My first one was written on October 4, 2015. Now, here on January 21, 2021, I am writing my 100th First Reaction… and it comes with a show that has been garnering a lot of hype just based on its very first episode. Some people have been comparing it to Madoka Magica so I decided that I would see what all of the hype was about.
So, I gave Wonder Egg Priority a once over, and well… it was…
Let’s Go!
First Episode Synopsis
Ai doesn’t have any friends. This is due to her personal withdrawal from school stemming from a traumatizing incident where she felt that she betrayed someone who had become close to her. Ai finds a dead bug in the middle of the street and buries it; however, the bug appears before her and asks her to get an egg, claiming that it will give her what she wants but, like any drug, only the first one is free. Ai gets the egg and decided to go back to that place the next night; however, when she steps outside her door, she finds herself in school.
This seems to be a fabricated world as things don’t seem to be normal. She gets scared and hides in a restroom where the toilet paper talks to her with the same voice as the previously perished bug. It tells her to break the egg, so she does and it expands and expands until a girl named Saijo Kurumi.
Right off the bad, it’s odd between the two of them. Kurumi doesn’t seem to care that Ai is there even though Ai has a lot of questions. As the episode goes on, Kurumi sticks by Ai until she’s attacked and then just takes off. After all, the attackers are after and not Ai who is declared to be an immortal in this world whereas Kurumi is not.
In the end, Ai ends up saving Kurumi but then Kurumi explodes into dust. Ai made the decision to grow a backbone after coming across a statue of the friend that she felt that she betrayed back in the real world. Ai then learns that while the first egg was free, she must buy more and more of them in order to save as many people as she can in these other worlds. If she does, it’s strongly hinted that she will get her true friend back.
Worth Watching?
YES – What I described up above sounds like a massive acid trip and, for all intents and purposes, it might as well have been because that’s what it sure felt like. Despite the odd nature of the show with its disjointed and dissonant storytelling, it was extremely interesting, and it made me want to see more of it.
Ai as a character is extremely troubled but also relatable. She was traumatized by something most people her age don’t have to deal with and you get to see her inner desires of just wanting the only friend she’s ever had back. Her heterochromia made her a target for bullying so it was tough for her to make friends which is why saving the one she lost is so important to her.
While that is the overlying story, everything else just seems WAY out there but in this case, different is certainly good as it is most definitely entertaining!
In short, this show has unbelievable potential to be the sleeper hit of the season so do yourself a favor and don’t wait another minute to contemplate watching this show! I’ve already added it to my ever-growing watch list and if it plays its cards right… it could end up as an anime of the year contender. That’s how much the first episode impressed me!
If anything, at least take in the art style and the animation. It felt better than average tv-quality animation and slightly less than full budget movie-quality animation. It was somewhere in the middle but, damn did it look very good! The soundtrack was also pretty good as it helped draw you into what you were watching. Plus, the dark tones make this show look way more mature than it showcases itself to be through promotional imagery (hence why it got compared to Madoka Magica).
