Once upon a curse, in a land far, far away, there lived a young princess named Amelia. She was the fairest and kindest princess in the kingdom, loved by all who knew her. One fateful day, an evil sorceress named Morgana unleashed a curse upon the land, causing chaos and despair. The curse left a dark cloud hanging over the kingdom, and every living creature suffered. Crops withered, rivers ran dry, and the once joyous melodies of birds were replaced by haunting silence. The people cried out for help, but no one knew how to break the curse.
The people cried out for help, but no one knew how to break the curse. Amelia, determined to save her kingdom and restore happiness, embarked on a dangerous journey to find a solution. She traveled through treacherous forests, crossed turbulent oceans, and climbed towering mountains.
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury
And so we come at last to the final Suletta Sunday. Just to confirm out of the gate, this is a finale-ass finale. Full of tight, tidy (some might say too tidy) resolutions and wrapping on a cozy time-skip for good measure. We are almost certainly not getting a sequel season or series out of this. Perhaps, it's a good thing given the often precarious path G-Witch walked to barely make it across the satisfying finish line denied to so many other Gundam series. What we have here is certainly the series going out on its terms, in ways that should leave most viewers reasonably satisfied, if not wholly wowed.
It helps that a lot of the thematic elements of G-Witch had already been mostly handled over the previous few episodes. Suletta and Miorine have moved forward through their character arcs pretty much to completion, putting them in a position to believably carry out the final big, resolving actions of this ending and go home happily. The only one remaining to get any exploration is, perhaps appropriately, Prospera. After having it out with Miorine's last episode, Mommy Dearest manages to turn the tables for just one more moment so Suletta (and Ericht) can have a chance to talk her down. All the way here at the end, it's fun to see Prospera still able to slip into being the same old Prospera, trying to guilt Suletta into allowing Quiet Zero to go off. It encapsulates one last gasp of conceptual questions for G-Witch, embodying the idea of the stodgy older generation clinging to power, benefitting from the efforts of their children to do so. It begs the question of who, if anyone, has the "right" to inherit the future, or if we simply have to blow past our parents' machinations in a wave of defiant rainbows and corporate liquidation.
Turning Prospera down and/or around ends up being but one of all the other threads that get tied up in just a couple of fell swoops in this finale. I am, as with everything else here, mostly fine with it. I think most of us had guessed that what was left of the Aerial would combine with the Calibarn somehow, giving Suletta (and a few others) that last wind to take out the space laser, Quiet Zero, and, well, everything. We are wholly in the "Permet can do anything" phase of writing here. So yeah, while it is neat to see El4n one more time, alongside cameos from a bunch of other dead characters, their deployment and role in this resolution effectively feels akin to the tomato code from a previous couple of episodes. In that, yes, you certainly did find some space where that could be written in, but it was pretty much the only space you'd left available.
Similarly, there's the way they tie up the corporate side of the story, and that might bring out my most contentious feelings on this finale. Don't get me wrong, Miorine, at last, getting so fed up with the bureaucratic business complex that she just dissolves the whole thing is, itself, a perfect capstone to her arc and a reasonable place for G-Witch's capitalistic criticisms to lead to. But beyond that, there's perfunctory, and then there's this move immediately resolving everything including the Space Assembly League's moves, the influence of Peil Technologies, Elan Prime's always-nebulous place in the narrative, and even getting the Dawn of Fold to stand down! It all wholly confirms just how ancillary aspects like the Assembly League or the Dawn of Fold were, meant to be but plot devices that could provide character development to people like Guel, or as mere facilitators of some kind of big finale-level threat, without really getting to explore the ideas of government overreach or anti-corporate terrorism as they were nominally designed for. These elements will likely stick out as the most wasted upon going back and rewatching this show.
If many of the mechanical story elements of this finale felt like they had to manually flip dominoes down instead of letting them knock each other over naturally—they do get the presentation of it all right along the way. As they should, with a reported over 90 key animators working on this thing, not that G-Witch was ever in any sort of time-crunched production crisis, oh no. The raw tone of it all, the vibes land perfectly, with particular mind paid to strong shots of the robots like Calibarn and all the framing and superimposing of Eri over it all. Given that the genesis of this plot was about letting her exist more substantially in the world, it feels appropriate that Ericht has her interactions be what brings everything together and effectively fixes it all by the end. She's had an ethereal presence in the story since before we were entirely sure she was canned in the Aerial, so having her presence put in as more palpable at the very end is probably the most effectively realized through-line this finale gets.
Since finishing the episode and writing through this review, I've gone back and forth on if I would have preferred The Witch from Mercury to have swung for the fences with a more ambitious finish, even as that might have wound up crashing and burning, versus this casual little hop-off into a guaranteed, but unsurprising, stuck landing that we got. It fits its influences, anyway, as Shakespeare's comedies like The Tempest (tragically influenced and more romantic as that one even was) weren't not known for tying things up tidily by their final curtain. To that end, the final resolution of G-Witch's the three-years-later epilogue (hey, same as Birdie Wing !) is easily its most crowd-pleasing. Sure, it's only a little galling that Prospera seemingly gets off scot-free and is allowed to retire to Suletta's big farm upstate. But Suletta and Miorine are happily married, and Eri is still around as some sort of cyber-spirit serving as an adorably snarky sister-in-law. And I got to see Secelia in business wear, meaning I, personally, absolutely won.
