Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury - Anime Episode Discussion

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by FlareKnight

Credit to Prospera for trying a bit harder than that to deny it's a Gundam. It's still absolute nonsense, but credit for the attempt. Really is trying to sell white as black. She's got a great sense of drama to be sure. Throwing prosthetic arms around helps guard her from having to take off that helmet and actually reveal her identity.

She's a masked character in Gundam. By definition she's dramatic .

Originally Posted by Obelisk ze Tormentor

It's funny that our MC in this episode didn't do much and is basically reduced to this:

Not much you can do when you're locked in jail .

I guess in a way it's a balancing act...Suletta saved Miorine, and Miorine saves Suletta .

[kari-no-sugata II]

Couple of random thoughts...

We saw what seemed to be a fully autonomous mobile suit at the end of ep 2. At a guess, this is not something "only people should kill people" Delling would approve of. Maybe this is the alternative that the people of Earth have developed after their "Gundam" was taken away from them? I wonder if Suletta's mother is in contact with them or is basically operating independently? Anyway, I'm guessing that this is foreshadowing of future conflict.

Talking of Lady Mask, I wonder if she knows the people who tried to help Miorine escape. Maybe Lady Mask timed Suletta’s arrival / Mirone’s escape to be at the same time so that they would meet. Then when Suletta was in trouble in ep 2, this person who was due to help Miorine escape turns up and ends up taking her to the “trial”. Rather convenient.

In the Prologue we see that the Lfrith is susceptible to the anti-Gundam technology, same as the older gen suits. I wonder if Aerial has some protection against this? It doesn’t have to be perfect but something good enough to at least let the MS continue to operate.

Originally Posted by Frontier

She's a tsundere through and through

I was originally going to use this term but she’s not wedged into the tsundere cliche mould. So yeah, she’s a tsundere but also a real person rather than a collection of traits. Which is nice.

[Ragashingo]

Originally Posted by kari-no-sugata II

In the Prologue we see that the Lfrith is susceptible to the anti-Gundam technology, same as the older gen suits. I wonder if Aerial has some protection against this? It doesn’t have to be perfect but something good enough to at least let the MS continue to operate.

That’s my guess for the challenge Suletta will have to overcome. I think a Gundam is still flyable with its GUND-ARM systems disabled, but you lose a lot of the mind linked automaton.

And heck, if we’re really doing Utena In SPAAAAACE, then Suletta needs to lose her next duel but then overcome her self doubt and win the Rose Bride Miorine back again.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by kari-no-sugata II

In the Prologue we see that the Lfrith is susceptible to the anti-Gundam technology, same as the older gen suits. I wonder if Aerial has some protection against this? It doesn’t have to be perfect but something good enough to at least let the MS continue to operate.

I assume this will come up eventually if only because Suletta is likely to eventually fight the man who killed her father.

Originally Posted by Ragashingo

That’s my guess for the challenge Suletta will have to overcome. I think a Gundam is still flyable with its GUND-ARM systems disabled, but you lose a lot of the mind linked automaton.

And heck, if we’re really doing Utena In SPAAAAACE, then Suletta needs to lose her next duel but then overcome her self doubt and win the Rose Bride Miorine back again.

I'm not sure if Suletta is in a position to lose, because one loss would mean immediate expulsion and the Aerial scrapped unless they can find a workaround .

[kari-no-sugata II]

Originally Posted by Ragashingo

That’s my guess for the challenge Suletta will have to overcome. I think a Gundam is still flyable with its GUND-ARM systems disabled, but you lose a lot of the mind linked automaton.

Something like that. Part of the reason why I think Suletta's mother would have investigated a counter to that anti-Gundam tech is it's likely that real conflict would break out and that anti-Gundam tech would be far too deadly. Basically, it's Game Over if they don't have it.

And heck, if we’re really doing Utena In SPAAAAACE, then Suletta needs to lose her next duel but then overcome her self doubt and win the Rose Bride Miorine back again.

She can't afford to lose the next duel. It's her only chance. Else she gets expelled and Aerial gets scrapped.

[kuroyanagi]

One more random thought - we're told the Beneritt Group has enough subsidiaries to form a ranking, and each of them makes their own mobile suit, presumably. Who are the customers buying enough mechs to fund this whole conglomerate, and whom are they fighting? There's gotta be a whole lotta war in the Ad Astra world outside the school to justify a military contractor of that size.

(Unless mobile suit =/= weapon and the majority of them are actually designed to be used as heavy machinery? We definitely haven't seen them do anything but fight yet, though.)

[Laevatein]

Originally Posted by Ragashingo

And heck, if we’re really doing Utena In SPAAAAACE, then Suletta needs to lose her next duel but then overcome her self doubt and win the Rose Bride Miorine back again.

It's a long time since I've watched Utena, but going by memory, she won all her duels until she got to

Spoiler:

Touga

.

[Ragashingo]

Originally Posted by Laevatein

It's a long time since I've watched Utena, but going by memory, she won all her duels until she got to

Spoiler:

Touga

.

Spoiler:

Yeah, you're right... looked it up and it happens a good bit later than I remembered in Utena. I still wouldn't be surprised to see it happen here and relatively sooner.

[kari-no-sugata II]

Originally Posted by kuroyanagi

One more random thought - we're told the Beneritt Group has enough subsidiaries to form a ranking, and each of them makes their own mobile suit, presumably. Who are the customers buying enough mechs to fund this whole conglomerate, and whom are they fighting? There's gotta be a whole lotta war in the Ad Astra world outside the school to justify a military contractor of that size.

(Unless mobile suit =/= weapon and the majority of them are actually designed to be used as heavy machinery? We definitely haven't seen them do anything but fight yet, though.)

