#gwitch episode 11

[lordsmaf]

[sulemio-week-official]

Earth House: We’re all mad here

Suletta:.. at me?

[adracat]

G-Witch episode 11 thoughts

This was an amazing episode!! The ball is rolling for Dawn of Fold and for our favorite girls. Ahhh I wasn't expecting a gundam Christmas miracle. Thank you G-Witch 🎁

Right off the bat, we're treated to another opening change with our eponymous witches from earth making their debut as antagonists. But let's delay the anxiety-inducing stuff for later. I wanna talk about how Suletta's doing...

And she's doing awful as expected. She's internalized her misconception of Mio's words in the last episode. She's thrown by Mio's assertion that she 'isn't needed' not understanding the compassion behind her actions and interpreting this as confirmation that Mio+others see her as a useless accessory. So she goes overboard trying to establish her worth, taking on extra chores and desperate to be useful. It's a relatable insecurity and so heart-wrenching.

Her words in this scene in particular say so much about Suletta's dim self-worth. Instead of asserting her meal was missing, she thinks it must be her fault. No one else is to blame ;-; We see if she had just spoken up, this little misunderstanding would be corrected. Just like with Mio.

Btw, Idk if I'm reading into this but as a child of a mother who was emotionally distant and exacting this feels painfully familiar-- and an indication of Prospera's true dynamic with Suletta. We get another hint towards this with Prospera's bland and ominous response to Bel later in the episode.

I love Belmeria though, and she remains the only adult I trust in this cutthroat corpo nightmare. Keep side-eyeing her, Queen.

Also, I find her conversation with Suletta a bit suspect. She offers a listening ear, but it just reeks of 'you don't need outside attachments beside me'. Again possibly reading into it and she could just be acting like a concerned mom... maybe.

But back to Suletta's gay misadventures, Miorine interrupts this mother-daughter chat and we're treated to the best sequence in the episode in search of her wayward groom. No lie, that chase animation was so smooth. I especially love how their hair behaves and the zeroG traversal.

Plus we're treated to Miorine being a flailing mess as she pursues Suletta like a screaming (and gay) Ghostface

Laughs aside, this was adorable. Miorine scolds her for fleeing and how it contradicts her moving forward philosophy. But Suletta is afraid and in her fear falls back on bad habits, which we can assume was returning to Prospera and allowing her mother to dictate how to act/think. Yet Miorine doesn't allow her, breaking her silence. She tells Suletta how much of an inspiring and positive influence she's been, dashing her pride once more to soothe Suletta's insecurity.

Miorine is so starkly vulnerable in this scene, declaring everything Suletta has become to her without any chance of miscommunication. For Mio, her prideful front was all she had before she met Suletta. Now, Miorine has so much more because of her and she won't allow Suletta to dismiss herself as nothing. It's so sweet, I'm gonna have a heart attack 😭

Shout out to Miorine acquiring the ugly blue keychain with a dopey smile. They're both so gone for each other; I don't wanna hear any slander about these precious babies. I'm so relieved the miscommunication was solved within an episode. It's a big pet peeve when some shows/books take an absurdly long time to resolve things.

Oh and terrorism is happening, but we kinda expected this. I do wonder if the leader is a remnant of Ochs Earth since both 'witches' are piloting Lriths, Ur and Thorn respectively. Poor Guel is certainly wrapped in a pickle. Jeturk is not having a good time either, as he's double-crossed by Shaddiq. But it's honestly his fault for expecting otherwise so, no pity.

Speaking of Shaddiq, he's being very cold-blooded here. I wonder if he's partly acting out of salt. If I can't have her, no one will sorta thing? Either way, I have to respect his ambition ngl.

Oh, and one of the witches, Sophie, seems to have an interest in Suletta's piloting so that's intriguing. Rivalry possibly?

I'm looking forward to how the attack concludes, but it's safe to say none of our main cast is going to have a good time. Suletta/Miorine are separated for now, but we shall see how long that lasts. Plz don't take until the next cour, I'm begging you :(

Have a bonus sulemio, Merry Christmas everyone~

[the-thirteenth-prime]

Me to my friend: Yeah, so long as episode 12 is good, I'll give 'The Witch From Mercury' a full watch-through rather than skimming.

Me, after watching one of the most jarring and unnecessary tonal shifts I have ever seen in the post-credits scene, even as someone who's watched a few Gundam shows: Yeah. No. Never mind.

[animehouse-moe]

Mobile Suit Gundam - The Witch From Mercury S2 Episode 11: Unrelenting Tenderness

Ah, nothing like being stressed out for an entire episode as to whether or not Suletta will succumb to the high permet score, or if Guel will end up killed by Lauda or kill another family member, or if our Elan will go off and die like the others, or this that and the other thing, all to get faked out for the real danger/moment. Incredible work on the episode that skirts around a more high level narrative to instead approach characters head on to unify them for this "final" episode to come, so certainly lots to talk about!

Well actually, sort of unexpectedly, the episode starts with a Calibarn vs Aerial fight that's showing off to the max. Of course, Suletta and Eri are having their chat about ideals and what's right/what they should be doing, but I'm pretty sure most people understand what's going on, so I'll just share how absolutely cool the fighting is for these scenes.

The pacing is wild, and given the scale of the combat, I think the decision to take the objects further away from the viewer so details matter less was a great idea. It allows for incredible pace in the fight without worry of being perfect, or taking absolute ages to complete. Plus, the way the fight's constructed in three dimensional space, you still get close ups and flybys past the camera that allow you a closer glimpse into the combat. Just really, really well orchestrated combat for the feel that was desired of it.

Similarly, I love how well designed the combat style of the Calibarn is. If you notice through the sequence, Suletta isn't actually retaliating against the Gund Bits at all, rather she's purely evading them. As you'd expect of Calibarn. It's main form of movement is also its source of combat power as the, as I like to call it, "broomstick" is used for high powered propulsion through the fight. And I think that's a super cool idea for a design, especially with how this episode show it off.

