TheGundam.info official siteannounced on Friday thatMobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercurywill delay the streaming release of its 12th episode by one day. Citing the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on production, it confirmed that the episode will still air on Japanese TV in its normally scheduled Sunday slot. However, services that normally stream the series at the same time will see their release delayed to Monday.Gundam: The Witch From Mercury began airing on October 2, though it debuted earlier with a prequel special streamed on September 1. It is the latest entry in the long-running Mobile Suit Gundam mecha anime series, and the first main television series in the franchise with a female protagonist. This 12th, now-delayed episode will be the final one in the show’s first part, with the second part set to begin airing in April.RELATED:Tokyo Revengers Season 2 Release Date & How To Watch
This delay is hardly the first for Gundam: The Witch From Mercury. The broadcast of the seventh episode was previously delayed from its November 13 airing, with a compiled recap episode broadcast in its place. The anime then suspended its airing on December 18 due to year-end special programming from Japanese channel TBS, and again on January 1 in deference to overall Japanese New Year’s specials. It all affords The Witch From Mercury the unique distinction of being one of the first anime of the fall 2022 season to begin airing, but the last to finish.
Despite these numerous delays, and the production problems rumored behind some of them, Gundam: The Witch From Mercury has persisted in its success as a Gundam entry. The 11th episode, aired on December 25, wasreported as trending on Twitterat the time with more than 200,000 mentions, with the show persisting on social media as a subject of fan-art and discussion. The current hope is that this upcoming, if delayed, finish for the first part allows the staff behind it to catch up before the series returns in April. A more consistent, uninterrupted airing would be preferable for both the series and the fans who are enjoying it.
