more contemporary audiences over the years. These critiques are constantly at odds with the show's identity. You may find at first that Gundam Witch does not share the same traits as The Classics because their presentation isn't synonymous when it is every bit as 'Gundam' as it gets. 'The Classics' always drops the viewer in the middle of a gritty, arduous struggle between different factions supporting different ideologies, oftentimes kicking the show off with the world already at the cusp of turmoil and destruction, whereas Gundam Witch only manages to do this with the 'Prologue' episode.

A Gundam Show gets straight to the point; it is loud and unapologetic. Shows like the original Mobile Suit Gundam, Zeta, 08th MS Team, and even G Gundam have shown unfiltered, raw streams of thought-provoking philosophical viewpoints through the dialogue and actions of their characters. The main character from Gundam Witch, 'Suletta Mercury,' is a young girl with little to no experience socializing with people in a functioning society where concepts like social hierarchy and political dogma have a significant purpose. She is a character that has a tragically innocent upbringing in a world of strife, as displayed in the prologue episode. She is a tough character for average viewers to relate to, as many Gundam fans who may be watching the show are adult men who most likely had everyday social experiences. It also does not play into a war fantasy that viewers may appreciate in shows like Iron-Blooded Orphans or 08th MS Team. Frankly, there is nothing really that 'Goes Hard' about Gundam Witch; there's hardly any blood-pumping action and explosive dialogue echoing from the cockpit of battle-hardened rivals (at least not yet). But what this show does have that shines above its other peers is its subtlety.

The political world in Gundam Witch is the most complex and vast it has been since possibly Zeta Gundam when considering how many voices are at play. The only concern a viewer should have is whether these voices would be handled with care in the long run. There is no claim that this anime will be doing anything like Game of Thrones in terms of interconnecting relationships, shifting perspectives, and world-building. However, you'll still find more of those features in this show than in an average Mobile Suit Gundam anime. The reality that many fans aren't seeing is that this show is taking advantage of what many people would call a weakness in other Gundam series. It has a slow start, coming down to almost 12 episodes before things start to heat up in the story. Still, because of this slow and careful planting of these seeds during the first ten episodes, this show could potentially become one of the greatest in the franchise. Any Gundam show could've benefitted from a slow start, and this is the first time I have seen it done correctly.

The show speaks significantly about the importance of self-determination, free will, responsible usage of power, and breaking down the barriers in society that often leads to elitism, tribalism, and other concepts in this anime, shown as hindrances to societal progress. Some viewers may see instances of the aforementioned vital points and misinterpret them as the writers wanting to deconstruct the patriarchy or advocate for socialist economic ideals. While those concepts have been explored on the surface, the anime's characters' dialogue and actions tell a different story. Through subtle means, shrouded in mystery, these characters are expressed rather than shouting it from their cockpit in the void of space, making it 'less Gundam' to some viewers. It is because you don't exactly know what is going through the head of everyone on screen that makes it feel like 'nothing is happening.' Contrarily, this is where some of the entertainment value presents itself. This show's mysteries drive viewers to keep watching, including myself. Every week, as Sunrise releases new episodes, viewers wonder what happened during the time skip between the prologue and now; people are wondering whether Suletta and Miorine, the deuteragonist of the show, actually will develop romantic feelings for each other, how will subsidiaries in the Benerit Group try to secure all of the power, how will the war between Spacians and Earthians escalate, and what Suletta's mother has planned for her daughter.

Every episode will have you asking more questions than getting answers in a way that will playfully toy with your mind. And because of that, despite how people may feel about the setting, it will have them desperately wanting to find out. In this case, the anime is successful at being entertaining and continues to grab the attention of hundreds of thousands into millions of viewers every week. You will find no true lack of passion, intellectual thought, technobabble, weird names, or space wars in this Gundam show; it is all here. All you need is patience and to have fun with the show, which only increases in quality and potential with each episode.

8/10