A Review on Angel’s Egg
The first anime movie I saw after I decided I want to write reviews was Tenshi no Tamago — a few days ago. Here’s my review, and its comparison to a professional review which I accessed through the Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Needless to say, [SPOILERS AHEAD. PLEASE WATCH THE FILM FIRST.]
My Review — 8.0/10
This [see title] Mamoru Oshii directed 71-minute original video animation (OVA) from 1985 by Studio DEEN is the topic for this review. Instantly, it struck me that it was not going to be a very pleasant movie. The really slow direction gave a sense of foreboding and emphasized the background — the unique and eerie world portrayed in the movie — setting the stage for the two main and only characters. Immense attention must have been given to the feel of the movie, with experimental angles, amazing art and the very realistic imagery and sound effects. The characters themselves — a frail girl and a strong warrior(?) — seldom speak. Their silence is so prominent that it directs the audience to their behaviours as they respond and react to the dystopian world around them. The almost European world is based on the biblical story of Noah sending out a bird to contact any survivors of the great flood; the egg carried by the girl is the egg of that very bird, as far as I understand. The movie does not even attempt to clarify where and why this world, these characters or their surroundings came to be as they were.
My interpretation is from a detached standpoint. Everything in the movie probably represents something. A battle of the mind perhaps? The fishermen who blindly attempted to harpoon the shadow fish, to me, represent the people who keep having dreams without acting on them — chasing after thoughts and ideas but missing the point. Wouldn’t the fishermen be better off looking for the source of the fish? Why not target the fish rather than their image? To be honest, I’m not even sure if such a possibility exists in that world. I wonder if the egg and the warrior stand for faith and logic.
One thing I personally discovered in my travails to relate to the protagonists is that, like the little girl not outright rejecting the warrior but did trying to keep a distance, I prefer having people in my life at a distance. It is enough to know that they’re there.
Overall, it’s a good one-time watch. I thought it was mostly interpretive and would probably bore an audience looking for action and adventure. It pushes your boundaries of analysis and imagination trying to figure out what’s going on. I’d say the experimental nature of this piece is what possibly paved the way for great works yet to come such as Akira (1988) and Neon Genesis Evangelion(1995).
Comparison with The Nihon Review (from IMDb) — 7/10
Since this was my first review, I’m just going to be picking up pointers here. The format of the critic review by Shadowmage is nice as it sums up a big-picture view in the synopsis and highlights. There is an agreement between the reviews on the appreciation of the compelling visuals and sounds and the very mysterious nature of the film. We also agree on the boundary-pushing nature of the film in terms of its art and background, but no something which could be appreciated by someone not impressed by these or a lack of a strong storyline. Finally, Shadowmage classifies this as an art film — a term I did not know before this, showing my naiveté when it comes to being an informed reviewer on non-technical topics, even of my own choice and liking. Also, I projected my interpretation further than I ought to since this was meant to be a review and not an interpretive exercise.
Well, this was fun. I plan to continue. Do watch this film if you feel you’re ready to do so.
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel’s_Egg
https://imdb.com/title/tt0208502/
htt[://www.nihonreview.com/anime/angels-egg
