| I saw the movie once and thought long and hard. Here's what I got out of it. I figured that in the film they are living on top of Noah's Ark, and are too afraid to actually move out into the rest of the world. Why are they too afraid? Because of traditions. The giant sphere of statues I think represented traditions of old, and the man with the staff was the keeper of traditions. The little girl represented innocence, and her egg represented her virginity and hope for the future. The tale I felt was a morality tale. Should I trust people who I don't know? The man believed so much in tradition that he believed the only way to know what was in the egg was to break it. He had no hope, and had to see for himself. He had no faith. He was the opposite of the girl, who had a childlike faith. This breaking of her egg symbolized a metaphorical rape, and when she committed suicide, her body became a woman's, symbolizing that she has lost her innocence from the "rape." It was the rape of hope and faith, in a sense. However, the girl was the one who was right. She believed in hope, and as she died, she gave birth to many eggs, to more faith and hope. Her hope prevailed over her demise, even though she became another statue on the sphere of traditions. Another victim, yet a bittersweet victory. |
| I didn't see that much straight up "symbolism" in the movie, to be honest. Much of it was surrealist atmosphere akin to Eraserhead, using imagery to un-anchor the viewer. I don't think it's necessarily a commentary on anything, but simply a surreal Sci Fi / Fantasy story, albeit with very little dialog. Maybe I've been reading too much Gene Wolfe and I'm getting used to plots revolving around systems that continue to run for millenia while their creators devolve or become lost. This movie certainly shares a lot of similar themes to Wolfe's novels, the most prominent of which were gaining fame around the time of this film's creation, come to think about it. Anyway, I think they summed the plot up nicely (maybe a bit too easily), during the Noah's Ark narrative, which essentially implies that the girl has been sent as a "dove" to find a new dwelling for the drowned/destroyed race of winged beings. The giant orb was the ark, sent to spawn the race anew, but only if the world was hospitable enough for the girl to successfully nest and hatch the first egg. That is the test, and this world fails it at the end. Now for the ambiguous details... Is the Ark from that world or from another one entirely? Did it escape the cataclysm that resulted in the deserted city and the petrified animal remains? Does the "dove" return to this world repeatedly until the world passes the test and is ready to be revived (explaining the remains of other winged beings)? Perhaps the cycle is doomed to repeat for centuries (say...40? ^_^). And the boy. He's clearly some sort of representative of the military force on the planet, defending the machinery of the planet that is clearly perturbed by the presence of the girl and the orb. You get a feeling that both he and the girl are acting as ambassadors of something they've forgotten or can no longer understand. Anyway, I'm loving this film, and I wish Yoshitaka Amano would animate more. :P |
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| I like Frohike's take on it. It's not as much a vehicle for biblical moralizing on various things (which is usually projected by the viewer or just associated baggage) but a sci-fi story using a myth that its viewers will be more familiar with to provide perspective on the plot with minimal conversation. Though it's not without its symbolism (aside from eggs everywhere) and further Judeo-Christian references (aside from the Ark ones everywhere) within context -- the man's cycle/gun/sword/phallus thing is a cross-like burden lending weight to his role in sacrificing few for the sake of many, and the fishermen are presented as remnants of the drowned humanity, compulsive beings at the whim of forces beyond their control. And probably more, including the disproportionately popular in anime Yggdrasil, as mentioned, that I didn't catch. I've been watching some of the classic or highly regarded "unusual is better" kind of stuff as I stumble across it lately and I enjoyed this one a lot, from among them. |
| According to this Christian apologist blogger: http://blogs.teodesian.net/wp/?p=117 ...it really is all the Jesus stuff it seems to be. He offers a convincing analysis. It's still cool from a secular standpoint, and some of the connections used are less specific while being more generally spiritual or metaphorical, given the pagan elements. Then again, I didn't know that Oshii is or had been Christian. Easier to get the message across when you're preaching to the choir, I guess. |
| gad, this movie is veryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy interesting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! O_O |
