Anime Review: Heavy Object Part 2

Heavy Object Part 2 (UK Rating: 15)

It's clear this show was originally a single season of 24 episodes, as this second part feels just much more of the same of the first part and each of the criticisms levelled in the previous review are just as apt here. Worst of these are the issues with the characters. Despite everything the cast has been through, the members remain the exact same people they were in the first episode, showing no character development or any sort of a character arc. There's plenty more fan service in this second part, too, but it feels horribly ham-fisted - whether it be Qwenthur's and Havia's constant twisted talk about Frolaytia, along with her masochistic tendencies towards them, or the constant flashing of cleavage, which is so overdone and out of place it feels like there is a mandatory amount of flashes per episode.

The story once again runs through numerous small arcs - each two to three episodes in length - usually consisting of battles where Havia and Qwenthur engage in their guerrilla tactics on the ground, while Princess Milinda covers them in "Baby Magnum." The team heads to various locales and faces off against a varied range of enemies, a genius Object designer in the Amazon, a return to Alaska to investigate remains of their first enemy, and a battle against an enemy that utilises the same tactics as they do.

The battles are hit and miss; some develop into smart cat and mouse battles while others just seem to have silly solutions that come out of nowhere. The problem is the majority of the show is made up of the latter. An insane pop singing idol girl pilot is a particular low point. The finale of the show finally begins to show real promise, a two-parter episode that sees the team have to go up against an enemy it has become very familiar with, but it's just too little too late.

That being said, the story undergoes some interesting developments, at least. It's good to finally see the world beginning to change, though. The premise is the strongest thing this show has and it actually begins to come to the front here, if only a little. Finally, the other coalitions of the world are beginning to deliver their own anti-Object strategies after seeing the success of this team and the first target for each of them is the team of the Legitimate Kingdom.

As with the first part, there's an English and Japanese dub here and while the English dub was decent enough in the first part, it seems worse here… there are some enjoyable performances but many more stilted performances. The bonus features are rather slim. Consisting of just the usual clean openings and closings, a handful of trailers and, finally, an English commentary for the penultimate episode from voice acting veterans like Monica Rial and Justin Briner who is lucky enough to be voicing Deku in the amazing My Hero Academia.

6/10

Good

Heavy Object Part 2 is very much more of the same as before. It's a real shame that it takes until the final two episodes for this to really hit its stride. There are plenty of story threads left hanging and plenty of source material to return to, and there's still an opportunity for a new season to be announced as this only concluded around 18 months ago in Japan, but the question is, does anyone actually want that second season? It's hard to imagine there's an audience anxiously awaiting it.