'Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury' Has Lots of Firsts, Including a Lesbian Romance

Since 1979, the Gundam franchise has told all sorts of stories involving giant mecha and the pilots who drive them. They've ranged from biting political commentary on weapons of mass destruction to outlandish and uncanny sporting competitions, yet have still managed to captivate audiences around the world for more than four decades. Yet even throughout the history of the long-running franchise, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury represents several firsts for the overall series.

The ongoing series premiered in October 2022 in Japan and is currently being simulcast on Crunchyroll on a weekly basis. Witch from Mercury features the franchise's first female main protagonist and has been well-received by critics and fans alike for its refreshing narrative and continued commentary on capitalism and political corruption.

The anime is a landmark milestone for the Gundam franchise for many reasons, especially with its romantic subplot. Is Witch from Mercury considered a yuri story?

Witch from Mercury takes place in a society split between the affluent space-faring colonists known as Spacians and the lower-class Earth-born Earthians. 21 years after the supposed destruction of the controversial GUND Format project, 17-year-old Suletta Mercury transfers from the planet Mercury to the Asticassia School of Technology. She quickly becomes embroiled in the school's duels and unwittingly accepts a fight over Miorine Rembran, the wealthy but rebellious daughter of the school's owner.

After winning a duel with her advanced mobile suit, Aerial, Suletta becomes the school's "Holder," designating her as the top duelist as well as Miorine's fiance. As the two of them try to get to know one another and live normal school lives, controversy over Aerial's design and growing civil unrest between Spacians and Earthians threaten to boil over into all-out war.

As previously mentioned, Witch from Mercury has plenty of milestones under its belt. A major one comes in the form of the yuri storyline between Suletta and Miorine.

In case you aren't aware, yuri is a genre of Japanese media that depicts romantic and/or intimate relationships between women. To that end, Witch from Mercury has enormous yuri energy in the best ways possible.

One of the most compelling aspects of the series is the budding queer romance between Suletta and Miorine. Given their status as betrothed, the two of them are seen together constantly. But rather than try to force a romance, the two of them make the most of their situation and end up changing each other.

Suletta imparts some of her compassion to Miorine, reminding her of a sense of innocence as Suletta tries to gain confidence in herself while at school. Miorine also helps Suletta learn how to advocate for herself, be more aggressive, and figure out what it is she wants instead of focusing on fulfilling the expectations of others. Their relationship gets more complicated as the series progresses, especially as their families' dark pasts come to light amidst growing political tension.

However, it's made clear that Suletta and Miorine care about each other deeply. Their circumstances push them closer together, even as the world tries to tear them apart.

New episodes of Witch from Mercury stream every Sunday on Crunchyroll.