Dimension W

In the near future, humans have discovered a fourth dimension, Dimension W, and a supposedly infinite source of energy within. In order to harness this profound new energy, mankind develops advanced "coils," devices that link to and use the power of Dimension W. However, by year 2071, the New Tesla Energy corporation has monopolized the energy industry with coils, soon leading to the illegal distribution of unofficial coils that begin flooding the markets.

Kyouma Mabuchi is an ex-soldier who is wary of all coil-based technology to the extent that he still drives a gas-powered car. Kyouma is a "Collector," individuals with the sole duty of hunting down illegal coils in exchange for money. What started out as just any other mission is turned on its head when he bumps into Mira Yurizaki, an android with a connection to the "father" of coils. When a series of strange events begin to take place, these two unlikely allies band together to uncover the mysteries of Dimension W.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Yurizaki, Mira Main

Ueda, Reina Japanese

Mabuchi, Kyouma Main

Ono, Daisuke Japanese

Loser Supporting

Nakamura, Yuuichi Japanese

Greenhough-Smith, Elizabeth Supporting

Suzuki, Eri Japanese

Schumann, Albert Supporting

Ishida, Akira Japanese

Mary Supporting

Saitou, Kimiko Japanese

Azumaya, Miyabi Supporting

Okutani, Kaede Japanese

Lasithi Supporting

Noto, Mamiko Japanese

Tibesti, Lwai Aura Supporting

Yamashita, Daiki Japanese

Koorogi Supporting

Matsuoka, Yoshitsugu Japanese

Kaneko, Hirotaka Producer

Kimura, Yasutaka Producer

Ogisu, Hirotsugu Producer

Nakaji, Ryousuke Producer

Reviews

Mar 28, 2016

2LongDidntReview

Recommended

*Spoilers will exist to explain why this show is great*





Story: 8
Now some of you have heard that time is considered part of the fourth dimension, but what if you were told that there is a dimension that contains all of the possibilities in the world? This is basically what the story is based on.

The anime does not explain the mechanics of Dimension W too deeply, but it explores it enough to give us an understanding of what it's trying to convey, such as when coils go haywire and Dimension W manifests in the real world, or when the characters are able to enter Dimension W ... and see all the possibilities. However, the actual use of Dimension W is a bit superficial outside of that. Everything just mainly revolves around coils and the 'possibilities' get shoved back as more of a nominal thing. So in the end the actual usage and exploration of 'possibilities' was a bit minimal, and may have become more of just a theme to a battle story with some cute moments.

And as good as the combat was, it seemed a little odd at times. Mabuchi seems to just freely throw out however many dart things as he likes, while being able to wire them so he can perform spiderman or AOT style swings and climbs as he wishes, along with the fact that they can also act as some sort of snare. There wasn't any moment where he ran out of darts or was in any particular danger due to his choice of weaponry which kind of made him a bit of an immortal god of sorts.

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Art: 9
In regards to the art, it was very well done, especially the characters. They stood out well and were designed quite differently. Mira was consistently cute, Mabuchi maintained his gruffness, Loser maintained his enigma while Lasithi was designed quite sexily. The use of colour was appropriate to the moment, though backgrounds would occasionally look quite bland.

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Character: 9
As for the characters, I did want to give it a 10, but the only thing that ruined it was the main antagonist, Haruka Seameyer. He was just a little too cliched with his insanity and cruelty. He just didn't feel unique enough as an antagonist for me to really be drawn to him and to actually hate him for his existence (like Joffrey in Game of Thrones).
However, setting aside the antagonist, Mabuchi Kyoma is quite the likeable character. He's strong and independent (not clinging to friendship nonsense), and has a cool attitude but with a sad history.
Whilst Mira is the lovable female MC who's a robot with a full human personality. She cries, blushes, and even expresses pain. She's funny, cute and most of all, has a consistent character.

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Sound: 9
The voice acting in this was also great. Mabuchi has a cool, deep and slightly apathetic voice that suits the character and helps set him apart from everyone else, while Mira has an appropriately feminine and cutesy voice which greatly complements the character.

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Enjoyment: 10

Overall: 9
Overall, I really liked this show. Maybe I'm biased towards shows that can have a consistently cute girl and who isn't annoying or out of place. Mira is not your damsel in distress, but an actual partner to Mabuchi, which I feel really helped with me giving this show such a high score. And I definitely hope to hear more of her voice in future titles.




