INTERVIEW 1
Kana Ichinose as Suletta Mercury

TO SHIELD THOSE I HOLD DEAR

【SULETTA, BEARER OF AN HONEST AND RESILIENT HEART】

――― After parting ways with Miorine and Prospera, Suletta somehow managed to pull herself together. Can you imagine the emotions she might have felt during this time?

Ichinose: Miorine had to deliberately push Suletta away to free her from the hidden agenda of Prospera. For Suletta, Miorine was the most trusted person, and given how close they got in such a short time since she transferred to the school, they had developed a unique bond. Miorine was truly an irreplaceable presence.

――― They were a miraculously compatible pair, weren’t they?

Ichinose: I think so. Just imagine the pain Suletta must have felt when this person said coldly, “Goodbye, my Mercurian country bumpkin.” And to make matters worse, she was also separated from Prospera and Aerial, the very pillars of her mental strength, her precious family… Had I been in Suletta’s shoes, I’d be in the depths of despair.

――― I had also hoped Miorine’s true feelings somehow reached Suletta…

Ichinose: As the price for Suletta’s liberation, Miorine had to align herself with Prospera over the Quiet Zero affair. If Suletta were to stay close to Miorine, she’d inadvertently continue to be involved with Prospera. So, I guess Miorine had no choice but to sever all ties with Suletta.

――― Do you think that’s why she used such cold words when parting ways?

Ichinose: Even if it’s just 1%, if a hint of consideration for Suletta was mixed in, I believe she might have held hope in that 1%. From a third party’s objective perspective, I think that perhaps Mio’s words and attitude were correct…

――― Miorine must have uttered those words with a heavy heart…

Ichinose: I think so too. From the perspectives of Suletta, Miorine, and Guel, who knew the circumstances, episode 17 was a painful one to witness.

―――I felt indignant toward Prospera, who paved the way for that scene. Of course, she must have had various thoughts of her own.

Ichinose: I felt the same way. Undeniably, Prospera had lost both her mentor and colleagues in the Vanadis Incident, and even Ericht, all she had left, could only exist within the data storm. For her, the most crucial thing was to grant freedom to Ericht once more… Everything else, including Suletta, was just a means to an end, ready to be discarded. Still, I can’t help but feel that she was overly selfish…

―――It seemed to me that Prospera also felt a kind of affection for Suletta.

Ichinose: Although different from what she felt for Ericht, I think she did harbor feelings of affection. But for Prospera, at the core of all her judgments was Ericht. Even though she nurtured Suletta as family and watched her grow, her purpose was to create a world where Ericht could live freely. This made me question if the reason Suletta was born was solely for this? Is it alright that way?

―――Having lost everything, she may have come to notice the care and support of her friends, starting with Chuchu.

Ichinose: I think so. The fact that she could hold on, without losing heart, in the face of the loss of her loved ones was due to the existence of her Earth House friends who kept supporting her as their friend.

―――Because she had the mental capacity born from her Earth House members, she could understand Martin’s actions, who had no choice but to speak out about Nika to protect Earth, and from there, she could realize Ericht’s true path.

Ichinose: In the end, despite their hidden motives, Suletta is a child who, protected by Prospera and Ericht, has managed to retain her innocent heart. Whether it was innate or because she had an unwavering support system in Prospera and Ericht (Aerial), she had the strength to not break even when faced with despair. This honesty and strength allowed her to perceive the feelings of those around her in the midst of despair, and I believe she was able to understand the actions that Ericht had to take, even if they weren’t the best.

―――Looking back on Season 1, Suletta has always had the courage and straightforwardness to put her feelings into words, even while hiding behind others.

Ichinose: Suletta’s honesty and strength of heart have been portrayed repeatedly, haven’t they? The shocking truth, as Ericht told her, “You’re all repli-children created from my genes,” she was able to accept this and still consider her as her beloved family due to her honesty and resilient heart. Normally, people would scream, cry, or their emotions would take a negative turn.

―――This would be the point where she would never forgive Prospera for creating her solely for Ericht’s sake.

Ichinose: She would either lose the will to do anything and become a living dead or be driven by resentment to seek revenge. But Suletta managed to think, “I don’t want Mom to become some evil magician!” This is something I couldn’t possibly do, so I respect Suletta for her honesty.

【WHAT ARE ERICHT’S TRUE INTENTIONS WHEN FACING SULETTA】

―――Towards the end, there’s a scene where Ericht and Suletta directly confront one another. How do you differentiate between these two characters in your performance?

Ichinose: In the initial scenes featuring Ericht, I was mindful of portraying her with a certain sense of childishness. At that time, I received direction to give Ericht a more ‘subdued’ feel. Thus, while keeping an appropriately childlike voice to match her nature, I have adjusted my approach to convey a sense of composure and a certain reflection on her current circumstances.

―――Each of the 11 children also has distinctive performances that showcase their individuality, don’t they?

Ichinose: Truly, though they’re youthful, I tried to adjust my acting method subtly to bring out the individuality of each character. Some have a softer tone, while others are more assertive.

―――In Episode 18, there was a tense moment where Ericht, the 11 repli-children, and Suletta all gathered in one place.

Ichinose: That scene was quite challenging. I had the luxury of recording Ericht’s and Suletta’s lines separately, which allowed me to fully embody each character during their performances. However, recording all 11 characters at once significantly raised the difficulty level of the performance.

―――Are there any other episodes or scenes that left an impression on you?

Ichinose: Episode 23. The scene where Suletta boards the Gundam Calibarn, which the Space Assembly League has kept hidden, and confronts Ericht. Until their parting in episode 18, Ericht had always been by Suletta’s side, protecting her. However, during this encounter, Ericht is dedicated to achieving Prospera’s goals, and thus she behaves somewhat coldly towards Suletta, who has followed her.

