Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe finally hit theaters on January 30, 2026. This is the second installment in the highly anticipated trilogy, and I’m here to deliver a spoiler-heavy review from the perspective of a die-hard Gundam nerd.
As a fan of the franchise and the original novels, I want to dive into what moments really landed and how they compare to the source material. The internet—especially X (formerly Twitter)—has been on fire with hot takes and theories, but now that the dust has settled, I want to break down my thoughts calmly.
<Warning: This article contains major spoilers for Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe. Read at your own risk.>
Building a Foundation Only to Shatter It: The Brilliance of Omission
Since its release on January 30, The Sorcery of Nymph Circe has been absolutely crushing it at the box office, surpassing the already massive success of the first chapter. Naturally, as a Gundam fan, I was there day one, and let me tell you... I was blown away in every sense of the word.
When I saw the first movie, I was one of those people screaming about the weight and realism of the Messer vs. Gustav Karl fight. The animation team seemed obsessed with the question, "What would happen if Mobile Suits were real?" and that intensity radiated through the screen.
That first battle was special because it focused on the sheer terror of Mobile Suits from a civilian perspective—arguably the most effective use of that viewpoint in Gundam history. Now, The Sorcery of Nymph Circe adapts the middle section of the original novels, as expected.
This chapter is dense. You’ve got a massive cast, constant scene changes, and political maneuvering within the Earth Federation that goes way beyond just "Mafty vs. The Feds." Plus, Hathaway’s interpersonal relationships are a mess. To be honest, if you’re coming in fresh without reading the novels, keeping track of the flow might be a challenge.
Since I’ve read the books, I knew the plot beats. My biggest curiosity going in was, "How on earth are they going to translate that density into a movie?"
Watching the first half, I thought I had their game plan figured out: "Okay, they are showing us the daily life of the Mafty crew to make us fall in love with them, so it hurts more when they die later." (I was partly right, but the movie had a crueler trick up its sleeve).
The scenes aboard the Valiant, Mafty's mother ship, were the perfect example. We got a crystal-clear look at the crew's chemistry and how Hathaway interacts with his comrades.
I was particularly shocked by the glow-up of Hala Morley, the Messer pilot. In the novels, she wasn't exactly a main player, but here? She’s incredibly cute and has a catchy visual design that makes her stand out among the pilots. I bet a lot of you walked away remembering her name specifically.
However, because I knew the source material, I knew the Valiant was doomed to sink, and Hala was destined to die. So, while watching the intro, I was bracing myself: "Here it comes. They're setting up a dramatic, tear-jerking death scene for the climax..."
But as you now know, my prediction was dead wrong. The sinking of the Valiant and Hala’s death were barely shown on screen. There were only vague hints that led you to realize, "Wait, did that just happen?"
They could have added an anime-original last stand. They could have given Hala a hero's death. But they chose not to. Instead, Hathaway—and the audience—finds out about the tragedy later, through second-hand reports. It was grounded, cold, and incredibly realistic.
The novels handled it largely the same way, but because the movie made the crew and Hala so memorable, the sudden, unceremonious loss hit different. It captured the painful impermanence of war perfectly.
Confirmed: A Sequel to "Char's Counterattack," Not "Beltorchika's Children"
The biggest shock for me came during the climax: the battle between the Ξ (Xi) Gundam and Lane’s new unit, the Alyzeus.
The Alyzeus appears to be a training unit deployed before the Penelope arrived, and its form is strikingly similar to the Penelope. At first, I was thinking, "Is that the Penelope? It looks slightly off..." But then, from the inside, a Mass Production Type ν (Nu) Gundam popped out. I nearly fell out of my chair.
The trailers had teased a brief cut of a Nu Gundam firing its vulcans, so I had a hunch we might see it, but I assumed it would be a flashback.
When I first saw it in the theater, I didn't even realize it was a Mass Production type. I thought, "Did they secretly keep the Nu Gundam Unit 2?"
