Title: Dimension W Vol. 14
Author: Yuji Iwahara
Publisher: Yen Press
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 192
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action
Publication Date: May 21. 2019
The Story
Volume 14 of Dimension W starts off with an attack on Islera, the robotics facility owned by Prince Salva out in Africa. Drake Horton and Due of the Syndicate attack them with their forces looking to retrieve the “Sisters.” The sisters are clones of Mira but they weren’t given “brains” because their only purpose is to combine with Mira. We then have a huge revelation dropped on us as to how they can combine with her. There’s only one way for them to do so and I’ll let you read the volume to discover that huge reveal for yourself!
Salva, Lashiti, Lwai, and Albert fend them off as best as possible but in the end, it’s a losing battle and they give up. Koorogi, who was there working on the sisters, manages to escape; however, his whereabouts are unknown. Meanwhile, natural disasters are happening all over the world as the nothingness is beginning to seep deep into the planet.
On the flipside, after going on their investigation, Kyouma and company are dropped into a train and are being taken to an unknown location. On the way there, they run into Venti from the syndicate who derails the train stating that only those strong enough to survive are able to continue. They all survive the crash and end up in an underground labyrinth covered by a tree with glowing leaves. Ellie knows a little too much about this place and the volume ends with her coughing up information and providing us with her backstory.
Like always, Yuji Iwahara manages to cram a TON of information into 192 pages of content! SO MUCH happened in this volume, a lot of which I don’t want to talk about because there are some huge spoilers as we get some big answers to some questions. I will say that this was a hugely engrossing volume of Dimension W from a story perspective with several “on-the-edge-of-your-seat” moments from the fate of Prince Salva, to the real meaning behind the sisters, how they integrate with Mirai, Ellie’s backstory, the introduction of “Winner” and so much more!
Characters
Ellie is the only one who gets any real major development that I can talk about. Obviously, the other one is Mira but let’s just say that you need to read this volume to discover that for yourself. Ellie, on the other hand, reveals that she lived in this underground labyrinth until she was ten. Venti and Nove referred to her as Uno and that’s because the three of them grew up together here. The aforementioned two of them are now part of the syndicate while Uno aka Ellie became a rogue collector. It goes into how she had to ensure training where failure meant death. The volume ended with her vowing to escape from there. Spoilers: She did (duh).
Lwai didn’t get any development from a character standpoint but he did from a technological one. Sick new body, bro! He was able to keep up with Due after she took a physical-enhancing stimulant. Even though Due is an enemy, Lwai still shows care and concern for her, keeping his core as a character intact. To even show concern for your enemies speaks to the kind of person Lwai truly is.
I also liked the introduction of Winner but I’ll you figure out who or what Winner is. Obviously, he’s (it’s) the opposite of Loser and that’s all I’ll say.
Final Thoughts
This was a big improvement over the previous volume of Dimension W. Although, I’m not sure why they chose to end the volume on a false cliffhanger. Ellie vowing to escape is a terrible cliffhanger because this is a story being told as a flashback. We know she escaped. There’s no mystery or intrigue to make me want to read the next volume outside of what happens beyond the flashback scene. While some questions did get answered, we still don’t know why the collectors were… collected (hehe) in this labyrinth; however, Chrysler seems to have found a clue which may lead them to their gear. Sure, it’s a survival test for them all but why is the big question that’s unanswered.
I would have swapped the story around a bit. If they had dropped them into the labyrinth first and then had Ellie simply say “I escaped by…” and then cut to the Salva arc and ended it on the explosion… I think that would have made the volume a little more exciting in the end. Same content just flip-flopped. Wondering if Salva and company made it out alive would have been a better sell for volume 15 but I’m not discounting this volume by any means. There’s a still a ton of stuff in here that will make you want to read more. As I said, there were huge spoilers in this volume that I don’t want to talk about and those spoilers alone will be enough to make you want to read the next volume!
Also… another reason to read this volume… those color pages at the beginning AND the color pages for Chapter 100! Simply gorgeous! Although I probably spent a little too much time staring at Ellie and Mira in the opening color spread.
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This item was provided for review by Yen Press