But anyways, the fight rages on as Lauda engages with Guel, the Earth House + Elan + Bel, and Felsi all sortie to enter the fray as we cut to the opening.

Following the opening, and a bit more dancing around with various characters to establish where they are/what they're doing, the data storm of Quiet Zero suddenly begins to wane/fail. This is a really cool piece that reminds viewers of where Quiet Zero began. Under the supervision of Miorine's mother Notrette. It also reminds viewers about the fact that Delling Rembran continued the Quiet Zero project in secrecy, but disavowed the existence of Gundams. Anyways, I present to you the notion that Notrette still exists in the Data Storm, and that she's the one interfering with Prospera and Eri. Ericht's frustration in regards to the data storm stalling out are directed at someone, nothing something, but another person that shares a similar goal/ideal to Ericht. Prospera's comment on pest control. It all implies a lot of things, and there's not many others that would check enough boxes aside from Notrette.

We temporarily shift from Quiet Zero towards a very interesting conversation with the Space Assembly League. Given what we've known with the last while in regards to the league, I wouldn't say it was expected, but it was certainly a possibility that they would stick their nose into the situation in full. What I find most interesting about it is how much this opens up the world of GWitch. The existence of a massive space laser that's a "tool for transferring energy", and the idea that civil unrest and discord still exists on Earth, coupled with the fact that Shaddiq's character arc hasn't actually been concluded. There's a lot of moving pieces that say, "but we're not done yet!", so I'm very curious to see what comes from their involvement and the various politics surrounding the league as well as Earth.

Now, onto the most nerve-wracking and stressful part of the episode: Lauda vs Guel. My heart was in my throat this whole time. The conversation, the Gundam vs Mobile Suit, the flashback. So much of it. I'd been stressed since we saw Lauda show up in the last episode, and they certainly drew it out in today's, but the character development for Lauda in particular was outstanding.

The whole idea of the being the younger brother that just wanted to stand beside his sibling but never could rings so clearly with his words. That Guel chose Miorine over his own brother, that Guel killed their father and never told Lauda, that Guel left Lauda just as quickly as he returned. All he wants is the big brother that accepted him all those years ago, the big brother that give him the gift of a family, someone to look up to, someone to go running to when times were tough. It's an incredibly emotional piece that builds off of Guel's similar encounter with his father. It had me so scared. Going back into Lauda's memories to find Guel hug and accept Lauda, and then returning to see Guel's Dilanza embrace Lauda's Schwarzette in the same way as sparks fly and you sense the end of Guel.

I'll never forgive GWitch for scaring me that badly, but thank God Felsi had already rocketed out in her mobile suit to break up the fight. But yeah, Gigabob continues his tear of being the best boy this season, and brings his little brother Lauda under his wing finally. Incredible piece that gives Guel the chance to right the wrongs of his past with his father, and to step into the light with his burden lightened.

So with the most nerve-wracking sequence finished, we return to Earth House and Co who have infiltrated Quiet Zero and are trying to shut it down. It's tense and high stakes, and there's great moments like Bel standing up to Prospera, who represents the sins that Bel herself bears.

The real moment though is Miorine (and Notrette to a degree). Miorine is tasked with inputting the shut down code for Quiet Zero, which was originally 'Quod Erat Demonstrandum', or in the literal translation 'What Was To Be Shown'. Typically, it's used at the end of math proofs as a way to conclude them, so an interesting addition in the form of originally 'concluding' Quiet Zero while staying true to Notrette's penchant for latin phrases.

Of course, Prospera changed the code so it doesn't work, but like Eri hinted at earlier, Notrette isn't completely gone, and is still helping her daughter Miorine by providing a backdoor to which only she would know the answer: part of the genetic code of the tomatoes that her mother left behind. A really sweet piece that speaks to Notrette's love for Miorine, but also like I said further proves the existence of her within Quiet Zero/the Data Storm.

Truthfully, I think the introduction of Notrette via the data storm helps bring Suletta (and by extension Prospera) and Miorine closer as lead characters. Giving them something that's been lost, and that they struggle with through similar aspects allows them to be placed on equal footing while providing different approaches/ understandings to their unique situations.

But anyways, Quiet Zero gets shut down and the Benerit Group/Earth House/sorta Space Assembly League succeeds in their goal of defeating it. But the Space Assembly League at the top has a different idea, as they turn that weapon on Quiet Zero and fire, leaving Eri on her own to protect everyone.

I really like this piece, specifically because it's Eri's decision. It's Ericht moving to protect her mother and her little sister, and their friends and family. It's not Eri acting for the sake of Prospera, or under her order or wishes, it's one of the few scenes where Eri acts under her own agency and desire. And within that, it's incredibly ironic that she ends up destroyed.

And our episode ends here. Aerial destroyed, Quiet Zero shut down, no defenses, no protections as they stare down the barrel of the universe's most dangerous weapon.

A dire situation, one that seems to have little hope of surviving for our characters involved, but let me show you these details first.

Starting off with Prospera, her permet pattern is different. The shape is decidedly different from the usual that we see from all the other pilots/characters. Alongside that, she's not actually piloting or directly interacting with a Gundam or anything, so it shouldn't be visible in the first place. So why can we see it, and why is it different? Well, for one, she seems to use it as a way to connect/interact with Ericht and Aerial, but more than that I feel it's connected to Carbo Nado and Prospera's past with her that was teased in the prologue.

Secondly, I think it's easy to forget how Suletta refers to Aerial/Ericht, and how we're shown the girl/Gundam. Suletta commonly uses 'Miina' to refer to Aerial and her Gund Bits, which means "everyone". Suletta sees, experiences, and understands Aerial as a multitude of Ericht's, and we see them that way as well. Even in this episode we see several Ericht's that take the place/form of Gund Bits.

And if you pay attention to the wreckage, you'll notice that some of the Gund Bits from Aerial are still intact, floating around Suletta and Calibarn.

