Dimension W / First Impressions

「蘇る悪夢」 (Yomigaeru Akumu)
“Resurrected Nightmare”

Woo, what an episode. It’s quite the thriller we had, mostly thanks to Suddenly Zombies! Well, technically there’s always been zombies on this island, but thanks to the power of science there’s much more aggressive ones for our heroes to play with. This is good, because zombies, like butter, make everything better. More unhealthy for everybody involved, but objectively better. Sure, Mira gets to cannon a robot, there’s a big fight between Loser and Captain Marvel going on, but nothing compares to good old night of of the living dead. Since this arc has mostly been about Kyouma confronting his past, the undead theme is actually quite appropriate, whether it be with the ghost of a dead lover, or having to put down your reanimated buddy. And of course, there’s also those who just won’t stay dead and, if you wanted to branch out a bit, fey goblinoids.

The other good thing about zombies is that they make it very easy to identify who the villains are. When it was just a bunch of foreign mercenaries, you’d distrust them but you weren’t sure if they could turn out helpful to the hero, so you’d reserve judgment. But when they’re unholy tech abominations, that’s an easy shoot-on-sight. It’s why they’re so popular in videogames as well; zombies are always monsters and always good for killing without remorse, like Nazis. Nazi zombies? Even better. And if you’re after a villain with a bit more agency to hate, one can always channel that dark side energy towards the guy who makes the zombies. Be it in fantasy or sci-fi, creepy necromancers are universally reviled. In our analogy, he’s Hitler. And punching Hitler always feels good. That said, we’ve only really seen him in action for at most an episode, so I can’t really work up a strong opinion about Kyouma potentially murdering him in a fit of passion. Yeah, killing is wrong and it’s stylistically appropriate for Kyouma to adopt a Batman rule, but hey, Hitler. I suppose it was to showcase Mira’s new role as Kyouma’s morality pet to reign in his berserker rage. Something of a literal pet, actually; it’s clear why Mira’s so adorable now, she’s a puppy incarnated as a robot. I don’t know why the show makes such a fuss about the technology behind her construction; Japan already had AIBO.

Besides the fun and games, the plot was also sped forward with lots of little developments worth thinking about. The Americans turning on the party makes one wonder whether any of the hired Collectors are actually in it for the bounty. The Mexicans are AWOL, and if the mole siblings turn out to be dastardly assassins who have been biding their time as well, I’d laugh. Lwai having disposable bodies makes one wonder if even his brain is robotic—and whether Salva managed to get his hands on all of Dr Yurizaki’s experimental bodies. And of course, we now have a clear idea of the Macguffin, and it’s a doozy. If they made such a big deal about a double-coil in episode 01, a triple (or so it looks) must be totally crazy. Maybe Mira & co have already found it; just have the wise men follow the light of the star.

By the way, ‘Adrastea’ is not just a moon of Jupiter. It’s also an alternate spelling of one of the epithets of Nemesis, the Greek goddess of divine retribution. It means ‘from whom one cannot escape’. How lovely.

29 Comments

      1. I imagine that her hair actually feels like real hair, considering the technology put into her was meant for prosthetic bodies for sufferers of muscular dystrophy. It wouldn’t do to have any part of her feel ‘fake’, otherwise, the recipient of the full body transplant would go insane from the uncanny valley effect.

        Mincemaker
        Reply

  3. My Guess about Lawi?

    His True body or brain is here inside
    https://randomc.net/image/Dimension%20W/Dimension%20W%20-%2009%20-%20Large%2031.jpg
    Perhaps Salva invent an technology that let Lawi’s consciousness get outside into these Robots Brains like an VR without range and feedback limits, thanks to an powerful number Core on his Biopod. Something like WLan just through the Dimension, where the Robots brains are the receiver

    Just imagine like SAO

    Also, this could work for our Mira, we just do not found out where Daddy hide her true Body

    Worldwidedepp
    Reply

    1. that also explain her Time stop in the nothingness, without side effect. the “receiver” is just powered off

      Ups, i think i stumbled about a better explanation how she could work…

      Worldwidedepp
      Reply

      1. Mira didn’t Time Stop though. She froze up outright, just like how crappy computers will freeze up and not respond to anything.

        If time stops in the nothingness, there will be no motion and Kyouma’s amazing car won’t be able to accelerate through it.

