Another amazing opportunity to draw for the amazing fanfic author @violet-fire-cat as part of the @hermitshippingbigbang!
Their stardew-valley inspired ethubs fanfic "Spring Blossoms" is sooo freaking cute and I was so excited drawing for it, that i put my old comic skills to the test :D
It occurs to me after analyzing the first cour of G-Witch and basking in my nostalgia for Gundam Wing, that Miorine Rembran wouldn't exist without Relena Darlian/Peacecraft. I've been germinating on this idea since Mio founded GUND-ARM but now that ep12 has aired, I'm convinced. How, you might ask? That's a good question.
On the surface, they have very little in common. So much so that you could say Miorine is a deliberate subversion of the Relena we initially see. Whereas Mio is unapologetically quick-tempered, prideful, rebellious, and loathes her father/his business. Relena isn't any of this. She begins Wing as naive, spoiled, and adores her father. She's also outwardly popular and charismatic, something Miorine is decidedly not.
But what do they have in common? Quite a few things as it turns out, and I suspect a great deal more we have yet to see.
The Meet-Cute and Instant Connection
The initial meeting between Suletta/Miorine and Heero/Relena feels intentionally mirrored. Miorine is the one who's assisted in G-Witch but in Wing Relena tries to help a very non-appreciative Heero. And where Sulemio are in space, the latter are on a beach.
Flash forward to them meeting again at school. Suletta is apologetic and submissive, but Heero threatens to kill Relena after she invites him to her birthday party. Take note, all of these events happen in the first episode and establish Relena and Miorine's interest. Miorine is inspired, learning Suletta's philosophy and taking strength from it, and Relena is just a weirdo (affectionate) who's intrigued by Heero but both are drawn near instantly to their respective pilots.
Shared Prominence and Status
Both serve as the princess of their respective narrative. Relena, as a hidden survivor of the Peacecraft family/kingdom, was taken in by her adoptive father in secrecy. Miorine is a metaphorical princess but no less valid considering Delling's king-like rule over Benerit.
We see evidence of this in how their classmates treat them. Reverence in Relena's case and disdain in Moirine's, though for the latter it's clear that her prickly personality plays a major part.
Pacifism
Something that Relena infamously gets flack for is her ideals of complete pacifism. Those who watch G-Witch know that Miorine only adopts a peaceful use for the GUND format second-hand, in place of Belmeria and Dr. Cardo. But what people don't talk about is that these aren't initially Relena's ideals in the first place. She only takes up the torch after her father is murdered in a terrorist attack (sound familiar?), continuing his and her departed biological family's dream of pacifism. And even then, she isn't fully committed to pacifism until much later and attempted to murder her father's killer.
As for Miorine, her intent is noble but undeniably stems in part from her rebelling against Delling and adopting his methods. She doesn't want to follow his path of being a military profiteer. This is the inverse of Relena who adopts pacifism initially as a means of honoring her father. It's insane how much Miorine uses Relena's characterization as a platform before Okouchi places his own twist.
Conclusion
I wouldn't be surprised if the events of G-Witch episode 12 led to Miorine adopting pacifism, not just as a means of revolt, but in response to the terrorist attack upon the plant—and seeing the visceral result of violence courtesy of Suletta.
Now Gundam Wing+Endless Waltz+Frozen Teardrop vets know that Heero/Relena eventually had a happy ending, Relena girlbossing her way through in the process. I'm hoping Mio will follow in her predecessor's steps though it wouldn't be the first time Okouchi decided to throw a wrench in her archetype. Looking at you, Euphemia li Britannia Just so you know, my memory is murky on Wing details so there could be more juxtaposition/similarities and I just forgot.
Until April, I'll be in awe over the show's execution and subversion of a longtime favorite, Relena Peacecraft, and the clever significance of Miorine Rembran.
So I went to a uni thing and painted plates (but it was just off brand posca pens lmao) and I did this. So this is the progress and that is what I used as a reference lmao
the way I accidentally scrolled down just far enough in the transcript to see the name “gerry” a couple seconds before he spoke and had to stop myself from squealing while listening in public