Heavy Object - Weekly Episode-to-Novel/Manga Comparison Thread [Spoilers Aplenty]

[Kairin]

As the title of this thread suggest, the purpose here is to allow discussion which compares the content between an anime episode as it aired and how it is laid out in the source material the anime was adapted from. All spoilers are allowed as long as it is relevant to the discussion at hand. It will be helpful if the posters clearly indicate the episode number before engaging into a detailed comparison to the source material. Obviously you are required to watch the episode prior to posting here. Thread is open to everyone, but since the novel/manga readers are expected to participate, the anime-only viewers are advised to use discretion before venturing into this thread.

For the Heavy Object Novel/Manga-Readers: Please do your darndest best to stay on topic when engaging into these comparison. Whenever you see one of your fellow novel/manga-reader is spewing spoiler for no apparent reason, feel free to tell him/her to stop. Report such post so a moderator can delete the off-topic post.

Have fun!

[LazyHunter]

So I guess I'll keep posting my LN to Anime comparisons here instead of using the LN thread. The new episode was episode 9 and it had the 37th assaulting a terrorist group in Antarctica.

Spoiler for LN Comparison of Episode 9:

The episode adapted Volume 2 Chapter 1. Since it was the first chapter adapted in only 1 episode it was obvious that this episode was going to have to cut more stuff than the others, but thankfully almost all important parts got into the episode, minor some small changes.

For example, the mission starts with Quenser and Heivia walking in Anctarctica by themselves and it might initially look like Frolaytia has sent the two in a suicide mission to take out a terrorist group by themselves, only for several other Legitimacy Kingdom's soldiers to appear out of nowhere after Baby Magnum takes out the spare railguns. The novel informs us at the start of the mission that over a hundred soldiers have been deployed and are approaching the terrorists in a wide ring. They are divided in small groups far away from each other at the start, but they get closer as they tighten the circle around the base. Just before finding the railguns the soldiers are close enough that Quenser exchanges a wave with a fellow soldier. After they disabled the railguns the 37th's soldiers assaulted the base and defeated the terrorists, but the novel also skipped over that, since they outnumbered the terrorists so much the battle was quickly over without any issues, though all terrorists died in the battle.

Some dialogue about how Heivia got in the army and why is his rank so low despite being a noble from a prestigious family was cutted. And regretfully (but understandably) the penguin scene was changed, shortened so that it could fit the episode, even though it's less funny that way IMO. There was a small bit after Milinda finds the power cables in the novel that will probably get adapted in the next episode.

[LazyHunter]

Spoiler for Episode 10 LN Comparison:

This episode adapts until near the end of Part 5 from chapter 2 of volume 2. There weren't any big changes. Part of the initial dialogue from the Charlomagne's captain was given to Quenser for some reason, some minor exposition was cut, etc. The novel only mentions two assault landing aircraft carriers in this chapter (the ones carrying the Baby Magnum), but the anime had 8 for some reason. Maybe the 7 or 8 mentioned in chapter 3 were also supposed to be there in chapter 2. The biggest changes are these two:

In the novel Milinda doesn't pay attention to Froleytia telling Quenser and Heivia she also knows how to pole dance and chooses to keep eating (since she isn't interested in that kind of erotic stuff). In the anime she tries to do it only for the pipe to break.

When the railgun batteries are firing at the 37th soldiers the Baby Magnum uses its anti-air lasers to try and shoot them down, not the missiles she seems to use in the anime (Objects don't usually carry missiles/rockets because of how good Object lasers are in point-defense roles). The amount of railgun shells and their small size makes some of them get through the defensive fire, so Quenser quickly gets confirmation from the Charlomagne's bridge that there's no civilians in the mountain range before giving Baby Magnum the go to blow them up using low-stability plasma cannons, not the laser cannons like in the anime. More JCStaff not caring about weapon descriptions and use in the novels and doing their own stuff.

[Chaos2Frozen]

I don't know if it's a JC Staff thing- even the people who did Muv-Luv showed a Railgun as a laser beam lol.

One thing that should have been up their alley are real world locations, remember Hong Kong from Shana and Italy from Index?

[LazyHunter]

Hey, at least it's a step up from JCStaff's Railgun Season 1 finale, that kamehameha railgun clash was just stupid.

