This review contains spoilers.
〈 Alluring outside... 〉
I want to preface this write-up with a mere acknowledgement of the production problems that poisoned Wonder Egg Priority's progress. On account of these, the second half is comparable to quickly-blended mush straight from Kitchen Nightmares, which, I can only presume, was not intentional. However, I believe very little would have changed had the production troubles been non-existent. The most glaring issues within WEP stem from the horrifying and eyebrow-raising writing and the extreme superficiality and ignorance it exhibits at every corner.
The show revolves around the main characters: Ai, Rika, Neiru and Momoe, battling the traumas of suicide victims in a dream world in order to bring their deceased friends back to life. While many will not concur with me, I view the concept itself as one of the many problems that infest this series. Besides being the foundation for the entire narrative, I believe it is supposed to represent the process of overcoming traumatic events with the help of others and be a reminder that taking your own life is never the answer. However, it is not chock-full of maturity, empathy and understanding, which are vital when one desires to delve into such subjects. Quite shockingly, it comes off as the complete opposite of that. It is immensely childish, unempathetic and dehumanising.
When one of the protagonists cracks an Egg, an unusual item that contains the soul of a teenager who killed themselves, inside the dream world, the person emerges from the object. From that point onward, they have to be protected from the monsters that symbolise both the source of their trauma and people who did not help them or chose to ignore the abuse altogether. If the protagonist who shattered the egg succeeds in defending the other person, they will get one step closer to reviving their lost friend. What I found problematic about this concept is how it presents suicide victims. One can obtain an Egg when they insert coins into a slot machine located in a beautiful garden that belongs to Acca and Ura-Acca, dubious personages who control the system. Do you see the issue? In a way, the protagonists that use this device buy a person's soul with money and then utilise it to fuel their own goals. We can even see them purchasing a few eggs at once, hoarding them in order to speed up the revival process, which spells out how much they genuinely care about those the Eggs contain. The show sees these dead teenagers as either a currency (those who emerged from the Eggs) or an award (the protagonists' friends). If you acquire a sufficient amount of said currency (i.e. you crack just enough eggs), you will be able to get your reward. It sounds dehumanising, and truth be told, it is. It gives the impression that the show does not treat people who decided to take their own lives as human beings, despite the fact that suicide is its central theme and most of its cast experienced it in some form, directly or indirectly. They are more akin to plot devices necessary to push the narrative forward. They, their stories and the hardships they underwent are not important. The action takes priority over humanity.
To add salt to injury, WEP often refers to this frightening and revolting scheme as a game. The protagonists are the heroes in shining armour, wielding magical weapons. The abusers take the form of Saturday morning cartoon villains the heroes must bring down, and the entire process of struggling against traumas is portrayed as a quest they must clear to claim their reward. This practice makes it seem like all of it is mere child's play and reduces people to more objects or goals, which is degrading as hell.
If the show examined the difficult issues it features, I would be willing to overlook the foulness of this concept. However, that is never the case, as these topics are here solely for the sake of it.
One could go as far as to say that the show mentions and showcases them for brownie points. If that were not the case, they would be explored in a more or less precise matter. Nevertheless, the reality is grim. They merely appear on the screen for a couple of minutes and swiftly disappear without any lingering effect. WEP throws these topics aside and forgets about them instantly, unconcerned with their depiction. Bullying? Abuse? Sexual Assaults? None of these sensitive matters is deemed worthy of an examination. Truth be told, it felt like every time one of these appeared on the screen, they fulfilled the role of an igniter: something that would fill the protagonist with rage and thus motivate them to defeat the hideous abuser in a spectacular manner like a true hero of the story. So, what we get instead of a mature attempt at tackling heavy subjects are shock value, hollow sensations and a saviour complex. To top it off, it becomes progressively worse with each episode. By far, the most offensive example of this is the 10th episode. In it, we meet a transgender boy who committed suicide after his kendo trainer assaulted and impregnated him. How does WEP deal with this character? It ghoulishly showcases the assault and spends the rest of the dream showcasing the monstrous abuser's bouts of rage and rants justifying his actions, and at the end, he is swiftly disposed of. The evil-doer may be gone, but the victim is left to rot in unimportance. The boy could be a fantastic way of exploring the struggles trans people must face and shed some light on the subject. Be that as it may, the show chose to ignore this opportunity and went with an emotion-deprived fight scene, shocking details, loud screaming and silly heroism. That is the nature of this narrative, and you can spot it in every dream. I loathe this willy-nilly, juvenile and inconsiderate approach with every fibre of my being.
