MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM: THE WITCH FROM MERCURY EPISODE 11 REVIEW – Of Witches and Confessions

As the penultimate episode for the series’s first cour, Witch From Mercury’s episode 11 managed to satisfy expectations while setting up a, quite literally, an explosive season finale. There were quite a few revelations and questions answered, though a lot of mysteries remained unshed, particularly regarding certain characters.

But more than that, it finally settled the quarrel between two lovebirds.

Their True Feelings

Last episode’s ending brought a heartbreaking moment and realization not just for Suletta, but for the audiences as well: that Miorine is simply treating her as a tool.

Episode 11 dug deeper into the effects of that moment while also providing us with a better insight on Suletta and Miorine’s respective personality and character. And we can say that what we’ve seen in previous episodes were just the surfaces of their real selves.

For one, we know that Suletta is naïve, timid, but confident whenever an obstacle comes her way. But as this episode has shown, there’s another side of her that we’ve never really seen: her insecurity and fears.

The anime showed us this in various scenes: Suletta trying to cater to everyone’s needs and hiding in a toilet room when everyone else is having fun, then calling her mother when she felt like she’s no longer needed and her friends seemed unfriendly.

And this part is really sad because we finally realize that Suletta is simply trying to fit in, even though we as the audiences know that the entire situation is simply a misunderstanding on her part. After all, her social skills aren’t exactly good. Nevertheless, her fears and insecurities, revealed through her conversation with Elnora, made her a relatable character, more so than before.

In particular, we got to see that she’s always keeping her feelings to herself; a fact that a very angry Miorine called her out for after hearing everything she said. But in a way, Suletta and Miorine are very much of the same feather; neither of them reveals their feelings to other people.

And for Miorine to essentially confess her love for Suletta at last spoke volumes about the character development she had went through. It’s not a direct “I love you”, but the fact that she could swallow her pride to listen to her father, found a company, and forget about her desire to go to Earth, for now anyway, meant that Suletta had that much impact on her.

Suletta is no different. Her confidence and self-esteem are so low that she has to encourage herself to move forward in order to keep them high. And by meeting Miorine, she got an emotional anchor to finally break away from that mindset, only to revert back after last episode’s ending scene.

In a way, Suletta and Miorine are like two sides of a coin. They needed each other to grow, which is an essential part in any relationship. And now that everything had been cleared up, they could progress once again.

But first, they have to survive Shaddiq’s schemes.

Secret Meetings

Another interesting aspect of the series, other than Suletta and Miorine’s relationship, is the real motive behind Elnora’s actions. While we know that she’s out for revenge, her full game plan is still a mystery.

This episode simply adds more questions to that. For one, she’s not afraid of revealing her real name to Delling and even acknowledges herself as a witch. For another, she is also working with him on a secret project, which may or may not be part of her plans. But whatever Quiet Zero is, it doesn’t bode well for Suletta and Miorine.

Speaking of secret meetings and unexpected alliances, Shaddiq got some screen time here. And as expected, his alliance with Vim Jeturk is all but a façade to make things easier for his kill squad. Shockingly enough, it seems that Shaddiq’s only goal now is to kill Delling, evident when he never aborts the mission despite Miorine being in the same place.

The Witches From Earth

What are Witches, really? Are they females who could survive the GUND Format tech of Gundams? Females who are pilots? Or something else entirely?

Even at this point, that question remains unsolved, though we may get our answers in the twelfth episode. Regardless of that, it seems that “witches” are generally good pilots.

Cases in point, Sophie and Noreia, two of the pilots sent to attack Plant Quetta. And right from the moment they appeared in the previous episode, it’s obvious that they will play a major role in the story—enough to actually replace Elnora and Delling in the opening credits.

Both characters are actually interesting. While Noreia is the usual cold and no-nonsense type of character, Sophie is that cheerful and bubbly girl of the group, albeit  aggressive and maybe a bit unhinged. But the greatest surprise about her is the fact that she idolizes Suletta.

One thing that stands out in this situation are the mobile suits that Noreia and Sophie use: Lfrith Ur and Lfrith Thorn. LFRITH, the same name of the mobile suit that Elnora and Ericht piloted together during the Vanadis Incident.

And that adds another layer of mystery: is Elnora working with the mercenaries? Is that how she could fund her company? By selling Lfrith?

Too many questions left unanswered. But one thing’s for sure: Suletta will have a hard time against her fellow witches.

Thankfully, an improved Aerial is about to awaken.

Conclusion

Combining action and heartwarming scenes, episode 11 sets up a game-changing cour finale. There are still a lot of plot threads that remain unresolved, and we never really got anywhere with the whole revenge plan of Elnora and the real explanation for the Witches. Nevertheless, the progression of Suletta and Miorine’s relationship, and their character development, is more than enough to keep audiences engaged throughout this episode.

Episode score: 9/10