“When it comes down to it, I think the director doesn’t know everything about the movie. Everyone always thinks if you want to know something, talk to the director. I don’t think that’s true. I think the answer lies inside every single viewer.” - Mamoru Oshii
As cliche as it is, I’ll say it regardless: this movie is not for everyone. By the end you’ll most likely be calling your mother, asking her to hold you. Begging her to tell you everything’s going to be all right. Angel’s Egg is a 70 minute joyride through the enigmatic mind of Mamoru Oshii that has more Christian symbolism
...
and allegories than one might care to see in their lifetime. On top of that, the movie is incredibly slow paced (not really a joyride is it...) and has the bare minimum amount of dialogue to keep the story progressing. Which might I add, calling it a story is either the greatest insult or greatest compliment to the film and is something each individual must answer themselves.
As mentioned above, each viewer will decide for themselves however deep or shallow the story and its message is. As such, I’m not going to analyze the story and its many symbols because while it may mean X to me, it most likely means A-Z for the next 25 people and this is where Oshii’s words speak volumes. It’s an interpretive story. However much (or however little) you want to search for the films meaning, you aren’t necessarily wrong. There is no conclusive answer. I consider it to be a surreal and highly thought provoking piece of interpretive art. But one man’s interpretive art is another man's garbage. It’s understandable why people don’t like the movie and why it failed when it was initially released. It is highly Christianic themed and is often considered as an interpretation of Oshii’s early life when he was studying to become a priest. With this in mind, the film may come off as pretentious and overbearing, but perhaps it is just a roundabout autobiography of Oshii’s early life. The true intentions of this piece will most likely never be known.
The story is meticulous, slow and every scene deliberate and full of detail. While on the surface it may not mean much, it may mean a great deal underneath in its ever so mystifying allegories. As such, the film requires a great deal of attention and open mindedness. The elongated scenes, to me are some of the most vivid cinematic experiences I've witnessed in any film. This technique will most likely make you remember these scenes, even long after the movie is over. Regardless of if you liked the scenes or not they contain a lot of meaning and detail. At the same time I can understand how they may deter viewers, adding to the list of why this movie isn't for everyone. Aside from these deliberate and almost painfully slow scenes, the film progresses slowly and the world and its characters are spectacularly developed as the movie progresses.
The characters are fantastic. Both the boy and the girl have a mysterious air to them and many questions are left unanswered about both them and their pasts. They don’t really understand who they are or why they’re here. The lack of answers doesn't detract from the film, in fact quite the opposite, their recondite nature draws the viewer in. The greatest strength of the characters is that their interactions are genuine and realistic. The girl is innocent and timid. She emanates warmth and even acts childish around the boy at some points adding a rather heartwarming feel to an overly bleak atmosphere.Their subtle gestures and actions are used masterfully in the stead of dialogue, creating a very unique experience.
The orchestral score serves to further encapsulate the dark atmosphere of the film and is often foreboding at times, creating a sense of suspense for the viewer. It is serene, emphasizing the beauty and fragility of this poor innocent girl whilst it is equally melancholic highlighting the dark undertones of the dystopian world. The score wholeheartedly compliments and dramatizes the film.
The art is nothing short of amazing. The attention to every minute detail in each individual frame and background is truly something to behold. Not only is the art visually rewarding to look at because of this, but the combination of its dark color palette and entrancing cityscapes, skeletons, machinery and everything in between goes above and beyond in staging such an eerie and mystifying atmosphere that consumes this dystopian world. The characters are equally well designed and given as much detail and attention as the scenery. Amano Yoshitaka’s art truly makes Angel’s Egg what it is.
Angel’s Egg presents its viewers with an obscure message, enveloped in equally obscure symbolism and allegories. It indubitably blurs the line between the understandable and the incomprehensible. And as such, what each individual takes from this movie is subjective and is no more right or wrong than the next person’s interpretation. As Oshii said, the answer lies inside every viewer. On that reason alone, this movie will certainly fall short for some, and it’s absolutely understandable. But perhaps solace should be taken in the coalescence of the film’s breathtaking art and its mesmerizing music score. Perhaps, above all else, Angel’s Egg is a paragon of visual art.
Thanks for taking the time to read.
Alternative Titles
Japanese: 天使のたまご
More titlesInformation
Type:
OVA
Episodes:
1
Status:
Finished Airing
Aired:
Dec 22, 1985
Producers:
Tokuma Shoten
Licensors:
Anchor Bay Films
Studios:
Studio Deen
Source:
Original
Duration:
1 hr. 11 min.
Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
Statistics
Ranked:
#12292
2
based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity:
#1513
Members:
152,992
Favorites:
3,454
Resources | Reviews
Filtered Results: 90 / 98
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Your Feelings Categories Feb 17, 2015
“When it comes down to it, I think the director doesn’t know everything about the movie. Everyone always thinks if you want to know something, talk to the director. I don’t think that’s true. I think the answer lies inside every single viewer.” - Mamoru Oshii
As cliche as it is, I’ll say it regardless: this movie is not for everyone. By the end you’ll most likely be calling your mother, asking her to hold you. Begging her to tell you everything’s going to be all right. Angel’s Egg is a 70 minute joyride through the enigmatic mind of Mamoru Oshii that has more Christian symbolism ... Jul 17, 2008
I heard that this anime was underrated, and then decided to check it out. After watching the film, I was doing two things. One, I was scratching my head, and two, I was trying to pry my jaw from the floor.
Wow, what a surreal, vivid, creepy, terrifying, amazing, astounding, memorable work of art. STORY The story here is quite simple, and is presented very slowly. The main character does not hesitate to observe and admire her surroundings. The pacing has been complained about before, and I halfway agree with these complaints. On one hand, the extra-slow paced lingering shots may bore you, and on the other hand, ... Mar 28, 2010
Preface: Angel's Egg is my favorite movie, animated or not, and I don’t expect everyone to like it as much as I do... this is just my opinion.
Also: Spoiler Warning....... Mandatory ratings of "story" and "character" seem constricting, implying that anime must be a narrative art.. Animation especially seems to have the potential to release visuals from these constructs and to become a poetic association of images or a musical rhapsody of color and movement, which engage us on a subconscious aesthetic level.. Not to imply that Angel's Egg is a non-narrative work of art— it isn't— or that it has no characters— it does, ... May 3, 2017
There's a moment in this film when a little girl stands at the side of a street, watching an army of phallic-shaped tanks roar by. The animators made extra sure the shaft part of each tank dick, which protrudes to its left, passes directly over the girl's head.
If there's one compliment I can give the anime, it's that moment. The scene encapsulates perfectly how I feel having sat through this hour's runtime. Minute after drawn-out minute, Angel's Egg is a bunch of anime writers swinging their dicks at you, moaning how smart they are. Worst of all, they're right. This IS a smart film, and ... Mar 6, 2015
Angel's Egg, or Tenshi no Tamago, sits at the forefront of a list of bizarre and eccentric anime that includes Cat Soup and Iblard Jikan, while its niche but most enthused audience promises that its complex allegory is as beautiful and philosophical as the most serious of art-house films. Directed by Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell, Jin-Roh, Patlabor, Sky Crawlers), Angel's Egg is perhaps Oshii's most personal and best work. However, as interesting and surreal as it is, beneath its murky surface Angel's Egg suffers from classical problems in Oshii's stories. Past the compelling mystical, spiritual, and psychological nature of the work, there is
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Jun 30, 2021
“The egg is a germ of life with a lofty symbolical significance. It is not just a cosmogonic symbol — it is also a “philosophical one”. As the former it is the Orphic Egg, the world’s beginning; as the latter, the philosophical egg of the medieval natural philosophers, the vessel from which, at the end of the opus alchymicum, the homunculus emerges… the spiritual, inner, and complete man.” — C.G. Jung
Angel’s Egg, the 1985 film directed by Mamoru Oshi, is an enigmatic tour de force. It offers exiguous amounts of dialogue and challenges the viewer to scrutinize every last visual detail in order to ... Jan 25, 2022
This is going to be short. I'm gonna be unfront and tell y'all that this is probably the worst experience I had with any anime.
You can dump on shows like Mars of Destruction all you want but the very least I had fun making fun of it. There's bad, there's boring, there's atrocious, and there's Angel Egg. Yoshitaka Amano is a great artist given how I love the old school Final Fantasy artworks and seeing him work on this horrid mullet of a turd was painful. Apparently, the guy who made Ghost in the Shell movie worked on this as well. But why would ... Mar 27, 2009
I'll Keep this short. Extremely strange. there's nearly no dialog in this 1:11 wonder. That leaves nearly no the entire movie up to the viewer to explain. It's going to mean different things to different people. I will agree with other reviewers that there seems to be an overall "Christian" theme. although that seemed to be put in a bad light with the "Church" having a stained-glass fish window (Jesus? or Regular Fish?) and all the Fishermen trying to spear the non-existent fish, and destroying the town in the process.I see that as saying religion is bad, others might disagree. I guess that's why I
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Mar 9, 2013
From Mamoru Oshii of “Ghost in the Shell” fame, we receive this deceptively simple story: A young girl wanders through a dark, empty city inhabited only by the ghosts of the past, both human and animal. She carries with her a massive egg, which she protects and nurtures. Soon a man appears and begins to follow her. Much of the movie is without dialogue. That doesn't sound terribly inviting, but it is what it is: An ominous and slow-moving film that, while requiring a degree of patience, is nonetheless quite lovable.
