Angels’ Egg in 4K Anniversary Review: Mamoru Oshii’s Post-Apocalyptic Anime Reflects A Broken, Yet Persistent Humanity

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A little girl in a pink and white striped dress races through the crumbling remains of an ancient city. Her long, flowing white hair almost hides her as she carries a large egg. She briefly sets the egg down among the falling stones of what used to be a grand mansion. A young man wearing a blue cape then picks it up. He carries a strange weapon – a mix between a gun, sword, and cross – and tells her, “Protect what’s important to you, or you’ll lose it.”

Aside from a brief opening sound, this line marks the beginning of the story in Angel’s Egg, a unique and experimental anime film by director Mamoru Oshii, known for works like Ghost in the Shell and The Red Spectacles. It appears roughly halfway through the 73-minute film, at a point where dialogue is minimal and the atmosphere is particularly mysterious. Similar to the characters in Alain Resnais’ classic film Hiroshima mon amour (1959), the Man (Jinpachi Nezu) and the Girl (Mako Hyodo) appear to come from nowhere and are traveling aimlessly, their memories fragmented and uncertain.

Angel’s Egg Is A Masterpiece of Experimental Animation

Forty years after its release, Oshii’s debut film continues to gain recognition for its depth. While stories about the end of the world are common now, in 1985, the trauma of Hiroshima was still fresh in people’s minds, overshadowing fears about a future rise in extremism. Philosopher Theodor W. Adorno famously argued that creating art felt impossible after the horrors of Auschwitz, believing art should directly confront human suffering. Oshii’s Angel’s Egg seems to respond to this challenge. Though mysterious and dreamlike, the film is filled with a sense of impending doom, forcing us to confront the legacy of our world.

Mamoru Oshii and visual artist Yoshitaka Amano created a visually stunning film, with each frame brimming with unique emotion. Heavily inspired by the German Expressionist movement and the aftermath of war, the film evokes both the desolation of post-war Japan and the mysterious darkness of the deep sea. The story unfolds in an underwater city built like a European metropolis, where a Girl and a Man appear to be the sole survivors. The only other inhabitants are ghostly, faceless soldiers—a nod to the Japanese soldiers who refused to surrender after Hiroshima and Nagasaki—who continue their relentless, robotic pursuit of enormous, shadowy fish, seemingly unaware that the war is over.

The story is simple, which likely contributed to the anime’s initial poor performance in Japan. The two main characters rarely speak, mostly exchanging short, poetic phrases that don’t seem connected. The only extended conversation happens when the Man, finding a large tree covered in strange markings, shares a dream about a giant bird and its egg. This egg seems connected to the one the Girl carries, though she’s secretive about what she thinks is inside, fiercely protecting it regardless.

The pair travels through a bizarre world filled with ruined buildings, constant rain, and dense forests. The film begins with a dreamlike quality, reminiscent of experimental films, then shifts to a more cynical tone similar to that of Andrei Tarkovsky. They connect through their shared struggle to survive in this devastated place. But their journey leads to a complex ending, where both their hopes are realized and ultimately destroyed.

Though it draws on many ideas, Angel’s Egg is primarily a retelling of Biblical stories. It feels like both a story about how the world began and a warning about its potential end. The film’s dramatic, red-filled sky and massive, complex machines hint at a world sustained only by its technology. Despite its dark subject matter, Angel’s Egg is ultimately a dreamlike film that suggests humans will find a way to survive, even after destruction. Similar to the story of Noah’s Ark – which a character directly references – the film shows life persisting even after the world falls apart.

Angel’s Egg will be re-released in theaters in 4K on November 19th.

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2025-11-18 17:10