This review contains spoilers for Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury but theres really not much to spoil just watch the dang prologue 920https://blogger.googleusercontent.com//b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirT09nNqhFd5Dbogt7b3suWLDoc7iEEfIGagjTg86bF8jhqFBlrdLdNZmhrq9hQBdOtda7BPQnrg74BcniMHNjEwFetlvJc6pN43KovRZeuTjMWCmcg4JD4eA7XSOeeKz6fTpLwgwijFMHno2en4mjPrAlptQFv3fG7fF1ESdH02V5FZuMs4s/s1754/gundam20lfrith20prologue.jpg Regardless of where you fall on the journey vs. destination argument the importance of beginnings cant be denied. Whether good or bad the beginning of a story sticks with you making it crucial in making a lasting impression. A beginning if weak enough can cause irreparable damage to a story. It doesnt matter how much a show picks up if the beginning made its viewers mentally check out. On the other hand someone might power through a lull middle if theyre energized by a great beginning. Some Gundam shows have solid beginnings. Take the start of the original Mobile Suit Gundam where we see protagonist Amuro Rays home attacked forcing him into the Gundam to defend it. Its a decent calltoaction opening that gets the job done. One of my favorite Gundam shows Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam has an opening episode that showcases its juxtaposition of seriousness and cheesiness. It doesnt hold a candle to some of the later episodes but it at least establishes tone well enough. Other Gundam shows have terrible first episodes. The first proper episode of ZZ Gundam similarly establishes tone. But in doing so it completely deflates no pops the gravitas created at the end of Zeta leading to harsh whiplash that colors the rest of the show. Other times executive greed tarnishes what otherwise would have been a solid start. Both Victory Gundam and the TV broadcast of Unicorn Gundam suffered from executive mandates that dictated that their titular Gundams must appear in the opening minutes of the first episode leading to awkward sequencing. All this is to say that in my six years of watching Gundam Ive never seen a first episode thats blown me away. Until now. I was already excited for Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury when it was revealed in March since it would feature the series first female main character. But now thanks to its prologue which is free to watch on YouTube via Gundams official channel herehttps://www..com/watch?v=5YGW2JRxWUU Im absolutely hyped. This is the best opening to a Gundam show nothing else comes close. Its not only a shining example of how to pull off the opening to a Gundam show nor just an anime but the beginning of a story in general. 920https://www.metalbridges.com/wpcontent/uploads/2022/09/whatsgoingoningundamthewitchprologuefrommercury18.jpg When it comes to speculative fiction science fiction in particular successfully executing the beginning can be tricky because of the worldbuilding one has to contend with. Without taking the time needed to explain the world audiences can become lost and disinterested. That said if one resorts to an unnatural infodump of exposition the audience will be similarly bored. Then theres the question of how to make it relevant how will the writer make this new world resonate with the audience? Its all a very precarious balancing act. Fortunately The Witch From Mercury walks the tightrope with expert precision. The prologue takes place in a manufacturing and training facility as well as at a press release relating to the facility. This means that were right at the heart of this worlds conflict instead of primarily hearing it secondhand. What we do hear secondhand is either from a short news clip or an anecdote from a characters life. Again this is short which is vital since it means were not taken away from the present action. We dont have a narrator beginning the episode by telling us the current year or political climate because we dont need it. We are shown not told the bare necessities. Thanks to this the prologue maintains a brisk pace. 520https://pbs.tw.com/media/FXocx0eUYAU2aSF?format=jpgname=large Were also treated to a world that feels applicable to ours. The prologue of Witch from Mercury concerns itself with questions of transhumanism. The Gundams of this universe are derived from GUND a prosthetic technology thats used to help humans acclimate to the rigors of space. Since its inception back in 1979 Gundam has never shied away from exploring human evolution and how space plays a part in this theres a reason souls weighed down by gravity is such a memetic term in the fandom. That said The Witch from Mercury is one of the few times the other notable example being Gundam SEEDhttps://anilist.co/review/7572 the series shores up the concept of transhumanism in a way that doesnt feel completely magical. Universal Centurys Newtypes may as well be force usershttps://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Forcesensitive by another name. The melding of man and machine feels more notable now than ever especially with the advent of platforms such as Meta. The show also kind of introduces questions about the ethics of autonomous/remote weaponry selfharming technology and if there can be positive effects of arms technology. 