Here’s the brilliance of the visual storytelling: When the Alyzeus gets half-wrecked by the Xi Gundam, it’s left with one shelf nozzle on its back and a single beam saber rack. The resulting silhouette looks exactly like Amuro’s Nu Gundam. Hathaway starts hallucinating Amuro and the Nu Gundam, and honestly, I was seeing it too.
If both shelf nozzles had broken off, Hathaway might not have spiraled into that panic.
This scene was crucial because it explicitly confirmed that this movie is a sequel to the theatrical version of Char's Counterattack, not the novel version, Beltorchika's Children. In the Beltorchika timeline (which the Hathaway novels were based on), Amuro’s partner is Beltorchika Irma, and Hathaway kills Quess Paraya himself to save Amuro.
In the movie timeline, Quess dies saving Hathaway, and in a fit of rage, Hathaway murders Chan Agi (Amuro's lover). This changes the nature of his trauma entirely.
I felt that movie-Hathaway seemed much more mentally unstable than his novel counterpart, and this timeline clarification explains why. In Beltorchika's Children, his guilt is complex but understandable. In the movie timeline, he not only bears the guilt of Quess's death but also the weight of committing friendly fire and murdering the woman his hero loved.
Whatever mental gymnastics he’s doing, carrying the guilt of "killing an ally" and "betraying Amuro" justifies his deteriorating mental state. If the novel version of Hathaway had fought the Alyzeus and seen that silhouette, he probably wouldn't have hallucinated Amuro and Nu Gundam in the same way.
In Char's Counterattack, Amuro warns Hathaway, "You'll be dragged down by the dead." It is incredibly ironic that Amuro himself has become one of the ghosts doing the dragging.
The ending is open to interpretation: Was that final conversation a pure hallucination of a broken mind, or was it a "Newtype moment" across time? If it’s just Hathaway’s delusion giving himself permission to move on, that is devastatingly bleak.
The "IF" Scenario from the Novels Comes to Life
Seeing Lane Aim at the battle was a hype moment for novel readers.
In the original text, neither the Alyzeus nor Lane appears at this stage. The fight ends after Hathaway downs the Gustav Karls. The novel actually mentions this as a hypothetical: "If Kenneth had sent Lane and the Penelope to that location, Mafty would likely have been annihilated."
Kenneth, being a realist, trusted Gigi’s intuition enough to send two Gustav Karls as escorts, but not enough to deploy his ace. He didn't fully buy that a new Gundam-class Mobile Suit (the Xi) was actually there.
The movie flips the script. Lane shows up at Ayers Rock.
Whether this was Kenneth’s direct order or Lane acting on his own is ambiguous (Lane sounds like he’s there on his own accord, but it could be him rationalizing an unreasonable order). Either way, it felt like the movie was bringing that "IF" scenario from the book to life.
Having recently re-read the novels, I was screaming internally, "Lane is actually here?!" Hathaway still wins, but since Lane wasn't piloting the Penelope, it avoids contradicting the power scaling. It essentially preserves the "What if he had the Penelope?" debate for later.
Also, Lane is just such a great character in this film.
He frees the hostage Gauman because he got taunted—classic rookie behavior. We see glimpses of his "youth" in the first movie, but here, his disdain for "adults" (specifically Kenneth) is front and center.
The fight emphasizes this contrast perfectly. Lane tries to win with a fair, frontal assault/duel, while Hathaway uses every dirty trick in the book to toy with him. It’s a battle between a "pure child" and a "dirty adult." It establishes a genuine rivalry between them.
Will Lane remain a child, or will he learn to fight like an adult? All eyes are on Part 3 for that conclusion.
More Than a Triangle: The Messy, Adult Romance of Hathaway, Gigi, and Kenneth
The relationships here are messy—and I mean that as a compliment. It’s not just a triangle between Hathaway, Gigi, and Kenneth; you throw Kelia Dace and Mace Flower into the mix, and it becomes a tangled web of toxic adult romance.
