Heavy Object

Episode 7

My goodness, is that a genuinely series-long plot? In MY Heavy Object? As ludicrous as it sounds, this episode shows signs of wanting to tell a story that carries over from one international mission to the next. While there's nothing inherently wrong with sticking to self-contained plot arcs, Heavy Object could really benefit from a better sense of what's at risk in its battle scenes. Having the characters fight for something beyond their own survival could bring some much-needed emotional weight to this series. Then again, a mecha-action-slice-of-life show would certainly make for an intriguing genre hybrid.

The crisis in the village comes to a messy end this week, and the shootout has more severe consequences than anyone expected. Deprived of the chance to send a message through the destruction of a small village, the local government plots to unleash their Object on a more heavily populated area. Frolaytia pins the blame for this debacle on an armed journalist who used the confusion of the firefight to attack local troops, but the task force has bigger problems to deal with. Milinda and her temporary ally head out into the desert to investigate signs of an Object powering up. Qwenthur suspects that the reactor signal may be a trap, so he and Havia borrow a jeep and rush off to where they think the Object is really hiding.

The journalist's role in escalating the conflict relies on some seriously shaky logic, but his character is somewhat interesting from a world-building perspective. With Objects rendering conventional troops obsolete, it stands to reason that a significant number of soldiers would find themselves out of a job. The decision to trade a sniper rifle for a camera is an intriguing one, since it puts the guy in a similar position while removing his ability to affect the conflicts that he's now being paid to observe. In this case, the journalist is unable to stand by and watch the attack on the village, leading him to use his rifle instead of his camera. This is the first time Heavy Object has really explored the personal side of the Objects' effects on warfare, and the results are interesting in spite of the somewhat clunky presentation.

Perhaps the best news to come out of this episode is that the series manages to correct some mistakes it made last week. The fanservice quotient has gone back down to a manageable level, and Qwenthur and Havia are able to tackle an actual problem instead of merely standing around and complaining. Pacing continues to be an issue in this storyline, however, as the hunt for the obsolete Object putters along at a leisurely pace. Apart from the opening shootout, there's very little dramatic tension or obvious danger to the main characters. The script lacks the emotional depth and nuanced storytelling needed to sustain such a long lull in the action, and we're overdue for a proper Object fight.

It may be a fleeting glimpse, but we do finally get a look at the big picture near the end of this episode. The images from inside of what appears to be a laboratory suggest that becoming an Object pilot might not be a voluntary career decision. The comment about having several wars “scheduled” for the near future also implies that the protagonists aren't necessarily being sent into combat in the name of national security. The “clean” wars that Objects fight do seem easier to sell to the general public than a messy human conflict, so it'd be interesting to see the series explore the possibility of nations exploiting these conflicts for political or economic gain. Taking the corporate conspiracy route without leaving any gaping plot holes will require some very good writing, but I'm excited by the prospect of Heavy Object forging a stronger connection between its self-contained story arcs.

This week also marks the start of Funimation's broadcast dub for Heavy Object, and the first episode looks reasonably promising. It's hard to make any concrete judgments at this point; this show's first episode is heavy on exposition and light on emotion and human interaction. The actors all appear to fit their roles well, and Justin Briner seems up to the important challenge of delivering Qwenthur's engineering lectures in a convincing manner. The dub script handles all the technobabble without getting too clunky, which certainly helps. The remainder of the Alaska arc will give a more definitive indication of what to expect, but this is a solid start. If you'd rather listen to characters talk about composite armor and energy weapons than read along with the subtitles, the dub should be a viable option.

I'm happy to see Heavy Object explore some new areas of its fictional world, and the course correction on last week's issues comes as a major relief. The series just needs to combine its newly expanded plot with its brainy combat sequences. If Qwenthur, Havia, and Milinda can start blowing stuff up for genuinely convincing reasons, we'll be all set.

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.