Kidou Senshi Gundam: Suisei no Majo: r/anime Awards 2023 Thoughts
This is part of a series of posts, reworking my casual writing from the r/anime Awards about the various shortlists and nominees. I do a lot of writing for the awards which never gets released outside of awards, so I figured I’d try bringing some of it out and putting it here. They’re not meant to be anything too serious or in-depth, just reworking my thoughts as I posted them in the awards server to here. This isn’t representative of the awards themselves or anyone other than myself involved in the awards. I’ll make a larger post with all the shortlisted shows from each category in the Write-Up Collections tab after I’ve posted all of the individual write-ups for that category here.
Of the categories I was juror for in the 2023 r/anime Awards, Kidou Senshi Gundam: Suisei no Majo was shortlisted in Anime of the Year and nominated in Character Design, and so those were the categories where I discussed it.
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"Subtlety" is definitely not a word which belongs anywhere near Witch from Mercury I feel like except to express the lack of it,
I think it's a very simple view of politics. I don't think this show has a complex message or way of messaging. That's not a dig at it, just something I felt through the series. It's fundamentally pretty similar in message to other Gundam entries, “war bad”. It's got a little tinge of anti-discrimination and calls out outdated conservative views against same-sex marriage (which is metatextually confusing considering Bandai Namco's later changes to series materials), but those aren't what I'd say the core messages are. It's not super nuanced in its takes on capitalism and discrimination, with very basic "class discrimination bad, racism bad" ideas, and I don't think you'll get a ton more out of the series on these fronts, although I think one plotline with one of the antagonists in S2 is interesting. There's also a strong undercurrent of self-determination, which could be argued as a main theme. I think it does its anti-war theme fine. The school setting does kind of indicate a bit of a generational gap in views, which it plays with nicely. It gels well tonally with the show's portrayals of status and inequality. It's just kinda blunt, especially towards the end, which I found annoying at times, but it also isn't badly done. It being so simplistic with things can, at times, be to its detriment, especially when it tries to tackle more complex issues.
In terms of characters, Suletta and Miorine are certainly standouts. Suletta is pretty effective as the center of her side of the story. I think her social anxiety is handled fine, in that she's mostly awkward and fish-out-of-water sheltered, but every time she puts herself out there despite her discomfort it felt justified enough, and as she builds her support base and becomes more comfortable, it's clear this has more to do with her new environment than a real issue with social situations. She’s got a nervous energy and awkwardness about her, but beyond that, she's very idealistic, always seeing the best in people. I do think Suletta enters the school without much personal reason to wanna be there, and so she does kinda just get swept along, but I wouldn't say she's just there to be cute. A country bumpkin coming to a school of jaded folk, she has an effect on all those she meets and fundamentally changes their dynamics so that they can understand one another and begin to get along. She also has her own arc, revolving around violence and war, and her desire to protect others, which I think is kinda weirdly handled and somewhat heavy-handed, but still works. Miorine is my favorite in the series, and honestly I struggle to figure out why. I found her kind of frustrating towards the end, but her role in the first season was so strong to me. She's the biggest example of going from a "Everything is a political game where we take advantage of each other and screw each other over and I'm the only one who is looking out for me" to "We can work together and make the world better, and I can rely on those around me while still following my own path." Season 2 kinda has her revert, which I find annoying but does pay off in the end with Suletta's redemption on her arc. This duo is perfectly balanced in outlook and development, which I find really neat. They have a changing dynamic as they affect one another. They do have some core traits which they largely adhere to, but I do think they also have a lot more going on, especially as they grow and change one another. Might be a situation of "It gets better later, I swear!" but I do think it does.
The other characters aren’t as well established and explored for the most part. I think the main exception in the supporting cast is Guel, who (especially in Season 2) undergoes probably the most change of the supporting cast, and has the most interesting characterization of them. Shaddiq also has a compelling role as an antagonist. Some others have sorta interesting side stories, but for the most part, the side cast doesn't have a ton going on, although some personalities like Chuchu shine through. Which is fine, it's largely about the main duo.
I don't think Miorine's father is particularly interesting as a character, he mostly exists so Miorine has daddy issues and for his conflict with others in the show, he's not super well characterized.
The bullying drama is really only the main drama early on, and I don't dislike that aspect of it really. It might not be the most entertaining thing to start with, and it's very basic, but it's childish and immature in a way which enables the series to tackle some ideas about the generational differences between characters and their views, and makes some of the later development work really well in contrast.
I didn't mind the pacing. I would have liked more SoL time and for some room to really naturally see the way Suletta learns and informs the perspectives of the other characters, but I didn't hate that this show kept moving forward with things, since it's largely a political drama action series. It does sometimes just go right into what the characters decided to do, but I still was able to keep up with what was going on well enough.
Probably the biggest standout element to me in terms of production is the mecha design, which probably also really helps the fights look good. They brought in various designers for the various mecha, each company having its own designs for its mecha, leading to different characterization through the mecha designs.
Character animation is inconsistent I feel like, some highs and lows. Character acting I feel like had a few standout moments, especially for Suletta, who I feel is pretty expressive with her nervous energy.