*Some further spoilers and personal inputs on what could have made this show even greater*

There was a line in the last few episodes that really helped bring the logic of the world and the coils together, which was: "Possibilities can be predicted and explained but not observed, that is because once it is observed, it is no longer the possibility but the result. I.e. Schrodinger's cat." or something to that effect.
This line alone is what could have made this show all the more interesting. Somehow manipulating Dimension W to bring about a favoured possibility which results in the defeat of the final boss. Maybe the anime studio ran out of time, maybe the author just wasn't ready for such a complex story. They had the opportunity to utilise it through Genesis, but ultimately removed it by 'destroying' Genesis.
Without actually exploring the fundamental concept of possibilities which links the entire story together, the show was prevented from being unique and instead became another battle story with just a different theme, much like Bleach, Naruto or Fairy Tail.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Mar 30, 2016

lawlmartz

Mixed Feelings

If there's one anime this season that went unnoticed, unhyped, and maybe even unfairly underrated, it's Dimension W. While not the flashiest, and certainly not the most outstanding anime- DimW has one thing going for it: it's original. Sidestepping the trappings and tropes that seem to permeate modern anime, and instead embracing a groovy sci-fi near future with androids, flying cars, giant robots, and more- this one was a definite breath of fresh air.

Produced by Studio 3Hz, apparently a very new studio, with literally one credit to their name, the animation and art aren't anything special, but neither are they completely uninspired. It's a ... bit on the low budget side compared to some modern shows, but fluid and frenetic action coupled with some stylized CG made it very watchable. Similarly, voice acting is handled competently, and the music fits well, adding accents or enhancement to the mood when necessary.

The nearly infinite, but unstable energy source that the show is named for takes a front and center position in the plot- weaving a narrative around the creation of "coils", which as essentially batteries that can access the 4th dimension, a plane of existence where possibility is endless, and is tapped into as a source of energy. Everything takes coils: the robots, cars, computers, and nearly the entire world run on this limitless supply of energy.
Kyouma Mabuchi, our main character, is essentially a luddite in this techno world of Dimension W. He works essentially as a mercenary, collecting special types of highly unstable coils which can create massive rifts in space/time, and generally screw up everything, including sucking people into the energy black hole it forms. In return, he gets paid in things like gasoline (a scarce commodity in this future-world) and parts for his "antique" cars.
Kyouma's dislike for coils, robots, and essentially anything technological puts him at odds with the technologically obsessed world he lives in- in a sort of "born in the wrong generation" way. His rugged, tough guy, and often rude demeanor are offputting to most people he meets, but he's dependable to get stuff done when it needs doing.

The premise of the show is a fairly basic revenge tale, but this isn't immediately apparent, even through the first half of the show. The first section with Kyouma taking various jobs from his boss serves mostly as a semi-episodic adventure, introducing all the myriad characters, and then neatly segues into a long term plot. Without saying too much- there's a very collectible coil situated in a very dangerous area out in the Pacific ocean- one that is worth a lot of money, and none of the "collectors" (people like Kyouma who hunt coils for a living) can pass up. In a sort of "Mewtwo Strikes Back" kind of way- this alluring prize on an island in an old lab turns out to be more dangerous than any of the collectors can handle. They gather, each with their own goals and reasons for doing so- whether to use the money to help a decimated country, for personal greed, revenge, or just to satisfy bloodthirst, and this sets the stage for a battle royale of wits and wills. At times though, the show seems to lose sight of what it was going for- getting sidetracked on what are seemingly one off adventures that mostly end in Kyouma questioning something about himself, but not actually creating any new development.

The show has quite a large cast to be as short as it is, but this isn't all great, as many characters are relegated to first string bench warmer status, and play little to no role, especially later on. It does, however, do a fair job of returning to important moments from previous scenes, and wrapping things that seemed like dead ends up.

Kyouma's motivation for his job and raison d'etre are both explored at length. Finally, a show with a non-insert main character who actually has both tangible goals and reasons for why they do what they do. In his own angry-at-the-world way, Kyouma struggles against his inner demons, for love lost, his survivor's guilt, and the purpose of his continued existence in a world he no longer cares about. Cynical, hardened, and rather rage-filled, he makes for an interesting character who doesn't need anyone but himself, and honestly doesn't really care if people around him get hurt or killed. While not entirely heartless, he's a pretty cold and stoic character focused almost solely on his revenge. This isn't revealed immediately, but as we learn more about the character, we slowly begin to understand the obsession that eats at him.

