UlasanAnime.com – Ahead of the spoilers for Wonder Egg Priority, it’s important to acknowledge that the series delves into sensitive themes such as suicide and various mental health struggles. The way viewers interpret the show, particularly the dream battles as metaphors rather than realizing the entire series is a grand metaphor for social media, is a point of discussion. It’s akin to overlooking a forest for its individual trees.
The original title for this piece was “Wonder Egg Priority Is about Social Media.”
Upon reading an analysis that dissects contemporary media outside its original context, one might recall similar critiques from years past. For instance, in creating a science fiction story for a broad audience that incorporates elements like the internet, it was often necessary to explicitly mention “the internet,” even if it served as a metaphor. In the current era of 2020/2021, this might seem redundant, yet perhaps it remains beneficial for those who might not grasp the underlying symbolism.
Frill functions as an effective plot device, serving as the narrative’s equivalent of stating “the internet.” It raises questions about the nature of AI-driven influences that whisper to young girls, leading parents to desperate measures to prevent self-harm. Is this not a parental perspective on the issue? While the act of throwing a hair dryer into a bathtub might have led to the demise of a mutual lover, the involvement of a bot in such an event also presents a potential metaphor on some level.
Setting aside the deadly AI or Frill’s integration into the dreams of adolescents, reminiscent of Lain’s experience with the Wired, Wonder Egg Priority introduces elements like “anti” and various other cues that transform the entire show into a kind of “guess the metaphor” game. Could the magical pets represent Twitter’s moderation tools? Are the young women with magical abilities fighting against institutional or individual online evils to save the souls of the deceased and reclaim a fragment of their desires? Does this reflect the power of social gaslighting and online activism? In the context of using a gachapon machine and hatching a dream—a mechanic seemingly borrowed from social games—this portrayal of cyberspace is undoubtedly one of the most compelling yet.
Realistically, how many high school students today do not own smartphones, use messaging apps like LINE (which is frequently featured in anime, manga, and games about high school life in the last five years), or otherwise integrate this aspect of the world into their lives? It seems conspicuous to ignore this significant facet of the daily lives of suicidal youths and then discuss killer bots, capable of passing the Turing Test, harming dream figures in dreams, without connecting the dots. Can one experience harm in dreams? Can one be harmed on social media? The answer to both, arguably, is yes.
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Ai experienced loneliness, bullying in real life, and suicidal ideation until she found solace through her then-sole real-life friend. Through Wonder Egg Priority, she has found three new friends—perhaps online companions. However, her ability to navigate the treacherous Metaverse that her dream has become has bestowed Ai with strength, a strength that her alternate, parallel-universe self acknowledges. While each egg dream may stem from a form of trauma, we are confronting these experiences with the tools of the 21st century, rather than through ancient artifacts like the Spear of Achilles or elements from old lore.