[Chaos2Frozen]

You know, I think that blue laser is suppose to be the low stability plasma cannon.

[Ab buster]

Then again, normal lasers in Heavy Object are not visible from the side and Object lasers go from orange for sub weapons to flooding the entire area with white for the main cannons and this was neither of those.
The biggest disappointment for me is definitely how they completely neglect one of the factors why Objects reign supreme; advances in laser weaponry providing almost perfect AA and very reliable point defense against attacks that are not sliding along the ground.

[LazyHunter]

Originally Posted by Chaos2Frozen

You know, I think that blue laser is suppose to be the low stability plasma cannon.

Nah, the blue beams (red for the Tri-Core because of silly "blue=good, red=evil", I guess) are supposed to be laser beams. You see them when the first Object is destroying aircraft in episode 1, and that's the introduction of lasers. It's also used when the Baby Magnum shoots one main cannon at the mountains before the amphibious assault in episode 10 (and that was a laser beam cannon in the novels).

The Water Strider is supposed to use plasma main cannons and in the anime it shoots yellowish projectiles.

Of course, in the novel lasers are invisible and people only see the dust and moisture in the air being roasted and creating an orange trail (white for super powerful lasers) and plasma cannons shoot a bluish white beam.

[LazyHunter]

Spoiler for Episode 11 LN Comparison:

The new episode continues the adaptation of chapter 2 of the second volume. Last episode ended near the end of part 5, and this one ends with part 9, as Quenser and Froleytia try to determine which route the Break Carrier is taking.

Moving on, the episode cut some of Halreed's inner thoughts before he and his Object gets one-shotted by the Break Carrier. Basically, he's an asshole whose fast Object left his maintenance battalion behind, so instead of waiting he decides he'll just take spare parts from the 37th. It also cut some minor exposition about the ranges at which Object usually fight (5 to 10 km, because any more and even most main cannons can't penetrate onion armor), which is there to strengthen the point of the Break Carrier's railgun being ridiculously powerful (oneshotted another Object at 500 km). Quenser getting a glimpse of the Break Carrier because of the satellite peeking through the hole made when it shot its railgun and Milinda shooting its plasma main cannons at the chaff cloud to try and blow them away at Quenser's suggestion are also missing. The Baby Magnum's damage seems a bit downplayed in the anime (they say the same things, 3 cannons and float damaged, but it should have a huge hole in its right side armor).

They changed the conversation with Bilany a bit in the anime. In the novels Bilany contacts Froleytia and Quenser, and informs them that Heivia and Milinda are OK. Froleytia is the one who has the discussion with Bilany, who says that she's going to destroy the dam regardless, and it's up to the Baby Magnum to play its part for the sacrifices to not be in vain. Heivia contacts Quenser afterwards, their conversation it's the same as in the anime. Missing Froleytia's line about wanting to see Quenser's skill at destroying Objects firsthand and the short scene with the survival kit, which is fine since they're not important. I don't know why, but they changed the PDW Quenser picks up for a handgun. The Charlemagne's report was shortened a bit so there werr no mentions about the liquid nitrogen cooling system.

[LazyHunter]

Originally Posted by Chaos2Frozen

You know, I think that blue laser is suppose to be the low stability plasma cannon.

Welp. You're right, the blue-white beam surrounded by electric arcs is the effect for both the Baby Magnum's lasers and plasma cannons. As if the generic cannon effect for both coilgun and railgun wasn't enough. I just give up on the whole weapon deal, it's clearly JCStaff doesn't care about following the novels's descriptions in that regard. Anyway, on to episode 12:

Spoiler for Episode 12 LN Comparison:

The episode adapted the rest of volume 2's chapter 2. There was nothing really changed that much. The handgun Quenser used was a PDW in the novels; Quenser wasn't inmediately shot by the Break Carrier because its Elite was likely perplexed as to "wth is that guy doing?" and started analyzing the code too. Baby Magnum shot the Break Carrier before it could actually do anything with that info.

Of course, it's worth to mention that in the novels Froleytia's uniform wasn't ripped when she came to pick up Quenser after the battle was over, but that's another of JCStaff boring attempts to add more fanservice, even in episodes that already have a canon fanservice scene.

Addition: Small scene with Milinda trying to contact Quenser and then complaining to Heivia about it. Doesn't add anything, but it's better than random cuts to fanservice.