920https://www.metalbridges.com/wpcontent/uploads/2022/09/whatsgoingoningundamthewitchprologuefrommercury1.jpg Some of these bits of worldbuilding are sure to be particularly interesting if youre a longterm fan of the series. The concept of interfacing with a mobile suit and especially the fact that said interface harms the user if pushed to its limits harkens back to IronBlooded Orphans AlayaVijnana System https://gundam.fandom.com/wiki/PostDisasterTechnologyAlayaVijnanaSystemE998BFE9A0BCE880B6E8AD98E382B7E382B9E38386E383A0EFBC88E382A2E383A9E383A4E382B7E382ADE382B7E382B9E38386E383A0ArayaShikiShisutemu?and G Gundams Mobile Trace Systemhttps://gundam.fandom.com/wiki/FutureCenturytechnologyBerserkerSystem::text=civilian20construction20tasks.Mobile20Trace20SystemDomon20Kasshu20executing. The concerns about automatic weaponry also bring to mind Wing Gundams Mobile Dollshttps://gundam.fandom.com/wiki/MobileWeaponAfterColonyRemoteMobileWeaponsMobileDoll. The worldbuilding also feels relatable because of references to historical events. Unlike say Evangelion the symbolism actually seems to serve a purpose. Antagonist Delling Rembran speaks of his organization acting as a hammer of witches which is a reference to Malleus Maleficarumhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MalleusMaleficarum a seminal treatise on witch hunting. Its unfortunately not only a cool historical link to the prologues events but also relates to enduring religious dogma in our world. Dont go thinking that the prologue only succeeds because of its handling of worldbuilding its also exciting. Unlike Victory Gundam or Re:Unicorn it feels justified in giving the Gundam a spectacular action setpiece in the first episode. We witness an allout purge and spacebased dogfight. Im in love with the designs of all the mobile suits theyre all colorful whilst not being too toylike. In particular I practically drooled over the effects on the Gundams chest plate. It feels appropriately hightech. I also like the white and pink design of the Lifrith. Its nice to be treated with a Gundam with more unique coloration before its shooed away to make room for the standard Union Jack colors all main Gundams are saddled with. https://www.sakugabooru.com/data/addfd76863ece6affd3afd05f2364038.mp4 The animation is superb. It has a great sense of movement from flying to the use of the Gundams cool funnels. The music is also great from the first tense techno track that opens the prologue I knew that Id be in for some great tunes to set the mood. The prologue mixes techno with orchestra really well. Eris theme is a standout track the simple yet beautiful instrumentation perfectly captures her innocence. The best track by far is the one that kicks off the final scene that wail just smacks you and pairs perfectly with the cinematography to make the scene all the more emotional. And thats the final bit of praise Id like to heap on this prologue the emotionality. Mindless action this aint. Its absolutely brutal and my jaw stayed firmly on the ground for the second half. Bodies start hitting the ground quickly and we get a sense of how dire things are. But thats not what makes the ending so poignant that honor goes to main character Eri and her family. Eri is just four during the events of the prologue and when her biometrics pair with the Gundam she inadvertently uses the targeting system to kill three combatants. To her its just counting something shes surely been practicing to us its gutwrenching. Later on her father sacrifices himself by pushing his mobile suit to the limits buying his wife and daughter time to escape. In his delirium he begins singing happy birthday on the radio and Eri joins in. When his mobile suit explodes in the distance she cheers at the firework not knowing the significance. Its hard not to tear up during the final moments of the prologue. War is hell indeed. 920https://m.mediaamazon.com/images/M/MV5BODA1YmNlMzEtZDcyMi00ODY1LTg3NDItY2RkMWE5Yzg4MDhhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQzMzU5MDg5.V1.jpg As much as I loved this prologue Im not sure where the shows heading. With as poignant as the prologue was Im admittedly a bit wary of the previews of the show proper which show off a less serious school setting. I suppose its at least a new setting for Gundam. Ill just have to see how it pans out. This is one of the reasons I love prologues: they can hook you in without hurting the flow of the standard beginning. No matter how the rest of the show pans out since its a separate entry Ill be able to know that the prologue was solid. Solid enough to reinvigorate my love for gunpla solid enough to make me absolutely giddy to start watching this show when it airs in October. 200https://i.ur.com/3fXjPig.png