        Mincemaker
        Reply

      2. Time Stop for Coils and body cells. he could survive only 20 to 30 seconds in the nothingness. seems like their blood pressure is also affected. do the heartbeat stop as well?

        Worldwidedepp
        Reply

      3. @Worldwidedepp: But its not “time stop” though, otherwise as Mincemaker said they wouldn’t be able to move. The nothingness is simply a void that is empty of possibilities and it drains the energy from organisms and stops coils completely.

        Dualash
        Reply

      4. There seems to be distinct phenomena at work here, which we should not confuse. Evidently, We are told that people in the void do ‘stop’—but only when nobody else is around. The robots started moving as well when the collector team came to the island. That doesn’t seem to be the same thing as what happens to Mira when she passes through the void, which is probably more to do with coils ceasing to function. Of course, we’re also told that long term exposure is much more sinister.

        Passerby
        Reply

      5. The ‘nothingness’ is much better described as ‘entropy’. Motion can still occur but it will decay down to motionlessness.Kyouma brought his car to Easter Island out of anticipation that they may possibly have to traverse these entropic fields. In such an event he can accelerate to the highest possible speed and let inertia handle the rest.

        As for why the corpses still remain, well, entropy ensures that all the decay process will also cease. Time moves on but the microorganisms decomposing anything since they too had ceased all metabolic functions. All chemical processes that allows for things like electricity had also ceased. The dead rat we see three episodes ago was found on the very periphery of the island, so weather effects can still erode the molecular bonds and make them weak enough to crumble if disturbed, but everything deeper in the island are more or less secluded from the natural processes that governs the outside world.

        Mincemaker
        Reply

      6. @mincemaker

        time stopping does not always equate lack of motion but yea i like the idea of ‘entropy’ as a base for how the nothingness works. I assume that while the w dimension carries infinite possibilities, one of those possibilities is nothingness. perhaps a future arc will attempt to explore what is beyond the nothingness in dimension w. From a sci-fi standpoint, that’s a pretty rad thing to think about

        sonicsenryaku
        Reply

      7. @Mincemaker
        Not to nitpick, but I seem to remember Kyouma saying that gas powered car was specifically not affected by the nothingness. If he intended to let only inertia carry him through the void, then surely a coil-powered vehicle would be superior (Kyouma’s personal anti-coil attitude aside).

        Passerby
        Reply

      8. But a coil-powered car would mean electrical motors, and it might mean motor locking up while the car is in the void (seeing how an electrical vehicle mostly avoids mechanical brakes as well).

        OTOH, doesn’t the LFA have more electronics than the 2000GT?

        info600
        Reply

      9. Based on what I’m seeing in the setting, I surmised that it’s also possible that other than just the electric motors locking up, coil-powered cars might also have safety features built in for the purpose of preventing car accidents, one of which being an *underpowered engine*.

        Mincemaker
        Reply

  4. Watching Mira holding back Kyouma from killing KK made me smirk, because we all know that if push comes to shove, Mira could easily suplex Kyouma to make him stop.

    Mincemaker
    Reply

  5. Im really gonna miss this show when its gone. This ep was a f*kin doozey! Child murdering KK = a pissed off Kyouma and that was a crazy sight to see. Hell, I would killed him myself no need for Mira to hold me back. An arc packed with this much adrenaline makes me feel like Ive been watching 50 eps instead of 10. Hopefully a second season is on the way

    ReDeYeZer0
    Reply

    2. also…
      I smell something fishy here
      https://randomc.net/image/Dimension%20W/Dimension%20W%20-%2010%20-%20Large%2027.jpg
      You know, an nummber coil are really powerfull, but tripeling its power.. Do they reach the Big Bang Dimension? 🙂

      and my fishy gut feeling
      Show Spoiler ▼

      Worldwidedepp
      Reply

      1. also…

        until know we saw Coils that draw power out of the Dimension W, so perhaps they build an reversed power Coil, that send Matter/Energy/You name it, into Dimension W. Thats why it is Special.

        Worldwidedepp
        Reply

  10. Ep 11:

    Show Spoiler ▼

    Worldwidedepp
    Reply

    1. speculation time:

      Show Spoiler ▼

      Worldwidedepp
      Reply

      2. Show Spoiler ▼

        Sorry, but Speculation-san and Diesel-san took over again. But Main Personality are back in Control. Sorry about that

        Worldwidedepp
        Reply

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