Heavy Object

Episode 5

In terms of plot structure, Heavy Object's second story arc reminds me of a Doctor Who episode. A clever, wisecracking oddball stumbles into a dangerous situation, sides with a group of underdogs against a powerful sci-fi antagonist, and ultimately comes up with a clever solution to explain with a smug grin on his face. The two titles don't have much else in common, but they both benefit from following that basic story outline. Watching the little guy win by outsmarting the enemy can be a very satisfying experience, even when the script isn't the best thing ever written.

Milinda steps in to finish the job when Qwenthur and Havia fail to disable the Tri-Core Object, but her older model ends up on the back foot yet again. Instead of trying to wipe out the Baby Magnum with a single shot, the Tri-Core operators focus on disarming Milinda by aiming for her main guns. With things looking grim for the good guys, Qwenthur heads back into the water in search of a way to turn the tide. A few death-defying undersea stunts later, he manages to hit Tri-Core in its weak point, causing the enormous Object to fall apart and sink. There's no rest for the weary though, because our heroes are almost immediately called out to another battlefield.

“Combat engineer” may not be the most obvious career choice for an underdog story, but Heavy Object continues to make it work. I've been pleasantly surprised by this show's ability to back its protagonists into a corner while leaving them a way out that isn't completely ridiculous. Just like in the Alaska storyline, Qwenthur's idea for destroying Tri-Core feels like something that a person with his background and training might actually come up with. It doesn't rely on fictional technobabble that the audience couldn't possibly know, nor does it require a superhuman series of mental calculations to pull off. It seems like Qwenthur and company are winning these battles on merit instead of relying on the fact that the narrative requires them to succeed and move on to the next enemy. Any giant robot show that can be described as “believable” in any context has to be doing something right.

Depending on how you look at it, Heavy Object is either sticking to its strengths or starting to get stuck in a predictable formula. With two storylines in the books, I already feel like I know exactly what to expect from the rest of the season. Milinda will continue to fight losing battles against more advanced Objects, and it will be up the guys to bail her out with a brilliant plan each time. No matter how well the brains over brawn approach may work in a sci-fi context, even the most tech-savvy series needs to introduce a little variety from time to time. Now that the audience is getting used to the formula, it's going to get tougher and tougher for the show to sell the idea that the good guys might lose the next fight. That means less tension and ultimately less fun.

I'm a little disappointed by how quickly this episode takes the battle out of Milinda's hands, but Heavy Object is still improving its character development one baby step at a time. Qwenthur's banter with Havia practically writes itself at this point, and there's some nice chemistry between him and Milinda in the episode's final minutes. The constant flirtation between Havia and Frolaytia has the potential to be another source of humor, but their dialogue feels too artificial at the moment. Rather than two distinct personalities playing off one another, I get the impression that I'm watching the writer try to have a witty conversation with himself. The lack of any named villain in this story arc is also an issue, although I think a faceless Object might actually be preferable to the generic troopers we saw in Alaska.

If there's an award for most improved series halfway through this season, I doubt Heavy Object will be the lead contender. The show just doesn't feel like it's grown at all thus far, which means that it's letting a good chunk of its potential go to waste. On the other hand, it's been able to execute its unique brand of action with impressive consistency. As the novelty of puny humans taking down giant death machines starts to wear off, Heavy Object's biggest challenge will be keeping things fresh in future story arcs.

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.