Dimension W

Episode 5

While there continue to be problems with the execution, this episode demonstrates that Dimension W contains a wealth of thematic potential, all thanks to its titular science fiction device. Dimension Walrus seems to be based on parallel timelines. When coils break, those parallel timelines are shoved together into the same physical reality. This produces everything from the ghosts of events that could have happened (but didn't) to grotesque bouquets of repeating space. This device could serve as a fantastic metaphor for how people relate to their pasts, both real and discarded. Everyone has opportunities they'd have taken in hindsight, as well as mistakes they wish they could've avoided. In the world of Dimension W, characters can confront those mistakes in the flesh. This setting has the potential to do what great science fiction does – use hyperbolic technological advancement to say something about how people live their lives now. In between shots of Mira's cleavage, of course.

The murder mystery turns out to have been a Dimension Wumbo-fueled confrontation between two alternate universe versions of the same guy: Shiro Kamaki, aka the true identity of the first victim, Shijuro Sakaki. Each one of them made a different decision at a branching point in his (their) life that coincided with a numbered coil exploding. It all happened twenty years ago, when Kamaki was a student. He, his girlfriend Enamori, and their scientist friends brought a numbered coil to the dry Yasogami lakebed so that they could do some science stuff to it. This displeased a bunch of the locals, who were employed at a local hydroelectric dam, because coil technology threatened their jobs. As such, they planned to get rid of the students by releasing the dam, drowning both them and their coil. Right before this happens, Kamaki finds out about it. He rushes back to warn his friends, but stumbles upon a wounded Enamori in the process. It turns out that she was assaulted by a hostile dam worker, who she killed in self-defense. Kamaki is thus torn between warning his friends about the dam and covering up Enamori's crime. As a compromise, he sends her to warn the others while he disposes of the body. Unfortunately, they never get the message – Enamori slips down the muddy terrain and falls unconscious. When Kamaki returns, he sees that Enamori has drowned, and his friends are stranded within the rising deluge of water. It's the worst-case scenario.

This is where the two Kamakis differ. The one we knew as the bestselling author Shijuro Sakaki saved his girlfriend at the expense of his friends. Meanwhile, the one we know as Kamaki tried to save his friends, only to get stuck as a time ghost when the numbered coil went kablooey. Kamiki died with a clean conscience, while Sakaki lived on, wracked with guilt. Now Kamiki haunts Sakaki in order to maintain the dream world where he and his friends can exist forever at the time of their deaths. This is all maintained by Marisa, Sakaki's “sister,” who is actually Enamori, rendered a sickly amnesiac by her near-death experience. Since Enamori was the person closest to the dimensional rift's epicenter, she seems to be the point of intersection between the physical world and that crystallized slice of the past. When Mira destroys Enamori's temporal shadow – a vision of her corpse cradling the numbered coil in stasis – the connection breaks, and the dimensional malfunction begins to sort itself out. At this point, Sakaki's ghost shows up for some last minute exposition, Kamaki disappears with his world, and Marisa is finally freed from her nightmares. In the end, we learn that Sakaki intentionally maintained the ghost dimension, interning Enamori's ghost corpse in the dam so that his alternate self could continue living alongside his friends. This inability to let go of the past was ultimately his undoing, since getting rid of the dimensional rift earlier would have prevented his murder and spared his girlfriend-turned-sister Marisa/Enamori from years of debilitating nightmares. Learn to move on, kids.

In terms of formal narrative, Dimension W continues to be messy. As much as I liked this mystery, it could've been simplified somewhat, and the exposition wasn't easy to parse. Time travel shenanigans are difficult to explain by default, but this story could've been delivered through better methods than an eight-minute speech from Mira and Sakaki's ghost. How did Mira even figure out that Marisa and Enamori are the same person? She caught a glimpse of the script dimension, I guess.

As you start to examine character motivation, it all falls apart even more. Why did Kamaki murder Sakaki? Anger for having abandoned his friends? Did he not notice the difference between Enamori and his deceased sister? Why even disguise Enamori as the sister at all? Then again, this is a guy who responded to an easily-justifiable self-defense killing by tampering with the body and photographic evidence of the encounter. (I mean, I'd understand if Enamori's position were indefensible for one reason or another, but the assault was caught on video.) Kamaki doesn't seem to be the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree, if you get what I'm saying.

There were also some hints about the general plot snuck into this episode. Loser was disguised as the hotel's manager, and Elizabeth is his ally. Albert isn't just here to hang out with Kyouma, but rather to hunt down Loser, who flees when the New Tesla agent starts getting close. The closing scene of the maid revealing that the “voices” made her put Lake Yasogami water in the hotel dispenser (thus allowing Kamaki to murder Sakaki) is also treated as a revelation, although I'm not sure why. Were the ghosts the voices, or could it be someone we haven't met yet? Could someone want to cause trouble with the numbered coils?

It's funny that I haven't yet mentioned Kyouma Mabuchi, our alleged main character, at all in this review. That's because he's almost totally irrelevant. His role is to have a brief fight with Kamaki, receive exposition, and collect the coil. We better learn more about him soon – at this point, his status as a cipher is working against the show, especially since he's not a particularly fun character. Mira even has an internal monologue about this. Hopefully, this means that the series will pony up Mr. Grumpy's origin story sometime soon.

Another issue is the fanservice, which has started to cross a line. I can deal with gratuitously drawn anime boobies until the cows come home, but when the salacious object specifically turns into a person in distress, I recoil. That happened not once, but twice this episode. The first time was when Kamaki had Mira chained up for no reason. Even then, I could've dealt with that, if not for a later moment when it's implied that Enamori is being sexually assaulted. All that scene needed was the threat of violence, not a lingering shot of the man tearing off her clothes and choking her. Fanservice is fine, but when consent gets dubious, that's no good.

Overall, it's another promising – though not comforting – episode of Dimension W. I say “not comforting” because it still feels like a coin toss whether this show will live up to expectations. If it fulfills its premise's thematic potential, then Dimension W could end up a great slice of sci-fi. But if it ignores that while buckling down on its flaws – awkward story structure, poor action direction, and uncomfortable fanservice – it'll be a waste. There's a possible future where this show is good, and there's one where it's bad. Unfortunately, we're not the ones deciding that.

Grade: B+

Dimension W is currently streaming on Funimation.

Gabriella Ekens studies film and literature at a US university. Follow her on twitter.