There were a few translations mistakes in the subs to add to the usual grammar mistakes, especially in the scene with Quenser talking with Heivia over the radio about the bomb he found in the dam.

[LazyHunter]

Spoiler for Episode 13 LN Comparison:

In this episode the anime starts adapting the last chapter of volume 2. The episode reached the middle of part 6 of 12. Again, no major changes in this episode.

They changed the beginning a little, since the chapter starts with the conversation between Staccato (the fighter pilot) and one unnamed technician as they basically discuss the much reduced role of aircraft in modern wars now that Objects can shoot them out of the sky so easily with their multiple lasers. The conversation was mostly worldbuilding, with the only important stuff cut being the mention of the Northern European Restricted Zone, a special zone more or less around Scandinavia where no Objects can enter (because of international treaties between the four global powers), so the wars between the four global powers there are still fought and won by soldiers and conventional weaponry.

They altered the scene with the massaging chair slightly. In the novels Quenser is the first to sit in the chair and when Milinda activated the chair it didn't electrocute or harm him, it did the opposite. Creeped out by the noises Quenser was making Heivia stopped the chair, and was convinced by Quenser to try it out. Turns out the chair was made to interact with Milinda's Elite suit, so it made the buttons on the guy's uniforms vibrate in "weird places" . Upons eeing Heivia getting messed up by the chair Milinda asks the maintenance team to discard it like in the anime.

In the novels Quenser doesn't talk with the others about Sladder's paper he read, he makes an excuse when Heivia sees the book (he was carrying it since he read it on the way to the mission) by claiming is a wild west novel. We get to see his reflections on Sladder's work and what he can gather of the designer's character from how he presents his ideas, but that probably wouldn't have worked as well in the anime.

[LazyHunter]

Spoiler for Episode 14 LN Comparisons:

This episodes finishes the adaptation of Volume's 2 Chapter 3, so we are done with the conflict with the Mass Driver Conglomerate that was the main plot of volume 2: Heavy Object - An Audition War.

Again, no real big changes, the usual cut dialogue and narration, but there was a very noticeable change that I liked. In the novels after our MC duo gets separated Heivia doesn't appear again until the epilogue (the scene with our main characters talking in the Baby Magnum's hangar), so Quenser immediately picks up the handgun and captures Sladder after his Hand Axe knocks him on his ass and makes him drop it. The anime added Heivia stopping Sladder from picking up the handgun again before Quenser grabs it. Small change that doesn't really alter the end result, but I liked that Heivia didn't miss the climax like in the novel and managed to arrive in time.

Next episode starts adapting volume 3: Heavy Object - Global Shadow.

[Chaos2Frozen]

Maybe it's just a one off Christmas Miracle, but have you noticed that ever since they came back from the break these last two episodes have a surprisingly lack of male gaze fanservice?

Even in the new OP lol. At MOST, a half second slight up skirt shot of the combat maid.

[LazyHunter]

Originally Posted by Chaos2Frozen

Maybe it's just a one off Christmas Miracle, but have you noticed that ever since they came back from the break these last two episodes have a surprisingly lack of male gaze fanservice?

Even in the new OP lol. At MOST, a half second slight up skirt shot of the combat maid.

Hopefully they keep it up in the rest of the season. The only fanservice thing in this ep was Froleytia's forced jiggle at the end and that was pretty minor compared to some of the stuff they have done in previous episodes. The parts they were adapting also gave them a lot less opportunities to do so, but they have created their own original scenes to add uneeded fanservice before, remember Milinda getting a massage by a nurse? That was one of the worst in the first cour.

[Chaos2Frozen]

Originally Posted by Ab buster

It would have made more sense if the anime showed that

Spoiler for a detail from the novel:

Honeysuckle was close to Lisolette's Elite

^
Was he? I totally missed that information

[LazyHunter]

Originally Posted by Chaos2Frozen

^
Was he? I totally missed that information

I think it's kind of implied a little. You could probably see it that way if you want to.

Spoiler for Volume 2 Chapter 3 Sladder talking to Quenser:

“I don’t believe it,” said Quenser. “You let the Break Carrier be destroyed for that? Did the Break Carrier’s pilot agree to that?”

