Kenneth Rocher's Blog

Books, anime and writing

Suletta, Miorine, and Guel.

Throughout the entire run of the first season, these three characters have been at the forefront of every major events. Naturally, Suletta and Miorine are the main characters, so they received the most focus. But it is a surprise when Guel gradually transitions into one of the major characters that drives the story, even if he started out as a minor antagonist.

Episode 5, for the first time, features all three of characters in the same limelight together. But what makes this episode a bombshell is the way it flows toward an unexpected and heartbreaking development. One that changes everything in the story.


A Cold Heart

When we first met Miorine back in season 1, her personality was complicated. She’s a bratty and irritable girl who was unfriendly and aloof towards others, often keeping her emotions to herself and presenting a cold persona. And even when she met Suletta, she has remained almost the same, though she grew to be more independent.

The Miorine we see in this episode, shockingly, is ten times worse but arguably twenty times better.

Her cold attitude during her initial interactions with Suletta is something really familiar, and it is quite heartbreaking to see her groom discussing Miorine’s upcoming birthday and their eventual wedding without receiving a positive reaction. We do know that Miorine does love Suletta, evident when she asks Suletta if she would give up Aerial for her, but her cold demeanor is something that should have clued us in regarding the plot twist at the end of this episode.

Miorine Rembran
Miorine acts cold toward Suletta

Still, it is only natural for Miorine. This is her flaw, after all. And we can’t deny that she has trouble expressing her emotions. In a way, it makes her and Suletta a perfect match, which doesn’t help with the emotional impact of this episode’s final scene.


The Return of The Lion

Guel has achieved what very few major supporting characters in Gundam have achieved so far: become well-developed and well-received by many fans. And those two aspects of him keep rising even more, especially in this episode.

His initial introduction and subsequent meeting with Suletta in the first episode sets up an interesting rivalry, at least for the first three episodes. He came off as arrogant and antagonistic toward her, which blossomed from his overblown ego as the Holder. But upon losing, not just once but twice, we’ve seen a drastic shift toward admiration.

And that admiration turned into something unexpected: love. For Guel does love Suletta, maybe as much as Miorine does. In fact, their reunion in this episode is a contrast to their first meeting; Guel has become Suletta’s savior when Elan 5 tries to harass her to give up Aerial.

Suletta Mercury(left), Guel Jeturk(center), and Elan Ceres(right)
Guel saves Suletta from Elan

The confession scene is cute and endearing, and further displays the growth that Guel has attained. It also shows how Suletta has affected him to be a better person, proving that she brings out the best, and also the worst, in everyone. And while Suletta’s rejection is already expected, it is nice to know that her list of friends are growing.

Unfortunately, Miorine has other plans, specifically what she wants for her birthday gift.

A rematch between Suletta and Guel.


Alliances and Deals

With the Presidential race gearing up to be a bloody endeavor, it is no surprise that the candidates would be making alliances. Shaddiq is a given considering his ambitions, and it is expected that he’d look for support from Peil Technologies’s CEOs. After all, they share a common ideal: that Gundams should be used for profit. And then there’s Elan 5, whose constant failure forces him to seek an unlikely ally: Norea Du Noc.

Shaddiq Zenelli
Shaddiq gathers support for the election

But what about Miorine and the Jeturks? In a shocking twist, the Rembran heiress requests the help of Guel in winning the election. And in a way, it is a perfect partnership. Guel’s company is on the verge of bankruptcy, but his family is still influential. Meanwhile, Miorine needs people she could trust—people who would be indebted to her.

Miorine forms an alliance with Guel

It comes full circle, then. The man Miorine she hates before is now one of her greatest allies. It certainly helps that Guel has feelings for Suletta, so his cooperation is easy to get. Indeed, Miorine is doing this for her groom.

Or rather her soon-to-be former groom.


Betrayal

The first time Guel and Suletta fought against each other, we knew that Suletta would win. After all, Suletta is the protagonist; she is destined to win all the time even against all odds. Moreover, Guel’s personality at that time made us root for Suletta.

It is not the same for their rematch in this episode. Guel has changed so much, and has suffered so much, that we all want him to win despite the serious repercussions. Indeed, his House’s heartwarming support mirrors that of the audiences, and it really feels like Guel is the protagonist.

On the other hand, we know that a terrible fate awaits Suletta, and the closest people to her are conspiring against her, her own mother included. There’s a sense of dread as the scenes play out, though it adds more to the suspense because a part of us is expecting a big twist that could thwart Miorine’s plan.

And the thing is, that expectation is for Suletta to win. The duel, initially, points to that conclusion, especially since Guel is suffering from PTSD. And though the Darilbalde has been upgraded and Guel is pushing himself to his limits, the Aerial still outclasses the Darilbalde in every way despite missing one thruster.

The fight scene itself is arguably the best in the series, but what makes this truly impactful is the way Suletta is nearly desperate to win Miorine’s affection—to the point that she almost killed Guel using her beam cannon. Moreover, this is not just her defending the Holder title; this is her defending those that are precious to her, namely Aerial and Miorine.

Darilbalde(left) and Aerial Rebuild(right)
Guel Jeturk vs Suletta Mercury

And the same could be said of Miorine. Throughout the fight, we see her hesitating to deal the fatal blow in the shadows. She doesn’t want this, but her plan has to be set in motion for Suletta to be free from her mother. So when she goes through with her plan and the happy birthday song starts playing in the background, it is nothing but an incredibly heartbreaking moment when an apologetic Eri fully shuts down, as if she has also agreed to the plan.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the last nail in the coffin. In a cruel and very Rembran way, Miorine personally rejects Suletta and returns the keychain she had been given. We know that this is merely a facade, but seeing Suletta desperately trying to cling on to what’s left of her precious things makes this scene all the more depressing.

Miorine rejects Suletta

Conclusion

With this kind of shocking development, Witch from Mercury has left us with an emotional and bitter twist to swallow. But it has changed the status quo, and now the story has become even more unpredictable, and darker, than before. How would our beloved characters go from here?

Episode score: 9.5/10

Leave a Reply