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

[Dragon_Slayer_X]

The idol song was totally unnecessary and doesn't go with the mood tbh. They should have kept Quenser's actual explanation from the LN and Quenser/Heivia's full conversation afterwards instead of the cheesy "I liked your song".

[LazyHunter]

Spoiler for Episode 17 LN Comparison:

This episode adapts the first 5 parts of Chapter 2 of Volume 3. I knew that the anime would end it in that cliffhanger, it was the perfect place to do so. Okay, besides the usual cut lines and narration/worldbuilding, we had a few changes and additions. These are the good type of changes, they improve the episode and source material, not ruin it. If onyl JCStaff could keep doing this the rest of the season I would forgive them for the lame weapon effects and even a little for the inserted fanservice in the first cour.

Anyways, the big changes were that in the LN, Quenser's "I love you the most" doesn't manage to calm down Milinda, who turned her back on him and went back to the cockpit (she was outside of the Baby Magnum in the original version of the scene). Froleytia in the LN didn't trip or drop her documents, but she was noticibly stiff, which is what prompted Quenser and Heivia talking about the CS camera. To help her out a little Quenser makes a question to try and get her to relax a little. Also, in the LN the only ones talking with Froleytia are Quenser and Heivia. The anime decided to give the other team members some lines, which I found a great change.

There's the small scene with Monica getting into the HQ room and asking Froleytia some questions. These questions were part of the original briefing scene with Quenser and Heivia, where they were told about the Indigo Plasma acting as bait for the Wing Balancer and why they weren't trying to double team it. I won't complain about Monica getting some more screentime, we can just assume Quenser and Heivia were also told that. Also original scene with Milinda leaving base to join the battle.

Also, the LN doesn't make the cout to Nutley's eyes or shows him preparing to kill Charles. The novel follows Quenser and Charlotte, and when they don't receive an answer from Charles they are shot with an assault rifle (not a pistol like in the anime, but that's something minor) and Quenser especifically doesn't manage to turn around, he just has time to realize the sound of the assault rifle is the same as Heivia's, identifying it as a LK's weapon.

[Marcus H.]

I guess the weapon downgrade makes it more evident that it doesn't have enough penetrating power against the huge backpack Charlotte and Quenser is wearing.

[LazyHunter]

Originally Posted by Marcus H.

I guess the weapon downgrade makes it more evident that it doesn't have enough penetrating power against the huge backpack Charlotte and Quenser is wearing.

Yeah, I guess that way they avoid trying to fit in the dialogue the narration's explanation of the type of bullet used.

[The 48th Ronin]

Okay spoil me. Who exactly is the childhood friend Qwenthur is talking about?

[Master Assassin]

Originally Posted by The 48th Ronin

Okay spoil me. Who exactly is the childhood friend Qwenthur is talking about?

As far as I can remember there's no really exact description more than Qwenser just saying "I had one." The way it's mentioned in the novel seems more or less like some off-hand information on the same level of "I just got back from the washroom, what's up?"

[Chaos2Frozen]

Originally Posted by The 48th Ronin

Okay spoil me. Who exactly is the childhood friend Qwenthur is talking about?

Spoiler for For Childhood 'friend':

It should be Monica.

I remember she even commented about showing off to that smirk commoner boy or something like that. It was in the later volumes.

[RDNexus]

Originally Posted by Chaos2Frozen

Spoiler for For Childhood 'friend':

It should be Monica.

I remember she even commented about showing off to that smirk commoner boy or something like that. It was in the later volumes.

As far as I've spoiled myself...

Spoiler:

It is.

[LazyHunter]

Spoiler for Episode 18 LN Comparison:

This episode continues adapting Volume 3 Chapter 2, adapting Parts 6 almost all Part 11. As usual, some cut dialogue and worldbuilding, particularly part of Heivia and Myonri's dialogue as they enter the mine and talk about its structure and how they mine the coal, whereas in the anime they skipped right to the important part of they not encountering any guards, and some talk at the end where they discuss how many workers are in the mine that could die because of the battle.

Before anything else, the added scenes: the initial scene with Monica in the mission control room and her asking for food before complaining about her work and Quenser is original except the complaints, which are taken from a novel scene. The scene with Froleytia and Milinda discussing the Wing Balancer getting closer is also original, the fights between the Objects is merely described at this point at not shown, so the part with Milinda deciding to chase it into land and Froleytia and Monica's comments are also original.

In the novel the Wing Balancer having a bridge-building device was just a speculation from Cookman and not something he remembers the analysts said about it, since he and the others initially saw no other way for it to cross the cliff it had arrived at. IMO it makes more sense in the novel since Heivia would be the one to know that if it was like that given that he's an analyst.