“To be honest, it wasn’t all planned out to that extent.”

Sladder’s tone dropped a bit.

He may have been recalling the face of that Elite.

[LazyHunter]

Spoiler for Episode 15 LN Comparison:

So this episode begins the adaptation of Volume 3. Like what happened with volume 2, the prologue is skipped since it's nothing important. The episode reached the start of part 12 of 18 (some of the parts adapted were very short)

Now, the episode starts with Froleytia's inspection confiscating Quenser and Heivia's porn mags, something only referenced in the novel, which instead starts with the scene of Quenser and Heivia setting their explosives to block the enemy's routes. That scene was a little different in the novel, with the duo experiencing some technical difficulties with the bombs, but that didn't add anything to the story so I understand why they cut it.

Froleytia was more embarassed in the novel version of the pool scene when she screwed up her shot, which she tried to hide by giving an intense order to Quenser, something like "It's your duty to kick my ass as hard as you can! Now!!!"

ED: Nevermind, for once JCStaff actually adapted correctly the use of an Object weapons against smaller targets, I jumped the gun given their poor track record on the subject.

[Dragon_Slayer_X]

The part about Heivia thinking about running away and Quenser convincing/blackmailing him him to help out was cut. I think it should have been there to show the contrast between the 2 MCs. Quenser can keep his calm and think of a plan while Heivia thinks of running first in dire situations.........especially when it comes to Object-related situation.

It feels like the anime is favoring Heivia in several instances. I guess they want to balance out the two MCs but sometimes it feels unnecessary.

[LazyHunter]

Spoiler for Episode 16 LN Comparison:

This episode adapts the remaining parts of Volume 3 Chapter 1. It maintains the general good adaptation of the LN's previous episodes had (some exposition, dialogue and worldbuilding cut like always), but this is the first episode in a while that had an inserted scene that really clashes with the rest of the episode. I think most anime-only viewers can tell which scene it is without even reading any of the novels: the song/idol scene with Oh Ho Ho picking a mic in her cockpit and singing while she fights Milinda. Obviously, this doesn't happen in the novel.

I admit it, as a LN reader the song scene took me totally by surprise and I couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous it was. It doesn't fit the episode, and it's totally pointless. If they wanted to do a idol scene with Oh Ho Ho they could have done so in the inserted scene they had with Oh Ho Ho at the start of the Oceania arc, instead of doing a series of still images like they did back then. Why they did it now? Who knows, but personally I didn't like it.

If it was to be able to add that exchange at the end before Oh Ho Ho was ejected of "I do this because I liked your song", "I'll sing for you next time", that's lame. Quenser's excuse in the novels was a lot better.

“This is war. I am not doing this out of kindness.” Quenser circled around behind the chair and stretched an arm inside where he had removed the panel. “As I told you before, I came here to study Object design. Ultimately, I do not care who wins or loses the war…as long as our lives are not in danger, that is. And as a student, this is a chance to drive the pilot Elite out and capture an enemy Object almost completely unharmed. This is a key to getting rich quick. Normally, I would never get to study a Second Generation Information Alliance Object.”

Now that I think about it they also switched the order in the conversation and mixed two exchanges. In the novels Oh Ho Ho first asks why is Quenser saving her, and after Quenser's answer she points out the ejection seat will only save her and leave him in the cockpit, and Quenser answers this:

“Yes,” Quenser readily admitted. “I’ll deal with the rest myself. As I said, this is a key to getting rich quick. It’s worth risking my life for. At the very least, it’s worth risking my life more than fighting deadly battles for the interests of the higher ups is. If the Elite does not eject soon to display that you can no longer fight, the princess will destroy the Object. Once that happens, I’ll have nothing left to study.”

Missing from Quenser and Heivia's talk at the end is Heivia questioning why Quenser didn't kill Oh Ho Ho and Quenser telling him if he had forgotten what had happened the last time they were in Alaska.

Heivia's explanation of what he was doing and Quenser explaining how Heivia knew how to do it because of his official role in the military felt a bit awkward too, but this happens everytime there's exposition in the LN's narration and the anime has to make a character give it instead.

[Chaos2Frozen]

You can't even really hear the song, so even from a business point of view it doesn't make sense cause you're not selling CDs that way.

I suppose it's only really effective at pissing the Princess off.