Approaching thirty years of age, the art in Angel's Egg is dated, but it isn't ... Feb 14, 2019
What exactly is a good anime? Is it perhaps something with high entertainment value, something that is truly fun to watch, something that you truly enjoy? Or is it something that conveys some sort of important philosophical message? Or maybe, is it a 71 minute long OVA that brings absolutely no entertainment value, makes no sense whatsoever, and conveys no message but that the director hates you?
"This is clearly a deep reflection of the director's mental state and view of the world! It's a deep, psychological experience!" Yeah no, it's not. It's an incoherent waste of time with no characters, no plot, and next to ... Jun 18, 2015
This movie was incredibly abstract. Any questions you develop during this movie will most likely not be answered. But that's part of the beauty of it. There's very little dialogue, and as such it relies heavily atmosphere, artwork, and music all of which are fantastic. The best was to describe it would be if somebody took a random dream they had, and turned it into a movie. As such, I highly recommend watching it in a dark room.
Jul 19, 2008
Story: I am actually editing this! Ok so i have just had a long conversation with someone about this, and my opinion has not changed. however i do feel i need to be a little clearer on my opinion.
I found this movie difficult to understand, mostly for the fact that it seems to be saying something deep, which in itself is not a problem. The problem is that what it's saying is so easy to interpret in so many different ways that the actual meaning is lost. As such i dislike the way it presents itself. It's painfully obvious to me that it's ... Nov 26, 2009
One name: Mamoru Oshii. Between directing and creating, the man who brought about such great animes as Blood+, Ghost in the Shell, and Urusei Yatsura, this was one title I could not pass up. I went into Angel's Egg expecting something very thought-provoking and, to say the least, was blown away by the depth this anime delved. To state bluntly, those who do not enjoy philosophical thought or anime with little dialogue may want to stop reading now and move on to something else. For those still interested, please read on.
Story: Within the first five minutes, in between the interesting things happening, you are introduced ... May 22, 2017
Imagine this: you are at the gallery, staring at the abstract painting of something that looks like a dragon. Then, someone walks next to you and starts to look at the painting too, but he loudly says to himself: "Wow, what a nice scenery of a sunset!". You reply: "Well, I think that this more looks like a dragon", but there is no clear answer, because the painting doesn't clearly define what's on it, just a stack of colors that has a shape similar to a dragon, or a sunset scenery, or maybe something else. This example may be bannal, but it perfectly describes the
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Sep 8, 2011
Since the first visual encounter, the first scene, angel's egg immerses you into their world, the first melody seemed to be the beggining of a long and inexplicable dream or nightmare and the sensations produced by, the dark and innocuous sky, the bird lying in the air, we could expect anything, the worst, the most astonishing and strange.
And so begins Angel's egg. Driven by a curious image of a little girl among her lodgings, we discover a egg close to her, as if it had been with her all the time, this girl cares and hoards this egg where she goes like a ... Aug 21, 2021
This movie going to make you feel like a moron .. when every pretentious individual talks about how this is a masterpiece .. how everything in it has a meaning .. but it only leaves me confused .. very confused
It was brilliant to look at though.. that's one of the most visually pleasing anime I've watched.. and it's from 1985.. insane .. but sadly not much of actual substance in this "masterpiece" For the artwork and animation alone i give it 4 , it's just that good .. other than that I can't seem to measure it on any other objective scale.. it has no story ... Dec 29, 2008
"A work of a genius", this was my first thought after watching five minutes of Angel's Egg. "Brilliant", was what I thought after watching ten minutes of the movies. In the end... "I'm glad it's over".
Let's see why, shall we? The first thing one notices when watching this is the beauty of the art. The scenery is simple, an abandoned town picked up from Dali's memoirs, but extremelly detailed.It remembered me the first works of Disney (vide Fantasia). Then the viewer will notice the characters: this time they shape the story and not otherwise. They are simple but, following the example of the scenery, highly detailed ... Nov 27, 2023
This is one of my favorite movies of all time, but it's definitely not for everyone.
Tenshi No Tamago is almost a purely visual movie. It has very few dialogue, and the few that it has is abstract and philosophical rather than being there to move the story forward. Speaking of the story, there's barely any : the two main (and only) characters meet at the very begining, they wander for a while until one of them eventually does the only thing that has a significant impact on the story, and the movie ends. What's at the heart of the movie are it's ... Jan 27, 2024
Do not go into Angel's Egg expecting to fully understand what you just watched, you won't, and if you do, you're lying, because nearly 40 years later, the true meaning is still not 100% known, it's certainly Avant Garde, however, it is speculated that it's a representation of the creator, Mamoru Oshii's wavering faith in god and Christianity, and there are many moments in the film where it is easy to pick up on that.
Oshii was a very rare case of a person in Japan being raised Christian, as there are very few people in Japan who are Christian, and not too long before he ... |