Not Up To Interpretation
Michael Lee
A version of this piece was picked up by Kotaku, so show them some ❤️ and take a look over there.
The Witch From Mercury, the latest entry in the long-running Gundam franchise, featured not only the series’ first lead female protagonist, but also proudly centered a queer romance with no ambiguity at all… that is until a bizarre edit in Kadokawa publication Gundam Ace magazine was then followed up by a completely backwards PR statement from Bandai Namco on the Witch From Mercury official Twitter account claiming that the relationship between Suletta Mercury and Miorine Rembran—the core relationship in the series—is “up to viewer interpretation.”
In the print version of an interview for Gundam Ace, Suletta’s voice actor, Kana Ichinose (while discussing the series’ final scene) describes being moved by the closeness Suletta and Miorine share “as two married people.” The edit was made two days later to the digital version of the magazine, removing the word “married” and essentially leaving Ichinose’s sentiment as “the closeness of the two of them.”
The edit was immediately picked up on by Gundam enthusiasts on social media, and spread so quickly that Bandai Namco thought it best to clarify the situation, claiming that a rogue editor at Gundam Ace added the word “married” to the interview as “their own interpretation.” This seems unlikely, given Ichinose’s enthusiasm and obvious emotional investment in playing Suletta and in discussions with her co-star Lynn (who voices Miorine) on the radio program for the show, MajoRaji. To remove such a crucial word from an interview is an act of betrayal. Not only to the hard-working staff including scriptwriter Ichiro Okouchi, director Hiroshi Kobayashi, and the lead voice actors Ichinose and Lynn, but also to the legions of fans who have flocked to the show since its premiere last fall.
The official Twitter account for Witch From Mercury has the largest following of any Gundam series, sales of the Gunpla mobile suit models are at an all-time high, with Witch From Mercury kits selling like hotcakes, and the series brought new fans to a franchise that had been struggling to find new audiences. By all metrics, this series is a hit, with the hard, tangible kind of data that should have Bandai Namco fully supporting the show, the creative vision of the staff, and the fanbase. And yet, they’ve decided to shoot themselves in the foot with a series of bone-headed PR moves that sadly hit right as LGBTQ+ people living in Japan are fighting to have a ban on same-sex marriage overturned.
Why This Matters In Japan
The only country in the G7 that does not recognize same-sex marriage, Japan has had a troubling run of form with regards to LGBTQ+ rights and protections. Courts in the country have been split on the still-upheld ban on same-sex marriage, with some declaring the ban to be unconstitutional, while others ruling to the contrary, that the ban should remain in place. The ban is unlikely to be removed any time soon as the conservative LDP government continues to water down any pro-LGBTQ+ legislation, despite public support for same-sex unions hovering at around 70%. The recently passed Equality Act is at best a half-measure towards recognizing queer people as deserving of basic human rights, but falls well short of doing anything concrete to protect LGBTQ+ people, codifying nothing meaningful, and only offering “you shouldn’t discriminate” lip service to an already weak bill. And for years now, trangender people in Japan continue to face a series of archaic roadblocks on their way to being legally recognized. LGBTQ+ individuals often remain closeted to avoid harassment or workplace discrimination where a lack of protections can create toxic work environments.
The Witch From Mercury could have been Bandai Namco’s opportunity to fully show support to the LGBTQ+ community in Japan, instead, their cowardice falls in line with the homophobic rhetoric politicians in the country use to attack LGBTQ+ people in the country. Removing the word “married” is an act of queer erasure, and an utter rejection of the basic human rights that LGBTQ+ people are fighting for in Japan.
Polling numbers indicate that around 10% of Japanese people identify as LGBTQ+ which is actually higher than the United States (7.2%). Yet, despite this, representation is stifled, and positive portrayals in media, like The Witch From Mercury, are constantly undercut by higher ups and politicians, despite the artists behind a project being fully on board with the narrative they are telling. Look no further than Suletta’s nails in the series finale. The artist tasked with drawing a close-up of Suletta’s hand leaves the nails on Suletta’s index and middle fingers shorter than her ring and pinky. That’s no accident. As this tweet so elegantly puts it, SULETTA FUCKS.
