Angel's Egg
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese anime
feature film produced by Tokuma Shoten
in 1985. A collaboration between popular artist Yoshitaka Amano
and director Mamoru Oshii
, it incorporates surrealistic
and existentialist
qualities. It uses almost no dialogue, making it a commonly cited example of progressive anime.
Parts of the film were used in the 1988 Australian sci-fi movie, "In the Aftermath".
The girl is the keeper of a mysterious egg. She spends her time collecting bottles and artifacts in a gothic, abandoned city. An unnamed man arrives in the dark town one day riding a machine and wearing a cross-like weapon on his back. The two meet and talk, though their dialogue consists mostly of the single, repeated question "Who are you?"
Meanwhile, the shadows of giant coelacanths appear within the town, and then the many human statues which line it come alive and begin hunting the fishes with spears.
Inside the girl's vast cavernous "refuge", which contains many strange fossils and her collection, the man tells the girl a tale similar to Noah's Ark
. He waits for the girl to fall asleep and breaks the egg.
The girl reacts in anguish and follows the departing man, only to fall into a ravine of water and die. Her dying exhalation under the water blossoms into bubbles of "eggs" on the surface. The film ends with the "world" being revealed as a settlement on the edge of a hollow shell floating through outer space, though this is not elaborated upon.
The young girl portrays innocence in a world of darkness. She lives in an abandoned planetarium
and guards the mysterious egg, a focal point of the movie. The girl, who lives alone, collects water in bottles, watching as bubbles within them rise to the top.
Man
The man is portrayed as a Christ
-like (or even Antichrist
-like) figure, carrying a cross on his back and wearing bandages on his hands. He tries to protect the young girl when he meets her, but ultimately steals the egg she keeps.
Narrator
It holds an 7.7 rating on imdb.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
feature film produced by Tokuma Shoten
Tokuma Shoten
is a publisher in Japan, that was established in 1954.The company was also the parent company for the film studio Daiei Motion Pictures, bought in 1974, and the record label Tokuma Japan Communications, bought in 1972, until both were sold off when Yasuyoshi Tokuma, who established this company,...
in 1985. A collaboration between popular artist Yoshitaka Amano
Yoshitaka Amano
is a Japanese artist. He began his career as an animator and has become known for his illustrations for the anime Vampire Hunter D and for his character designs, image illustrations and title logo designs for the Final Fantasy video game series developed by Square Enix . His influences include...
and director Mamoru Oshii
Mamoru Oshii
Mamoru Oshii is a Japanese filmmaker, television director, and writer. Famous for his philosophy-oriented storytelling, Oshii has directed a number of popular anime, including Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer, Ghost in the Shell, and Patlabor 2...
, it incorporates surrealistic
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
and existentialist
Existentialism
Existentialism is a term applied to a school of 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual...
qualities. It uses almost no dialogue, making it a commonly cited example of progressive anime.
Parts of the film were used in the 1988 Australian sci-fi movie, "In the Aftermath".
Plot
Angel's Egg follows the daily life of an unnamed young girl in a surreal world of darkness and shadows.The girl is the keeper of a mysterious egg. She spends her time collecting bottles and artifacts in a gothic, abandoned city. An unnamed man arrives in the dark town one day riding a machine and wearing a cross-like weapon on his back. The two meet and talk, though their dialogue consists mostly of the single, repeated question "Who are you?"
Meanwhile, the shadows of giant coelacanths appear within the town, and then the many human statues which line it come alive and begin hunting the fishes with spears.
Inside the girl's vast cavernous "refuge", which contains many strange fossils and her collection, the man tells the girl a tale similar to Noah's Ark
Noah's Ark
Noah's Ark is a vessel appearing in the Book of Genesis and the Quran . These narratives describe the construction of the ark by Noah at God's command to save himself, his family, and the world's animals from the worldwide deluge of the Great Flood.In the narrative of the ark, God sees the...
. He waits for the girl to fall asleep and breaks the egg.
The girl reacts in anguish and follows the departing man, only to fall into a ravine of water and die. Her dying exhalation under the water blossoms into bubbles of "eggs" on the surface. The film ends with the "world" being revealed as a settlement on the edge of a hollow shell floating through outer space, though this is not elaborated upon.
Cast & characters
GirlThe young girl portrays innocence in a world of darkness. She lives in an abandoned planetarium
Planetarium
A planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
and guards the mysterious egg, a focal point of the movie. The girl, who lives alone, collects water in bottles, watching as bubbles within them rise to the top.
Man
The man is portrayed as a Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
-like (or even Antichrist
Antichrist
The term or title antichrist, in Christian theology, refers to a leader who fulfills Biblical prophecies concerning an adversary of Christ, while resembling him in a deceptive manner...
-like) figure, carrying a cross on his back and wearing bandages on his hands. He tries to protect the young girl when he meets her, but ultimately steals the egg she keeps.
Narrator
Music
The music in Angel's Egg was composed by Yoshihiro Kanno who seldom composed film scores.Response
Angel's Egg did not do well with audiences or critics on its release. But in the early 2000's the film's reputation was spread on anime festivals and the film now has small but dedicated group of fans which calls it a masterpiece.It holds an 7.7 rating on imdb.
Further reading
- Ruh, Brian. 2004. Stray Dog of Anime: The Films of Mamoru Oshii. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-4039-6334-5