So I'm sure most know what this means, but Eri is still alive. Aerial is gone, but Ericht lives on through her Gund Bits, and will ultimately integrated with Suletta and Calibarn to form a defense against the Giant Space Laser ™️.

And that's the end of the episode, this time. For sure. Definitely. I'm really quite interested to see what they do with this final upcoming episode though. There's the potential to expand the scope of GWitch to place further focus on Earth through the Space Assembly and Shaddiq, but there's also the opportunity to call it a day with the final episode with whatever the outcome may be from that. It's a good position to find themselves in, and I think I'll be relatively satisfied with whatever they do there. So many character arcs have been resolved, and goals reached between them all. But it also doesn't mean there's an entire world for them to explore out there, for new challenges to arise or progression to be made, particularly with characters like Shaddiq and Miorine. Only time will tell though, and with a countdown of one week, we won't be left waiting long to find out.

[pencil-peach]

GWitch Onscreen Text: Episode 17 PART 1: PRE-DUEL

It is time. This is part 18 of my series where I attempt to transcribe and discuss all the text that appears on text and screens in G Witch. We have reached The Big One. Episode 17: "Precious Things."

HOWEVER....

This episode will be handled slightly differently. There is a lot to say about it, and a majority of it does not actually have to do with text.

AND SO. For the sake of keeping things organized, this episode shall be SPLIT INTO PARTS.

This first part covers the PRE-DUEL, primarily going over the parallels and symbolism to scenes in Season 1.

The next part will cover much the same, but during the DUEL itself. It will most likely be much smaller, but it doesn't hurt to keep things separate.

With all that said, the conclusion draws near.

<;< If you aren't ready, you can click here to return to Episode 15. Or, if you'd like, the Masterpost's loving arms can be found here.

But if you are truly ready, then let us begin.

PREFACE

(That's right this shit is STRUCTURED.) Episode 17 is probably one of my favorite episodes of the show (even if it's difficult to sit through) because of how utterly dense it is with its parallels to Season 1. For Miorine, Suletta, and Guel, it feels like nearly every scene is stacked with comparisons to past events, to highlight where the characters are now versus where they were back then.

The bulk of the parallels are contained to events that occurred within the first 6 episodes, which makes sense, as those 6 episodes are when the characters were living their most "normal" school lives. So we'll go through the episode piece by piece and I'll highlight comparisons I've found and what they mean as we go along. I might miss some, or maybe I'm reading too deep for others, but if you're this far in, I'm going to assume you have at least a LITTLE faith in my judgment, even if it's not always super clean.

With all that said, let us begin.

PRE-DUEL

Episode 17 opens with Miorine confronting Prospera (Left). This parallels Episode 2, where Miorine confronts Delling (Right). In both cases, Miorine is confronting an adult regarding Suletta's fate. But unlike in Episode 2, where she's the one making a demand (to allow Suletta to duel for the right to be her fiancée), in Episode 17, a demand is being made of her. (To become President and take over Quiet Zero, and to facilitate a final duel for Suletta.)

Whereas Delling admonished Miorine for daring to speak without power, "I am vested with power. You have none." Prospera is demanding that Miorine accumulate power. "Make me a promise. That you'll become the next president."

The parallel of Miorine making a promise with Prospera in this Episode as opposed to the one she made with Suletta in Episode 3 is obvious, but did you notice that the hallway they're in (top left) is structured almost identically to the room Prospera was waiting in on Plant Quetta in Episode 11 (Bottom left), and where she convinces Suletta it's okay to take other's lives in Episode 12? (Top and Bottom Right)

In the next scene, after the opening, we see Miorine waking up in her room (Left). Season 1 also had a scene of Miorine waking up from sleep in Episode 4 (Right), but it's a lot different.

In Episode 4, Miorine is woken up by Suletta staying up late to study, and asks her why she's working so hard. When Suletta responds that she's doing it for the sake of the Mercurians, Miorine responds that that's "a drag," saying that she shouldn't have to carry that kind of burden and should only live for herself. Suletta responds that it's what she wants to do, and Miorine sardonically responds, "How noble of you," before silently heading back to sleep.

Compare that with this small, silent scene of Miorine slowly dragging herself out of bed, clutching her head because she clearly spent hours yesterday and long into the night trying to figure out how to free Suletta from her mothers clutches AND fulfill all of Prospera's demands. She's running herself ragged all for the sake of someone else, going against her philosophy in Episode 4.

There's also the fact that Suletta isn't with her in 17's scene. We see in Episode 4 that Miorine and Suletta are comfortable sleeping with each other, but she's chosen to sleep alone, with Suletta waiting patiently outside the door. (Oh, and also, did you notice that Miorine's room is clean?)

Following that is a scene where Miorine and Suletta discuss Miorine's Birthday, Suletta's wish list, and their marriage. This is reminiscent of a similar scene in Episode 3 where they discuss much the same thing. Both scenes open up the discussion with Suletta denying a proposition from Miorine:

In Episode 3, Miorine is telling Suletta that she must win the rematch against Guel, to which she shyly mutters that she doesn't want to (Top Right) causing Miorine to react in shock. In Episode 17, Miorine asks Suletta what she would do if she asked her to get rid of Aerial, to which Suletta confidently responds that she wouldn't do it, (Top Left) to this, Miorine silently continues walking up the stairs.

The major difference is that in Episode 3, Miorine continues trying to convince Suletta to agree to the duel, explaining to her why it will be fine, but in Episode 17, she is silent. She doesn't explain or discuss anything. She just moves ahead.

When discussing their marriage, the roles have shifted. In Episode 3, (Bottom Right) Miorine is explaining that they won't actually be married until her birthday comes, in order to calm Suletta's fears about them being actually married.

In Episode 17, (Bottom Left) Suletta brings up Miorine's birthday, specifically because she's decided that she actually wants to marry her. It's now Miorine who is reluctant, due to the burdens she's carrying.