Frohike said: I'm leaning towards something like this as well. There's also the fact that the entire city and environs seem to be on top of some ship like structure, maybe hinting to some colonization project gone wrong.Maybe I've been reading too much Gene Wolfe and I'm getting used to plots revolving around systems that continue to run for millenia while their creators devolve or become lost. This movie certainly shares a lot of similar themes to Wolfe's novels, the most prominent of which were gaining fame around the time of this film's creation, come to think about it. The change of sky colour from when the Sphere touched down and the rest of the movie was also puzzling, and provided it happened at the same location, the tiled floor and whatever equipment behind the guy was obviously gone by the end, so a rather long time might have passed. |
| Not a movie you see everyday, it is a very different and dark movie, maybe a little too much. I don't think I could totally comprehend its depth so I can't score what it probably deserves, but I liked the concept and I found the movie interesting, specially the stunning visuals. I'm not the brightest of viewers, however I do like this kinds of movies, not only for their originality and audacity to experimente something new and different, but also to try and understand their symbolisms, meaning and depth. |
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| This movie truly makes no sense. Maybe if the writer actually tells about what he was trying to get across we could get something out of this film. Until then we can assume that the makers heard about this thing called the Bible and decided to make a movie about it. |
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Tuskus said: This movie truly makes no sense. Maybe if the writer actually tells about what he was trying to get across we could get something out of this film. Until then we can assume that the makers heard about this thing called the Bible and decided to make a movie about it. Or maybe the claim that its made on bible or religion is a just a claim. THe best thing about the movie is how everyone comes up with a different interpretation. I myself have a unique view of what the metaphors mean, and my interpretation is completely different from others. But i think that is the beauty of the movie |
| "...our faces marked by toil, by deceptions, by success, by love; our weary eyes looking still, looking always, looking anxiously for something out of life, that while it is expected is already gone – has passed unseen, in a sigh, in a flash – together with the youth, with the strength, with the romance of illusions.” - Joseph Conrad ('Youth') |
| Well really I finish watching the movie and I was like uh? I've watch all kind of weird anime before and more or less make some sense of them this...well nothing my mind was blank even reading what others thought couldn't link anything from this. One thing for sure whatever the girl was trying to hatch it wasn't welcomed. |
| the symbolism is actually kinda easy on this one the man was a pedo-rapist :p on the other hand,i don't understand why is this rated PG-Children...really? |
Sayonara,papa! "Just how a mirror reflects you,people will also reflect your heart." ~Athena Glory,Aria "Whatever happens,happens" ~Spike Spiegel's thoughts on dying(Cowboy Bebop) |
clannad4ever said: the symbolism is actually kinda easy on this one the man was a pedo-rapist :p lol... :S |
| "...our faces marked by toil, by deceptions, by success, by love; our weary eyes looking still, looking always, looking anxiously for something out of life, that while it is expected is already gone – has passed unseen, in a sigh, in a flash – together with the youth, with the strength, with the romance of illusions.” - Joseph Conrad ('Youth') |
| Distressing music, lengthy camera shots, trippy atmosphere and extremely vague explanations. -_- Seriously, I can't get myself to care about the symbolism behind everything, this isn't my type of movie. |
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| ^Above people: Oh my goodness! Some how the guy with the gun lost hope ending all of humanity, i think! I'll believe what I want to believe.... |
| Frohike offered a very interesting view on this movie, I'm thankful for that, it makes sense. Anyway, here is what I felt after finishing it (I'm not very good at this stuff, so I'm sorry if it's nonsense). There is basically a fight or a war between angels and humans. The egg is the precious treasure of the angels and the little girl has to take care of it. She is innocent, so she is the next best thing to an actual angel. The man, a fighter and one who has to know, unlike the girl who just believes, destroys the egg defeating the angels in the meantime. That's why that thing leaves at the end, the statues(?) at first gave me an impression of soldiers, and at the end, angels. In a way the man is akin to Jesus, he destroyed the egg, and probably some life within it, he takes on the sin to save his people. Well he had to confirm what was in the egg, so it could a parallel to eating from the Tree of Knowledge. Also, I'm not sure if I remember correctly but fishes are connected with Jesus right? A symbol or something along those lines. The fishermen hunting the fishes = his own people crucifying Jesus. Yeah, this is what I thought of: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichthys . Anyone counted how many "tanks" came with the man? If around 12 that's a nice touch. Again, it might be something really retarded, but I felt like writing it out anyhow. Enjoyed the movie overall. Edit: Well, thinking about it some more, since the girl is hiding the egg in a way that resembles pregnancy, the egg might be a kind of union, the common life of angels and humans. But it is not meant to be, because of human nature. |
