REVIEW: ‘Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury,’ Episode 6 – “A Gloomy Song”

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury Episode 6 features what may be the series’ most intense mobile suit duel yet, as well as a few emotional gut punches. “A Gloomy Song” immediately picks up after the events of “Reflection in an Icy Eye,” as Elan Ceres (Natsuki Hanae) challenges Suletta Mercury (Kana Ichinose). If Elan wins, he gains control of Suletta’s Aerial. And to make matters worse, the duel will take place outside the space station where the Asticassia School of Technology is held. With her mobile suit on the line, Suletta works to improve her chances of victory while also attempting to learn more about Elan.

One of the biggest strengths of The Witch From Mercury is that it’s managed to flesh out the characters that go to school with Suletta and her “fiancee” Miorine Rembran (Lynn). That continues here, as more of Elan’s backstory is revealed – including a startling secret about him that explains his icy emotional state. But that state begins to thaw, and fast, as Elan expresses his resentment about his station in life. It’s impressive, as well as a little bit scary, how Hanae flips the switch on Elan’s emotions. One minute, he’s merely dismissive of her, and the next he’s shouting about how she has the life he always wanted. Other students also experience upheaval in their lives, as Guel Jeturk (Yohei Azakami) is punished by his father for his repeated losses.

Elan’s self-resentment and emotional damage make him the perfect foil to Suletta, and Witch From Mercury also continues to explore the unlikely bond between the two. True to her nature, she wants to get to know more about him even as he calls her ‘annoying’. She even asks about his birthday! And she even winds up getting through to him, which makes the final scene of the episode hit that much harder. With all of the corporate backstabbing, as well as the divide between Earth/Space, it only makes sense for the series’ protagonist to be someone who doesn’t care about that. Ever so slowly, Suletta is becoming a force for change—whether she wants to be or not.

“A Gloomy Song” also delivers the series’ best mobile suit fight yet, as Elan’s Pharact and Suletta’s Aerial clash in the cold void of space. Space battles are nothing new to Gundam fans, but the episode takes its time to explore the advantages each combatant may or may not have. Pharact is built for speed, as seen in its previous duel. It’s equipped with weaponry that can freeze its opponent in their tracks, making its pilot a formidable warrior. In contrast, Aerial isn’t equipped with a thruster unit, forcing Suletta and her fellow students to build one—and that has its own obstacles. You have to build the thruster, test it, and pray that it doesn’t crap out because it costs immense money.

In the end, viewers are treated to a gorgeous space battle. Beams of golden light lance out from Pharact and Aerial’s weapons, piercing through meteors and melting metal. And it turns out that Aerial has a special ability, which is something that even Suletta doesn’t know about. It feeds into the recurring theme of secrets, like Elan Suletta’s mother, who is hiding her own secrets. And given how the rest of the Spacians have tried to figure out the secret of the mobile suit, Suletta’s latest victory is bound to paint a target on her back while fueling conflict in future episodes.

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury Episode 6 delivers an episode that juggles an intense mecha battle with mountains of emotion. It’s the perfect time to take a break, especially since next week’s episode will be a recap of the series’ events so far. If The Witch From Mercury keeps up this level of storytelling, it’ll definitely earn its place as one of the top-tier Gundam series.

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury is available to stream on Crunchyroll. New episodes premiere on Sundays.