In Dimension W episode 3, Chase the Numbers, we learn what numbered coils are in this episode — and see the enormous danger they present to our reality.
What Happened in Dimension W Episode 3
Mira Yurizaki is giddy when she’s paid millions of yen for her role in her first job (last episode). She offers to pay Kyōma Mabuchi rent for the little corner of his house that he lets her stand in, but she makes it clear she’d like a place to sleep and shower, too. He refuses, saying that she’s a robot, and she explains that her nano-tech needs sleep time for repairs. Unable to bear her long explanation, he helps her buy a small recreational vehicle (RV) and bring it back to the gas station. Since she bought it with her own money, she’s giddy about it, too.
When she buys some of her own furniture, she has to be sneaky so no one sees her carry it all home — especially since it’s a couch and several other pieces of furniture that she carries by hand. Through the streets.
As she’s cleaning her RV, some kids try to play in the junked cars next door (the same cars that Mabuchi has warned them to stay away from). Yurizaki tries to be explain why they can’t hang out there, but kids being kids, they don’t listen very well. As Yurizaki’s trying to talk the little girl into leaving the RV, the three boys are playing in the junk cars. That’s when they begin to topple. The kids can’t escape on their own so Yurizaki has to use her robotic speed and strength to save them. But it came at a cost.
Mabuchi visits one of his tinkerer/dealer friends for a coil-less phone. At Mabuchi’s urging, the tinkerer tells him a little about numbered coils. They were also called “beta coils” or “micro gates.” The coils in use today rely on the towers built all over the world for their power, and they only touch the surface of dimension W. The numbered coils, though, could interface directly with dimension W, which makes them extremely dangerous. In fact, numbered coils are at the heart of most of the huge accidents.
When he arrives at the gas station, the police have cordoned off the area. The kids weren’t hurt when the cars fell, but they said someone had been pinned underneath. There was no one there now, but the police took Mabuchi into custody for having the vehicle stored dangerously. He’s surprised when he’s let out that night. He’s further surprised that Mary wasn’t responsible.
When he comes home, Yurizaki invites him into her RV. She’s sitting on her new couch with her head in her lap. As she saved the kids, the cars fell on her and detached her head. She’s crestfallen. She knows that if the details of this incident got out, New Tesla Energy might deduce her identity and put all of them in peril. Fortunately, their secret appeared safe. Mabuchi calls Mary to ask for her technician Koorogi to fix Yurizaki. That’s when he finds out who was responsible for his being release from jail: Claire Skyheart, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of New Tesla Energy Central 47.
He visits Claire to thank her and to try to find out why she helped him. Her grand daughter was one of the children who had almost been killed by the cars, and the grand daughter told Claire that Mabuchi has repeatedly warned the kids to stay away. So, Claire knew he was not responsible. Plus, she said she wanted to see one of the beasts of Grendel, which was Mabuchi’s unit when he was in the military. As he’s leaving, the little girl whispers to him that he kept Yurizaki’s injury a secret from her grandmother.
After he leaves, she says to herself that she hopes this world won’t be destroyed.
The kids visit Yurizaki again, but she hesitates to play with them because she’s afraid of being discovered. Mabuchi literally kicks her in the butt to convince her it’s okay.
At the very end, a maid discovered her master drowning in the middle of a dry room.
What I Liked about Dimension W Episode 3
Yurizaki’s high spirits might border on cliche, but she’s sure fun to watch. She was overjoyed at being paid and being able to buy her own RV. I loved seeing her roll around in it!
When the little girl asks Yurizaki if she’s Mabuchi’s wife, she gets all embarrassed. She’s even more embarrassed when she figures out what the little girl meant when she asked Yurizaki if she’d “done it” with Mabuchi. Again, probably cliche, but she pulls it off so well.
The policeman who arrested Mabuchi has the precinct number 47 on his hat. When Mabuchi left a free man, he left precinct 47. I really enjoy that level of detail in a show.
When Mabuchi came home, he didn’t just barge into Yurizaki’s RV. He asked first. Even though he’s often brusque with her, he seems to show respect in little ways. I think he’s starting to care for her.
As soon as he sees her with her head in her lap, he says that she’s really a robot. Her answer was poignant: “Yes. I’m a little broken.” As she spoke, her voice had spats of static. That was a such a sobering scene. Yurizaki spent so much of the episode expanding her experiences that it was hard to see her unfortunate but inevitable setback.
Even though I think that Mabuchi’s warming up to Yurizaki, I think it would be a stretch for him to be overtly kind to her. That’s why I thought it was amusing when he kicked her in the butt to convince her to play with the kids. That gesture was completely in character: hard-edged but, at its heart, an act of kindness.
What I Liked Less about Dimension W Episode 3
Nothing seemed amiss in this episode. It moved along at a good clip and kept me interested. There wasn’t a lot of action, but the story moved forward in terms of Yurizaki learning about limits and in terms of understanding more about the numbered coils.
Thoughts about Dimension W Episode 3
The COO openly worried about the future of the world. Does that mean she’s — and by extension, all of New Tesla Energy — are aware of the dangers that the coils present? If so, why isn’t she working with the collectors to bring all of the numbered coils under control? Or is she — and we just don’t know about it yet? Or, is New Tesla Energy not the only villain here. Are there other actors?
And just why does Yurizaki have a tail?
Guess we’ll have to wait for future episodes for those answers!
Dimension W Episode 3: Other Posts
Other Anime Sites
- Reddit: [Spoilers] Dimension W – Episode 3 [Discussion]
- Random Curiosity: Dimension W – 03
- Yatta-Tachi: Dimension W Episode 3 (Chase the Numbers) Review
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
