TheDanimeTimes

DISAPPOINTING END TO A FRESH AND AMBITIOUS SERIES

I just want to say I love the original Wonder Egg Priority anime. It had ambition and was oozing with fresh creative talent, as a work by relative amateaurs in the industry. Shin Wakabayashi, the director, had never helmed a TV anime before, and I think that becomes clear more on the production aspect than any artistic one. 

With that in mind I was troubled by the production problems suffered by the series and staff, getting desparate enough to hire university animators overseas en masse. Then came relief when I saw the series would get a 1 hour special finishing the series a few months after episode 12. I thought maybe it would really wrap things up and the extra time would help.

Not the case here, and I was disappointed in the way this ended. The "one hour" special episode is really just 25 minutes, because it's split into two halves and the first half is just another recap of the series. 

I get the need for a recap since some viewers will be lost after a few months of waiting, but the series already has a recap episode (due to previously mentioned production woes). Anyone who wanted to see this should have been expected to look up plot synopses or something because it's honestly a bit ridiculous that they spent so much time recapping a series that aired a few months ago and already has a recap mid way through.

As for the second half, the actual episode. There's not much to review because...there isn't much actually happening. The girls win the game and the Accas reaffirm that Frill is the center of everything. Ai runs into Koito but Koito has no memory of her. The same is true for the other girls and their games as well. I thought this would be the bedrock for a new conflict but instead this idea is never explored and everyone just kinda moves on. Except Ai, who gets frustrated but doesn't do anything about it because the runtime doesn't give her any room to do anything other than sulk. 

There isn't even any action in this to keep things engaging. Despite the fact Ai proclaims proudly at the end of the recap section of this special that she'll be a "warrior of Eros" she doesn't actually fight anything. Neither does anyone else, for that matter. Their games are done, after all. 

By now there are only a few minutes left so there's not much that can be done at this point. What we get is one more twist. That Kotobuki has arrived from a parallel world and that Neiru is actually an A.I. copy of Airu who wanted to become human. After Ai transfers to another school to escape all the trauma of Koito not remembering her, she realizes she wants to see Neiru again and rushes off to the Acca bros but this is where the episode cuts to black and ends.

I can't be the only one who saw this episode and thought "wait, that was it?" After all this time this is all the ending we get? Everyone just kinda moves on and Ai goes off alone to rescue Neiru from...something? It is an ending, I guess. The girls won their games and the teacher explains why Koito died (lost her balance, what a freaking joke...). But nothing feels ended, probably because the root cause of the "temptation of death" is never dealt with. It's unfortunate.

What's more unfortunate is that this followed such a promising series. So I'll give it a 5 out of sympathy. At least it ended in some way, even if it wasn't the best way. And the original WEP TV series is brimming with promise. It truly is a shame that such a colorful series with bold ideas about gender, sexuality, trauma, suicide and bullying ended up in the most non-colorful, anti-climactic way possible.

I hope Shin Wakabayashi doesn't get discouraged from this because he really is a talented guy. I really want to stress that, and this was only his first time helming a series. I hope he's able to use this experience for the better, and I look forward to what he has to offer in the future.