Mogami-kunAug 18, 2011 3:08 AM
| If I may, I would also like to put in my interpretation. In the end of the movie, you do see that they are living on the ark. I think that the man is either actually very old, or he remembers something that happened before he was born. The world on which they live is the dead remains of those who were on the ark when it began to flood. The religious notes here are actually their history, and while it is extreeemely close to that of the Christian religion, I don't think that's what the creators were getting at. Rather, it was simply a basis for their own world. The man can vaguely remember the past. For example, he recalls the Flood as if he were a young boy when it happened. However, all f the creatures from that long time past have turned to stone. Is he just remembering stories told to him when he was younger? His memory has vanished so immensely that it could be possible that he's so old he just simply can't remember. We never find out which is the true case. In any case, due to his recollection, the egg which the girl carries disturbs him beyond words. I think he is especially bothered by the fact there could be a bird inside the egg. Perhaps he holds some grudge against the bird who never returned? But the bird is directly linked to the tree which sucked the life from the earth (a story that I'm not quite sure is a legend or history). Perhaps it is that this legend is what is truly bothering him. That, if this bird is born, if it is a bird at all, then the earth will once again be plagued by the life-consuming tree, though this is just a guess. He doesn't seem too utterly bothered while he is traveling with the girl, just curious. However, when he learns that it is indeed a bird which the egg bears, even though he promised (or so we can assume) not to hurt it, he is determined to destroy it. The girl, I think, is infatuated with the water for a very important reason. Always she is collecting those bottles and setting them up. Perhaps she, too, is directly linked to the Flood which happened so long ago. The water slowly consumes the world except her own home. She is the self-proclaimed "guardian angel" of the egg. I feel that is merely by her own girlish innocence that she protects it, as a child protects a young animal they find astray. I don't think either of the characters realize they are still on the ark. After the death of the egg, the girl follows the man to avenge it and falls to her death. I don't think it was suicide, just pure accident. However, when she died, or was dying, I think that the celestial power in that sphere decided to honor her. This is referring to Greek mythology. When beloved or devout followers would die, a lot of the times the gods would either change them into something else (like a tree), or create something in their honor (like a flower). Therefore, she birthed the eggs and was given a place on the sphere with (as I take it) the other devout followers of old. As for the insane men... They are a little harder to figure out... They are referred to as ghosts at some point in the film, yet they seem as solid humans. They chase phantoms, the only memories left to them. They follow the same path which they have for as long as their memories permitted, which was fish. Either they are just doing it as the automatic cycle to their daily lives, or they have gone crazy for lack of what they truly want and need (seriously, when did these people ever eat?). Again, it's just a guess. Maybe they really are ghosts who are just doing the same thing they did when they were alive. Though that is something I doubt. At any rate, it was long, but that's my take on it. |
| my 0.02$; here's a link to an interpretation i found. it's been posted somewhere here already but that link isnt working. http://blogs.teodesian.net/wp/?p=117" target="_blank">http://web.archive.org/web/20080611162246/http://blogs.teodesian.net/wp/?p=117 |
| ~Flow |