The standout moment was undoubtedly the confrontation between Gigi and Mace. Mace throws some shade, Gigi whispers a counter-attack, and Mace—furious—slaps her and storms out. We never hear what Gigi said.
The novel writes out the dialogue explicitly, and trust me, it is a savage burn. I love that the movie decided to mute it. By leaving it to the viewer's imagination, the scene lands with way more impact.
Then there's Hathaway. He’s torn between his mission, his history with Kelia, and his uncontrollable "lust" for Gigi. This internal conflict is the core of The Sorcery of Nymph Circe. It deconstructs the Gundam protagonist trope—no matter how high-minded your ideals are, you’re still just a flawed human being with base desires.
Contrast this with Kenneth. He has a mistress (Mace) but keeps Gigi around with absolutely zero guilt. He’s attained a level of shamelessness that is almost impressive. Hathaway plays the adult against Lane, but against Kenneth? Hathaway is just a kid being outplayed.
And Gigi... Reina Ueda’s voice acting is perfect. You completely understand why Hathaway would risk it all for her. She has a terrifying, magical charisma.
Funny enough, despite being the "mysterious girl," Gigi is arguably the most socially functional and sensible person among the three of them.
The Reveal of the "Gundam Face" and Hopes for the Finale
Finally, that ending. The mask of the Xi Gundam breaks, revealing the traditional "Gundam Face" underneath.
In the original novel illustrations, the Xi had a different head shape. However, recent video games and model kits have been using this redesigned "Gundam Face" version for years.
I first encountered Hathaway's Flash through the game SD Gundam G Generation F, so this design actually feels more nostalgic to me than the original book art. My prediction for the final chapter? The Xi Gundam will get a repaint into the classic Tricolor scheme to fully embrace its Gundam heritage. (And if they play the theme song "The Name is Mafty Navue Erin," I will absolutely cry).
I’ve been asking "Where is the sequel?" for years, until The Sorcery of Nymph Circe was released. But now that there’s only one chapter left... I’m terrified. We all know that ending is coming. How will they depict the most iconic scene in the series?
As a fan, I’ll be there to witness it until the very end.
About "Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe"
Synopsis
U.C. 0105, twelve years after Char's Rebellion. "Mafty," an organization resisting the oppressive Earth Federation Government through the assassination of high-ranking officials, has begun its operations. The leader's true identity is Hathaway Noa, son of Bright Noa, who fought alongside Amuro Ray in the One Year War.
Hathaway finds his trauma resurfacing due to Gigi Andalusia, a girl who possesses mysterious powers. While being swayed by her words, he proceeds with his objective as Mafty: the preparation for the raid on the Adelaide Conference.
Meanwhile, Kenneth Sleg of the Earth Federation Forces prepares his own support strategy for the conference and plans to annihilate Mafty, while being offered a secret pact by Handley Yeoksam of the Criminal Police Organization. As Hathaway and Kenneth move towards their respective goals, Gigi also departs for Hong Kong to fulfill her own role.
Cast
Hathaway Noa: Kensho Ono
Gigi Andalusia: Reina Ueda
Kenneth Sleg: Junichi Suwabe
Lane Aim: Soma Saito
Gauman Nobil: Kenjiro Tsuda
Iram Masam: Shunsuke Takeuchi
Kelia Dace: Saori Hayami
Brinks Wedge: Hiroshi Shirokuma
Julia Suga: Anna Nagase
Hala Morley: Manaka Yamazaki
Betsy: Hinata Sato
Rod Heinn: Kazuki Kyan
Lawest Heinrich: Taiki Yamashita
Chuchai Korman: Shinya Takahashi
Josef Sedi: Tomoaki Kanze
Ridrick: Shuichi Uchida
Bilantes Swecken: Hayato Inomata
Drab Rid: Taihi Kimura
Bright Noa: Ken Narita
Mirai Noa: Satomi Arai
(C) SOTSU / SUNRISE
© Animate Times
*Some parts of this text have been translated using machine translation
