Read on Twitter
Wonder Egg Ponderings #2
My weekly report is, well, partially here depending on when you're seeing this (yeah I hit the thread limit again lol). As always, spoiler warning!
My weekly report is, well, partially here depending on when you're seeing this (yeah I hit the thread limit again lol). As always, spoiler warning!
I want to start with the opening, which is probably my favorite thing about what has been revealed to us in this week's episode. My initial impression of the song is that it felt oddly... nostalgic. From it's tune, to the bits of lyrics I could understand, it truly felt like-
I've heard it somewhere before. And then I remembered our graduation song — long story short, I graduated from a half japanese school and this is the song that played as I went from elementary, to high school, to eventually transferring out: Aogeba Toutoshi.
And while it wasn't exactly that song, it came to me as a surprise that I was almost on the nose. The opening is actually a cover Sudachi no Uta, a different children's graduation song, sang by no other than the VAs of the the main cast themselves! https://www.barks.jp/news/?id=1000195067
The name of their group, Anemoneria, is a name of a flower derived from the names of the 4 main characters: Ai, Neiru, Rika and Momoe. It's incredible how much soul these voice actors have been putting on to the series so far, and I haven't even gotten to the episode yet!
I honestly don't think there could be any other OP for WEP that could be more thematically fitting. This is a series of knowing how to part ways, of knowing how to say goodbye. A story of graduation. Perhaps that was the word I was missing back when I wrote that other thread.
Going to the episode itself, finally! This episode had an almost completely different atmosphere compared to the previous one, but it makes sense with how the first episode ended in a pretty upbeat way. Ai now has a clear goal in mind, at least; saving Koito with... eggs.
I think her attempts at making conversation with the new girl Neiru is really cute, in fact it almost seems like she's turned into a completely different person — or rather, she's trying to. But Neiru could easily see through her facade.
I mean I don't want her being harsh with MY little precious Ai, but I know what she had to say had to be said. When posed with the question of who is she doing all this for, she confidently responds with Koito, her dear friend.
When Neiru dropped this line is when I instantly knew I'd like her. There's such a raw feeling about a character telling another character EXACTLY what you want to say to their face. It's like having a predictable script but in a good way. Neiru is such a nice complement to-
Ai's story, in how her nature, as mysterious as it may seem for now, is so antithetical to that of Ai's idealism. This juxtaposition is further reinforced as we learn a bit about how Neiru got to this situation as she openly admits that she's doing this for her sister...
...who she intentionally left to die. So far her character has definitely left a very strong impression on me, and I want to see how we'll perhaps slowly come to know of her past and her true intentions.
As we move on to the episode you could really feel that it has a much more playful tone this time around. Even Ai who seemed like she did not want to speak to her mom nor her teacher at all is now opening up a little bit.
It's also nice how Ai's not giving up on making a friend! MY MC!
But now we get to the main event, the egg of the day! Who are we going to get this time? It's Minami, a quite oxymoronic timid gymnastics club member! We have a got a real odd one this time. I loved how Ai was trying to puff up and act all cool trying to save today's eggirl,
but it all fails as our guest completely goes off the script and runs towards the bad guys! I guess it really won't be that simple every time. But it's not because this girl does not know how to run away, it's that in this situation, it's not a possibility.
In fact, it NEVER is a solution. Ai saved Kurumi by building up the courage to stand up and fight. I guess sometimes she's forgetful about the admirable things she accomplishes. That's okay, for I'll always cheer her on. We become fully aware of the gravity of the situation-
once the context behind Minami's circumstances have been revealed. For every wonder egg, there is a wonder killer, a manifestation of trauma. The prerequisites of saving an egg has only been clarified now, but it has not changed. Saving the person requires dealing with the trauma
But confronting Minami's demon would needs a different approach. One that requires more than just Ai's sheer will this time. Bullying breeds in passivity, and abuse is no different. Minami's complacency and lack of self-worth is what lead to her being severely exploited.
This episode really shows the tragedy of the weak and how suffering is inevitable to those who cannot find the strength to stand their own. And it's the central theme of this arc: finding that inner strength within. It's interesting how in an episode that has been mostly-
eggstatic and bouncy so far, we see gloomy moments like this one showing Ai's self-doubts, really enforced by the fact that she's going down a staircase as the pace of the episode drops. We also get glimpses of Ai's past with Koito, which I feel are still a bit too scattered-
to draw definitive conclusions as to what really happened in their past, but it's interesting how we're getting them and how they relate to Ai's current state of mind. Yet even though she's not the most confident about saving Minami, her reason of wanting to change-
might just be enough. Entering the dragon's lair, we're welcomed by the beast itself and its helpless victim. Ai's lousy attempt at saving her unsurprisingly... fails. I groan as I take emotional damage seeing best girl getting thrown off the room. Critical hit.
It's interesting how Ai responds to Minami's cries to leave her alone as she wallows in self-deprecation. It's almost as if she could see herself in her and how pathetic that state of being is. I wouldn't be surprised if her response was actually just borrowed words from that-
of Koito. But one thing is now clear. Ai alone cannot save them both. To be saved isn't something that is taken for granted. To be saved requires a desire to be saved. And Minami finding that strength is the key to this preggdicament.
Thread limit reached, to be continued!
Thread limit reached, to be continued!
What follows is some truly bombastic action sequences. I love how much the colors pop in this anime. Ai finds out that she can use Minami's ribbon as a weapon — an extension of her character. This is why even if Ai's been blinded by the monster milk that squirted out of the-
Wonder Killer's... mammary glands, Ai is still able to dodge and keep up with the attacks. For Minami's fighting spirit, her will to be saved, is manifesting through Ai. And it's this combination of strengths that allowed them to defeat Minami's inner demon.
Also something to take note is how Minami says goodbye to her teacher in her final moments, circling back to how this show is all about goodbyes, as unpleasant as they may be sometimes.
The intensity of the episode dials down, as the day has been saved once again! We get more tidbits about Neiru with Ai's interactions with the Acca duo. Whatever they might be implying by putting up Koito after those descriptive lines is some food for thought for sure.
I don't have much more to comment about the end of the episode other than Ai and Neiru being cute, so I guess that's it! I'm just going to put up some screenshots here.
Anyways, see you next week! I hope this was an enjoyable read, even if I feel like I've been less insightful!
