Episode 10 jumps the plot forward by the two months and it begins with Sarius failing to get charges pressed against the use of GUND in the Aerial. Sarius strikes to me as incredibly stubborn but then again, his confusion at Delling and his men’s decision to make an exception for the Aerial is understandable when their whole job is to uphold the Gundam ban. It’s also perplexing that Delling of all people is even providing input to Gund-Arm, as evidenced by a scene in which he provides financial advice to Miorine. It can’t be that he thinks Gundams can finally work, right? Given his track record, one would think Delling would never want Gundams to be a thing. Maybe the man just thinks this is a good opportunity to spend time with his daughter but that just sounds odd in and of itself.
After the hearing, Sarius is visited by Vim, who proposes assassinating Delling during an upcoming meeting with Prospera at at a facility called Plant Quetta. I guess since nothing has gone his way lately, Vim is back to his old plan of getting rid of Delling and gaining more power within Benerit amidst a vacuum. Sarius initially dismisses the idea as ridiculous but Shaddiq convinces him to go along with it. With a reluctant Nika’s help, Shaddiq hires Dawn of Fold, an Earthian mercenary group, to assassinate Delling. Unbeknownst to Sarius, Shaddiq’s real intent here is to break Benerit apart.
I’m very curious what Shaddiq’s deal is. There are times where he genuinely seems like a nice guy and yet, he is proving to be the most conniving and the most ruthless of the CEO heirs. Also interesting is his apparent history with not just Nika but other Earthians such as the members of Dawn of Fold. Given Shaddiq’s connections and the fact that he’s adopted, I wonder if he’s actually from Earth and not any of the colonies. Being Earthian would certainly explain his desire to destroy Benerit from within. I do at least love how Shaddiq is doubling down on whatever his agenda is; it’s as if failing to become the Holder and securing Miorine’s hand in marriage was nothing but a small setback.
As for the titular Witch from Mercury, her side of the story is a lot more wholesome by comparison. While Miorine is busy promoting the company and working with Delling, Suletta is entrusted with looking after the tomatoes Miorine grows in her dorm. I suppose Suletta is the only person Miorine could ask for help but given how particular Miorine is about her garden, this does say a lot about the level of trust between these two. Other than gardening, Suletta works with Earth House in testing out a set of prosthetic legs they’ve developed with GUND tech. This is a pretty cute scene with how stupid Suletta looks as she rides on top of the prosthetic legs with a construction hat and the “Suletta forgetta” pun she gives when she realizes she hasn’t scouted a location for a PV. My one complaint is that we don’t actually get to see the gang film their PV in the duel committee room after Suletta pitches that as their filming location. I would’ve loved to see those robot legs run amok in there.
Meanwhile, Miorine returns to Asticassia after her latest meeting with Delling. She proceeds to purchase a ship and hire Feng Jun as a pilot. Remember this character? It’s been so long since her last appearance. As it turns out, Feng Jun isn’t exactly a smuggler but rather an secret agent from a faction known as the Space Assembly League. No idea what these guys do for a living but I imagine they’ll factor into the plot more during Season 2.
On her way to Miorine’s garden, Suletta is approached by Elan (Natsuki Hanae). This particular Elan is the fifth and latest body double for the real one. Elan-05’s objective is to seduce Suletta and gain intel on the Aerial for Peil. As such, this Elan is much more forward than his predecessor, to the point that Suletta actually notices something isn’t right with her “friend”. Funny how Grassley and Jeturk are in cahoots to assassinate a company executive and Peil is just off trying to make a girl horny enough that she’ll give away her secrets. Suletta rejects Elan’s advances though she does grow doubtful over her relationship with Miorine after Elan questions how genuine it is. She becomes even more worried when Miorine comes back and reveals that she’s hired some people to look after her tomatoes as well as hire Elan to be a test pilot for Gund-Arm.
Obviously, Miorine’s intent isn’t to replace Suletta. If anything, she thinks she’s doing her fiancée a favor by lightening her workload. But without that context, Suletta thinks Miorine is getting rid of her. I’m kind of surprised that it’s only taken this long for Suletta to question if she and Miorine are friends, let alone lovers. With how awkward and anxious she is, one would think that she’d doubt all the day long. That said, this is potentially good setup for an honest conversation between the two main characters, especially since Miorine has never explicitly told Suletta how exactly she feels about her.
At the end of the episode, Dawn of Fold begins their role in the assassination plot by hijacking a freighter. Among the ship’s crew is Guel, who apparently now goes by the alias “Bob”. I’m guessing this is the job Vim left Guel with after removing him from school. Then again, it doesn’t make sense for Vim to involve Guel in the assassination plot so I’m not entirely sure if this is intentional or coincidental. All I know is that Guel continues to have the worst luck ever. Is this kid the show’s punching bag? Why can’t he ever catch a break?
Watch Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury on Crunchyroll
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