Soooooooo. The Witch From Mercury Finale Dropped Today.

Soooooooo………. The Witch from Mercury finale dropped today.

I’m gonna be honest I was fully expecting a 50-ep lot here.

Like I don’t think it ended badly or anything, I was just expecting more.

Immediate thought while watching the opening of Witch From Mercury episode 22:

I wonder if this is a metaphor for how lack of oversight into corporate dealings will eventually lead to them becoming untouchable monoliths, where oversight is pointless because they can either absorb losses or just overrule them.

Huh. So I had a think about this a while ago, with an eye towards putting together a Model Display, but what Gundam Frames look like they did in the calamity war? So if you were gonna put together a display of Calamity-War Era Gundam Frames, what would it look like?

Though this list is mostly focused on Gundam Frames, since they’re the ones we know the most about about in relation to the calamity war, I would like to quickly call out the the base Hugo is explicitly stated as being a thing during the Calamity war, if you wanted some grunts to back up your gundam’s.

Also, as of writing I haven’t seen any of Urdr Hunt, and I’m working mostly of what’s stated in the model kit manuals for suits from those. So if someone offhandedly mentions the calamity war in that, I don’t know about it.

Known - suits that we explicitly know to have existed as they are now during the calamity war.

Bael - piloted by Agnika Kaieru during the calamity war, presumably the first deployed, with Mcgillis explicitly restoring it for his coup.

Flauros (Calamity War Ver.) - explicitly is as it appeared in the calamity war.

Kimaris Vidar - The only version of Kimaris stated to have existed since the calamity war. It’s possible the others did as well, but I can’t say for certain.

Asmoday/Asmodeus - explicitly called out as being the same as it was in the calamity war, and the suit that prompted this whole thought experiment.

Marchosias - explicitly as it was in the calamity war.

Possible - Suits that you could make the argument they look the same as they did in the calamity war, but not explicitly known.

Astaroth Origin - I assume so? Due to the name “origin” and presence of Nanolamiate sword? But honestly it’s only stated that the Warren family recovered it, so they could’ve done some restoration work in the interim. Hence me hedging my bets and putting it here.

Barbatos (1st form) - I’m assuming it’s appearance in the first episode is how it was excavated, I don’t think Maruba would armour it if he was just gonna use it as a generator, and Gundam frames are impressive enough I don’t think he would for a buyer either.

Dantalion - It’s design can’t have changed much since the calamity war, since it’s build around utilising such a wide variety of optional equipment. Another one I’m just uncertain enough about to put here.

Gremory - As with Dantalion, we know it’s design can’t have changed much since it’s built around the Nanolaminate Coat and Battle Anchor. Though you might choose to restore the battle anchor, I don’t think it’s strictly necessary. Another example of me hedging my bets.

No - suits that we explicitly know looked different during the calamity war

Gusion - recovered by the Brewers and armoured with what they had available, ditto when Tekkadan armoured the Gusion Rebake. All we know is that it probably had long-range weaponry (Dainsleif?).

Vual - Recovered by Rosario Leone armourless, later armoured by him and Ville Klassen.

Honestly most of the ones under Possible I’m confident enough about, I just can’t find anything that makes it explicit that they haven’t changed since the Calamity War. I reckon the Astaroth Origin (minus the Warren family markings) and Gremory’d for right in though.

So I talk a lot about the Calamity War. About what it must’ve been like, about the sheer scale and size of it. About how it wrecked the moon, and grants the Gundam frames this near-mythic significance.

I also know that we’re never gonna get a proper understanding of what happened in it, and that’s ok.

But Y’know what I’d currently settle for?

Knowing just what the hell the Gundam Seere’s about.

What we know:

It’s the ASW-G-70 Gundam Seere, and was completed just prior to the Dantalion. From this, we know it was deployed in the calamity war fairly late. It was active in P.D. 323, whereupon it attacked a civilian craft, resulting in the death of Argi’s family. It’s presumably connected to Ville Klassen (who’s maddeningly difficult to find a picture of when you don’t have the original manga to hand) and therefore the Warren’s (and maybe the Zalmforts?).

Because, while I’m sure that the only picture we have of it (above) is supposed to represent Argi’s perception of it during the event, and may not accurately represent what it looks like, part of me wants to try and kitbash it. But other than it’s hunched pose and clawed hands, I wouldn’t really know where to go. The head does resemble that of the Astaroth, but again, that could be artistic licence to tie it in better when Argi pilots the Astaroth later.

Thing is, it doesn’t otherwise show up in Iron-blooded orphans Gekko, nor does Ville Klassen get his comeuppance. Which makes me think the manga was originally supposed to have another Arc, but I can’t really find anything on this to suggest either way. I don’t think the manga ended poorly, I just think that there were a lot of loose ends, the Seere being one of them.

Roger Dean

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