ANIME/FILM REVIEW | "Angel’s Egg" a Confusing Work of Beauty
Before he was known for Ghost in the Shell, Mamoru Oshii was still finding his niche while working on the rom-com Urusei Yatsura. While his film directorial debut would be with the series’s first film Only You, he started to discover his voice in the more experimental sequel Beautiful Dreamer. One year after that film was released, Oshii took to writing and directing an OVA that’s puzzled as many people as mesmerized. That project was known as Angel’s Egg, which finally sees the light of day in the English-speaking world.
Like most of Oshii’s films, Angel’s Egg is a peculiar work of animation, one that will raise many eyebrows due to its narrative. Just what is this OVA about exactly? Well…that’s kind of complicated. It features two characters: a soldier boy (Jinpachi Nezu) and a young girl (Mako Hyodo). The girl carries around a mysterious egg, as the two roam a world that seems to lack much life.
As the title suggests, the girl believes that a heavenly being will hatch out of the egg. This belief pushes the girl to always carry the egg around, never allowing the boy anywhere close to it. The Biblical tale of “Noah’s Ark” is recited by the boy, with some changes that lead him to believe that the ark never stopped sailing. But when the girl shows the boy an interesting fossil, he finds himself contemplating the very story he just recounted.
Many can look at the egg and see some sort of symbolism in it. Some may look at it as a fragile ball of hope in a world that’s all but decayed. Others might see the egg representing one’s faith, and how something drastic in one’s life can easily shatter it into nothingness. Or it could be just as the girl believes, and that an angel resides inside of it.
Not much happens in Angel’s Egg. Dialogue is sparse, with neither character finding out exactly who the other is. And when action commences, such as with the fishermen trying to harpoon shadows of fish, one will be left a lot more confused by what’s happening. It has the blueprints of what future Oshii films would have, but with one key ingredient missing from it: a philosophy.
Sure, some can easily find a metaphor or two in what this story may represent. But with a lack of moral or even a clear understanding of the events unfolding, the OVA will no doubt leave many people scratching their heads over what happens in the 71-minute feature. With that being said, it’s hard not to be in awe of the animation of the film, with every frame bringing a vibe and dark beauty in a similar fashion as Eiichi Yamamoto’s Belladonna of Sadness and René Laloux’s Fantastic Planet. (It’s wild seeing Studio DEEN listed as the animation production studio, considering what their recent contributions have been like!)
Angel’s Egg is an odd film. It’s the kind of experience that’ll leave you asking more questions than you had before viewing it. However, from a visual perspective, it’s a marvel to watch. Appreciate it like a piece of abstract art, where you’ll attempt to pull out hundreds of different interpretations for what you just experienced. But odds are, every guess you’ll have about Angel’s Egg’s true meaning will more than likely be wrong.
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Grace Liriano of GKIDS. In theaters November 19th. Click here for tickets!