I wouldn't assume all subsidiaries make mobile suits - perhaps only the biggest ones, though others might supply various parts. Mobile suits are important enough to make the news and there's an important council for regulating them but are all mobile suits in this setup used for fighting or are there a lot of "worker" types? Maybe a lot of buyers are normal governments, using them in the place of planes, tanks etc?

We'll just have to wait and see.

[B214]

Originally Posted by Twi

Delling only cares about results, but he seems to have a pure hatred for anything he deems a Gundam, so when the notion of all of the profiting came up he was directly contradicting himself and stifling the group as a whole.

Probably his wife was a subject of the GUND-ARM experiment and died due to it. I mean Miorine mentioned about her dad making the decision on her mum's funeral, so i'm guessing it's most likely due to this.

[Wandering Soul]

Originally Posted by kari-no-sugata II

Talking of Lady Mask, I wonder if she knows the people who tried to help Miorine escape. Maybe Lady Mask timed Suletta’s arrival / Mirone’s escape to be at the same time so that they would meet. Then when Suletta was in trouble in ep 2, this person who was due to help Miorine escape turns up and ends up taking her to the “trial”. Rather convenient.
.

I sort of assumed the same thing, The entire thing really does sound good to be true. TBF Miorine did choose to go the trial rather than earth herself. but I do have to wonder if part of the plan relied on her not being able to turn down the chance to confront her father.

[kari-no-sugata II]

Originally Posted by B214

Probably his wife was a subject of the GUND-ARM experiment and died due to it. I mean Miorine mentioned about her dad making the decision on her mum's funeral, so i'm guessing it's most likely due to this.

Yep. Similar thoughts here. I had initially taken him to be very cold and calculating but maybe he's more fragile than he appears.

On a different topic, regarding the post ED scene... I think I had been misinterpreting it. I had thought that the red suit was AI controlled. But with that interpretation something felt a bit off. I think instead that it's the two grey suits that were AI controlled - basically for target practice.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by kari-no-sugata II

Yep. Similar thoughts here. I had initially taken him to be very cold and calculating but maybe he's more fragile than he appears.

Even if it's all because of his wifes' death, he's still a terrible father and person...especially considering it seemed like he barely let his daughter grieve.

[kari-no-sugata II]

Originally Posted by Frontier

Even if it's all because of his wifes' death, he's still a terrible father and person...especially considering it seemed like he barely let his daughter grieve.

Yup. A pathetic insecure bully too.

This is partly why I described him as "fragile". I suspect all his shows of strength etc might be to cover for his inner weakness. Or putting it another way, he's too scared to show any sign of weakness or anything perceived as weakness. When he does fall, which seems to be just a matter of time, assuming the above reasoning is correct I would then expect him to completely collapse.

At least douchebag Guen showed signs of regret and seemingly wanted to apologize for his actions. Maybe Suletta needs to spank Delling as well?

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by kari-no-sugata II

Yup. A pathetic insecure bully too.

This is partly why I described him as "fragile". I suspect all his shows of strength etc might be to cover for his inner weakness. Or putting it another way, he's too scared to show any sign of weakness or anything perceived as weakness. When he does fall, which seems to be just a matter of time, assuming the above reasoning is correct I would then expect him to completely collapse.

At least douchebag Guen showed signs of regret and seemingly wanted to apologize for his actions. Maybe Suletta needs to spank Delling as well?

It is kind of funny how so much of the plot was kicked off by Suletta slapping a guys' butt .

[justavisitor]

So Delling has a conglomerate that acts like a country---ok

But he is also the one saying using ms to duel it out if there is a dispute? is it just school only? Even it only just applies to school, this is ridiculous XD

This series is walking a fine line between a crazily good show or a show full of memes I sincerely hope it will be the former

[Laevatein]

Originally Posted by Frontier

It is kind of funny how so much of the plot was kicked off by Suletta slapping a guys' butt .

Kind of like Jerid making fun of Kamille's name kicked off Zeta's plot.

[kari-no-sugata II]

Originally Posted by Frontier

It is kind of funny how so much of the plot was kicked off by Suletta slapping a guys' butt .

It would be funny if she makes a habit of it. Guel seems hot headed enough...

I wonder if there's some time limit on being able to challenge the same person again, otherwise I can see Guel challenging Suletta every day... so long as he has a MS he can pilot...

[SonicSP]

Originally Posted by justavisitor

So Delling has a conglomerate that acts like a country---ok

That's a fairly normal concept in some sci-fi series. Armored Core 4 and the later timeline years of Ace Combat series has them I believe where corporations basically took the place of countries. As well as Peter F Hamilton's Fallen Dragon sci-fi novel, which takes this concept of privatization to the extreme.

The keiretsus (conglomerate) in Japan also hold a lot of power though I don't think it's as cut throat as the Beneritt group here. If anything they have the opposite problem of keeping their underperforming branches alive.

The Samsung group from Korea is also ridiculously powerful, with 20% of South Korea's GDP/economy generated by them alone (...as well as political scandals involving high level politcians). It's also controlled by a family.

But he is also the one saying using ms to duel it out if there is a dispute? is it just school only? Even it only just applies to school, this is ridiculous XD

Dueling with real weapons to resolve disputes is fairly common in the past in some countries, namely European and US with dying very much a risk.

In the case of the school, since it's a mobile suit focused school founded by mobile suit focused companies, they added that in. Piloting is also the most prestigious major in the school, so that probably adds to it.

The apparent beam dissipation system works fairly well to prevent them from straying too far......though I really think they need to have a like a more specific arena for them. OSHA would have a field day with this one.

[Last Sinner]

My Gundam friend is calling that the girls will kill God.