Heavy Object

Episode 4

I think I know why I like Heavy Object despite its various flaws, and the reason stems from the way I used to play giant robot games like the MechWarrior series in my younger years. For every hour I spent actually playing the game, I probably spent three or four hours obsessively customizing and field-testing my walking death machines. I loved trying to find the ideal mix of weapons and equipment for every conceivable situation, and Heavy Object speaks to those geeky instincts. This show focuses almost exclusively on how the characters go about defeating their enemies, often without bothering to explain why the audience should care. From a critical standpoint, it drives me nuts. On a more personal level, I'm actually enjoying the weekly barrages of unnecessary mechanical insights.

This episode moves the cast from Alaska to the much less chilly Mediterranean, where they're tasked with intercepting an enormous floating Object. Qwenthur and Havia are feeling optimistic at first; Milinda and her Object are on hand to back them up, and they've managed to get their hands on some high-tech explosives. That confidence fades in a hurry once the enemy blows through their forces without breaking a sweat, and the guys are forced to improvise their way through yet another battle. Their attempt at boarding the Object doesn't go well, but Milinda might be able to save the day as long as she doesn't accidentally kill her new friends in the crossfire.

The change of scenery offers some new visuals and forces the characters to adopt some new tactics, but Heavy Object's thick veil of technical terms remains the same. Qwenthur and Havia geek out over the astronomical cost of their new gear, marvel at the miracles of engineering that keep the enemy Object afloat, and generally spend the entire episode acting like the technicians they are. It looks like the show is going to stick with this meticulous, dialogue-heavy approach to action throughout the series, and your reaction to that decision will factor heavily into how much fun you have. If the dialogue is mostly just jargon and nonsense to your ears, now may be a good time to run for the hills. If you enjoy all these technical details, however, it's possible to get swept up in the world that Heavy Object creates. For the time being, everything seems to hold together reasonably well, and the animation provides an abundance of mechanical details to gawk at.

Qwenthur and Havia remain a strong lead duo, and the series continues relying on them to put a human face on these otherwise impersonal battles. I like their tendency to buck the recent trend of ultra-competent heroes: Qwenthur's plans are clever without being absurdly brilliant, and Havia is hardly the toughest soldier on the battlefield. They're clearly in over their heads, which makes the outcome feel less certain and opens the door for some entertaining banter. Apart from another moment of blatantly superfluous fanservice, Milinda's prospects as a main character are also improving this week. She's back in her giant Death Ball, which means she can actually play a part in this storyline instead of just following the guys around and getting captured by the enemy. Depending on how the next few episodes play out, we could have a fairly compelling group of main characters on our hands.

The one area where Heavy Object continues to miss the mark is in developing the big picture behind its carefully plotted battles. It's fine that the characters don't know everything about what their leaders are doing, but I still haven't been given a good reason to care about which fictional nation comes out on top. We get a brief lecture on how the enemy Object is supposedly helping terrorist groups, but that doesn't offer a tangible sense of what's at stake here. Who are the bad guys, and why are they bad? What happens if the good guys decide to give up and desert? I'm pretty sure I've gotten more thorough explanations from the thirty-second cutscenes that first-person shooter games make you watch between missions.

There's still plenty of room for improvement, but Heavy Object is slowly moving in the right direction. Its obsessively technical approach to storytelling won't suit all tastes, but it works reasonably well if you're in the right mood. The central cast is building nicely on its initial strengths, and the series doesn't make any new mistakes in this episode. It's safe to say that this is a niche show, but I'm cautiously optimistic that it will serve its target audience well. Something remotely resembling an actual antagonist would sure be a big help, though.

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.