So this show just started airing. Currently there are only two episodes available, including a prologue episode 0. My interest was piqued after several friends endorsed it, and in looking for more info, I came across this quote from wikipedia:
...the first series in the franchise to feature a female main character. The series will revolve around themes of the dangers of emerging technologies alongside political corruption and criticism of capitalism.
So pretty much based af.
Having now watched the two episodes, I am fully on board. The prologue is gripping. It establishes the setting in an organic way, while also introducing our villain, who is essentially a corporatized military commander... or militarized corporate ceo, depending on perspective. Chicken and egg I guess. I don't want to get too much into the actual story this early, so I'll just say that it is beautifully animated, and clearly has a vision of what Gundam in 2022 should be. The character designs are endearing, the mecha designs are excellent, and the soundtrack absolutely rocks.
Technical proficiency aside, I think the themes of this series are going to hit hard. They are obviously gunning for relevancy, and I am fine with that. But what really has me excited is ~space lesbians~. Ok, there's really nothing certain yet, but we might have queer rep in the main cast, which would be incredible. I am very much looking forward to more episodes. If the quality remains this high, The Witch from Mercury could end up being my favorite Gundam.
Aside: In the grand tradition of Gundam shows having goofy ass character names, our rival archetype is filled by one Guel Jeturk, who is the biggest douchebag in space. Fantastic.






.gif)