Next is a scene with Shaddiq attempting to enlist the Peil Witches into his bid for President. It's similar to Episode 7's opening scene, where Sarius is enlisting the Peil Witches for his plan to expose Aerial as a Gundam. The Parallel comes from the contrasting intentions of each Zenelli.

Sarius is enlisting the Witches in order to expose Aerial as a Gundam and get it scrapped, re-burying Gundams forever. He is staunchly against the existence of Gundams, and this will never change. Whereas Shaddiq is enlisting the witches with the explicit promise of making Gundams core to the Group's business. They are at opposite ends of the political spectrum in this regard.

But in both cases, Peil agrees, making use of the plan for their own ends. Also, in Shaddiq's meeting, a Jeturk is not present.

Okay time for the first Biggun. This scene starts off with parallels to episode 5, in that Suletta is upset by Elan in both scenes. In 17 (Left), she's accosted by 5lan, demanding that she give him Aerial. In 3 (Right), she's upset by El4n when he calls her annoying.

Unlike in Episode 3 though, where Suletta cries in response to El4n's harsh words, she responds to 5lan by shoving him away, showing how she's grown more confident in herself and her faithfulness to Miorine.

Following this, Guel Jeturk shows up and asks Elan what he's doing to her. In Episode 3 (Right) he showed up mostly for his own pride, but switched to a more protective tone when he saw that El4n had made Suletta cry. But in this scene, (Left) he showed up because he saw she was in trouble.

Guel and Elan's roles are completely reversed here. Whereas before (Right), Guel was flippant and emotional in response to El4n's calm demeanor, the opposite is true for Guel with 5lan. Guel (Left) maintains his composure, and 5lan loses his cool when Guel asks him what he's so afraid of.

It might seem like the Episode 5 parallels end here, but did you notice what kind of weapon 5lan is using in this scene? It's a taser.

An electrical weapon that causes paralysis.

Unlike before, Guel keeps a steady head, and he wins this duel against 5lan, pinning him to the ground. At the end of the battle, Elan isn't holding his hand up in victory (Right) but in defeat (Left).

Guel also says, "Cut it out. If you ruin this place, no apology will get you off the hook." Paralleling his behavior in Episode 1. Instead of being the one destroying the greenhouse, he's the one protecting it this time.

Following this, Suletta and Guel have a 1 on 1 conversation. This is the 3rd time they have one in the series. They have one in Episode 3, (Left) when Suletta tells him her mother's motto. They have a second one in Episode 9 (Middle) where they talk about how Guel's father has forbidden him to duel, and finally they have this one in Episode 17 (Right) where Guel discusses his desire to rebuild the Jeturk company, and protect the things precious to him.

The parallel is obvious in the sense that in both prior discussions, Guel is learning something from Suletta, and now he's finally putting those lessons to use, but did you notice that all 3 conversations have a shot of Guel's hand?

In Episode 3, when Suletta is talking about her mother, Guel holds his hand up to his cheek before closing it into a fist. In Episode 9, he brings his hand from his pocket, but doesn't close it. He holds it out limply. And in Episode 17, he once again brings his hand up and closes it. Each scene is representative of his current conviction.

Episode 3 is titled "Guel's Pride." He brings his hand up to the cheek his father slaps him across before closing it. It represents his current conviction: His pride. Proving himself as worthy in the eyes of his father. Episode 9 is titled "If I Could Take One More Step Towards You." The obvious allusion is to Miorine and Shaddiq's relationship, but it's also about Guel's relationship to Suletta. Their conversation ends with Suletta running down a lighted path, with Guel watching her go. He brings his hand out to his side, but DOESN'T close it, because he no longer has a sense of purpose: He's lost his conviction. He's scared of facing his father, and thus can't follow Suletta. Episode 17 is titled "Precious Things." After everything that's happened, Guel has returned to Asticassia with a new conviction: To protect the things precious to him. After losing his way, he's found the path forward, and once again closes his fist, confident in himself and his sense of purpose.

There's also the parallels between both confessions scenes. When Guel confesses and is rejected the first time (Left), he becomes spiteful and mean, but now (Right), he's understanding, and even happy for her love with Miorine. He's truly changed.

Miorine then comes out from behind the greenhouse, and demands a duel between Suletta and Guel. (Left) This is an obvious inversion of the scene from Episode 1 (Right). Where she demands Suletta NOT duel Guel.

The following scene, where Miorine requests Guel's help (Left) is also an inversion of the scene from Episode 4 (Right) where she offers to help Suletta with the Threat Detection Makeup exam.

Both scenes take place in her room, and both scenes see her kneeling over her plants, gently pushing upon the leaves as she speaks. The fact that she's talking to Guel and Suletta respectively is an obvious inversion, but in Episode 4, she's telling Suletta that she can take care of both the Mechanic and Spotter positions herself, saying she doesn't need help, but in 17's scene, she's specifically ASKING Guel for his help, because this is something she can't do on her own.

The next scene in the Dueling Comittee Lounge (Left) is, obviously, paralleling the similar scene in Episode 3 (Right). Down to this shot of Secelia seemingly being reused from that episode. In both scenes, Secelia taunts Guel, but as opposed to Episode 3, where he becomes enraged and fickle, in Episode 17 he confidently disregards her, saying, "The Jeturk emblem is the lion. So call me a lion, not a dog," much to her surprise.

But there's actually some more interesting parallels here.

Firstly, Episode 3's Oath is officiated by El4n (Top Right), whereas Episode 17's Oath is officiated by Rouji's HARO (Top Left), two characters that are considered to be robotic and emotionless.

In both duels, Suletta requests something of Guel for the sake of others. In Episode 3, she asks him to apologize to Miorine (Bottom Right), and in Episode 17, she asks him to help stop the harassment of Earth House (Bottom Left).

Ah, and did you notice? Episode 3's duel takes place in the 7th tactical testing sector, a lucky number. Episode 17's duel takes place in the 13th tactical testing sector. It looks like Suletta's luck has run out.

