One of the more interesting 2021 anime that captured attention was the original series "Wonder Egg Priority" by CloverWorks, the studio behing "Darling in the Franxx" and "The Promised Neverland." I read enough about it to be curious, but beyond the allusions to "Alice in Wonderland," I effectively went in blind when I finally got around to watching it. And this is not one to sleep on - it shocked me with the depth of its themes, capturing a tone that makes it a true successor candidate to "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" from a decade earlier... almost.Those themes are harsh, and sensitive viewers should be warned (the US Bluray includes a content warning at the disc's launch). The main character is teenager Ai, a quiet and shy girl who frequently skipped school to avoid bullies. A new student, Koito, breaks through to her and becomes her friend, but subject to bullying herself, Koito ultimately commits suicide. Ai is left alone again, with an unspoken guilt for not helping her friend earlier. In an abstract daze, she finds a rabbit hole that leads to a dream world of her school, where she's tasked to save another bullied soul (hatched from an egg) from literal monsters. Two faceless mannequins explain that each saved soul is also a victim of suicide and won't come back, but that if Ai continues to save enough of them, then perhaps Ai's wish for her friend to return might come true (Koito is shown as a statue that slowly regains its human warmth each time). Ai is only one of four girls that ultimately join this quest, each with clashing personalities and backstories, and each with their own suicide victim they feel guilt for. The show typically shows one new "victim to save" each week, each with their own traumatic histories. And it doesn't shy away from difficult material, including bullying, self-mutilation, teenage romance, rape, non-binary genders, alcoholism and bloody violence. While the girls aren't permanently hurt in the dream world, they experience the injuries in the real world and spend frequent periods in the hospital. From the quietly somber opening theme that begins each episode, there's a remarkable maturity and courage to tackle these topics from the perspectives of teenage girls (both as the heroes and villians). ... or perhaps "maturity" isn't the best word. These are four teenage girls after all. Ai is normally the quiet one, but she's the first to try to make friends with the others, and they quickly develop a bond that they were previously missing. They laugh, joke and tease each other, increasingly taking long breaks to hang out in between their missions. It's lighthearted despite the darkness, not unlike the video games "Persona 4" and "5." It's a questionable balance, although these moments are welcome to alleviate the material, led by a charmingly awkward lead in Ai. The battles to "save" victims is one of many cases of a lack of subtlety, where each girl tries repeatedly to do what they should have done for the real friends. It might be a case of the writing being weak, but the high concept being successful, and as a side-effect, that makes it a little more accessible. Not to mention, the overarching mystery of what the Wonder Eggs are and whether the girls will get what they expect keeps you engaged (although the show teases its commitment: in a funny twist, a late episode postpones getting real answers for girl talk about a date gone wrong).
The show does start to show cracks towards the second half, however. Episode 8 is just a recap episode, the original episode count increasing from 12 to 13, due to production delays. Delayed again, episode 13 is a double-length finale, whose first half is yet another recap. Reportedly, some of the extended story was cut because it wouldn't fit into one season. And the ending was reportedly a wide disappointment - indeed, the animation quality is a fraction of any prior episodes, and the sudden shift in tone is worse than the controversal final episodes of 1995's "Neon Genesis Evangelion." There's more to read, and even without context, they result in unfortunate problems in the show itself.One of the standout aspects is the production values of "Wonder Egg." Perhaps its a sign of modern standards, but I was impressed with how good the show looks. There are plentiful action scenes; each girl gets a "Kingdom Hearts-style" weapon to knock about creative-looking "boss" demons that represent the perpetrators. Think "Sword Art Online" or modern "Fate - Stay / Night" in terms of kinetic and flashy battles. Naturally, there's a lot of talking conversations that don't require as much attention, but with fights in every episode, I didn't mind. There's a lot of bright colours in the show too, and great character designs for the leads and the monsters. Music is a little bit of an afterthought, but fits the show's melancholy well, and the English dub is good. "Wonder Egg Priority" takes the viewer through an emotional roller coaster, mixing trauma and horror with fun friendships and action fantasy. It's a difficult to watch, with some particularly shocking content in the second half. But if you're brave enough to go through it, you might find the journey rewarding, despite the destination.