Wonder Egg Priority – 09

「誰も知らない物語」 (Dare mo Shiranai Monogatari)
“A Story No One Knows”

I think we all need a moment to digest what just happened in that episode.

Neiru’s First Friend

We discover that Neiru is actually a test tube baby, with her parents being selected as donors by an organisation named Plati to heighten the prospects of siring a genius child. And we can see that it clearly worked. There’s no disputing the fact Neiru is a genius. However, there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to Plati as an organisation, and the girls discover this when they’re introduced to Kotobuki – Neiru’s dear friend who’s been left on life support following an unsuccessful self-conducted experiment of a mysterious nature.

We see Neiru fighting through these Wonder Egg Realities trying to save Kotobuki from her vegetative state. And I have to confess I had my hopes up seeing her on the other side, very much alive and active, as opposed to being rendered into an unresponsive statute state. Unfortunately, Neiru finds out that bringing back Kotobuki is not possible. However, at the very least, they can join hands and overcome Kotobuki’s trauma together – which is being experimented on by heartless scientists. To avoid that fate, Kotobuki pleads with Neiru to switch off her life support – a proposition which deeply troubles Neiru.

The Dilemma of Euthanasia

This episode posed an interesting question. Can accidentally killing yourself be considered suicide? I didn’t think Kotobuki went into her experiments with the intent of killing herself, as she was driven by curiosity regarding the possibilities of parallel universes harbored within the subconscious. Although Kotobuki seeking death to avoid her body being experimented on seemed suicidal, her original intention for ending up in the state of death doesn’t line up with suicide in my mind.

Speaking of the ethics, although euthanasia is quite possibly the more merciful act, words cannot describe that weight of pushing a button that kills off your best friend. It’s a difficult situation. I could understand the lines of thoughts from both sides – that it’s wrong. Maybe there’s hope left for Kotobuki to awaken. Wouldn’t it suck spending the rest of your life thinking, maybe there was a way to save your friend only you killed them without ever knowing? Conversely, Kotobuki seemed to have given her express permission to terminate her life. Should her right to self-determination outweigh other people’s desires to keep her alive?

Conspiracy Between Third Parties

What’s more, I still don’t quite understand why the scientific community is after Kotobuki’s body. And Plati being in the cahoots with the Uracca mannequins was an unexpected development – especially when Sawaki sensei had seemed suspicious this whole time. Perhaps he’s been a red herring all along. The dodgiest aspect of the Kotobuki in the Wonder Egg Reality is that Plati and the Mannequins are able to view the dreams these girls have when they’re immersed into the Wonder Egg Realities. What if the notion of saving their loved ones is a carrot designed to lead on the girls into a harsh world full of stick? What if the Kotobuki in that Wonder Egg Reality was fake? A way to stress test and manipulate Neiru, so to speak. I can’t tell just how much of it is controlled or manipulated for some ulterior motive, as opposed to some natural, fantastical progression. Personally, I look forwards to seeing how the series approaches unravelling these mysterious entities and their goals – why emotionally experiment with vulnerable girls in need of support? What’s the end game to all of this suffering?

Concluding Thoughts

I have to say it seemed way too convenient for Momoe and Rika to arrive just in time to eavesdrop on their conversation, these adults definitely up to no good. But given her cryptic words about death and parallel universes, I’d wager that these statues of their deceased loved ones are figments of possibility from parallel universes that can’t be crossed into. That can’t be reclaimed. Female suicide is a heavy theme to delve into, and Wonder Egg Priority has done that maturely – being equal parts delicate and heavy where required. Living in the present and learning to let go of the past would be a fitting message to this series.

Anyway, that’s about everything I wanted to discuss. As always, thanks for reading this post and see you all next week!