The scene where they get blasted by the air cushion when the Wing Balancer jumps also goes a bit differently in the novels. There after gaping for a second or too (because they are seeing the Wing Balancer jump 150 meters into the air) they try to get to safety from the wind, but things don't go well:

Westy was pressed against the ground, but her body was ripped up and blown 20 meters horizontally. Cookman was hiding behind a rock, but he and the entire rock were dropped off the cliff. Due to hiding in the coal mine, Heivia escaped the main brunt of the violent wind, but a large mass flew into the entrance and struck him, slamming him against the wall. He thought some rock had been torn from the ground, but it turned out to be Myonri.

So Heivia and Myonri survived because they were lucky enough to be close to the mine entrance instead of just because, like it may look like in the anime.

After the survivors of the two teams meet up in the novel is when it cuts to the 37th's base, where it describes how the battle between the Baby Magnum and the Wing Balancer is going and Froleytia thinks about how they aren't getting any response from the 24th and the Indigo Plasma. While thinking about what to do with the civilians of the CS broadcasting team she hears Monica complaining about the situation (this is the scene it was taken from).

A short conversation between the Wing Balancer's Elite and its control centre was cut, but it was just them discussing about tricking the Baby Magnum into dragging the battle near the mine to kill the pacifist workers and needing to destroy Baby Magnum before the Indigo Plasma decided to approach, so nothing important was lost.

[Chaos2Frozen]

This is the 'jumping' Object right? I had a different mental image in my head when I was reading it.

[LazyHunter]

Originally Posted by Chaos2Frozen

This is the 'jumping' Object right? I had a different mental image in my head when I was reading it.

I know what you mean, in the novel the jumps are supposed to be fast like the rest of an Object's movements, and in the anime is just a slow rise, float and fall. Unlike the last Object fight which did some justice to the book's description of Object movements, the really good fast-paced battle between Baby Magnum and Rush, this makes Milinda look like an idiot for somehow not hitting Wing Balancer when it's slowly moving through the air. It could ruin next episode for me if they keep it that way.

[Chaos2Frozen]

Wait, "list"? Flide escaped? Is this new?

[RDNexus]

And those who died during the operation were never again mentioned

[LazyHunter]

@Chaos2Frozen
Yeah, it's new. I posted what was new here and left my speculations about it to the speculation thread for LN readers.

Spoiler for Episode 19 LN Comparison:

This episode finished the adaptation of Volume 3's Chapter 2. Thankfully in this episode the Wing Balancer did display proper Object speed and the jumps were much better. There were some interesting changes/additions at the end of the episode, but first, I'll go over the previous parts. There were the usual cut dialogue (nothing important) and akward lines as JCStaff inserts the narration exposition into dialoge, like the part about the IR jammer.

Monica's scenes are anime original, as her last scene in the novel is Frolaytia hearing her complain about Quenser in the control room. The mining powered suit's wheels Nutley used to chase them through the mine's rails are also anime only. In the novel the rock Nutley throws grazes and breaks Charlotte's arm, and she sprains her leg when she falls to the ground.

The end of the mine fight also goes a little differently in the novel. Quenser just finishes his improvised bomb when Nutley detects him, and has to dodge a punch from the mining suit, still getting hurt by the fragments of a device smashed by the suit hitting his body. The narration also describes oil and blood coming from the holes the diamonds made.

In the novel while giving info to Quenser about it, Milinda also mentions that the Wing Balancer panicked a lot when she took out one of its 4 wings, which didn't happen at the anime. When Quenser's radio signal is picked up by the Wing Balancer and he's attacked he's saved by Milinda putting the Baby Magnum in the way to act as a shield, and not by Heivia uploading the sabotage program, that happens just after that. The Wing Balancer then starts trying to jump over the Baby Magnum to attack it from the back, and it's in one of these jumps when Quenser notices the air cushion IR sensors and gets the idea for his plan.

My biggest grip with the episode comes with the execution of Quenser's plan. I'll just post that part from the novels to make the differences clear, but I can see people trying to argue that the Wing Balancer could have been taken out by a laser pointer because of the anime. Also, bolded part proving JCStaff continous weapon goofs.

Spoiler:

Quenser used the tip of the cooking knife from his survival kit to turn a small screw in the targeting assistance device. It functioned as a dial to set the output of the laser.

He then aimed the assault rifle straight up without bothering to close the cover.

(…Those lenses!! It uses infrared!!)

He moved his finger.

The targeting assistance infrared laser was emitted straight up.

It hit the lenses on the Wing Balancer’s legs meant to calculate the makeup of the terrain.

By using the same type of infrared rays used to do the calculations, he would cause malfunctions.

