Heavy Object

Episode 13

I imagine that the start of a new anime season can be a lonely time for continuing shows. While swarms of stampeding fans rush to check out all the shiny new titles, the carryovers from the previous season are stuck with the more mundane task of putting out a thirteenth or fourteenth episode. There might be a new opening or ending theme to spice things up a bit, but nothing conjures that intoxicating mix of excitement and anticipation quite like a brand new “episode 1.” However, getting upstaged by some new arrivals in the mecha genre doesn't seem to have taken the wind out of Heavy Object's sails. If this episode is anything to go by, the series just might be on track for improvement in its second half.

Despite successfully taking on the Break Carrier, the battle-damaged Baby Magnum and its crew aren't out of the woods (or the jungle) just yet. The remaining Mass Driver forces have taken shelter in the abandoned urban area of Amazon City, and there's a rumor going around that they've got another Object hidden away somewhere. Qwenthur and company are sent in to eliminate the mastermind behind the advanced Objects, but they end up fighting a group of much smaller opponents instead. After exterminating a horde of ravenous army ants, the team learns that their situation is about to get much more explosive. Their target is seeking asylum from a rival nation, and a four-way Object battle is bound to kick off if they can't complete their mission in time.

Though the episode title suggests that this is the beginning of a new story arc, much has been carried over from the battle against the Break Carrier. The location is the same, the enemy nation is the same, and unanswered questions about the mystery Object continue to frustrate the main characters. Heavy Object is finally making a significant effort to tie multiple story arcs together, and the new approach is already paying off in some areas. Since the team's initial reasons for being in the area have already been explained, the show is able to set up another complicated scenario without bogging the pacing down with its usual flood of exposition. There's still plenty of new information for the audience to take in, but it feels like we're able to get out of “briefing room mode” in record time.

The brisker pacing allows Heavy Object to focus more on some of its strong points. We get plenty of banter between the four lead characters, and the show gets straight to work making life entertainingly miserable for Qwenthur and Havia. The guys are in fine form, griping idly about their mission before dealing with the insect swarm in an amusingly panic-stricken manner. Milinda gets a few chances to have fun at the guys' expense while maintaining her usual poker face, and Frolaytia is on hand to coerce the team into focusing on the mission when necessary. This is a comfortable space for Heavy Object to be in, allowing it to play up the comedic appeal of each of its four protagonists. It's nothing we haven't seen before, but that doesn't prevent it from working well.

Along with finding more time for the main characters to do their thing, Heavy Object also appears to have developed a greater interest in developing the military around them. We haven't seen much of the Legitimate Kingdom's forces beyond the Baby Magnum team up until now, and the few new faces that the series introduced had a bad habit of turning into enemies. This week, we see the main characters speak at length with a fighter pilot and the captain of the aircraft carrier, which helps put a more human face on what was previously a legion of nameless expendables. It may not sound like much, and I'm fairly certain that the fighter pilot is wearing a red shirt underneath his flight suit, but it helps the show's world feel more alive. Judging by the presence of several yet-to-appear characters in the new opening sequence, Heavy Object is on course to fill out its named cast even more by the end of the season. For a series that's occasionally had issues with battles feeling isolated and unimportant, this could turn out to be a good call. If more characters' lives ride on the outcome of a mission, then the audience automatically has more reason to care about what happens.

Even 13 episodes in, Heavy Object still has me excited to see what happens next. The series appears to be making important strides toward refining its current formula, and that positive trend is cause for cautious optimism. I don't foresee it breaking out of its tech-focused niche completely, but there's a solid chance that the show could deliver an improved experience to its established audience.

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.