Dimension W Episode 1 Quick Summary
In Dimension W episode 1, “Collector,” the story introduces us to a world where gasoline is almost $100 a gallon and almost all energy comes from Dimension W. All of the nations of the world depend on that energy. What could possibly go wrong?
Note: This review may contain spoilers. Please be cautious!
What Happened in Dimension W Episode 1?
It’s 2037, and the world draws its energy from Dimension W. Sixty towers located all around the world stabilize this energy and make it available for consumption. A single company, New Tesla Energy (NT), controls these towers. Individual devices pull power from the towers via small coils. Of course, there’s a black market for them.
Mary sends Mabuchi, her employee, after stolen coils. Capture from the Funimation stream.
Kyōma Mabuchi is a Collector, which means he retrieves illegal coils for a living. His employer, Mary, sends him on a mission to retrieve a stolen shipment.
At about the same time, Mira Yurizaki discovers that her apartment’s drinking water is sludge again. She tells her ailing father, who looks a lot like the previous CEO of New Tesla Energy who’s been missing for several years, that she’s going to go buy potable water. On the way home, she somehow senses the illegal coils that are nearby, and she investigates. Unfortunately, the criminals knock her unconscious and capture her. As one of them is about to molest her, Mabuchi announces himself and asks them to turn over the illegal coils.
As one might expect, they decline to be peaceful about it, so Mabuchi uses his knives to begin disarming them. He also warns them that the illegal coils will eat them if they don’t hand them over. As Yurizaki awakens and sees Mabuchi fighting, she briefly wonders if he’s human. Then the wounded criminal boss grabs her and threatens to kill her if Mabuchi doesn’t let him go. When Mabuchi says it’s not his job to save the girl, she apologizes to her father and “powers up.” She throws the boss across the room.
Then she marches up to Mabuchi, calls him a low life, and slaps him so hard he falls unconscious.
He awakens to see NT’s lead field agent. The illegal coils are missing. After declining the agent’s offer to join the NT team, Mabuchi takes off after Yurizaki.
Yurizaki tries to escape to help her father, but Mabuchi was too good with his knives/wires. Capture from the Funimation stream.
An NT team finds Yurizaki’s apartment. It turns out the man inside was, in fact, the previous CEO, and he’s vehemently against NT now. Instead of surrendering himself and his new research to the people who had murdered his family (NT), he begins to detonate what looks like an energy singularity. At the same time, Mabuchi has just captured Yurizaki with his wires, and she senses the impending explosion. She’s desperate to away, but the bomb goes off, shuttling the power for several blocks around — including Yurizaki.
Mabuchi brings her to Mary’s lab. Mary’s scientist is astonished at Yurizaki’s complexity. He’s not even sure she’s not sentient, and he says only one individual could have made her: the previous NT CEO. After she’s powered up, she’s embarrassed and furious that they removed her outer clothes to examine her. Poor Mabuchi gets slapped again, but this time, he stays conscious. She sobers up, though, when Mary asks if they can meet her maker. Reminded that her father’s now dead, she gets off the table, sinks to her knees, and begs them to let her help gather the illegal coils.
What I Liked about Dimension W Episode 1
During the opening music (OP), Mabuchi shows that he’s a coordinated dancer. I was impressed.
Also in the OP, during the car chase, when the “bad guy” cars wreck, you can see the drivers tumble out. I like that kind of realism, though I feel for the poor guys. That tumble had to sting.
The backgrounds look enough like today’s world to feel familiar, and they have enough subtle differences to emphasize that they’re twenty or more years in the future.
Mabuchi likes to be paid half in money, half in gasoline. Like many heroes/anti-heroes, he clings to some of the old technology, but I get a sense it’s for more than sentimental reasons. I’ll be interested to see if they series expands on that.
I think the animation is beautiful. The backgrounds are detailed, the character movements are smooth, and each character is distinctive. Action scenes are smooth and exciting to watch.
The NT team who tries to retrieve Yurizaki’s father tries to reassure him by saying that the previous bureau chief misunderstood the board’s instructions and accidentally murdered his wife and daughter. Her father didn’t buy it for a second. That excuse sounded so much like the bureaucratic mindset I’ve seen play out in real life. It was satisfying to see the father shut it down. Though I was sad to see him die.
