Warning: Contains SPOILERS for the Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From MercuryWith its modernization of the storyline and introduction of issues relevant to contemporary society, The Witch From Mercury has provided a timely, and much-needed update to the 43-year-old Mobile Suit Gundam franchise. So far, fans are loving it.
Hiroshi Kobayashi's Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury tells the story of an evolved Gundam universe where the corporations that formerly were the most aggressive manufacturers and promoters of mobile suits as military weapons are now the most vocal opponents of mobile suit technology as weapons, especially when such use threatens pilot injury. The anime also s a more progressive attitude to issues such as gender equality and sexual orientation. Not only is the series' protagonist Suletta Mercury the first female main character in Gundam history, but she is also in a same-sex relationship with Miorine, the daughter of her school's top leader.
Fans of the new series have been ive of Gundam's evolution, especially in the series' treatment of same-gender relationships. Indeed, according to Anime Trending, since its debut in October, fans have consistently voted Suletta and Miorine as the top "couple-ship" in the manga. Moreover, the longer the relationship endures, the more fans seem ive of it. For instance, during the last week of October 2022, Suletta and Miorine ranked as the sixth most popular couple among anime fandom. However, in the first week of December 2022, anime fans chose them as the most popular couple, beating out such famous couples as Bleach couple of Ichigo and Orihime, and Spy x Family's Loid and Yor Forger.
Suletta and Miorine Have Chemistry
As fans have demonstrated in their of the couple, what Kobayshi does well with the Suletta - Miorine relationship is to let it develop naturally. There is no extreme push to make the relationship work. On the one hand, there's Miorine who grew up in a society where same-sex relationships are normal, common, and accepted. On the other hand there's Suletta who was raised, in essence by a Gundam itself. Accordingly, the relationship begins with an "arranged" relationship. The issue is not focused on the fact that Suletta and Miroine are both women, but rather on whether their personalities can work well together. It's a small but mature tweak of the "relationship model" that allows viewers personal dynamics between the two rather than the gender.
What fans have discovered is that regardless of gender, there is chemistry between Suletta and Miorine. It combines all the simple complexities - the push and pull - that are normally found in the most wholesome and loving relationships, such as those between Ichigo and Orihime. It's no wonder fandom finds this Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury couple so irresistible.
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury is now available to watch on Crunchyroll.
