Wonder Egg Priority’s Recap Episode Is Much More Than Just ‘Filler’

Warning: The following contains spoilers for Wonder Egg Priority, Episode 8, “The Happy Friendship Plan”, now streaming on Funimation.

Episode 8 of Wonder Egg Priority is a recap, which might put out some fans. It's not uncommon to add a recap episode when there is a time crunch for the anime studio to complete an episode, and given the level of quality that CloverWorks has been delivering for Wonder Egg Priority, and the fact that it's producing three anime this season, having a recap episode is completely understandable. Aniplex’s official Twitter account also confirmed that Episode 8 does not have a script, implying that this episode is meant to buy more time.

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Burnout and overwork is a serious issue in the anime industry, Wonder Egg Priority is a series that depicts the consequences of societal ills, so it shouldn't become the cause of such issues for its hardworking creators. Production teams have tough schedules and their work suffers when they do. It's common sense to allow them more time to deliver good work should they need it.

What’s notable is that this episode received a complete episode number instead of the usual .5 number reserved for recap episodes. CloverWorks produced a recap episode for The Promised Neverland Season 2, and it was labeled Episode 5.5. Having a whole number means that this recap episode will actually take up a space in this 12-episode series, so unless something changes, there are only four episodes left for Wonder Egg Priority to complete its story.

As far as recap episodes go, this episode is well-paced with good scene choices. The episode is framed from the Accas’ perspective, and answers some questions about the world not covered in previous episodes. They explain that, while the girls are immortal in their dreams, and all their injuries can heal, if they leave the dream world before their wounds recover, it will manifest in the real world. This explains why Ai and Neiru both went to the hospital at the beginning of their journey, but lately, no one is getting hurt at all. The Accas also offer some interesting insight about the girls. For instance, they believe Ai went back to school because she is trying to decipher the truth about Mr. Sawaki, seemingly confirming some previous theories. They also commented that Momoe seems to be the most normal out of all the girls, though there are still many unknowns about her past, especially her gender identity.

The recap episode also gives insight into the catchphrases the girls deliver with fatal blows to the Wonder Killers. Ai’s is “now I’m mad,” hinting that her actions are driven by anger. Neiru says “I’ll blow your mind” and, though it seems innocuous, this could suggest that Neiru’s trauma has something to do with mental health issues, given the fact that she has no parents, is the CEO of a large company and has a sister that tried to kill her -- there must be more to her story.

Rika’s catchphrase “I’ll hit you with a shot to the heart” is perfectly fitting with her former idol persona. And, as shown last episode, her trauma is all about her emotional struggle with her mother, although they seem to have reconciled. Finally, Momoe simply says “get lost” to the Wonder Killers, which seems to fit with the Accas’ assessment about her being the most normal. Notably, the girls’ catchphrases are all directed at the Wonder Killers, except for Ai’s -- it only conveys her emotion in general, and her emotional openness may be an important difference between Ai and the other girls.