REVIEW: ‘Wonder Egg Priority,’ Episode 11 – “An Adult Child”

Content Warning: Wonder Egg Priority Episode 11 contains imagery of animal death, suicide, and graphic imagery of child abuse 

Last time on Wonder Egg Priority, Wonder Egg Priority hit viewers with a powerful narrative about Momoe, gender, and being seen. While the episode had its flaws, it was ultimately an incredibly powerful episode that dropped a heavy plot twist that shakes up the show ahead of the ending. That very twist makes a comeback in Wonder Egg Priority Episode 11, “An Adult Child.”

Wonder Egg Priority Episode 11 picks up in media res with a similar incident to the previous episode: the revival of a lost soul. In this case, it’s Rika, who gets to see Chiemi alive and in the flesh.  Honestly, their reunion is quite tender. Finally, Rika has a chance to make things right with Chiemi back in reality.

Then, an enigmatic bug-headed girl pops in and slaughters Mannen, and then Wonder Egg Priority Episode 11 gets real very, very quickly. The music drops into a different key as the sounds are amplified and Rika faces down a true nightmare in her dreamscape. The bug-headed girls taunt Rika viciously, and y’all? It hurts. Everything combines into an almost jarring peak…then we’re awake. Back in reality, the world is dark, save for a single firefly and the ambient porch light from Acca and Ura-Acca’s dwelling.

One figure wanders into the scene: Ohto Ai, the first member of the egg quartet we met way back in episode 1. Like any curious teen, she wanders into the house, only to find it empty…of people, that is. Instead, she quickly finds loads of articles and photos, cataloging death across a range of topics and headlines. Ai also reads a note Whether we’ll find out what that is in Wonder Egg Priority’s finale, is up in the air.

Eventually, Ura-Acca appears and invites Ai to sit down with a birthday cake and tea. This leads into the meat of Wonder Egg Priority Episode 11: backstory on Acca and Ura-Acca, which is an unexpected treat…with a lot of caveats and not too many treats.

You see, Acca and Ura-Acca both worked at a secretive laboratory. They were constantly monitored day in and day out. Naturally, the stress of being constantly monitored, and their work in general, became too much. So, as a bit of stress relief, they decided to start experimenting with AI, ultimately deciding to create one in the form of a teenage girl they could care for as a daughter.

What ensues is a lot of plot that had me riveted, both in a good way…and in a bad way. Wonder Egg Priority Episode 11 is impossible to not feel some kind of way. I’d say that’s a net positive, but there’s just a lot crammed into Wonder Egg Priority Episode 11 that I’m still not sure. Still, it was nice getting backstory on Frill, the girl that was mentioned last episode. It’s also interesting to get backstory on Acca and Ura-Acca, though… I’m still not sure how I feel about what I just watched.

One thing of note is Acca and Ura-Acca’s relationship. They’re clearly friends, and definitely colleagues, but I would argue that there’s also a distinct underpinning of them being potential partners. However, I caution against thinking of them as romantic or even sexual partners. Rather, I’d like to encourage viewers to see them as queer platonic partners who are raising an AI -Frill- together due to their deep friendship and desire to put good into the world. Of course, this might change depending on how viewers see the rest of Wonder Egg Priority Episode 11’s events. It’s just how I personally read their interactions this episode.

Something to note is that Wonder Egg Priority Episode 11 is decidedly darker, both literally and metaphorically. While the series hasn’t been afraid to discuss hard topics the show hasn’t gotten grimdark. In many ways, I laud it for that. That being said, I felt like Wonder Egg Priority Episode 11 was quite upsetting at times, so viewers beware. This isn’t a kind episode. There’s very little optimism to be found, which hit me as strange since next week is the finale.

While I kind of liked Wonder Egg Priority Episode 11 and what it was trying to say, I think that this might be the first time Wonder Egg Priority hasn’t done it for me. I don’t want to call it a dud episode. Rather, I’ll say that for me, it was quite cruel when Wonder Egg Priority, overall, have veered away from being hurtful outright. It’s enough that I really can’t give this episode a near-perfect rating, at least not in good faith.

A lot of this episode deals with abuse. Specifically, it deals with child abuse. I say that even though the child is an AI and not sapient in the way flesh and blood humans are. There’s nuance sometimes, but ultimately, because the Wonder Egg Priority Episode 11 is from the abuser’s focus, any nuance that might exist gets lost.

I think that’s because absers have their own point of view: they never see the cruelty they’re doling out. But as viewers, we can see the reality of this episode, and honestly…it’s hurtful and has no moral. In the end, things kind of fall flat. That’s despite the gorgeous animation, beautiful scoring, and grade-A acting on behalf of the VAs.

That being said, I think Frill was an interesting character to spend time with. In some ways, I wish we’d gotten more than a single episode. Still, her introduction and inclusion were powerful enough that she’ll resonate well into Wonder Egg Priority’s finale. I desperately wish I could hug her, and hope that somehow, someway, she’ll get closure next week.

My only qualm in regards to Frill was the uncomfortable focus on her lips which happens so, so often. Typically, this is when she makes a “popping” noise, which, while a cute noise, doesn’t need a close-up. It’s not overtly sexual, but it’s…just strange enough that I didn’t know how to feel. Well, I do: extremely uncomfortable and really, really grossed out. So far, Wonder Egg Priority hasn’t sexualized any of the female characters in a fan-service-oriented way. Frill felt, to me, like the first time that the show might be doing that. I’m not sure why, but honestly, I hate it. It’s super-duper unnecessary and literally adds nothing to the episode.

All in all, Wonder Egg Priority remains a powerhouse of a show. It comes with a lot of caveats, especially Wonder Egg Priority Episode 11. If you’re curious about the finale, or just want to know why everyone on Twitter’s excited about “Egg Day”, I highly suggest binging the series ahead of next week’s finale. I’ve included content and trigger warnings in all my reviews. Take those with you into your watch, and see if Wonder Egg Priority has something to offer you.

 I don’t know what’s going to happen in the finale, especially after this episode. So many plot threads got introduced, and so many questions are still unanswered. Rika’s appearance on further muddled things, especially since she wasn’t even the focal point of this episode. 

In the end, I feel worried about “Too Much Plot” getting crushed into the finale. I’d like this series to have a 13-episode cour. I think that would give it enough time to wrap everything up. Yet as far as I know, next week’s episode is it. That means there’s a lot Wonder Egg Priority will have to do to give us any closure. On the other hand, I’m not sure I’m ready to let this show go. Whatever happens, however, I’m proud to have covered Wonder Egg Priority. Here’s to a showstopper of a finale.

Wonder Egg Priority is streaming now on Funimation.