Seemingly against all odds, The Witch From Mercury delivered on what it promised from episode one. In that first episode, Suletta is named as Miorine’s groom after winning a mobile suit duel at the Asticassia School of Technology, the series’ main setting. When Suletta asks Miorine if the two of them can even be bride and groom, Miorine states “it’s common here, I guess where you’re from is a little more conservative…” Which now seems more than ever like a dig at the production committee of the show. With the unspecified “production issues” the series experienced during its run,unused tracks from Takashi Ohmama’s outstanding score, the odd narrative shift to focus on Guel at the start of season 2 (no offense Guel, you’re cool, but WFM just isn’t your story), and the now circulating rumor of a kiss between Suletta and Miorine that ended up on the cutting room floor, it seems like the staff behind The Witch From Mercury fought tooth and well-manicured nail to even give us as much as we got. But it seems the project had greater ambitions that were cut short.
Seemingly against all odds, The Witch From Mercury delivered on what it promised from episode one. In that first episode, Suletta is named as Miorine’s groom after winning a mobile suit duel at the Asticassia School of Technology, the series’ main setting. When Suletta asks Miorine if the two of them can even be bride and groom, Miorine states “it’s common here, I guess where you’re from is a little more conservative…” Which now seems more than ever like a dig at the production committee of the show. With the unspecified “production issues” the series experienced during its run, unused tracks from Takashi Ohmama’s outstanding score, the odd narrative shift to focus on Guel at the start of season 2 (no offense Guel, but WFM just isn’t your story), and the now circulating rumor of a kiss between Suletta and Miorine that ended up on the cutting room floor, it seems like the staff behind The Witch From Mercury fought tooth and well-manicured nail to even give us as much as we got. But it seems the project had greater ambitions that were cut short.
Tomino, Newtype, Acceptance
One of the tenets that has defined Gundam for as long as it has been around has been that the adults and people in authority are not to be trusted. The father of Gundam himself, Yoshiyuki Tomino, has stated this numerous times in interviews, lamenting the “incompetence of politicians” while creating deeply flawed adult characters in his works who rule in a perpetual state of death drive; hell bent on war, the destruction of the planet, and subjugation of people they see as lesser beings. In Witch From Mercury, the adults running the various companies in the Benerit Group are driven only by their thirst for power, for control, and are beholden to capitalism. This is something else Tomino points to as being problematic in our world, saying in an interview for Forbes “I'd almost say that capitalism in its current form shouldn't be really allowed. I believe the modern world is a miserable result of the entire world focusing only about the economy.” The adults in WFM most certainly are driven by capitalist greed and their desire to rule, using their own children as pawns (the duels at Asticassia), and always having their thumb pressed down firmly on the Earthians, to ensure they remain on top of the socioeconomic hierarchy. It is the children who see another way. Towards peace, reconciliation, acceptance.
Tomino’s narratives are aimed at younger audiences for this very reason, to show them how foolish those in authority can be, and why young people should strive to do better, to be better, to be the change the previous generation failed to become. The whole Newtype thing is predicated on the idea that one day there might be a “type of human that could comprehend someone else without any misunderstanding.” Imagine if we all just understood that Suletta and Miorine are in love, are married, and are going to live a happy life together. It’s not hard. The Newtype was, and still is, Tomino’s hope that we can become better as a species, have empathy, understand one another better. He wants us to become Newtypes. Witch From Mercury tried with all its might to honor this vision.
Take Action
This is where we need to stand up and tell the people in power that we won’t accept the erasure of this queer romance. Witch From Mercury presented us with a love most beautiful. As Newtypes, we understand it fully and completely. There is no misunderstanding.
Tell Bandai Namco that this is not “up to interpretation.” Love is love in any form. At a time when the LGBTQ+ community needs allies more than ever, we need to move beyond this broken world that the adults would have us suffer in. Let’s become the Newtypes of the future that Tomino dreams of.
Send Bandai Namco an email and ask them to recognize Suletta and Miorine’s relationship here:
support@bnfw.co.jp
Michael Lee is the Editor of KOSATEN, and writes in other places as well. His work looks at video games, anime, and Japanese fandom, with a particular focus on doujinshi and other fan-created media.
