Ask John: What is Angel’s Egg?

Question:
I’ve recently seen a little bit of an anime called Angel’s Egg. I’m interested in it, so can you possibly fill me in on what it’s about?

Answer:
Originally released on December 22, 1985, Tenshi no Tamago is still considered by many to be one of Mamoru (Ghost in the Shell, Avalon, Patlabor) Oshii’s greatest achievements, and one of the greatest works in anime history. An art film to the nth degree, produced at a time when the Japanese economy was booming, and the anime industry had the ability to indulge in art purely for art’s sake, Angel’s Egg is a philosophical and stylistic work of expressionism, left almost totally up to the interpretation of the viewer. The film is famous in part for its character design by Yoshitaka Amano. Angel’s Egg is second to only Amano’s short anime music video movie 2001 Nights in perfectly re-creating the spirit and look of Amano’s ethereal, watercolor-like paintings in animation. The film stars only 2 characters and less than 5 minutes of spoken dialogue in a 75 minute long film. To say what, exactly, the film is about is nearly impossible. Is it a dream? Is it a statement on the eternal cycle of life and death? Is it about the natural decay of time and all things material? Is it a fantastic vision of the future? Is it a statement on the value of religion or belief? Even Mamoru Oshii himself has admitted that he doesn’t know what the film is actually about. Ostensibly, in a post apocalyptic world that may never actually have been prosperous or pre-apocalyptic to begin with, a young nameless girl carrying a very large egg that she cherishes like a baby encounters a young man, a soldier, carrying a large gun shaped like a cross. To say any more would ruin part of the mystery of the film.

Angel’s Egg is very much a product of its time, and a film heavily influenced by the traditions of classic Japanese cinema. The film has a deliberate exceedingly slow pace, and features virtually no “action” or identifiable linear story development. The visual look of the film is lush and stunning, although also very dark and otherworldly. Those that have the patience to watch the entire film are rewarded with a thoroughly confusing, thought-provoking and mesmerizing film that may or may not be a tragedy, depending on the viewer’s perception. Anchor Bay Entertainment has confirmed on several occasions, as recently as last October, that they do own the American translation and distribution rights to the film and do expect to release the film to the American market within “the next couple of years.” The film is already available on special edition DVD in Japan.