Bandai Namco Filmworks Wanted Suletta and Miorine’s Relationship Left to Interpretation in G-Witch – Interest

Note: The below article contains spoilers for the end of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury.

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury fans were in a fervor over the weekend after the digital editions of the Gundam Ace magazine September 2023 issue were updated to remove the mention of marriage in an interview. The print magazine, released on July 26, included an interview with Suletta and Miorine voice actresses Kana Ichinose and Lynn. In the interview, Ichinose discussed the series’ final scene between the two characters and stated, “After the three-year time jump, I could feel the intimacy between the two had grown, and to see that in a married pair was, once again, very touching.”

The final scenes also show both characters wearing matching rings. In a short conversation between Miorine and Eri, Eri identifies herself as Miorine’s sister-in-law. Additionally, Miorine was described as Suletta’s wife in the alt text of the final end card image shared on the official Gundam.info North American Twitter account.

In the following days after the print edition’s release, the digital versions of the magazine were updated to remove the word “marriage” from Ichinose’s statement. The digital version now reads, “After the three-year time jump, I could feel the intimacy between the two had grown, and to see that in the pair was, once again, very touching.”

Fans online quickly noticed the change and began demanding answers from the Gundam Ace publisher Kadokawa. Bandai Namco Filmworks issued a statement on the anime’s official website on Sunday. The statement explained that the editor in charge of the magazine assumed Suletta and Miorine were married, and Bandai Namco Filmworks checked the interview prior to publication and asked for the change to be made because the company felt it was better left to the viewer to decide if the pair were married or not. However, the magazine went to print without the requested changes. After the error was discovered, the digital releases were updated to reflect the requested change.

Fans reacted with disappointment.

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury‘s second season premiered on April 9 and ended on July 2.

Hiroshi Kobayashi (Kimi no Iru Machi, Kiznaiver, Spriggan) directed the anime at Bandai Namco Filmworks/Sunrise, with Ryo Ando (Interviews with Monster Girls, Double Decker! Doug & Kirill) as co-director. Ichiro Okouchi (Code Geass, Princess Principal, Sk8 the Infinity) is credited for series composition and as scriptwriter. mogmo is credited for the original character designs, and Marie Tagashira, Shuri Toida, and Hirotoshi Takaya drew those character designs for animation. Takashi Ohmama (Castle Town Dandelion, Mobile Suit Gundam Twilight AXIS) composed the music.

The Gundam franchise generated record-breaking revenue for Bandai Namco Holdings. According to its 2023 Fiscal Year (FY) sales results, Gundam IP group-wide sales amounted to 131.3 billion yen (about US$947 million) in FY2023, compared to 101.7 billion yen (about US$733 million) in the previous year. In a March newsletter, Bandai Namco Holdings president Masaru Kawaguchi specifically highlighted The Witch From Mercury for acquiring new fans among young people and women. He also highlighted the Gundam Aerial gunpla models as strong sellers.

Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. One or more of the companies mentioned in this article are part of the Kadokawa Group of Companies.

Disclosure: Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc. (Sunrise) is a non-controlling, minority shareholder in Anime News Network Inc.