“Give up, you piece of shit!! Come crashing down right here!!” shouted Quenser.

But that was not enough.

The bottom of the Wing Balancer was covered with hundreds or even thousands of infrared sensors, while Quenser just had a puny targeting device on the end of the rifle in his hands. He could not completely throw off the enemy’s sensors with that.

(Is this still not enough!? Shit! Is there nothing else!?)

But…

Quenser’s assault rifle had a special additional device attached.

An IR jammer.

That special device emitted a number of laser pointer-like infrared lasers like a shotgun in order to mess with the targeting of guided weapons.

He pulled the trigger.

It was invisible to the human eye, but the density of beams increased all at once.

The numerous lenses on the Wing Balancer trembled as if convulsing. They could no longer detect the ground.

However, after that fail we have the interesting additions I mentioned. At the end of the episode, when they mention Councilor Flide, they added some dialogue about him escaping prison that was not in the novels. Plus, Charlotte's comment in the novels praising Quenser's actions and mentioning he might get Special Individual Medal for Victory are changed for her saying she's relieved he's unrelated to "that matter".

This plus the original scene after the ending with Charlote reporting to someone that Quenser is in the clear, mentions of a List and once again councilor Flide make me think we've got some anime original stuff coming up for the series finale.

[LazyHunter]

Spoiler for Episode 20 LN Comparison:

Okay, so this episode starts adapting Volume 3's Chapter 3, the Victoria Island mission and the fight against the traitorous 24th battalion leaded by City Slicker. This episode adapted Parts 1 until halfway through Part 6, kind of.

Since the anime changed the parts with Monica and the CS broadcast team (in the novel they got stuck travelling with the 37th due to the forced redeployment caused by the Indigo Plasma's actions, while in the anime they leave like Charlotte did), all mentions of them and Monica were cut. The mention of 5 more Objects being deployed as a defensive line in Europe in case the 3 sent against the 24th lost was also cut. The scene with Quenser, Heivia and Froleytia discussing City Slicker had some other stuff about Nutley and Slicker's racism being out of date even in the traditional LK was cut:

“Of course, they don’t bring up the reverse side of the coin. That worldview shows that you have no intention of smiling together with those who cannot speak your language. In fact, it shows you do not even intend to treat them like fellow human beings.”

“Nutley was black.”

“True, but Cookman was black, too. And Myonri was Asian. The Legitimacy Kingdom may be based on the culture of a bygone era of kings and knights, but black nobles are not exactly rare these days. There doesn’t really seem to be a foundation for those words to work off of and lead him astray.”

“It does not matter if the foundation actually exists or not. As long as Nutley had even the slightest doubts along those lines, Prizewell City Slicker just had to find them and use them.”

After that, there's some exposition about Japan's situation and Ayami not being entirely japanese that was cut since it wasn't important to this particular novel. Plus, after hearing her family is in Victoria Island Quenser asks if the city was evacauted, which Ayami pointing out even the TV team didn't have time to leave the 37th, how would an entire city have time to evacuate?

Finally, she sighed and said, “I am an immigrant from the Capitalist Corporations. You could even say I was a refugee.”

Yes, the Japanese Islands were Capitalist Corporations territory.

They were actually divided between east and west. The western portion of the islands was controlled by a power that wished for a revival of the Imperial Court system and they had made a large-scale secession to the Faith Organization. The Faith Organization and the Legitimacy Kingdom were in conflict over whose power the Imperial Court system should be reinstated under. Also, the Capitalist Corporations side had their values change whenever maintenance was done to their advanced information infrastructure and they were mocked as beginning to transfer over to a more Information Alliance-like system. All in all, it was a very unclear and possibly explosive situation. However, the Japanese Islands were officially known as belonging to the Capitalist Corporations.

“But as you can clearly see, I am not a pure Asian.”

“Well, they did start letting in a lot of immigrants to combat the effects of the low birthrates and high age of the population.”

“Historically, that is what helped allow the technological information on Objects to spread so widely.”

Quenser and Heivia don't do as good as in the anime with their sniping, as Heivia's silencer lets out too much noise, so they get discovered and shot by multiple soldiers after their first shot. Also, in the novel Quenser mentions the Indigo Plasma uses plasma to detonate the air for propulsion unlike the Baby Magnum, which uses lasers. Also, once more JCStaff ignores novel's desciptions:

The air at Quenser’s feet wavered like sugar water being mixed. It seemed to be some kind of colorless and transparent gas.

The Indigo Plasma also detonates the gas clouds with one of its smallest low-stability plasma cannons, not one of its two main ones. The speech from City Slicker was also moved around so that it would happen at the end of the episode, next one will probably start with the small part that was skipped.

