Title: Dimension W Vol. 12
Author: Yuji Iwahara
Publisher: Yen Press
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 192
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action
Publication Date: November 13, 2018
The Story
Volume 12 of Dimension W gives us quite the eye-opening insight to what was eluded to last volume pertaining to Dr. Yurizaki’s Judgment Day theory. After Drake Horton invades New Tesla’s meeting, Al and Claire Skyheart pay a visit to Mary while Kyouma, Koorogi, and Ellie are having a discussion about the double-ringed coil that suddenly appeared in Mira’s chest. Claire states that she wants to know all of their secrets and in exchange, she will share what only a handful of New Tesla execs know about Judgment Day. Mira is conflicted about this but eventually agrees to hear the information. I won’t spoil it as it’s a major plot point but needless to say, it’s pretty bad from an emergency standpoint. Kyouma is tasked with figuring out how to stop Judgment Day from arriving.
Kyouma decides to look into the recent deaths of coil collectors and use the information he finds there to track down Drake Horton and the rest of the Syndicate, who all seem to have more information on Judgment Day than New Tesla does. This brings them to New Delhi, India where Mira examines the mind of one of the dead collectors, gaining some rather sparse clues. This leads them to the supposed scene of the murder where Kyouma and company are kidnapped.
In addition, we end the volume with returning characters Cassidy/Sanchos and Jason Chrysler, who were also captured in Mexico. They are being transported by train to a location being run by the Syndicate.
I know left out a bunch there but you really need to read it for yourself. The explanation of Mira’s double coil and the realization of how much trouble the world is in was well-written and really brought a bit of shock value to the story. Outside of these huge reveals, the investigation arc seems rather run-of-the-mill thus far. They’re just following a trail of breadcrumbs and then they are captured. I’ve seen this plot point way too many times to say that I was shocked over it. For a series that really thinks outside the box in the realm of science fiction, you would think Yuji Iwahara would take a different route rather than the main protagonists getting kidnapped in the middle of a taboo investigation. It’s almost a paint-by-the-numbers (slight pun) approach to the story and I was a little disappointed by it.
Characters
Dr. Yurizaki had some new light shed onto him with the whole Judgment Day theory being proven correct. The mystery of why he built Mira still hasn’t been answered but after this volume, I feel like we are getting closer to learning about it. We also saw a little bit more expansion on the reason why Drake Horton killed Yurizaki and his family that wasn’t quite fully explained last volume. Once you learn the truth about Judgment Day, the reason of “to lessen his burden” seems like his murder was a mercy killing more than anything. Does that actually make Drake Horton a truly evil person? It’s like we’re venturing into a morally gray area with him now and that’s rather interesting.
Mira still doesn’t have any idea why she was created but even Kyouma as noticed that ever since her coil was replaced, she’s becoming more and more “human.” She’s succumbing to true human emotions and that’s causing her to hesitate on some of her actions. She’s beginning to see more sides to each situation that a robot shouldn’t be able to see. Makes you wonder where Mira is going to end up once this is all said and done.
Outside of that, we didn’t really get much in the way of character development. With Jason Chrysler making a return, we did quickly learn how after his last his battle on Easter Island, he was kicked out of the league and had become a freelance collector. Cassidy’s appearance didn’t really add much to her character but it did further support the whole reveal of Yurizaki’s Judgment Day theory so while her part was rather small, it was still impactful on the grander scale of things.
Final Thoughts
Generic investigation aside, we got some great backstory on Mira’s coil and how Dimension W played a huge role in it. We also learned a bit more about what is possible with Dimension W and then, of course, the huge bombshell that was dropped on us about Judgment Day and how it truly is approaching! The sci-fi aspects of this volume were completely off the chart and while the investigation portion of it did slow things down, it still served as a nice wheelhouse to explore Mira’s newfound human emotions, thus progressing her character nicely.
This was a really solid edition of Dimension W. It looks like we’ll get more Syndicate involvement in volume thirteen but it makes you wonder what will happen when Kyouma discovers what the Syndicate is truly up to. On the surface, it seems their goals are the same as New Tesla’s: to prevent Judgment Day, except they’re taking more extreme measures to do so. Another classic example of the whole “their hearts are in the right place but their methods are completely wrong” trope we see pop up from time to time.
Don’t know exactly where Iwahara-san is going with the Syndicate but it’s still an interesting ride nevertheless!
Be sure to follow me on Twitter @TheAnimePulse
You can also check out other The Outerhaven reviews on your favorite social media networks:
Subscribe to us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/theouterhaven
Subscribe to us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheOuterHaven
Subscribe to us on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/theouterhavennet
This item was provided for review by Yen Press
