Heavy Object

Episode 15

Well, so much for Baby Magnum being out of commission. After the beating it took in the previous story arc, I expected that Milinda's giant ball of death would be on the sidelines for at least a little while. It looks like my expectations were all kinds of wrong, because it's running on all cylinders (assuming Object engines even have cylinders) this week. I guess the maintenance team works at the same pace as a racing car's pit crew.

This episode opens with Frolaytia breaking up a source of contraband within her unit: Qwenthur and Havia's well stocked supply of dirty magazines. As punishment for their misdeeds, the guys are assigned to a chilly outdoor demolition mission as the team returns to Alaska. Their country is still in the process of salvaging valuable equipment from the wreck of the first Object Qwenthur and Havia destroyed, but a familiar foe has arrived to steal the treasure trove of technology. Milinda goes head to head with the haughty pilot of Rush, who the guys have nicknamed “Ohoho” because of her annoying laugh. The battle ends with serious damage to both Objects' main weapons, meaning Qwenthur and Havia must find a way to sabotage Rush while Baby Magnum gets repaired. After repurposing some equipment from the debris field, Qwenthur manages to sneak aboard Rush and corner its pilot.

After a few long-range battles and fights against unconventional enemies, it's refreshing to see an all-out fight between two Objects. The appeal of this series may be in watching Qwenthur and Havia come up with unique strategies, but there's something satisfying about watching Milinda and Baby Magnum cut loose with the big guns. The battle scene features some strong visuals, thanks in part to Heavy Object's lovingly detailed explosion effects. The ongoing trash talk between the two pilots is also entertaining, since it gives Milinda a chance to ditch her cool and collected persona and get into a shouting match with someone.

It wouldn't be Heavy Object without some nerdy technical details, and Qwenthur's running commentary on the battle provides some useful exposition without getting too long-winded. The salvage operation is interesting from a world-building perspective, since it lets us see what happens in the aftermath of an Object battle. This adds a little more depth to the show's big picture and gives the audience a better idea of how the characters' actions affect the world around them. The strategy of having Qwenthur and Havia block off the enemy's path through the mountains is easy enough to follow, and Qwenthur's improvised set of climbing magnets doesn't seem too far-fetched. This is the kind of space that Heavy Object is good at occupying: it goes into more detail than the average mecha series, but the extra information feels like it adds to the story instead of distracting us from the action.

The show's occasional habit of throwing extra fanservice into the mix returns this week, though its seems like Heavy Object has gotten a little better at walking the line. It's pretty obvious that the team's briefing only takes place around a pool table as an excuse to include some gratuitous shots of Frolaytia, but the scene gives off the impression that she's choosing to mess with Qwenthur and Havia here. The writing doesn't try to force too much flirty banter into the conversation, and the effort at including some sex appeal shares space with the narrative instead of derailing it. If you're going to include fanservice in a mostly serious show, this is one of the better ways to do it.

This story arc features another attempt at pairing a human face with an otherwise anonymous enemy Object, and “Ohoho” has proven to be reasonably entertaining thus far. Instead of acting as a mouthpiece for an opposing worldview, her role in this episode is mainly to annoy Milinda and give us a view into how the enemy forces are reacting to the Baby Magnum crew's strategy. When judged based on those priorities, she's working out fine: she's entertaining as an antagonist, but still competent enough to pose a threat to the heroes. This puts her above average as far as villains in Heavy Object go, though that isn't an especially high bar to clear.

All things considered, the show's return to its first location is looking like a successful one for now. Heavy Object has done plenty of things well in the past, but it's often had trouble doing everything well at the same time. This episode serves as a reminder that this can be a pretty good show when all of its parts are working together in harmony. Maintaining that level of quality over the next couple of weeks could easily make this story arc into one of the best in the series.

Rating: B+

Heavy Object is currently streaming on Funimation.

Paul Jensen is a freelance writer and editor. You can follow more of his anime-related ramblings on Twitter.