In both episodes, there's a scene following the oath with Guel speaking to Miorine and Suletta respectively. Both scenes even share multiple shots. Both scenes are also conversations involving, to some extent, Prospera. And both scenes, interestingly enough, has Guel end the conversation with a statement that calls into question the respective girl's belief (intentionally or otherwise).

In Episode 3 (Right) Suletta says, "My mother is always strong and kind," to which Guel asks, "A good parent, huh?" In Episode 17 (Left) Miorine says, "I want that girl to be happy. She needs a world where she can be free from Gundams or anything else," to which Guel mutters, "There are no worlds like that."

In both cases, he doesn't elaborate on what he means, but in both cases, his intuition is right.

Perhaps some of this is a pushing it, but prior to the duel, both Episode 3 and 17 share two similar scenes. Both episodes have a scene in which Miorine has installed something on Suletta's phone in reference to the duel, and both scenes also have a scene where two characters discuss their intent to interfere with the upcoming duel.

In Episode 3 (Right) This entails Miorine installing her contact info onto Suletta's phone without her permission, and Vim and Lauda discussing the arrangement of the sprinklers to go off.

In Episode 17 (Left) This entails Miorine installing the "Victory Charm" on Suletta's phone, and Miorine and Prospera discussing when to deactivate Aerial during the duel. It's yet another inversion in that now, it's Jeturk house who's playing fairly, and it's Miorine who's working to ensure Suletta will lose.

When Guel is asked by Kamil about the decision making AI, in Episode 17 (Left) he says he doesn't care about it, and to leave it in. Stating that "Pride alone won't defeat Suletta Mercury." This parallels the scene from Episode 3 (Right), where he gets incredibly mad about it, yelling, "Am I not skilled enough to win?!" Only to be slapped by Vim once more, telling him that "There's no room here for childish pride."

Guel also cuts his hair. The Jeturk family's hair are all based on lion manes, and Guel cutting his mane short is emblematic of discarding his prideful nature. It's also to show how he's brought himself closer to his father, who's hair was also cut short.

The following scene, where Guel apologizes to Lauda in front of the Darilbalde (Left), parallels the scene in Episode 4 where Lauda apologized to him under similar circumstances (Right).

In Episode 4, the Darilbalde was destroyed, emblematic of the strained relationship between the two, but now it has been repaired. Even still, will it be maintained?

As the MS suit containers roll into position, we get this shot of the Dueling Committee, both in Episode 17 (Right) and Episode 3 (Left) It's much emptier now, huh? GRAAAAAGH And that's all the parallels I can find for the Pre-Duel segment of the episode. Houuaauhhh there was a lot here and it was a lot of work, but it was also a lot of fun, and it really goes to show how tight this season's script is. Every scene feels intentional.

Anyhow, that's all for this part. Next time in part 2, we'll be discussing the Duel's parallels. If you've made it this far, thank you so very much, I truly appreciate it. I'll see you next time!

Click here to go to Part 2 >> Click here to go to the Masterpost.

[pinkarachnia]

Lesbian Anime Review #11 - Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury

This is the first time I’ve watched a Gundam series and now I’m going to talk about my opinions about it on the internet. This will be fine.

- 9 July 2023 -

This is a weird one to review for me. I usually review anime where the lesbian themes are one of the most prominent elements of the show, but Gwitch is a Gundam anime first and foremost, which happens to feature some girls who like girls.

It’s made me stop and consider what my qualifiers are for a “lesbian anime”, because I think this is one. If I boil it down to a few key factors, those would be:

1. It’s about lesbians.

2. Gay themes are addressed in the text.

3. It’s FOR lesbians, or at least, lesbians could enjoy this.

And yeah, in that respect, Gwitch makes the cut. Even if they only acknowledge the second point once at the end of episode 1 (not the prologue) when Miorine looks straight into the camera and says “gay rights”. I loved this part at the time, but in hindsight, I think it set me up to expect that the gay romance between the two main characters would feature more prominently in the show than it ultimately did. I know I’m not alone in that either; when I finished the last episode I immediately looked at the comments on Crunchyroll and it seemed like a few people felt let down by the lack of on-screen romantic moments, but I think that’s a given when the show kicks off with a very Gundam prologue episode (more on the war crimes later) followed by an episode 1 that screams, “we made it just like Utena”, complete with girls rotating around each other in the opening.

Fuck, do I need to finish watching Utena before I can write the rest of this? I was saving it for later in my yuri quest but if there’s anything I’ve learned from Gwitch it’s that anime people won’t hesitate to bite your head off if you try to have a take without doing the mandatory research.

- 17 July 2023 -

I’m 25 episodes into Utena.

Fucking hell this anime is good. I mean that’s not news to anyone but like, I was putting it off until later in my lesbian anime schedule because I was treating it like it would be my reward for persevering through worse content and it hasn’t disappointed. It deserves the pedestal it’s put on. Kiss and love and true your heart.

- 23 July 2023 -

I have finished Revolutionary Girl Utena and the movie. Now I feel like I can speak with some more authority on the comparisons between Gwitch and Utena. However, today I’m seeing Barbie so you might have to wait a bit longer for my Gundam review.

- 27 July 2023 -

So Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury absolutely wants you to think it’s like Utena. Here are some reasons why!

It’s set in a high school with institutionalised duelling.

The champion of duelling wins the right to marry a certain woman.

There’s a council of students (I guess? If not formally then they fit the niche) and they’re all kind of fucked up and they’re the main participants in the duels.

The trophy girl has a garden where she predominantly grows a certain type of plant.

The main character gets to wear a different uniform to everyone else.

It’s lesbian.

One of the main characters is bold and in pursuit of revolutionary goals while the other is timid and subservient to a powerful family member.

Ichirou Ookouchi, credited for script and series composition, wrote the light novel adaption of Revolutionary Girl Utena.

