WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Wonder Egg Priority, Episode 10, “Confession,” now streaming on Funimation, as well as discussion of sexual violence.
Momoe Sawaki has faced gender troubles since her introduction in Wonder Egg Priority. As she continues to receive unwanted love confessions from other girls because of her androgynous appearance, in Episode 5, Momoe reveals that she dresses androgynously just to gain online attention. She feels she can’t control how other people see her, so she just goes along with their expectations, but past episodes have shown many instances where she behaves much more girly than she appears.
As Momoe is the last girl to be introduced in Wonder Egg Priority, not many would expect her to be the first one to clear her mission. But the horrifying scene that occurs afterward in Episode 10 is something that no one could ever foresee, adding even more questions to an already very complex story.
Episode 10 starts with Momoe dressed more femininely and preparing for a date with a guy. Unfortunately, her previous date with a male admirer failed because he also mistook Momoe for a boy. She's upset about being constantly misgendered and dreams of dating a boy but has not been able to fulfill her wish.
The egg girl/boy of this time is a transgender boy named Kaoru Kurita. Kaoru has not transitioned and still has a feminine appearance. In many ways, he is the opposite of Momoe who looks androgynous but hopes to be accepted as her more feminine self. Both are frustrated by being misgendered. Kaoru's Wonder Killer is his Kendo advisor who raped and impregnated him, and the monster refuses to accept Kaoru's real gender. During the fight, Kaoru and Momoe both reaffirm their gender identity as Momoe rips off her boyish clothing and successfully defeats the monster.
Kaoru asks Momoe to wait for his reincarnation and kisses her before he disappears. Since Kaoru is a boy, Momoe feels differently about his confession. She blushes but doesn’t show any awkwardness like she does when confessed to by girls. Momoe’s wish of being confessed to by a boy who loves her as a girl is fulfilled at last.
Fulfilling her own wish may be why Momoe finally cleared the dream -- when she goes to check on Haruka’s statue, it is covered by a curtain and a voice that counts down to reveal a still-alive Haruka. However, she is only a ghostlike figure that Momoe can’t touch. After Haruka disappears, an ominous being shows up. It has a butterfly head, wears a school girl’s uniform and carries a scythe. The Greek word for butterfly is “psyche” meaning soul, and the butterfly also invokes death in many cultures, including in modern pop culture IPs such as The Silence of the Lambs.
The figure tells Momoe that her mission is complete, Haruka is now alive, and asks if she wants to die here. This implies that Haruka’s life must come in exchange for another life. Momoe’s crocodile Panic attacks the figure but is brutally killed, but the figure seems to be satisfied with only taking Panic’s life. Momoe is frozen in fear as she watches the figure eat Panic’s flesh and then force feeds the flesh to Momoe. She leaves the dream alive, but is now completely traumatized by what she saw and unable to eat or sleep.
The Accas in Wonder Egg Priority believe that Momoe is overwhelmed by the fear of death, and this derails their plan. They want to fight Thanatos (death instincts) with its opposite, the warriors of Eros (life instincts). But when the fear of death overcomes the warrior, she is no longer able to fight.
Episode 10 also reveals Accas to be humans who uploaded their consciousness into dummies, making their plans even more puzzling. They seem to have figured out how to live forever via science, so what do they want from the dreams that are clearly related to death? Do they know what happens when the girls clear their mission -- even if they have no control over it -- and deliberately led them to die anyway? The death figure mentions someone named "Frill." Who is this, and how does it all relate to what the Accas are planning?
