Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway (2021)
Like Unicorn—and actually set several years after that series—you’ll get more out of this movie if you have the contextual knowledge of the first four entries in Gundam’s Universal Century timeline: the 1979 series, Zeta, Double Zeta, and Char’s Counterattack. Especially that last one, as Hathaway’s titular protagonist is older version of a child who plays a prominent role in that film. But at the same time, you can still get what you need to out of the film without that context—it will just be more greatly appreciated.
That context is actually primarily something Witch From Mercury often hinted at, but also largely left at the fringes of its story—the socio-political relationship between the people who live on Earth and the people who have colonized space. The first movie in a planned trilogy, Hathaway leans much, much more on this exploration of the state of the world than it does giant robot fights (it does have one outstanding one in particular, though). So while you don’t have the full story yet, if you liked the ideas Witch From Mercury laid out about its worldbuilding but were disappointed it didn’t dive deeper, you’ll find something to chew on here.
Where to Watch: Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway is streaming on Netflix.
