After two episodes and a prologue, Mobile Suit Gundam: Witch From Mercury has been a feast for the eyes and ears, from its animation to its music and performances. Like with a lot of Gundam series, the creative teams for each new installment can be so different that it feels like a completely different studio when it's all being produced under the umbrella of Sunrise's brand.
Gundam Witch began airing on October 2 and immediately got people buzzing thanks to an exciting premiere with gorgeous imagery and a gay premiere cliffhanger met with applause. The total number of episodes is as yet unknown, but a second part has already been confirmed for April 2023.
The Director
Hiroshi Kobayashi is an experienced animator and episode director with work spanning multiple genres dating back to the late 2000s. His most recent directorial work was with David Production on the new remake of Spriggan for Netflix, but Trigger fans will recognize him as the director of 2016's Kiznaiver.
Much of their work is an animator or storyboard artist, but they have directed a fair share of episodes from time to time (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood #29, Kill la Kill #5, etc.). Prior to directing Spriggan, he helmed studio Bones' Dragon Pilot, another female-centric series about fighter pilots, but with dragons disguised as jet craft rather than Gundams.
They may not have carved a definitive identity as a director for themselves yet, but given the positive reception to Gundam Witch as of now, that could very well change. Dragon Pilot and Kiznaiver were far more character-focused, which bodes well for the character drama in Gundam under Kobayashi's supervision.=
Individual Episode Directors (Thus Far)
- Episode 1: Ryo Ando (86, Food Wars)
- Episode 2: Tatsuma Minamikawa (JoJo Part 5, Fire Force)
The Writer
It goes without saying that Gundam Witch has gotten a lot of talk because of the lesbian vibes of its two lead characters, but when you look up who is writing the show, it gets that much better. Ichirou Okouchi is not only the writer for the new Gundam, but also wrote Sk8 The Infinity, the radical and thoroughly gay skateboarding show from 2021, and he's writing the second season too.
Even beyond that extra bit of excitement to feed the gay Gundam fans, Okouchi's resume is incredibly impressive. He's the writer of Seven Days War, Devilman Crybaby, Princess Principal (also gay), and the Berserk Golden Age Arc films, among others. He's a proven screenwriter that has adeptly adapted works but has also helped craft some exceptional original works as well.
Mechanical Design
This being Gundam, there is obviously a lot of mechanical design both in the world normally and in regard to the mech themselves. As such, there are five individuals credited with mech design and almost all of them have prior experience in the franchise on other projects. To spotlight their talents individually, here are some non-Gundam projects that they've worked on.
Kanetake Ebikawa
Ebikawa's resume spans the 2000s to now and has seen him lend his design work to Full Metal Panic as well the more recent Kyoukai Senki. He was prominently featured in Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans alongside our next mechanical designer.
Ippei Gyoubu
Gyoubu's reputation within Sunrise intersects with Ebikawa at several key junctions, but he was also responsible for the "Gear Design" in Nomad: Megalo Box 2. He even collaborated with Tetsurou Araki on Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, no doubt designing many of the titular iron fortresses or the various steampunk mechanics.
Kou Inaba
Witch From Mercury is Inaba's first credit as a mechanical designer in the Gundam series, but they have also recently done the character designs for Black Summoner and mechanical design for the Macross series.
JNTHED
Like Inaba-san before them, JNTHED's first Gundam project is Witch From Mercury, but they will also be working on mechanical design for the new Urusei Yatsura.
Takayuki Yanase
Yanase has perhaps done more non-Gundam-related work than any of the aforementioned designers. He has recently worked on Tekken: Bloodline and has previously done mechanical work for the entirety of Ghost in the Shell: Arise. He will be working alongside Ebikawa on the adaptation of Gen Urobuchi's Eisen Flügel.
Music
Gundam Witch music is being done by Takashi Omama, composer for Mobile Suit Gundam: Twilight Axis as well as Castle Town Dandelion and the TV animation of Phantasy Star Online 2. It's a shame that many of the projects they have composed music for have been received poorly because their music can be quite powerful.
Twilight Axis was a terribly received miniseries that followed up the acclaimed Gundam Unicorn, and from the reviews, it seems that Omama's talents were wasted. Hopefully, this new Gundam will be more worthy of the effort they put into their music by the end.
YAOSOBI performed the opening title theme, "The Blessing," an energetic and rather upbeat track that fits the protagonist Suletta quite well. The music video follows her and her younger self seemingly bound to Ariel, the Gundam at the center of the story, emphasizing the relationship between pilot and machine.
The ending theme, "Kimi yo Kedakaku Are" is a considerably more intense track, with an emphasis on rock. However, it seems to give way as the chorus hits for more strings and a hopeful, almost romantic swell. If the visuals and writing weren't already a good omen for the series, the music is most certainly on point.
Source: My Anime List, Anime News Network