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Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury is one of the franchise’s biggest hits, reaching record-high Gundam model kits (gunpla) sales and positive reviews. At the forefront of the series’ story was a lesbian romance between the lead character Suletta Mercury and Miorine Rembran. The Yuri storytelling for The Witch from Mercury was one of the major selling points, drawing in crowds that wouldn’t typically watch a mecha. Witch from Mercury was notorious for being the first mainline Gundam anime to star a female lead, a tradition that was followed up on with the current Gundam anime, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX.
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There have already been several intimate scenes with the lead female, Amate Yuzuriha, and her female co-star, Nyaan. The ending credits animation also hints at a sincere bond between the two girls, hinting at a deeper connection. These moments have fans question if the new series will have a similar Yuri plotline, but some people question if its too soon to have another queer Gundam anime. What made Witch from Mercury so unique was its straightforward, sweet Yuri plot; would a second Yuri Gundam so soon afterwards take away from that uniqueness? However, is there such a thing as too much Yuri?
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Is Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX Hinting at a Yuri Romance?
On the surface, there appear to be many parallels with Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX and Witch from Mercury. A female main protagonist is still a relatively fresh concept in the mainline Gundam series, and the fact that both female leads have bright red hair draws the connection closer. The two female leads’ red hair could potentially be a reference to Chris from Gundam: War in the Pocketone of the earliest female pilots in the series, who controlled the main Gundam of that series.
Suletta’s and Amate’s female co-leads, Miorine and Nyaan, respectively, also share many personality traits. Miorine and Nyaan are detached individuals who are leagues more mature and intelligent than their counterparts, but underneath them is a vulnerability. Nonetheless, Suletta and Amate share very little beyond their hair color. Suletta was more clumsy and aloof, whereas Amate is snarky and aggressive. Amate’s relationship with Nyaan is still too early to tell, yet that’s already a major difference with The Witch from Mercury. The first episode of Witch from Mercury features Suletta and Miorine meeting and instantly getting engaged, thanks to a weird Gundam-fighting tradition.
Amate’s call to action to take the Gundam stems from seeing Nyaan breaking down, foreshadowing a potentially deeper bond. The ending credits for Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX hint that Amate and Nyaan will develop a deeper bond. The ending shows the girls hanging out in a random apartment and doing cute teenage girl things.
However, the Beginning compilation film that was released before the series points to a potential romance between Amate and the mysterious boy Shuji. Amate sensed Shuji while piloting the GQuuuuuuX and became flustered when she met him for the first time. They become partners for underground Gundam dueling, with Amate becoming enamored with him. While the romance between Amate and Shuji could be a red herring, it is too soon to tell.
Should There Be Another Yuri Gundam So Soon After Witch from Mercury?
An issue some fans could see with another Yuri Gundam is that it would literally come off the heels of Witch from Mercurywhich did the queer storyline so effectively for so many fans. Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX is already being compared to Witch from Mercury because it also stars another red-headed female protagonist, but adding the Yuri angle will create a more apparent connection. Since Witch from Mercury was so effective with its Yuri story, it would give Gundam GQuuuuuuX an unfair disadvantage as people would be comparing it with what came before.
After spending 25 episodes with Yuri content with Witchit could also be a nice change of pace to have the latest female-led Gundam show to feature a different romance. Nevertheless, given how rare queer storytelling continues to be within media, having a second lesbian romance shouldn’t feel too overwhelming. Given the plethora of straight romances featured throughout Gundamit shouldn’t stop future creators from using other types of romances.