Yet, I am barely scraping the surface.
WEP perpetuates the damaging notion that adults are untrustworthy and evil. Almost every grown-up that appears within the show ends up being someone whom the teen characters should not see as an ally. In the 4th episode, we meet a girl whom her dad's boss sexually assaulted. Her mother tells her not only to put up with it but to embrace it;
"She said being groped just shows how cute I am."
What a cartoonish, goofy nonsense. Of course, there are parents who would sacrifice their child's well-being for a stable source of income, surrendering their morality and dignity. However, in this case, it is presented in such an over-the-top, superficial way that I cannot put up with it. Additionally, this scene screams "Do not seek help from adults—they will put you down in lieu", which is an immensely dangerous sentiment. Surely, depiction does not equal endorsement. However, the show constantly does that, and it pains me to see such a disturbing notion implied in an anime. In the case of Mr Sawaki, it goes one step further. Countless scenes paint him as a creepy and manipulative individual responsible for the death of one of his students, and he is continually antagonised. So, is he the bad guy? Turns out that he is not, and the show is merely presenting him in such a way for cheap shock value and melodrama. Why should the show commit to making him an intriguing character who is not merely the "creepy teacher" archetype? Why should it characterise its characters with actual care and finesse? Why should the characters make sense? "Scrap everything! Make him appear to be a creep so that the 'adults are bad' agenda sticks! Hell yeah!" it thought to itself. With this in mind, it is more than apparent that the show cannot put its foot down and be consistent about its ideas.
As for being inconsistent, the pacing of the show takes the cake in that regard; it is that awful. The episodes either blaze through the content at lightning speed or drag out for no apparent reason. It is at its worst in the second half of WEP as the story overwhelms the viewer with a staggering amount of new developments, concepts and exposition dumps. For instance, we learn about the prime antagonist, Frill, at the end of the season. In a span of two episodes, the anime attempts to shed light on the character and introduce vital ideas, yet at this point, it all falls on deaf ears. The same applies to the awkwardly introduced parallel worlds, a concept that goes from being something briefly mentioned to becoming the most vital plot element. Still, we do not know anything about them and how they operate. Everything in this series feels hamfisted, implemented for the sake of it. Not even one part of the narrative has the necessary time to prosper, and they end up being undercooked. Chewing on content like that can only lead to abdominal pains, and it is hard to stomach.
That brings me to another point: WEP, somehow, manages to be convoluted, incomprehensive, all over the place and on the nose all at once. As the final credits rolled, I realised that everything I witnessed amounted to nothing, made little to no sense and was never explained. Every single attempt at expanding or explaining the narrative ends up being one of these adjectives. A great example of the first three is, yet again, Frill and everything connected to her. The words "How? Why? What?" keep popping inside your head the second you reach the last quarter of the show, and you get the bare minimum answers. On the other hand, Seeno Evils (See no evil = ignoring the abuse), Ai's name (Ohto Ai = Odd eye; heterochromia), Wonder Killers (Wonder = a person/a life, Killer = led to their suicide) embody the strange directness that sometimes takes place within the series. Every ounce of nuance is thrown out of the window. Things that should not be vague remain uncertain till the very end. Information that ought not to be said out loud, the show instantly reveals.
