REVIEW: ‘Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury’, Episode 10 – “Circling Thoughts”

This week’s Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury Episode 10 takes the series’ deepest dive into corporate politics yet, with some mixed results. “Circling Thoughts” takes place two months after the events of “If I Could Take One More Step Towards You,” as Miorine Rembran (Lynn) continues to build up the GUND-Arm company. Miorine’s work has her taking large absences from school, leaving Suletta Mercury (Kana Ichinose) and the rest of Earth House to keep things running at Anticassa. However, forces are converging on them from all sides, including Shaddiq Zenelli (Makoto Furukawa), who continues his machinations to seize control of Suletta’s Aerial.

While The Witch From Mercury has managed to strike a perfect balance between politics and giant robots in previous episodes, “Circling Thoughts” more or less acts as a table setting for future events. There are a lot of plot points set up in this episode: the rivalry between Jeturk and Benerit, the machinations of Peil Technologies, and of course, the various challenges faced by GUND-Arm. And I haven’t even gotten to the subplot involving Planet Earth. Even if you’ve been following the series since its inception, this episode feels like it could have easily been split into two parts.

That being said, the character development in this episode is immaculate. Throughout the series, Miorine and Suletta have had to rely on each other: the former has taken steps to protect Aerial and the latter defends her “bride” in duels. But thanks to the manipulation of Elan Ceres (Natsuki Hanae)—or rather, one of his clones—a wedge is driven between the two. There’s also the fact that Miorine’s work has kept her away from Suletta, which feels like a married couple stretched to its breaking limit. I’m pretty sure that was intentional on the writing staff’s part, and it works. Plus, unlike other romantic dramas, the tension actually feels well-crafted.

On the animation front, Sunrise has taken things up a notch. Long, sweeping shots of space let the viewers drink in every detail, from the stars dotting the sky to every fracture in the giant asteroids that make up the various space stations. And on Earth, rusted metal and thick tufts of grass covering buildings show just how far Terra Firma has fallen. And that goes doubly for the human characters, especially when it comes to their facial expressions. Suletta won’t make eye contact when speaking with someone, hunching in on herself. This showcases how painfully shy she is. And a major look of horror on her face toward the end of the episode says far more than any words ever could. On the other hand, Miorine gets to actually showcase an emotion other than annoyance, as a meeting with her father actually has her smiling.

Let me rephrase that: this is the man who she’s outright said she despised. And he’s actually complimenting her, and she’s smiling. Once again, that simple action speaks volumes. The beauty of animation is that it can often say a lot about the characters and/or story by simply displaying facial expressions as well as the environment they inhabit. It’s part of the reason why the medium deserves far more respect than it gets, especially in these times, when major studios seem to view it as more of a tax write-off than an art form.

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury Episode 10 isn’t quite as polished as previous installments, though it manages to set the stage for future conflicts. The post-credits scene is the biggest surprise of the series so far, as it hints at the danger that Gundams can pose. This might be one fight that Suletta can’t win.

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