The following contains spoilers for Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury, episode 12 "Keep Marching On Instead of Running Off", now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Episode 12 marks the end of the first part of Gundam: The Witch From Mercury. The rest of the first season is scheduled to be released in April 2023. So while this episode is not the end of this series, this will still be the last episode of this series that we’ll get to see in a while. It’s no wonder the fans expected to see something extraordinary in this episode.
After all, depending on how memorable this episode is, some people might decide to either drop this series or patiently wait for its continuation. Thankfully, based on the chaos that happened in episode 11, it looks like we can expect some exciting stuff to happen in this episode. So let’s see how good, or bad, this last episode turns out to be through this brief review.
Keep Marching On Instead of Running Off
Episode 12 continues the action right where the last episode left off. The witches from Earth use their Gundams to wreak havoc inside the Plant Quetta. Their initial mission is to kill Delling Rembran, but they still use this chance to cause as much damage as they can to their enemy. Not to mention they also send quite a few soldiers to infiltrate the base and kill everyone that they encounter until they can put a bullet through Delling’s head.
Realizing how dire the situation turns out to be, Suletta immediately heads out to find Aerial. Once she is in the hangar, however, Suletta begins to have a panic attack because she knows that it’s no longer a regular fight like the duels at her school. She and Aerial will need to kill people that she has never even met before. This thought scares her so much.
However, her mother once again reminds Suletta that she is the only one that could help everybody in this base. If she refuses to fight, then everybody there would certainly die. But if she goes out there with Aerial, then she can save everybody, including Miorine and the rest of her friends who happened to be in Pant Quetta. So Suletta steel herself, and then unleash the full-might of Gundam Aerial upon those pesky invaders.
Physical And Emotional Damage
This episode marks the first time Suletta truly takes another person’s life. Suletta and Aerial may already have undergone numerous dangerous battles before, but this is the one that truly cements her status as a combat prodigy that can, and will, mercilessly kill every opponent that dares to stand in her way. And that is good and bad at the same time.
For starters, Suletta begins to get used to killing other people. Thanks to her mother’s words, she has constructed a philosophy in her head that she needs to kill the other party if she wants to save the people that she cares about. From shooting a long-range laser beam to crushing a person with Aerial’s fist, Suletta is willing to cause as much physical damage as possible if it means she can her precious friends and family. This kind of determination is certainly good for a soldier whose primary purpose is to win against the enemy.
However, this change in attitude also means Suletta unknowingly causes emotional damage to herself, and to those that see her new, ruthless self. The awkward girl who can’t strike a conversation with other people has become an energetic killer who wouldn’t hesitate to kill her enemies without even realizing it. It goes without saying that her friends that witness these sudden chances in Suletta will start to see her in a different light. Some might even consider her a murderer and refuse to have anything to do with her any longer.
Best and Worst Cliffhanger
As an episode that is supposed to be a midpoint of a series, episode 12 has to deliver something that can be considered to be the climax for the story thus far, while also presenting a good cliffhanger that could make the audience hungry for more. That way, those who have been patiently waiting to watch this series every week will both feel rewarded and also excited to see the next part of the series.
This is certainly not an easy task, but episode 12 actually does a rather decent job at it. After all, this episode proves to be both the best and worst cliffhanger ever made. It’s great because we get to see some characters reach a pivotal moment in their life that will not only affect their future, but also their relationship to those around them. It goes without saying that we certainly want to know what would happen to these characters in the second part of the series.
On the other hand, the Mecha battle itself is without a doubt one of the most disappointing battles in this series thus far. The invading army barely faces any challenges despite the fact that they launch an assault on one of the biggest bases of the Benerit Group. Not only that, Aerial itself only gets to enter the fight minutes before the story ends. It barely does anything, and then the whole battle suddenly ends. Even the duel against Shaddiq was way more thrilling than this.
Conclusion
As the last episode for the first part of Gundam: The Witch From Mercury, episode 12 is honestly quite unremarkable. It’s true that there are several important moments happening in this episode, but everything is ruined by its half-hearted fight scenes. That being said, we are still super excited to see the next part of this series in April. Can’t wait to see what will happen next in the saga of Suletta and Aerial.