In finishing, Dimension W was a nice change of pace this season- with a very action oriented show that wasn't preachy or pretentious in presentation, satisfying, and most importantly: unique. It's not a mystery, and it's not a pure shonen battle- it's got just the right amount of spice to keep things interesting, moving, and fresh. I don't think there are too many anime that couldn't benefit from longer to flesh out their ideas and really explore characters and plots, but Dimension W is just about right at 12 episodes. Any less would have felt extremely rushed, and any more would have unnecessarily dragged it out. A shallow anime that's enjoyable enough? Sleeper anime of the season? That's for you to decide.

As always, come rage at me, or say something nice. I don't care.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Apr 1, 2016

Gridfire

Not Recommended

Dimension W was billed as one of this season's shows with the potential to really appeal to a western audience. On the surface it does share some of the elements that tend to get a bit more attention from action-starved overseas fans. A cyberpunk setting, a sci-fi thriller plotline, and a no-nonsense masculine lead in Mabuchi Kyouma. The latter is a near-future Luddite. Dimension W is set in a world where everything is powered by devices called 'coils' which tap into a hypothetical fourth dimension for unlimited energy. Kyouma despises the contraptions, symbolically driving a gasoline-fuelled car when the rest of the population has switched ... to electric vehicles. The coils are administered by an uber-powerful corporation called New Tesla, and yes, the very predictable routes of corporate corruption will be explored, beating that horse just a few more times as it barely wheezes a neigh.

So the punchline is that Dimension W isn't that good, but how could an anime with such a cool setting be so mediocre? Well, let's start with the setting. It actually sucks. A few episodes start with a synopsis that pisses in the face of Albert Einstein, where dimension w is shown on a cartesian x-y-z graph as a line parallel and opposite to the x-axis. A keen observer might notice this is actually the negative-x axis, but the laziness doesn't end there (by the way, E=mc^2 is only the non-relativistic component). Apparently the energy from dimension negative-x is distributed amongst the populace via a network of 60 control towers, and that's not the only big number used to give an illusion of complexity where there is none. Also, apparently New Tesla just straight up murdered the wife and child of their most important inventor, and if there was an actually legitimate reason for this to be at all plausible, I've completely forgot it.

That important inventor, Professor Yurizaki, has developed a robot called Mira that mimics human emotions, who due to a series of goofy hijinks, teams up with Kyouma in his job to hunt illegal coils, which aren't regulated by Megagoogle. Her name is Mira and sure enough she's the best character is the series. Cute, while also having genuine agency in the story. The dynamic between her and Kyouma is great fun, so of course the more screen-time she gets, preferably along with Kyouma, the better this show turns out. Well, more than half of the series is taken up by Kyouma's character arc, where she spends a lot of time as a supporting role. Whoopsie!

It's a shame in fact, because Dimension W starts off okay. As overwrought and uninspired as the setting is, it can at least serve as a template for some interesting episodic stories. That describes the first five episodes. The latter seven episodes comprise the aforementioned character arc, and boy if the series doesn't squander its potential in them. One thing I've noticed with one-cour series is that they usually tend to do best when they focus on a cast of four or five key characters, while not getting too distracted by side characters that can be interesting but should nonetheless remain on the shelf most of the time. The alternative is having a good story, which at the moment is an ambitious expectation.

The last half of this series does neither. Many different parties participate in a search for a macguffin, and so the focus of the plot is immediately split between the motivations and backstories of these parties. This is such a waste of time, when time is of the essence in the one-cour format. Do you care about the stereotypical African prince, or the mysterious phantom thief Loser, or the downtrodden villain who's shoehorned into the plot out of nowhere? Of course not, but Dimension W shoves every hackneyed detail of these characters down your gullet.

Granted, if the series kept up the episodic structure, it still wouldn't be good. The underlying flaws in the setting preclude any attempt to really take itself seriously. But it would have at least had variety going for it. Alas, this show is simply following the broad structure of the manga.

At least it looks good. The character designs are on point and blend in well with the style of the backgrounds. Both use a fairly wide color palette that is tamed by avoiding over-saturation. The quality of the drawings doesn't deteriorate much, and the animation quality is above average, although the CG robots are as unwelcome as ever. Wait for Flip Flappers for an exhibition of what Studio 3Hz may really be capable of.

So ultimately, Dimension W was just boring. Its source material is crap and it doesn't make any effort to spice it up.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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