Heavy Object
Heavy Object is a Japanese light novel series written by Kazuma Kamachi and illustrated by Ryō Nagi. ASCII Media Works published the series in twenty volumes from 2009 to 2021 under their Dengeki Bunko label. It has received three manga adaptations. A 24-episode anime television series adaptation produced by J.C.Staff aired from October 2015 to March 2016.
Plot
In the future, the development of massive war machines with spherical main bodies called Objects, due to their firepower and, most important of all, their integrity, have rendered all manner of conventional warfare, and even tactical nuclear weapons seemingly obsolete. As a result of this military upheaval, all of the nations of the world have fractured into four coalitions which constantly wage war on each other; the "Legitimacy Kingdom", focused on tradition; the "Capitalist Corporation", which values profit; the "Information Alliance", focused on knowledge; and the "Faith Organization", which values religion above everything else. With the perception that Objects can only be destroyed by other Objects, modern-day warfare has been virtually reduced to duels between Objects, resulting in shorter, cleaner, and safer wars. However, two regular soldiers from the Legitimate Kingdom, Qwenthur Barbotage and Havia Winchell, change all of this when, convinced by Qwenthur, they use their smarts and their ingenuity to successfully destroy the "Water Strider" Object of the Faith Organization all by themselves. Having now proven Objects created by man can also be destroyed by man and not just by other Objects, Qwenthur and Havia are thrown into a new world of harrowing adventures and dangerous suicide missions, with Qwenthur also befriending the Legitimate Kingdom's Elite Milinda Brantini, pilot of the Object "Baby Magnum", having saved her during the events of which resulted in the destruction of the Object of the Faith Organization.Characters
Main characters
;Qwenthur Barbotage;Havia Winchell
;Milinda Brantini
;Frolaytia Capistrano
Legitimacy Kingdom
;Ayami Cherryblossom;Flide
;Seawax
;Vanderbilt
;Halreed Copacabana
;Bilany Saronno
;Staccato Raylong
;Charlotte Zoom
;Myonri
;Westy
;Charles
;Cookman
Information Alliance
;Lendy Farolito;Oh ho ho
Battlefield Cleanup Service
;Wydine Uptown;Charm
;Lemish
Capitalist Corporations
;Buffer Planters24th Mobile Maintenance Battalion
;Nutley;Prizewell City Slicker
Faith Organization
;KlondikeOther characters
;Monica;Sladder Honeysuckle
;Shikibu
;Iekazu
;Orihime
Media
Light novels
The series was written by Kazuma Kamachi and illustrated by Nagi. The first light novel volume was published on October 10, 2009, by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint. The series ended in its 20th volume, which was released on October 8, 2021.Volume list
Manga
A manga adaptation with art by Shinsuke Inue was serialized in ASCII Media Works's seinen manga magazines Dengeki Black Maoh and Dengeki Maoh from December 17, 2009, to February 26, 2011. A single of the manga was released on May 27, 2011. A second manga adaptation, with art by Sakae Saitō, titled Heavy Object S, was also serialized in Dengeki Maoh from December 27, 2011, to June 27, 2013. Three volumes of the manga were released between August 27, 2012, and July 27, 2013. A third manga adaptation, titled Heavy Object A, also by Saitō, was serialized in Dengeki Maoh from February 27, 2015, to October 27, 2016. It also received three volumes, released between January 27, 2016, and December 10, 2016.Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced at the Dengeki Bunko Fall Festival event on October 5, 2014. The series was animated by J.C.Staff with 3D computer graphics by Sanzigen. It was directed by Takashi Watanabe, with Hiroyuki Yoshino writing the scripts, designing the characters, and Maiko Iuchi and Keiji Inai composing the music. The series aired on Tokyo MX, MBS, TV Aichi, BS11, and AT-X from October 2, 2015, to March 25, 2016, and was 24 episodes long. performed the series' first opening theme, titled "One More Chance!!", while Kano performed the series' first ending theme, titled "Dear Brave". ALL OFF also performed the series' second opening theme, titled "Never Gave Up", while Yuka Iguchi performed the series' second ending theme, titled "Strength to Change".In an episode of Anime News Networks podcast ANNCast, Funimation announced they licensed the series. Anime Limited, in partnership with Funimation, released the series in the United Kingdom. However, in 2019 the series became one of many series to be listed as "sold out" by UK retailers and unavailable from the Anime Limited website. Madman Entertainment licensed the series in Australia and streamed it on their streaming service, AnimeLab. Muse Communication licensed the series in Southeast Asia. They streamed it on their YouTube channel until September 30, 2020.