G-Witch Episode One Thoughts

Thoughts and impressions of G-Witch's debut episode.

I’m aware this and the next entry are very late, but I thought it’d be fun to do contemporaneous posts as G-Witch airs. Rather than a full A to B review, these will be structured around five or so main points of interest in each episode. I’ll also do a longer retrospective after the first cour finishes.

In any case, this was quite a debut episode with a lot to talk about, and I’m pretty excited overall.

Sulleta got Type B!

In reference to this, I’m so glad they made Suletta a goober. I’ve only seen Gundam up through watching Turn A, but the impression I’ve gotten of its more recent seasons is that most of the protags are either the traditional “scared to fight” or the stone-faced “cool” types, so it’s very refreshing to have Suletta be very awkward but still noble-hearted. Considering that Gundam started out with difficult protagonists that were socially uncomfortable, I like this as a newer take on being anti-social compared to the harsher starts of Amuro and Kamille.

I can see the issue that she’s not really that independent, but she was assertive enough to take on Juel directly and to rescue Miorine in the first place, even if it ended up being a misunderstanding. It seems like she’s much more confident with her Gundam and its mechanics than with regular social interactions, but I think that’s a decent enough set up to work through. Though there’s a few points I question if her mother even prepared her for a school like this, Miorine contrasts with her nicely and they both help each other grow through this.

A little bit of CG

I know the show never made any promise regarding this, but I was hoping that they would stick with 2D mecha for the entire time, mostly as a show of confidence given the growing dearth of non-CG mecha. And while about 90% of the mecha stuff in this was thankfully 2D, the crowd shots of the Demi Trainers and the opening shots of the Aerial launching and rescuing Miorine were CG. 

I can understand the former as a necessary compromise for large group shots, but the rescue scene one was more puzzling, especially since the part where it reaches out still looked a bit jittery. It’s a very slight disappointment, but a mostly understandable one.

School Stuff

Though I wish there was a bit more focusing on her arrival after rescuing Miorine , I liked that they handled the intro of the school in a brief wordless montage without going for a full explanation, so the rest of the story kept moving. It was very efficient at setting up that this is a tech school, even though we don’t see any actual classes with our main cast, but it’s something which I’m sure will get more expansion later.

While the school as a setting is unique for Gundam, a lot of what happened there so far seemed a bit cliched but enjoyable. Elite prep school, kids forming cliques around the richest kids, and indifferent supervision are all common staples, but I like the details such as the pilot kids being the top elites, while things like mechanics are below them. The dueling setup was a bit strange for me at first but given that this is a school where rich businessmen and tech bros send their kids to wage proxy family battles, it makes sense in a somewhat corporatist way.  I imagine there will be some interesting ways they play with that type of commentary going forwards.

Mecha Duel

While the mid-part mecha action was also solid, the final duel between Suletta and Guel was even better. The CG background was well integrated as the suits were drifting, giving them a good sense of speed. I was worried that the designs, while pleasing overall, were a bit too over-detailed and hard to draw even for mecha. But in motion and the stills they look smooth, especially the Aerial’s big swing of the beam saber. 

As cool as the high-flying space duels can be in mecha, I usually find myself liking the more grounded battles more, and this felt appropriately weighty and stimulating even if the arena was a bit grey. While I was slightly disappointed that Suletta won using what are basically funnels, which are basically a Gundam fight cheat code at this point, this was one of the most visually spectacular uses of them I think I’ve seen. The music accentuating her big moment was also perfectly placed.

Boardroom Shenanigans

Cathedra returns set up as the main antagonistic force, although even this early on its clear that Delling’s control over the group is less secure given that Vim Jeturk tried to assassinate him. Putting what happened in the prologue aside (which is a big ask, but still), it’s notable that they’re not outright villainous but are still ruthless enough that I can see them driving issues at the school. 

The main story concern I have is how will they integrate the corporate board and meeting rooms scenes while still making them feel connected to the rest of the show, which is something a lot of corporate-future SF tends to struggle with. It worked well enough here at least, given that they were connected to Juel’s duel with Suletta.

That Ending

I am nowhere near well-equipped enough to write in depth about sexuality, but I can at least say that I wasn’t expecting Miorine to openly call Suletta her groom, complete with teasing her about it and a dramatic, almost romantic final shot to end it off. And given that Suletta has the white victory garb in all of the series art, it seems like this will be a permanent thing for a while, which is certainly a bold hook to end the episode on. 

It’s still a bit unclear if Miorine was saying that more out of sarcastic resignation than genuine affection, but it’s at least something that will be hard to back down from, and the creators must have known that as well. Regardless of whether this plays as a love triangle, rom com, or gradual coming out style, it’s at least a new personal hook that can center the show amidst all the corporate space politics.

Miscellany

• Mercury being viewed as some kind of country backwater is amusing given that it seems like one of the harder planets to set bases around, but it’s a nice detail of the larger world again without much info dumping.

• The brick joke of Miorine headbutting Suletta, only for her to return the favor at the end was much appreciated. Please have more goofy headbutts.

• Haro’s back, and now he even has drone tech. Having them around in a school like this makes sense, even if it’s still a slight rehash of the design. Funny that Kyokai Senki Anaim tried so hard to push those weird digital pet things, but a ball with dot eyes from over forty years is still a more defining mascot. 

• I noticed Suletta’s cockpit had more detailed tech on the glass added compared to the trailer PV. Combined with some stuff in the prologue getting redrawn, I’m tenuously wondering how up-to-deadline some of this might be getting.

• Nika is an absolute champ. 

• These are some of my favorite character designs I’ve seen in an anime for a while. Mogmo gets to stick around for other anime projects.

• Almost seems like the feather on Guel’s mech was specifically just for that dramatic ending shot, but that’s fine.

Final Thoughts

A very exciting debut episode in a lot of facets, and I like how confident and refreshing it is for a Gundam premiere. Though it mostly focuses on the immediate story of Suletta's arrival, it sets up enough branching threads and has its fundamentals so solid that it makes for a great introduction. If the show continues on this track, I think it could be something special.