Heavy Object

Episode 24

I wouldn't have predicted this back when Heavy Object first started airing, but I'm actually a little sad to see this show end. Few things win me over quite like a quirky series that gets better over the course of its run, and that's exactly what this one did. I may not miss the silly character names or the frequently misplaced fanservice, but it's not every day that you see meticulous mecha details paired with a genuinely amusing cast. I can only hope that something else steps up to fill that Object-sized hole in the spring season.

Things go downhill in a hurry for Qwenthur and Havia in this episode, as they get caught in the crossfire while trying to intervene in the battle. Their vehicle is totaled, and both of the guys are badly injured, but they survive thanks to a timely rescue from the Battlefield Cleaning Service girls. Their unexpected visit to the Rush unit's field hospital gives Qwenthur a chance to confer with Charlotte and Sladder about how the Mirror of Truth program works. The best option for saving Milinda seems to be damaging the Baby Magnum enough to force it to eject her, but they don't have long before the other rival nations deploy their own Objects. A temporary alliance between the Baby Magnum and Rush crews allows Qwenthur to carry out a plan to disarm the Baby Magnum and save Milinda.

If you strip this episode down to its core structure, you'll find a story about the hero saving the princess, which I suppose justifies some of last week's fairy tale references. With that basic framework in place, it's the details of the rescue that add some interest and originality to the mission. We've got old rivals working together, one last big gamble with the guys acting as decoys, and a reasonably clever technical tie-in to last week's mirror scene. It's not the most elaborate plan that Heavy Object has had the characters carry out, but the sequence as a whole is bolstered by a healthy dose of explosive action. The stakes are high enough to make it feel like a climactic scene, and there's enough firepower being tossed around to keep the mood appropriately intense.

The sense of risk is amplified by Qwenthur and Havia's emergency room visit early on, and their injuries look severe enough to sell the illusion of danger. By nearly killing the guys once, Heavy Object is able to make us wonder if there will be more severe casualties by the end of the episode. However, victory ultimately comes at a pretty low cost to the main characters. Nobody is forced to make any sort of permanent sacrifice to get the job done, and the worst thing that happens to any of the protagonists is that Qwenthur ends up owing Ohoho a favor. From a dramatic standpoint, this last episode never moves beyond standard action series territory.

Heavy Object is more of a genre show than serious drama, so perhaps a universally happy ending is the appropriate choice here. We're here to watch stuff blow up, not have our hearts broken by serious wartime drama. It is satisfying to see the main characters rewarded for their loyalty to one another, and the series does at least acknowledge the larger significance of their actions. Flide's death and Milinda's survival signal a permanent change in this world's rules of warfare, with Objects no longer being seen as invincible. The audience is free to ponder the consequences of that shift, but the show is more interested in having Milinda glide into Qwenthur's arms on her parachute before reuniting the cast for a vacation from the front lines.

That focus on characters over Objects actually says quite a lot about how Heavy Object has evolved since its early episodes. It's gone from a flawed series with a brainy approach to mecha action to a more polished version of itself. Its slightly dorky charms remain intact, but it's gradually improved in writing and character development. I'd still hesitate to recommend it to anyone who doesn't enjoy diving headfirst into fictional technical details, but its intended audience will find a competent show that only gets better over time. This ending is strong enough for me to walk away satisfied, but there's enough momentum left in the story to justify some sort of sequel. For a narrowly focused series like Heavy Object, that's pretty impressive.

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.