The series also becomes somewhat edgy in the last quarter. Scenes showcasing the gruesome mutilation of the protagonists' pendant animals and the appearance of horrifying, butterfly-faced servants of Frill come off as plainly out of place and awkward. They exemplify how much the show loves to use shock value to evoke an emotional response rather than earn it through honest, well-thought-out character moments.
Apropos of awkwardness, this anime has a bizarre perception of women and its primary theme. In WEP's eyes, every woman is emotional to an extreme extent. It is grossly stereotypical. I find it ridiculous to see lines such as:
"I'm a woman, so I get swept away by my emotions"
"Women are impulsive and easily influenced by others' voices"
in a series that attempts to be thoughtful. Its idea of the causes of suicide might be even more offensive. It concludes that men's suicides come from their goal-oriented mindset, while women's are emotion-driven. Words alone are not able to describe how irritating it is to see such lines in any medium. I have no clue how it is even possible to have such a narrow-minded and ignorant view, yet here we are.
It is even more bizarre when you look at the characters. Most of the cast consists of girls, and the causes of suicide are mostly abuse-related; can you call that emotion-driven? No, I do not think so. It is revolting, but I digress.
While the suicide victims are mostly neglected, the protagonists are in the constant limelight. Ai, the first character we meet and the one we spend the most time with, is, somehow, the least fleshed out. With her cheerful and warm personality, she quickly sells the show to the viewer, though she does not have a lot to offer as a part of the cast. She longs to bring her friend Koito back to life. But, as we soon find out, their relationship is not believable. Much like the viewers, Ai knows very little about Koito. We barely see them interact in the flashbacks, outside of a few scenes that appear repeatedly like a broken record. That is why I fail to see their relationship as anything other than a formality. Ai's character is further undermined by the presence of Mr Sawaki. She sees him as her enemy, and she does not want him to date her mother, eventually, she realises that she is in love with him. Besides being excellent fuel for the parallel worlds-related nonsense that ensues later, this whole ordeal carries little to no weight, and it irks me how much time it takes up, stealing it from other, more significant matters. For example, Ai's bullying never appears past the first episode, and she returns to the school at the end of the 6th episode, even though nothing pushes her to do so. She is all over the place and shallow like a paddle, in spite of the fact she is the poster child of this series.
Neiru is another protagonist whose character stays mostly hollow throughout the show's progression. She is a genius brought forth by artificial insemination, which makes her an odd person. Her sister stabbed her and committed suicide. Neiru wants to revive her in order to forget her existence, which seems very counterproductive and confusing, but it is WEP—nothing here makes sense. She is more like an alien from a sci-fi series than a human teen, and her behaviour does not help. In the 9th episode, Neiru invites the other girls to her corporation. She does that because she wants them to watch her unplug her friend's life support. When they react negatively to her actions, she tells them outright that she did not
"...ask you to take a field trip here."
Her attitude constantly jumps back and forth between cold, robot-like responses and more realistic ones. How am I supposed to take this seriously? Why I am expected to care about her when she does not feel like a human being? Does she even have a personality?
On the other hand, both Rika and Momoe, the other protagonists, have something to offer character-wise, though the quality of these personalities is as bad as the rest of the show.
Rika is a character I disliked from the very beginning. Her attitude, mannerisms and the lines she utters are full of this arrogance-filled, irritation-inducing energy. Notwithstanding, they are a mere cover-up for her crushing guilt, troubling circumstances and habit of self-harm. When her fan started shoplifting to give her presents, she called her a "fatty" and told her that being seen with her in public would be embarrassing. As a result, the fan starved herself to death, and Rika, filled with blame, started cutting herself. Her drunkard mother and the absence of her father further sent Rika down the path of self-loathing. This is a great foundation for a complex character that the viewers ought to relate to, understand and endorse. However, the show never truly manages to make her into such a respectable, well-written character. It, in a way, presents her as a person unworthy of our support. When she suffers, she makes sure everyone is watching. Yet, when another character wants to vent out, she quickly makes sure they do not control the conversation. When Momoe starts talking about her relationship with Haruka, Rika exclaims:
"Let's stop this gloomy talk!"
and everyone forgets about Momoe's existence. I do understand that she is supposed to be this arrogant, unlikeable, yet deeply troubled brat. However, the show's attempts at humanising her leave much to be desired, which is a shame for there is so much room for greatness here. However, Rika does not click as a character; something is merely off about her. I am meant to sympathise with her, but I cannot do that. The show wants me to root for her, but I am unable to find a reason to. I am expected to grasp and empathise with her struggles, yet I do not want to.
