This show looks very........Twenty-Tens Anime, if that makes sense. As in, too sleek, or too 'cool.' To a point, this is true, but once you decide to really give it a shot, it doesn't let down. It's not as uber-unique as some people have said, but not as horrid as said by others. A solid story, competent characterization, and good work in the art + sound departments makes it worth the ride.
[Story - 7]
Our story follows Kyouma Mabuchi, a soldier turned repo-man in a sci-fi world revolving around a fourth dimension and its energies fueling new advancements on earth. This setting might not be uber original, but it certainly is a memorable one. It was interesting to see even GLIMPSES of the mere politics (New/Neo Tesla’s interal squabbles + beefs with the government), ‘science’/fantasy elements (dimension-hopping, memory exploration), and so on/so forth. You can tell that the writer(s) did try to do as much world-building as they felt they could, and it works. I hope to see more of this expanded upon in a future season.
Moving on from that, however; Pacing’s alright. Nothing too shabby, but the beginning drags a bit until episode 4, which may be a bit too long to really set up the world and dynamics. By then, though, the story picks up a lot and really gets down to the real grit of the show (a hunt for a macguffin that holds a lot of importance for Mabuchi’s background). The finale is perhaps a bit too neat with how it resolves everything + comes about (sudden antagonist reveal), but it’s serviceable and allows for more to be explored potentially.
Thematically, this show isn’t too special. It covers typical sci-fi stuff like Are Robots Human? and the ethics of meddling with unknown technologies/energies/whatever. Even with a setting and story as engaging as this show has, it’s still…...meh. I guess it’s fine, but I’m getting tired of these types of things not being extensively explored.
[Art - 6]
The artwork is pretty solid. Action can be followed pretty easily, and is fairly fluid. Character design is competent in that it’s all individualized, and can convey core traits with ease (i.e. Mabuchi’s gruffness with his happi coat + absence of any tech). The setting artwork is alright; It’s not a Shinkai movie, but it looks nice and is engaging enough.
However, this is not a ‘7’ because of one word: fanservice. It…..lurks underneath the show as it goes on, and pops up when you most expect it (but least want it). Truly a devilish fiend, that fanservice.
[Sound - 7]
Soundwork is thankfully devoid of said fanservice, and thus deserves its 7. The music is nothing to really rave about, but it works in being suitable to what’s going on + the general setting and its atmosphere. The OP is a bit too ‘EDM’ for me, but it’s cool; The ED, however, is fairly memorable with how angsty it sounds and reads.
The SFX + voice-acting are good. Nothing to really say since there’s no stand-out performances save for Yuki Kaji as Sudden Antagonist (god, he has such range……….one minute he’s screaming his head off, the next he’s whimpering) and Daisuke Ono as Mabuchi (this totally didn’t influence me being reminded of Jotaro).
[Character - 6]
Characterization in this show is interesting, to say the least. Maybe it’s because it’s only one cour, but there’s a lot of build-up that doesn’t quite come to fruition here. Certainly frustrating, but this is ultimately mitigated by how well said build-up was done.
Mabuchi’s a rather tragic man, honestly. Between what happened on Easter Island (watch the show, even if it’s kind of obvious) and losing such a close loved one (even if she looks 14), no wonder he’s so stereotypically stoic. It may certainly grate upon some people, especially in those first few episodes where everything is being established, but it does grow on you over time after you start to learn about why he’s like this. Naturally, he goes under the process of recovering from all of this (or at least the beginnings), and he comes out of it fairly okay.
However, his sidekick/partner/robot/surrogate daughter/etc. Mira is a big part of the reason as to why, which means I have to talk about her. I’m gonna be frank: I don’t know how to feel about her. She can be really cute or funny sometimes, but really annoying with how naive she is at other times. Her arc mainly revolves around Pinocchio-style desires, but it never really gets dug into; This results in…...me not really caring about her.
Then we have the foil to Mabuchi: Loser. I can’t talk a lot about this character, since their very identity is core to the mystery of Mabuchi’s past, but all I gotta say is that it’s worth the wait, and is PAINFULLY tragic.
Last, but not least, is our surprise antagonist: Haruka Seameyer. While I enjoy how the character himself is written (genius driven to madness due to failure and all that), I HATE how suddenly he was introduced. No build-up at all in this case, so we’re just kind of…….accepting him at like episode 10. Ridiculous, in my opinion.
There are a bunch of other characters, but they’re either forgettable or Cool but not cool enough to really warrant a full sentence about them.
[Enjoyment/Overall - 6]
Dimension W’s nothing radical, but it manages to escape the scorn of not being radical by just being light fun. I genuinely enjoyed the time I spent on this one, and would recommend this show to anyone looking for cool sci-fi action with decent world-building.