What I Liked Less about
There were a couple of shots that seemed to detract from the drama. The one that really sticks out in my mind is when Yurizaki is sliding off the table to beg Mabuchi and Mary to let her help collect illegal coils. The shot focused on her legs and hips. I’m all for fan service where it makes sense, but the choice of that shot really struck me as odd.
Thoughts about Dimension W Episode 1
Yurizaki made for a strong, sympathetic character. I hope she can achieve her mission! Capture from the Funimation stream.
I like science fiction. I like mysteries. It looks like Dimension W is a little of both. I liked a lot about this episode: it moved crisply, the animation was fun to watch, and the action sequences felt satisfying. Mabuchi almost seems a little one dimensional, but there are hints that some of his affectations — like his dislike for the coils — isn’t just the grumpy old man yelling at kids to get off his lawn, but is a sentiment based on a bad experience.
I’m curious to find out what drove Yurizaki’s father to suicide. There’s obviously something very wrong with either the coils and their energy, or with how some people are using them. Whatever it is, it drove NT to kill her father’s wife and organic daughter.
I was afraid Yurizaki was going to be just another robot with feelings, but she seems like she has a mission. What personality came through in a hectic first episode felt sympathetic to me. Her father’s death seemed to really sadden her, but in spite of that, she focused on the need to recover the stolen coils. What’s so important that she needs to dedicate her life to its achievement?
I know I’m really curious to find out!
Dimension W Episode 1: Other Posts
Other Anime Sites
- Reddit: [Spoilers] Dimension W – Episode 1 [Discussion]
- Yatta-Tachi: Dimension W Episode 1 Review
- Random Curiosity: Dimension W – 01
This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)
- Dimension W Episode 1: Collector
- Dimension W Episode 2: Loser
- Dimension W Episode 3: Chase the Numbers
- Dimension W Episode 4: The Mystery Hidden in Lake Yasogami
- Dimension W Episode 5: The Possibilities of the Dead
- Dimension W Episode 6: The Wind of Africa
- Dimension W Episode 7: The Voice Calling from the Past
- Dimension W Episode 8: The Island That Fell into Nothingness
- Dimension W Episode 9: The Key to Adrastea
- Dimension W Episode 10: Resurrected Nightmare
- Dimension W Episode 11: The Lost Genesis
- Dimension W Episode 12: The Future Reached
I found this review series and can’t help but check another persons perspective on it. Glad I did cause of the amount of insight I found interesting. I never understood the complex stuff from the anime the first time around, (and it was apparent if you read my old fanfics of this anime) But now that I been rewatching the series multiple times, I am slowly beginning to get the series a little more. (granted I am probably not gonna get a major in any kind of physics from this whatsoever)
But the episode. I watched it like 5 times now, and I still genuinely enjoyed it. Mira is a wholesome character and like you, seen the whole series through due to her character. Kyoma has some intrigue going for him despite his roughness. And this world, from this episode alone feels alive and realized without trying too hard. (unlike the manga version)
Why yes, there is a manga version, and for you, I’ll let you know a few differences, since they actually add in some context or change a few things. For starters, Mira was harassed by some creep, only to lose interest after finding out she was a robot, even spitting at her. Which I felt was unnecessary. Although he does gets his comeuppance after that obese guy, Every I believe, beat him up and apparently followed her for an unspecified amount of time rather than Mira just stumbling onto their hideout.
Mary also gave Kyoma a lecture about how there are rules about robots legally have to have extra parts on them to make them look different enough from the humans. Something I think Kyoma should know at this point. Also that coil Shido was carrying was specified as a double lined coil. (if you remember the last episode, it should sound familiar) Also Kyoma is a HELL of a lot more crueler to Mira early on. I know you’d not like that.
Lets not forget the cool as hell opening and its theme. Side note: the music is not like super memorable, but the Theme of DW is like one of my favorite songs in any anime. It’s a shame we never hear it in the show itself. (other than the credits when it was shown in Toonami) Anyways, despite knowing what happens later, I am glad you enjoyed this first episode. Cause no matter how many times I see this episode, I always enjoy it. I’ll review the rest soon. Thanks for reading.
Did you public your fanfics to anyplace like Archive of Our Own? I’ve love to read them!
Yeah, I’m glad they didn’t show Kyoma being much more cruel. It was borderline as it was!
The OP? Very, very cool. I still rewatch it from time to time just for the heck of it. There’s a version where Mira dances instead of Kyoma. That was a lot of fun!
Thanks for your comment!
Oh, this is going to be fun to watch!