Momoe is the character that suffers the most from the show's abysmal handling of topics it does not understand. Even though she is meant to represent trans people, the show never states her identity outright. It is kept vague from the beginning to the end for no reason. WEP chooses to hint at it through some odd symbolism, which leads to even more confusion. Why is it doing this when there is nothing to gain from this goofy ambiguity? I have no clue, but that is not how you treat your characters. Every scene where she is misgendered is played out like a juvenile joke, and the characters that do that never correct their mistake. However, this character has its flaws. In the 5th episode, when the girls are at a bowling alley and cannot play, she says that:
"...we might kill ourselves without it."
This single line embodies everything that is wrong with this anime. The ignorance, the narrow-mindedness... you name it. It portrays suicidal people as manipulative individuals who would be willing to kill themselves if the other person did not do as they pleased. Surely, people who suffer from depression and have suicidal thoughts use jokes as a call for help. Been there, done that. However, here it does not come off as a joke, but rather a snarky remark and a request, which is sickening beyond belief.
I have to give the characters credit where credit is due. While their relationships are inorganic and artificial, their interactions are mostly charming. They genuinely sound like teenagers, at least for the most part, and I remarkably value their conversations through phone messages. It is a pity that those moments are rare, but once they appear, you are able to appreciate them ever so slightly.
While most of the show's components reek and taste like horrific gunk, two elements manage to shine bright like a robust lightbulb in a room engulfed in darkness; the visuals and the soundtrack.
The former is merely fantastic all-around, with plenty of fluidity and expressiveness seeping through every moment that demands their presence. As a result, the fight scenes, which are virtually imprinted in the show's DNA, always succeed in delivering a vivid and kinetic showcase of talent and passion. Despite the fact that they are devoid of anything resembling an emotional impact, and their outcome is of diminutive value, you cannot help but gush over them whenever they appear on the screen, as their immense energy is highly contagious. When a fight is not taking place, we are able to wholly appreciate the phenomenal colour palette, which is rich in confidently warm hues that make the more mundane moments welcoming and pleasant and the stylish character designs that make the people who don them look fuller of life than they are in actuality. Naturally, the level of quality varies throughout the show. In many scenes, most notably towards the end, the visuals are either unremarkable or painfully awkward. For instance, a supposedly emotional bit is played in the background with minuscule movements instead of appearing on the entire screen. However, the quality decrease did not make my perception of the visuals sour. I genuinely treasure them, and it is a shame that they inhabit a series such as WEP, as they deserve a more elegant environment.
Even though it did not wow me to the same degree as the previous component, the soundtrack is unique and impressive in its own way. It is zappy and dynamic, which works wonders during the dream sequences where the characters must evade the plethora of enemies. Surprisingly, it also manages to be an ideal fit for both the slower and more lighthearted moments and the serious ones. It nails the tone, more or less, perfectly on numerous occasions. There are a few instances when it feels pushy, but they are not severe enough to hinder the soundtrack as a whole.
In sum, Wonder Egg Priority is the textbook definition of superficiality and shallowness. It proudly sticks its chest out, convinced that its content is mature and complex, yet that is not the case. It should shiver in embarrassment instead, as it earns your trust merely to betray you. Ignorance, lack of understanding of delicate subjects, and lazily approaching every idea that popped into its head are the defining characteristics of CloverWorks' mess of a show. Despite its impressive presentation, it suffers from a swarm of problems, and at this point, I merely desire to forget its existence.