Heavy Object

Episode 19

Something strange happened in Heavy Object this week, but it had nothing to do with the plot of the show. For reasons currently unknown to me, a couple of character names were spelled differently in Funimation's subtitles for this episode. Nutsley became Nutsray, Myongli became Myonri, and I briefly thought I'd gone completely insane until I checked those new spellings against last week's episode. I'd guess that the new versions are the correct ones since I can't imagine anyone making that change without a good reason, but I'm uncertain enough that I'll be referring to the villain formerly known as Nutsley as “Nuts” for the duration of this review. After all, if I'm going to be wrong, I might as well have some fun with it.

Qwenthur and Havia's fight against Nuts takes an unexpected turn when a girl from the mining town rushes in and smacks the suit of powered armor with a pickaxe. The ensuing chaos gives the team a chance to split up, and Qwenthur takes the opportunity to set up a trap for their armored foe. A barrage of diamond shrapnel knocks Nuts and his suit out of commission, giving Havia time to sabotage Wing Balancer's radar support system. Qwenthur and Milinda carry out a plan to strike at the enemy Object's weak point, ending the battle without any civilian casualties. Victory is almost snatched from the team's grasp when the supposedly friendly Indigo Plasma opens fire on the mines, but Frolaytia manages to coordinate an evacuation just in time. It seems that the team's next enemy will be an Object from their own country.

One of the more compelling parts of Heavy Object has always been watching Qwenthur come up with crazy ideas for destroying giant robots, and we get a couple of good ones here. The diamond bomb makes for a neat visual of a mech riddled with glimmering projectiles, and it also reminds me of Kirk's improvised cannon from the original Star Trek TV series. I don't know if the similarity was intentional or coincidental, but Heavy Object gets bonus nerd points either way. While it's not nearly as flashy, the plan to sabotage Wing Balancer's ability to land softly is at least easy to follow. It also opens the door for some coordination between Qwenthur and Milinda, who could use more opportunities to banter with one another. In terms of delivering smart mecha action, Heavy Object gets the job done this week.

From a dramatic standpoint, things don't work out quite as well. Having the team watch helplessly as an Object from their nation shoots at civilians could have been a crude but effective emotional play, but the series doesn't follow through. Right as the horror of the scene starts to sink in, Heavy Object turns around and reveals that everyone got away before the attack started. It saves the show from wandering into some dangerously grim territory, but it also cheapens the moment by making the whole thing feel like a lame narrative trick. It might feel less like a bait-and-switch if the escape plan hadn't been so elaborate; did we really need to have the civilians escape in a fleet of submarines that just happened to be sitting around? This is a sloppy scene from beginning to end, and it leaves a bad taste after an otherwise solid episode.

Thankfully, some of that disappointment is covered up by a tantalizing hint at a larger conspiracy, in which Qwenthur and Havia are just a small part of the big picture. Charlotte's report to her mysterious commander suggests that there's some kind of internal conflict brewing in the Legitimate Kingdom, and that the guys' missions have attracted more attention than they realize. If there's some intrigue and espionage in store for future episodes, then I'll be happy to see it. Anything that stirs things up and keeps the plot moving should be a welcome addition to Heavy Object's story.

Apart from one inexplicably boneheaded plot point and some mysterious name changes, this episode is a solid effort for Heavy Object. I'm not sure it's a good sign that I no longer expect particularly smooth or nuanced storylines from this show, but I'm willing to tolerate those weak points as long as the action scenes continue to offer pleasant surprises. On to the next battlefield.

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.