Almost all mecha anime franchises owe a debt of gratitude to “Mobile Suit Gundam.” “Mobile Suit Gundam” continues to have an active influence on both the medium and the genre as one of the first popular mecha anime and, indeed, one of the most successful anime of all time. When you consider the fact that the first “Gundam” series debuted in 1979, that’s quite an accomplishment.
In addition, the series is still going strong. The franchise releases a new series every few years, the most recent of which is “Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans.” The final season of “Iron-Blooded Orphans,” however, ended in 2016. It’s time for a new series to debut, one that will bring something new to the “Gundam’s” table.
“The Witch From Mercury” is set to be released in the near future. With that in mind, here’s what we know about this mysterious series so far.
When will The Witch From Mercury be released?
We don’t yet know when “The Witch From Mercury” will premiere. Sunrise, however, has announced a few release windows for the series. The show is set to be aired in October 2022, according to the Japanese version of the official website. It’ll air on MBS/TBS on Sundays, in the time slot previously occupied by the last “Gundam” series, “Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans.” Since the end of the “Gundam” series in 2017, there hasn’t been a full-fledged “Gundam” show on television.
When you switch to the English version of the site, the release date is set to 2022. There’s no word on whether GundamInfo, the official “Mobile Suit Gundam” YouTube channel or a streaming service like Crunchyroll will air the show entirely.
Who will be the characters in The Witch From Mercury?
Sunrise hasn’t revealed any details about the characters — or the plot — of “The Witch From Mercury.” as of yet. That isn’t to say we don’t have any idea what to expect. The core of the “Gundam” franchise has always been about war. Characters from different “Gundam” series, even those set in different universes, share a lot of similarities thanks to this common theme.
Every “Gundam” series, for example, has at least one unique Gundam, which is frequently piloted by the protagonist. Said protagonist, who is frequently a boy far too young to fight in a war, is a distinguished and successful Gundam pilot who, regardless of the political and emotional toll the war takes on him and others.
In the same way that most “Gundam” series have a Gundam-piloting protagonist, they also have a rival for that protagonist to battle. The most famous of these rivals is Char Aznable, the red-clad Zaku pilot from the original “Mobile Suit Gundam.” These character tropes, as well as those of politicians, generals, and innocent bystanders of war, are fairly standard when starting a new “Gundam” series, so we can expect to see them in “The Witch from Mercury.”
What will be the plot of The Witch From Mercury?
We can also see recurring patterns in the “Gundam” franchise that apply to the real world. The franchise’s focus on war necessitates an explanation of the current conflicts. Viewers must understand who the heroes are fighting and why they are fighting, as well as what they are fighting for. In other words, any “Gundam” series has a lot of predictable factions, settings, and character motivations.
The conflict between the Principality of Zeon and the Earth Federation is one of the most common story tropes in the “Gundam” franchise. This conflict between Earth and her extraterrestrial colonies is at the heart of several “Gundam” series, including the original. It isn’t found in every show, but it does serve as a model for the conflicts that may be seen in “The Witch From Mercury.”
Regardless of the conflict, “Gundam” wouldn’t be complete without mobile suits, the franchise’s term for giant robots. Whether the battles take place in the depths of space, on a martian colony, or on Earth itself, mobile suits are crucial to either side’s victory. Putting everything else aside, seeing these fights, as well as the unique new mobile suits, will be the highlight of “The Witch From Mercury” when it is released.