| Thinking about this, I feel that the film is essentially looking at the cycle of life. The bookends showing the mysterious orb in the sky suggest that what is happening now has happened before and will happen again. The first time that we see the girl emerge from her hiding spot, red light floods everything. There's no way I can put it delicately, but she is basically menstruating for the first time. She carries around the egg which, as previous posters have observed, represents her maidenhead/innocence. It's telling that, when she carries it in her dress, she often appears to be pregnant. She meets a man who, from the very way he appears before her, represents everything that is male, carrying his weapon and even riding upon a tank that looks like it was designed by H R Giger. He gradually gains her trust by protecting her innocence and her person, and sharing his own weaknesses and fears with her. But, in the end, the inevitable happens. He betrays her by taking her innocence and destroying it, inadvertently doing the same to her life. But, in so doing, new life is created. From an endless cycle of trust and betrayal, life continues on, from generation to generation, though we don't even remember why. It's just the way things are. |
| Somewhere, there is an unplugged toaster sitting on a Coleman stove. Does it feel lonely? |
| My interpretation: The white-haired man represents the savior of the world. He carries a cross (just like another famous savior that I think we all know). Also, the world has gone black, and everything is in chaos, so it could really use a savior. The fishermen are searching for hope, searching for fish, searching for that next big catch, but all they can see are merely shadows underneath the water. All of the fish are gone, that represents the current state of their world. The fishermen also represent the plight of the common man, they are unable to make a meaningful impact, despite their best efforts. The girl is talking about how a bird-like creature will hatch from her egg. Then, when they get to the caves, and see the fossilized remains of a bird-like creature in the wall. To me, those remains looked a lot like satan or some kind of demon/devil, I take that to mean that the girl is carrying around the spawn of satan, and on top of that, is very protective of it. This leads me to believe the girl represents a type of blissful ignorance, or perhaps a type of innocence in a sense. She's being used by the evil powers of this world, and is also completely unaware of the evil that she's about to bring into the world. Now, the savior, with his cross becomes conflicted and spends his time wondering if he should defeat satan by destroying the egg, or keep the girl happy. I believe he realizes the girl doesn't know any better, and is simply enjoying her life, and he doesn't want to hurt her. You can see him contemplating his choice in the long, extended shot right before the girl falls asleep. In the end, he chooses to destroy the egg, and the demon that lives inside it. Then, because he doesn't want to see the girl cry, or get hurt, he decides to leave while she's asleep. In the morning, the girl awakes to find her egg broken, and this sends her running around in a sorrow-filled emotional outburst. She ends up falling off a cliff and dying (although, I don't think it was intentionally suicide), but also spawns a bunch more eggs (presumably containing more devils/demons). In the final shot of the movie, we're treated to a shot of the man, and a long pan outwards... and we're left to wonder if he actually did save the world, or if fighting back against evil is really, simply, a hopeless endeavour. |
vigorousjammerJun 17, 2014 9:13 PM
::End of Transmission:: What have I been watching? Click here and find out on my viewing blog, "Vigorous Viewing" |
 To quote Manly P. Hall: "The ancient symbol of the Orphic Mysteries was the serpent-entwined egg, which signified Cosmos as encircled by the fiery Creative Spirit. The egg also represents the soul of the philosopher; the serpent, the Mysteries. At the time of initiation the shell is broke. and man emerges from the embryonic state of physical existence wherein he had remained through the fetal period of philosophic regeneration." This symbolism represents many other things which are the same on different levels (assuming this is what the creators of the film intended), such as the "egg of the year" (for example: "the celestial bull broke the egg of the year with his horns" - representing the coming into of the age of Taurus). I haven't seen the film in a while (about to watch it again), and may come back to make another post to add or make corrections. |
| An interesting interpretation, for me it's more like a "loss of faith" |
Kurniawan_KtrJan 9, 2017 1:14 AM
"People who don't see that anime has changed are either wearing "glasses" or watching only a certain type (and or era) of anime" "Having a low mean score doesn't necessarily mean one doesn't enjoy anime. Rating system is not a school grading system." "Elitist is people who think he is superior than others. Not necessarily ones who insulting/critisizing your favorite anime or people who enjoy a certain type of anime" "Fanboy is people who translating "your favorite anime is shit" into "you are shit". "Being a fanboy is an indication of elitism" |
| just watch this movie, really classic, many reference for bible. it's like watching shakespeare lit but in anime |
| 4th times getting signature banned wtf |
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