So yeah, I think there’s plenty of reasons to suggest that this was intentional. I think that’s important because for me, it set me up with certain expectations for the series. From the beginning, it seems like Gwitch makes a point of the fact that it features a gay romance and the Utena parallels only serve to strengthen this impression.

I’ll circle back to this when I get into spoilers but to keep it brief, I don’t think it’s queerbait and I do think they were genuine in wanting to depict that relationship. However, I can also understand why there were people who were outspoken about wanting to see more on screen romantic scenes, particularly concerning the ending. I don’t necessarily agree that it needed more, but I understand that perspective. When I consider how Gwitch initially presented itself, with a self-aware juxtaposition of its characters, themes and setting to one of the most renowned and acclaimed anime series about a gay romance between women, I can’t dismiss that take like they should have known better or had different expectations. Their expectations were set by the show and how it invited those comparisons up front.

It’s going to be really hard to write my Utena review.

Spoilers commence below the gifs

It’s several weeks later but I’m not timestamping this any more.

I’ll cut to the chase regarding the Gundam ending: the main leads get married off screen and you don’t see them kiss or anything so overtly romantic. I think that’s fine though. They didn’t need to do that to satisfy me. Like I said earlier up, I think this was a genuine attempt at portraying a gay relationship. The fact that they end up together at the end demonstrates to me that the portrayal of the romance between the two up until the ending was earnest, so it’s a win in my books.

By this point the big evil company has come out and made some comment like “it’s up for interpretation” or whatever but if you look at it for half a second you can see how you’re meant to interpret it.

But that’s enough about all that; who really gives a shit? This is a lesbian anime review so I’m going to finish this review in the most lesbian way I can.

Here’s my

Top 5 robots from Gwitch

5 - ChuChu’s Demi Trainer

The meme answer slot goes to this unremarkable machine because I heard from one of my girlies who works at a hobby store that it’s the least popular model kit they sell.

It’s just a plain looking robot with a gun but the feet look kind of like Shadow the Hedgehog’s shoes. I just noticed that now. Anyway.

4 - Gundam Lfrith Ur

It’s Sophie’s Gundam! It has a large gun. I like this robot because I like Sophie, so it gets to earn my love vicariously.

I don’t find anything about the design particularly outstanding, but this one earns a spot on my list due to having a Beam Gatling Gun. Brrrrrr.

It also has another gun on its back called a Phased Array Cannon. No idea what that’s about but cool robot.

Man if I was a Gundam fan I would hate this top 5.

3 - Gundam Schwarzette

BIiiiiiig swoooooooord.

But there’s actually a smaller sword surrounded by other parts called Bit Staves that form a sheath and it can do cool shit like this:

That’s a dope robot! Kind of wish it was just a giant fuck off sword but I can’t have it all.

No other notes. I’m going to finish this goddamn review.

2 - Gundam Calibarn

Cool gun strikes again only cooler.

This one has a rocket on the back of the gun. It opens up like this:

It’s got some rainbow shit going on too and that’s cute. Not a lot of screen time for this guy but it was put into the opening theme and that’s cool.

Oh fuck I haven’t talked about the songs.

Gwitch had one of my favourite anime openings of 2022. There have been a few great YOASOBI anime songs lately and this one went hard, true to form. I think all the songs they got for this show were great though. I never skipped an OP/ED. Whenever I see a show with a Supercell song it somehow feels special. Maybe I’ve just imagined that there’s any prestige there but I like it so whatever.

Back to robot.

1 - Darilbalde

Beetle looking fucker. Not the only one but I like this one the most because it’s red.

Guel gets to pilot all the coolest suits in this show. Dude gets all the beetle guys.

Look at this bastard:

Sick. Check out the polearm.

This isn't even the guy I've given the number 1 slot to, I just think it's cool. Fuck it, Dilanza can also be number 1.

As you can probably tell by now, I'm not great at articulating why I think any of these are good, but I don't really think that matters. I've spent so much time dwelling on "war is bad" that I've neglected "cool robot", and sometimes I think it's just fine to be the guy who wants to look at the cool robot. I also think it's fine to be the guy who just wants to look at girls kissing. Sometimes you can be both.

Anyway, Witch of Mercury was alright. More named characters should have died probably. I prefer the robots from Code Geass.

I'm giving this one a 7 out of 10.

[slpytired]

Mobile Suit designs in Gundam: The Witch from Mercury

After watching the most recent episode of the GWitch, I wanted to put down my thoughts on the designs of the Earth witches’ gundams and Aerial’s redesign, and how it links to Suletta’s path going forward.

The gundams Lfrith Ur and Lfrith Thorn both have this bulky, blocky build and really dull colours, at least compared to Aerial. That was actually the first thing I noticed about them - despite being gundams with similar features to Aerial, their overall vibe is completely different. From the moment they are introduced, it’s clear they’re brutal weapons of war. In fact, they are used in just that way by the Earth witches in both episodes 11 and 12, tearing up Plant Quetta and its security detail with ruthless efficiency.

In contrast, Aerial looks very sleek and polished to me; it’s design has none of that brutalist(?) feeling that Lfrith Ur and Thorn give me. It really fits within the school setting of the first 12 episodes of the show.

However in episode 9, Aerial is badly damaged and sent for repairs. When it reemerges in episode 12, its form has become noticeably bulkier, shedding the sleek design it had previously for a more heavily-armoured build, along with a stronger beam cannon that can melt the armour of other mobile suits, even in a non-lethal mode. There is also significantly less yellow present in its colour scheme, giving it a more serious appearance when compared to its previous design.

Looking at this new iteration of Aerial, and seeing its improved combat capabilities in episode 12, there is a clear signalling of not only the change in tone of the show to a more traditional Gundam style, but also in Suletta as she steps into murkier moral territory.

Maybe most people watching the show would have unconsciously picked these things up, but I really wanted to talk about it because uhhhh robots cool and also I love analysing these little details about the show and how they all work to support the narrative

[molsno]

I finally caught up with gwitch. good lord every episode is a brand new 9/11

[the-stray-liger]

OKAY, SO... EPISODE TWO.