[Chaos2Frozen]

Ah man, I thought it would make sense to keep Monica around.

If anything I thoughtthey would push more for it.

[LazyHunter]

Spoiler for Episode 21 LN Comparison:

This episode continues adapting Volume 3 Chapter 3, going from Part 6 to Part 9.

From City Slicker's speech, in the novel he openly says he's going after the immigrant city, instead of the vague "eastern part". He also mentions he has a second batch of Objects finishing construction, and he says she has achieved a method to mass-produce Elites. There's also a small scene after he destroys the 37th maintenance base of his passing soldiers taunting Froleytia and the other soldiers by aiming their guns at them and pretending to pull the trigger.

The LN goes into a lot more detail when Quenser is analyzing the floats left by the dummies. Also, in the novel the diamond box is not shot out of Quenser's hands, he throws it at Wydine's face, causing her to punch him. Heivia also wonders if they could have hired them using Quenser's Hand Axe (can't remember if it was mentioned in the anime right now, but a gram is supposed to be worth more than a gram of platinum) but Quenser says it the catalyst used to make it that costs so much, and the completed explosive is not worth that much.

When discussing the possibility of reusing the same tatctic they used against the Rush, Quenser and Heivia talk about the Snow Quake's wreckage, and how while they had tricked the Rush's AI by making it think it was surrounded by three Objects using 3 of the Water Strider's main cannons; using the Snow Quake's would be useless because the dummies would still outnumber the wreckage, so they'd just blow it up even more.

Some of Ayami's backstory was cut, as it was described in the narration when she was going to see her family. There's also a few more lines of her discussion with her daughter as she convinces her to come with her without warning her neighbours to save her husband and daughter, and descriptions if the city starting to go into a panic with people bringing put guns and some idiots starting to burn things in the confusion.

[LazyHunter]

Spoiler for Episode 22 LN Comparison:

This episodes finishes the adaptation of Volume 3's Chapter 3. All that's left is the anime original finale. Okay, besides the usual additional details and dialogue that is always cut, this are the most notable changes/additions.

The dummy antennae are different from the novel. Quenser and Heivia just had to set up the cases on the ground and flick a switch on them, not even needing to open them, while in the anime they throw them into the air, where they automatically open and shoot the antennae with a parachute. As usual, JCStaff's hate for lasers and anti-air lasers in this series continues, as instead of easily blowing up the Bird's rocket with a single anti-air laser like in the novel, the Indigo Plasma shoots a continous barrage of railgun/coilgun shells. I'm past the point of doing anything else but point out the weird change by now.

In the novels there were two railgun shells that spread plasma gas shot at Quenser, the first one Quenser survived using Hand Axe. Then he starts getting shot by soldiers and the second shell is intercepted by an Animal. The anime combined them into one. After picking the dummy armor fragment, Quenser hides in a cave from the Indigo Plasma. At the final clash in the novel, the Baby Magnum only had one main cannon working, and not at full power, that's why they needed the plasma gas to win the battle.

They skipped a particularly important/notable scene in the epilogue, but they may put it in one of the following episodes. At least I hope so, it would be stupid to cut it. Lendy mentioning there's one more stolen tech lefr and everything after the credits is anime original.

[mark1246]

"Heavy Object episode 22 is the end of light novel volume 3!"

What the hell!? are the light novel that thick in pages? i mean for index it took 24 epi to cover 6-7 volumes
What the difference here? like did they extend the battle with object more or something? i mean it hard to believe that 24min of 24 episode only cover 3 LN

got to read Lazy hunter post but man, totally unreal

[LazyHunter]

Originally Posted by mark1246

"Heavy Object episode 22 is the end of light novel volume 3!"

What the hell!? are the light novel that thick in pages? i mean for index it took 24 epi to cover 6-7 volumes
What the difference here? like did they extend the battle with object more or something? i mean it hard to believe that 24min of 24 episode only cover 3 LN

got to read Lazy hunter post but man, totally unreal

In a way, HO's episodic nature helped it a lot in forcing JCStaff to adapt it at a good pace. All main novels except volume 5 have the same structure: Prologue, 3 Chapters and Epilogue, with each chapter basically being a separate mission/engagement. Plus each chapter has its own infodumps on the area, enemy Object, situation, etc... that are necessary to understand what's going on and why things happen. If JCStaff had tried to adapt this like they did with Index, cutting most exposition and adapting a volume in 3-4 episodes, it would have been a horrible adaptation pacing-wise, and we would have been changing settings from episode to episode or mid-episode. Thus, they were forced to treat each individual chapter on a novel as its own mini-arc, giving them 2-3 episodes each (except Volume 2's Chapter 1, which only got 1 ep).