Tenshi no tamago (1985)

A mysterious young girl wanders a desolate, otherworldly landscape, carrying a large egg.

Director:

Mamoru Oshii

Writers:

Yoshitaka Amano (story), Mamoru Oshii (screenplay)

Stars:

Mako Hyôdô, Jinpachi Nezu, Kei'ichi Noda

Cast

Credited cast:
Mako Hyôdô	...	Girl (voice)
Jinpachi Nezu	...	Boy (voice)
Kei'ichi Noda	...	Narrator

Storyline

a young girl is the sole protector of a very precious, large egg. her lair is near a large, abandoned, decaying gothic city inhabited by restless shadows. a mysterious young man arrives one day, and eventually wins her trust. they converse sparsely about obscure philosophical and theological topics, and she shows him some astonishing fossils and works of historic and scientific art. the ending is a bit shocking, and very ambiguous, leaving many unanswered questions and tons of room for interpretation.

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Plot Keywords:

avant garde | anime | girl | egg | gothic | 

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Genres:

Animation | Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The Coelacanth fish (Latimeria chalumnae) was thought to have been extinct since the Cretaceous Period but was found in 1938 off the coast of Africa.

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Quotes

Boy: Maybe you, I and the fish only exist in the memory of a person who is long gone. Maybe no one really exists and it's only raining outside.

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Alternate Versions

In the South Korean version, all the names are in Chinese character form, but the status ranking is in hangul though. The Japanese version slightly changed the Korean names.

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Connections

Referenced in Kôkaku Kidôtai (1995)

User Reviews

One of a kind, brilliant.

This masterpiece by Mamoru Oshii (Character designs by the great Yoshitaka Amano) is really one of a kind, thought provoking, artistic almost in a style of Dali and other great artists. The dark atmosphere and the inexplicable happenings bring Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey to my mind. There isn't much dialogue in the film, which is in my opinion a great decision. If you're into anime, especially the Mamoru Oshii stylish "slow and atmospheric" anime, this is a must see. I might even say this is one of the great classics in the history of anime although this title might be quite unknown to all. Really recommended!

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

22 December 1985 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Angel's Egg

Company Credits

Production Co:

Studio DEEN, Tokuma Shoten

Technical Specs

Runtime:

71 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1