Jesus FUCK, Episode Two. It outright confirms the fact that the Gundam Aerial is Ericht Samaya, and reminds us that Aerial, or rather, Eri, was on board with Prospera's grand revenge plan... though now it seems that she's cast aside any pretense of keeping Suletta from being involved given the circumstances, by engaging in the same trigger phrase-induced brainwashing as Prospera to keep Suletta placid and from freaking out any further. It brings forth the question... when Miorine and Suletta finally reunite, will they even be able to recognize each other?

Then you have more questions; given the emphasis placed on the fact the Aerial has 11 GUND-Bits, the imagery of ghosts resembling Eri associated with them, and Suletta's nature as a pawn in Prospera's scheme... Shit, she really is a Puru Clone as a protagonist in a Gundam series. A TWELFTH Puru Clone, even.

I DON'T KNOW IF I LIKE WHERE THESE SIGNS ARE LEADING, AND YET I MUST FOLLOW THEM TO THE END.

H E L P

this episode was like the time I was walking on the sidewalk and a guy getting out of a truck opened the door right into my face and almost knocked me out. I loved it. putting it under a readmore for spoilers and bc it may get long

I NEVER expected them to reveal that Eri was the Aerial so soon. Like I knew it somehow but I never expected a confirmation so soon. I thought they'd had to torture it out of Prospera, that she'd have to be losing her mind to admit it, but she outright told Belmeria what she did with 0 signs of remorse or regret. She sacrificed her first daughter to create Aerial and a pilot for it (Suletta is very likely a clone of Eri, since she looks identical to Ericht). Move forward, gain 2.

And of course, we continue to see how much she's manipulated Suletta to the point where she can't process the horror she's had to face. She just parrots her mom's motto because she can't conceive that Aerial could be the source of the violence she's seen, the death of that man she killed to protect Miorine and now Sophie who got straight up FRIED by the data storm. I still don't think that there's any technological thing going on there, I just genuinely think Suletta has been emotionally manipulated and gaslit to believe that her mother was always right and everything is ok. But you can see the cracks showing, she cries as she says this because she can etll it's wrong!!! AAAAAAA I can't wait for Miorine and her to meet up. I hope we don't have to wait until the end of the season for that, I need to see them together again. I feel like they are each other's strength. Suletta needs Miorine as much as Miorine needs Suletta, but Suletta hasn't realized it yet.

I see what you're doing with the Puru clones, it sounds believable that Prospera would make more than one clone before she landed on Suletta, making sure that all of them were assimilated by the Aerial. And after all when the bits deploy, Suletta refers to them as "minna" which is like "everyone". I wish I could say I hope she didn't get dealt a hand as tragic as the Purus got, but this is gundam kaldhfsefjafef I guess we'll have to see. I feel like Gwitch is kind of sshaping out into a "redemption" from a lot of Gundam writing crimes, particularly the fridging and the way in general how it treated female characters inthe UC.

oh my god I don't know my brain is buzzing like a beehive. I thought I was ready because I have watched A Lot of Gundam but I'd never had to live through a Gundam dished out an episode a week with tons of speculating and theorizing in between!! It's so exciting and this anime is deadass tearing me apart

[kurozu501]

So fucking funny seeing the bigots and homophobes scramble to come up with justifications to hate gwitch. Like post ep 11 ive seen a ton of people running their mouths about the show being nothing but lame school stuff. Like what the fuck are you talking about the second half of this episode was entirely about a terrorist attack!?? Isn’t this the dramatic gundam action you’ve all been saying you want? Were you paying attention or did your brain just melt into a haze of hatred when you saw two girls hug?

[lordsmaf]

[urbanbirdbud]

wait wdym gwitch before ep 12 D: im still on 11 did they fuck it up? (dont worry abt spoilers)

oh not at all! I thought episode 12 was masterfully done by the writers, and a fitting end for the first half of the show, it just left me shocked and emotionally affected, but I’m glad the writing is good enough to elicit such a response. it definitely left me wanting more

to not spoil too much, I would just say that episode 12 is incredibly similar in tone to the prologue episode, and doesn’t pull any punches for various characters

the actions of two particular characters will very much have consequences for the latter half, especially the person involved in the post credits scene (yes there is one for this ep so make sure you watch it). It is a very shocking scene to end the first half on, but it’s setup for the next.

we are back to square one with one relationship in particular (or perhaps even worse off) but I don’t think this is out of nowhere on the writers’ part, rather it’s one of the lowest points in a characters as-yet-unfinished arc. they’re reaching rock bottom, but now they’ll have to wake up and untangle themselves from the manipulative forces around them. I am v interested to see how they will navigate repairing their relationships and earning back trust, and then breaking free of their bonds to start on their path to self actualization

[adracat]

kudos to miorine for not letting suletta get away (go get your girl), letting suletta see her vulnerable side, stating in very clear terms why she values suletta and completely dispelling suletta’s insecurities, and clearing up the whole miscommunication thing. the baby girl certainly has grown up a lot.

Communication is all they needed 😭 Miorine has grown so much over this cour, something she explicitly acknowledges. She's learned running away won't solve your problems and facing things head-on gains you so much more. Ahhh I love how she chased Suletta and declared her feelings so boldly. She essentially proposed in her little speech too! 'Stay at my side forever' 'And don't lose any duels'??? Ma'am, that's a declaration of love

[shazzeaslightnovels]

June 2023

(Series: Youzitsu | Artist: Tomoseshunsaku)

List of Reviews:

Youzitsu 11

Danmachi Shouhenshuu 2

Youzitsu 11.5

Danmachi Orario Stories

Spring 2023 anime has ended and it was a really fun time for me. There were a couple of shows that I had to drop/put on hold but I really enjoyed all of what I did finish, with the exception of the Ranking of King’s side story anime.