Honestly, the most radical, shocking thing about G-Witch's ending might be how definitive of an ending it is. The titling around this episode and its multiple end cards make abundantly clear that things are exceedingly done, with virtually no ramps left open. You almost have to respect the people behind it for committing that hard to not milking the series, even as I suspect we'll be seeing many additional model kits trotted out based on this series for years to come. But a complete story, in this franchise , in this medium, is an appreciably rare thing. G-Witch maybe didn't entirely live up to its potential, but it didn't squander it all or the goodwill it courted from fans either. The ride this series took us on over the past year was the most interesting thing about it, so perhaps landing at a destination so satisfying it winds up unsatisfying was the best we could have hoped for in getting there.
Chris is keeping busy keeping up with the new anime season, and is excited to have you along. You can also find him writing about other stuff over on his blog, as well as spamming fanart retweets on his Twitter, for however much longer that lasts.
Disclosure: Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc. (Sunrise) is a non-controlling, minority shareholder in Anime News Network Inc.
Since finishing the episode and writing through this review, I've gone back and forth on if I would have preferred The Witch from Mercury to have swung for the fences with a more ambitious finish, even as that might have wound up crashing and burning, versus this casual little hop-off into a guaranteed, but unsurprising, stuck landing that we got. It fits its influences, anyway, as Shakespeare's comedies like The Tempest (tragically influenced and more romantic as that one even was) weren't not known for tying things up tidily by their final curtain. To that end, the final resolution of G-Witch's the three-years-later epilogue (hey, same as Birdie Wing !) is easily its most crowd-pleasing. Sure, it's only a little galling that Prospera seemingly gets off scot-free and is allowed to retire to Suletta's big farm upstate. But Suletta and Miorine are happily married, and Eri is still around as some sort of cyber-spirit serving as an adorably snarky sister-in-law. And I got to see Secelia in business wear, meaning I, personally, absolutely won.
Along the way, she encountered mythical creatures and faced many challenges. Finally, Amelia arrived at a hidden cave where a wise old wizard resided. The wizard had been searching for someone pure-hearted enough to break the curse. He revealed to Amelia that she must find the lost ancient artifact known as the "Crystal of Hope" to break the curse. With newfound hope in her heart, Amelia set out on her quest to find the Crystal of Hope. She ventured deep into the enchanted forest, where magical beings guided her to its whereabouts. After many trials and tribulations, she finally found the crystal hidden deep within a hidden cavern. But breaking the curse was not as simple as possessing the Crystal of Hope. Amelia had to embark on a dangerous mission to the top of the tallest mountain in the kingdom. It was said that only at the peak of the mountain, under the light of a full moon, could the curse be shattered. With the Crystal of Hope in her possession, Amelia climbed the treacherous mountain. The wind howled, and the cold bit at her skin, but she pressed on with unwavering determination. Finally, at the peak, as the full moon rose overhead, Amelia held the crystal high. A blinding light engulfed the land as the curse shattered into a million pieces. The kingdom rejoiced as the clouds dispersed, and the sun shone brighter than ever before. The rivers flowed once again, and life returned to the land. Amelia, hailed as a hero, was loved and respected by her people. She had not only saved her kingdom but also proved that love, courage, and hope could overcome the darkest of curses. From that day forward, Amelia ruled with compassion and fairness, ensuring that her people would never suffer again. And so, the tale of the curse was transformed into a legend, a reminder that no matter how dire the circumstances may seem, there will always be hope for a brighter tomorrow. The end..
Reviews for "Unlocking the Secrets of the Cuese Through Archaeology"
1. John - 2 stars - I had high hopes for "Once upon a cuese", but unfortunately, it didn't meet my expectations. The story felt disjointed, and the characters lacked depth. I found myself struggling to stay engaged throughout the film. Additionally, the pacing was off, with certain scenes dragging on while others felt rushed. Overall, I was disappointed with this movie and wouldn't recommend it.
2. Sarah - 1 star - "Once upon a cuese" was a complete letdown. The plot was confusing and difficult to follow, with random subplots that didn't contribute much to the overall story. The acting was also subpar, with wooden performances from the main cast. I was hoping for an enthralling and captivating experience, but instead, I was left feeling underwhelmed and bored. Save your time and skip this one.
3. Mike - 2.5 stars - I found "Once upon a cuese" to be underwhelming. The narrative lacked coherence, and the script felt convoluted. The film tried to be quirky and whimsical, but it ended up being confusing and pretentious. The performances were decent, but they couldn't salvage the weak storyline. Overall, I didn't connect with this movie, and it left me wanting more substance and cohesion.
4. Emily - 2 stars - I had high hopes for "Once upon a cuese", but it fell flat for me. The story was confusing, and the characters lacked development. The film seemed to prioritize style over substance, with flashy visuals and quirky cinematography that didn't add much to the overall experience. I also found the ending unsatisfying and felt like many loose ends were left untied. Overall, I was disappointed with this movie and wouldn't recommend it to others.
5. David - 1 star - "Once upon a cuese" was a complete mess. The plot was all over the place, making it difficult to follow and connect with the story. The dialogue felt forced and unnatural, and the pacing was off, with unnecessary scenes dragging on. The film seemed to rely too heavily on visual effects rather than focusing on a compelling narrative. I was left feeling confused and unsatisfied after watching this movie.