Dimension W Review

It is the year 2071. With the discovery of Dimension W, humanity is able to harness it to create unlimited energy. With this new energy, the use of coils become commonplace and benefits all of the society. But with unlimited energy and new advancements comes complications and risks. Will those risks come to harm society or will the unlimited energy bring peace and absolute harmony?

Out of everything that Dimension W has, the story is confusing and can make you question if the writer and director knew what they were doing. Although the setup for the plot is spot on at times, it doesn’t work all too well if what is being set up fails to make sense in the first place. This is proven true halfway during the series when the Easter Island arc takes place. Despite this, there is an overarching plot going on, which does tie into the latter half of Dimension W, even it is done so poorly. If there is anything the show does do well, it is the mechanics of sci-fi and how coils and unlimited energy tie into everything. For the most part, the concept of coils and the Dimension W are all interesting, since the series takes the time to describe its functions. Even so, it all crumbles down near the end, when the series uses that same concept to introduce a deus ex machina that does not get explained well at all. It’s a shame since Dimension W was headstrong during the first half with it introducing its world, the characters, and setting up the plot, only for it to crash and burn at the end.

Some of the characters introduced are interesting enough to care about while some do not get enough depth, which makes their personalities boring. The focus set around the two deuteragonists, Kyoma Mabuchi, and Mira, but Dimension W also keys in on other characters as well, such as the numbers hunter, Loser, and even the robotic kid, Lwai. Unfortunately, while certain characters are interesting, the vast majority are not since they only get limited screen time, which is not enough to fully explore their personalities and goals. This hurts the story during moments when said characters prove to be an obstacle for Kyoma and Mira to overcome. Some characters can be annoying or just plain obnoxious; the reveal of a certain mad scientist shows. Another gripe I have with characters is the distracting fanservice involving Mira. The camera sure does love to capture her body in certain positions. Unfortunately, this only proves to be eye candy and is distracting in important moments. In the end, while some characters are are rememberable, most are not due to issues with development and depth.

Despite any issues Dimension W may have, the art and animation do not contain as many errors compared to its story and characters. The character designs look intriguing enough to catch my attention; looking at Kyoma and Mira’s design proves this. Kyoma looks like a character straight out of Samurai Champloo or Cowboy Bebop. As for Mira, she looks like a character from a cyberpunk series or World Trigger. Art backgrounds give off a cyberpunk atmosphere, which is appropriate since this is a sci-fi series. You can see this when characters are using coils or when events involving technology are happening. Concerning the animation, it is best during scenes of action or complicated movement. Although it is not as strong compared to the art, the animation is good enough to hold on its own. The use of CGI for any robotic or artificial objects fits well and 2D animation for character movements gives off fluidity. If you are someone who finds visual appeal can make up for lack of story and character depth, then you will enjoy the quality in Dimension W.

If you ask me, this isn’t a good series, but it’s not terrible either. At best, Dimension W is decent since it looks good visually. Despite that, the story and characters lack depth along with its use of sci-fi mechanics. What bothers me the most is that it uses the mechanics of the coils and unlimited energy fairly well, only for it to become a deus ex machina in the end. For a series that was getting a lot of attention, it sure doesn’t hold up. Even if it didn’t suit my tastes, I believe you should try it out and see if you like it. I can only tell you that there are better sci-fi series out there with better story and characters.