Pokemon Horizons - Not much to report here since the start of the show. We have been introduced to all of the main characters and they are all very cute. We are now in Paldea, which is great, and have met Nemona who is voiced by Eri Kitamura who does a phenomenal job with the character. As a fan of the game, I’m excited to see the characters that I know and I’m also excited to see how the main story progresses. It seems like we’ll be heading to Galar for a bit next so it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out.

Skip & Loafer - This was such a delight every week and I was sad to see it end. I loved the characters so much and I always looked forward to watching a new episode. I hope we get a season 2 but I’ll be reading the manga either way.

Ranking of Kings: Treasure Chest of Courage - This was just okay. It wasn’t as bad as I was expecting it be and wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be. Given the mixed feelings I ended up having about the first season, I was hoping this would remind me why I enjoyed the series at the beginning and it sadly didn’t. There were a couple of stories that I liked and I thought the final episode, which is a sequel to the first season, was engaging but this was meh overall for me.

Yuri is my Job - I really enjoyed this as a fan of the manga. It got the melodramatic tone just right and the voice casting was absolutely perfect. I hope we get more as I’m almost caught up with the manga and the drama gets even juicier as the series goes on.

The Ancient Magus’ Bride Season 2 - I’ve really enjoyed this season but it has been a lot of set-up with little pay-off. Hopefully, the second half provides satisfying answers to all of the mysteries that have been introduced and I’m looking forward to watching it.

Hell’s Paradise - I got really invested in this quickly. The setting’s so cool, I love the aesthetics, and the characters are all interesting. I am super curious about the island and what exactly is going on here. I will say that a couple of the recent episodes have been a bit tiring to get through due to lots of exposition about Tao but it’s still interesting. There’s one episode left to air and I don’t see how they could conclude it in a satisfying way so I hope a continuation gets announced.

GWitch - We’ve still got one episode left to air before this is finished but I’ve really enjoyed watching it week-to-week. I’ve enjoyed the experience of watching an episode and then going on social media afterwards to check out all of the thoughts, predictions, and fanart. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a show I was this invested in and I can’t wait to see how it ends.

Dead Mount Death Play - This was a pretty fun show. I liked the characters, especially Phantom Solitaire, and the story was interesting. It was a bit slow at some points and some of the exposition was clunky but it was a fun time overall and I’m looking forward to seeing where the story goes in the second half.

[noblechaton]

big rambly gwitch finale post before bed

holy fucking shit dude what a finale like damn okay

I love love love the way the show gradually ramped up from the almost whimsical vibes of the first episode to the shock and horror of the finale - how it called back to and felt more in line with the prologue than anything else in the series to that point. adore how they handled the gradual build up. the animation’s so much fun to watch and the soundtrack really hits when it wants - that hug in ep 11 with that backdrop could have made me legit cry if it lasted a lil longer lol

and Suletta UGH my girl Suletta....did not expect for things to get as real as they did in regards to her and how close I felt to what she went thru lmao like her wandering around mishearing ppl and believing herself useless to the same ppl she thought were her friends bc she was in a big time slump like....ouch ok dont come for me like this but also just. everything else about her too. her wide eyed optimism and devotion to the friends she makes. I love my tanuki girl so much I only want the best for her and miomio

speaking of here is where I’m gonna spout a stream of thought about what the fuck is going on with All That in that I have no fucking clue as to what exactly the deal is - Suletta’s been at times very childlike to this point and so Prospera giving her the mere suggestion, a nudge of sorts while she was in shock, like I could totally buy it if its just a bit of gaslighting but also what is up with her eyes?? they really focused on that shine when Prospera was talking to her so like....is her mind being controlled? we still know so little about Prospera in the present and even less about the true nature of Suletta. is she really Eri from the prologue? or is she a clone of Eri that’s basically able to be controlled by her mother? or an Eri made obedient thru mind control of some sort?? or is everything post-credits and how she acted after what she did just her sorta mentally reverting to a happier state of mind due to trauma?? some sort of conditioning reapplied each time she sees her mom or a mental shutdown?? how deep does it go if it goes anywhere at all??? 

like she went from a panic attack to a Suletta Splat in no time flat so something has to be going on there right but the what of it all eludes me still. hope whatever it is that my girl will be okay  

really hope we get a solid episode or two devoted to like. Unpacking Everything There since I can’t see Miorine not being scarred bc I mean damn that visual near the end with the bloody hand and the darker lighting mirroring the end of the first ep’s brighter lighting - her hero come to save her, yet now twisted and darker. but also can’t see her being like. mad at or broken up about Suletta’s actions for too long especially if she comes to realize that one way or another the swat was not Suletta in her right mind. it was the Suletta she knows yes but not Suletta I feel if that makes sense. I get the feeling that Suletta doesn’t even really know what she did here - in her mind she was living by the gain two code and doing as she’d said in staying by Mio’s side and saving her again but in a far less innocuous, romantic way well maybe there’s still some romance in there if ya like that sorta thing thats gonna put a massively interesting twist on their relationship going forward I feel

but speaking of the pairing I love that they seem to really be leaning towards Sulemio as the proper canon pairing and hope they do commit to it and that we get a proper love confession at least - both bc I adore the pairing itself and bc I don’t like Suletta with any of the guys lol - while I’m super excited to see where Guel goes from here after his oopsie fucky wucky with y’know the whole blade thru his own dad thing lmao. kinda feel like I’d be cool not seeing the Earthian terrorist group again if only bc I found them a sudden thing and did not care for Sophie in particular at least atm since I’m sorta over her character type but I’m sure they’ll be cool later I’m just sorta over the quirky killer girl lol

anyway this was fun to ramble about expect me to do so again as the show lingers in my brain and if I’m not annoying in the meantime then I’ll be super annoying when it comes back in April and/or whenever my Suletta/Aerial/Miorine kits finally get in. whichever happens first really

but gotdamn she fucking squished a guy dude