Wonder Egg Priority Director Shares Cut Context for Mannequins' Sexist Dialogue Scene in Episode 4
Note: This article contains spoilers for Wonder Egg Priority episode 4.
In episode 4 of Wonder Egg Priority, the mannequins Acca and Ura-Acca, who guide Ai and the other girls through the Egg world, make some gender essentialist statements as they explain to Neiru why there are no boys in the egg world.
"Boys' and girls' suicides mean different things. Men are goal-oriented, women are emotion-oriented. Women are impulsive and easily influenced by others' voices." They then explain that "Some might be led astray by the temptation [of death]. This place exists for those who want to return children like that to life. So, don't get hung up on gender."
Rika tells Neiru not to discriminate, to which Neiru replies with a flabbergasted "What?!"
According to director Shin Wakabayashi on Twitter, there is a bit more context to this scene which didn't make it into the episode. Neiru was originally supposed to follow up her "What?!" with the line "When it comes to their brains, boys and girls are also the same." However, this line was cut because Wakabayashi assumed that her feelings were evident from her expression and reaction throughout the scene. "Neiru was having a negative reaction to that conversation," he explained.
He stressed that he didn't want to include too many explanations for things happening inside the show, which was why he initially hesitated about sharing this information, but he decided on relaying just that little snippet. He also mentioned that there are still things that are coming up in the anime's broadcast.
The anime premiered on January 12. The story begins when the protagonist, a 14-year-old girl named Ai Ohto, hears a mysterious voice while walking around town late at night. It gives her an egg, and beckons to her: "If you wish to change the future, you need only choose now. Now, believe in yourself, and smash the egg."
Scriptwriter Shinji Nojima is credited for the original work, and is also writing the scripts after penning such popular live-action series as KōKō Kyōshi (High School Teacher), Ie Naki Ko (Homeless Child), and Takane no Hana (Born To Be A Flower or Unattainable Flower). The project will be his first time writing for anime. Shin Wakabayashi (22/7: The Diary of Our Days, promotional video for Boku wa Robot Goshi no Kimi ni Koi wo Suru novels) is directing the anime at CloverWorks.
Source: Shin Wakabayashi's Twitter account via @FARfromani