―――This coldness might be emanating Ericht’s sense of despair.

Ichinose: That could be the case. Nevertheless, against Suletta, I couldn’t entirely play it as a complete push away. If it were a confrontation with someone she had no previous ties with, she might have been able to display a stronger sense of rejection. The difficulty was in how to incorporate Ericht’s expressed coldness and inner confusion into the performance.

―――Even while conversing with Suletta, the balance between coldness and confusion changes, doesn’t it?

Ichinose: Yes, it does. As a result of their conversation, Ericht, understanding that Suletta won’t back down, tells her, “If you don’t understand, Suletta, then I won’t hesitate, either.” Among all of Ericht’s lines, this one felt particularly icy.

―――Ericht rejects Suletta to fulfill Prospera’s objective, but how do you think Suletta’s existence has changed for her?

Ichinose: In Ericht’s mind, Suletta might be akin to a beloved sister. However, up to this point in the narrative, Ericht has observed the hardships and losses Prospera has experienced. Therefore, I think Ericht chose to distance herself from Suletta and stay with Prospera. I believe her pushing away of Suletta in episode 18 was out of consideration for her.

―――And yet, Suletta pilots the Calibarn and comes to stop Ericht and Prospera.

Ichinose: Ericht is, as it were, caught between Prospera’s objective and Suletta’s actions. And Ericht herself doesn’t want to involve Suletta. The only way to reconcile Prospera and Ericht’s intentions is for Suletta to withdraw from the battlefield.

【SULETTA’S HEROIC AURA】

――― In Episode 22, it was Suletta who lifted up Miorine, whose heart had been broken after realizing her actions caused numerous casualties.

Ichinose: Miorine had that icy exchange and distanced herself from Suletta. Yet, just as Suletta was able to discern the true intent when Ericht pushed her away, she might have also perceived Miorine’s true feelings. However, I think that she went to see Miorine because she wanted to, regardless of whether Miorine saw her as nothing more than a convenient shield. No matter how coldly she was treated, even if that was Miorine’s true feelings, Suletta loved and cherished her. I believe that only after understanding her feelings could she approach Miorine.

――― In Episode 20, when the school was again engulfed in war, I suppose Suletta realized the significance of “what we can do now.”

Ichinose: It was from there that Suletta was able to act according to her feelings. Looking back at the lives she had inadvertently taken, she admitted to Miorine, “I’ve made mistakes, too. I’ve killed people.” She then accepted her guilt and showed her determination to keep moving forward, saying, “Whether it was right or wrong, what I’ve done can’t be taken back. Even if there’s nothing to gain, I have to move forward.” This was something Suletta couldn’t have done when she was pushed away by Miorine. I couldn’t have imagined her growth. With a deep sense of sentiment, I performed this scene, feeling that she had finally become a heroine worthy of being the “Witch from Mercury.”

――― After Episode 20, the actions of Elan (Enhanced Person No. 5) and Lauda were full of surprises, which made their characters seem more complex.

Ichinose: Episode 20 was notable for the exchange of words between Elan and Norea. As Gundam pilots, death is always close to them, so I felt there was something they could empathize with. Initially, when Elan (Enhanced Person No. 5) first appeared and was making passes at Suletta, I thought, “What an annoying guy” (laughs), but I realized that he was a desperate human being trying to survive.

――― Elan, too, had a resilient spirit.

Ichinose: Perhaps there were people who thought Elan would board the Schwarzette in order to avenge Norea and cause havoc. But it wasn’t an enraged Suletta or Elan, but Lauda who ended up on the Schwarzette… That was truly an unexpected development.

――― After Guel returns to the school, we see that Lauda is affected by the reactions of the Jeturk House residents. I didn’t expect it to unfold this way.

Ichinose: I think Lauda may have had his thoughts about the changes in his brother Guel and his own inability to replace him. I think it was good that the explosion of these feelings allowed the brothers to confront each other with their true feelings.

【THE BEST BOUT: GUEL VS SHADDIQ?】

――― Speaking of confronting each other with true feelings, there’s also Shaddiq in Episode 20, right?

Ichinose: The battle between Guel and Shaddiq in Episode 20 was particularly intense and exciting. These two characters are like mirror images of each other; Guel was born as the heir to the Jeturk Corporation, whereas Shaddiq, an orphan from Earth, has become the adopted child of the CEO of Grasley Corporation, Sarius. They have opposite personalities; Guel takes things straight on and acts according to his emotions, while Shaddiq always analyzes and carefully considers his actions. The two fought while revealing their true feelings for each other, hidden deep within their hearts.

――― Shaddiq’s true feelings were finally expressed in that impactful episode.

Ichinose: In his fight with Guel, Shaddiq finally begins to reveal his true feelings through passionate words. Shaddiq, who had to trample on others and climb up to survive, was also desperately trying to survive. The more I understood this, the more I liked him. Shaddiq, Elan, Lauda, and of course, Guel, by depicting not only their surface-level character but also their backgrounds, the story adds depth to the characters and earns the viewers’ affection and empathy. I think that’s the charm of the show.

――― “The Witch from Mercury” is approaching its climax.

Ichinose: Since the start of Season 2, Suletta has grown to embody the qualities of a protagonist, overcoming separations from her loved ones and other challenges. Even in the final episode, I expect to see her unique decisions and actions. Ultimately, I hope that Suletta will turn Prospera into something other than a “wicked witch” and deliver true happiness to Ericht. I myself don’t yet know how the final episode will unfold, but I believe that everyone will be smiling in the end. Thank you for your continued support.