With the past few weeks in the dust, it’s time to get onto the good stuff, and what way to start this year of anime reviews off than with one of the strangest movies I have ever seen. If I didn’t watch an examination of this on Halloween day in 2022, I might not have picked what I’m looking at today. Instead, I’m going to take a look at one of the oddest, bizarre, weirdest, yet visually most stunning anime I’ve ever laid my eyes on. It’s simultaneously one of the best I’ve watched, yet above average in other aspects. So, with that out of the way, here’s my review of the mid 80s obscurity that is Angel’s Egg. Let’s begin!
Story/Setup
And here’s is what can make Angel’s Egg irritating for some. It’s not that there isn’t a story, because there very clearly is one. In a decrepit building near a seemingly long abandoned city, a white-haired girl lives alongside a large egg that she protects by carrying it under her dress sometimes. One day while scavenging for food & water, she comes across what appears to be a soldier of some sort carrying a cross-like weapon (I’m assuming it’s a weapon). At first scared of this person, the girl eventually warms to him over the course of a journey that the two go on. I can’t reveal anymore, as it’s partially due to not wanting to spoil anything else. The other reason is because everything is done in an incredibly abstract manner, as for every clear moment there’s twice as many that are odd or presented in a strange way. Again, there’s definitely a story, but you gotta get through a lot of weird stuff to find it.
Animation
The big thing that people remember about Angel’s Egg the most is it’s animation. Despite being nearly 40 years old (It’s officially 40 years in 2025), it has managed to stand the test of time on it’s looks alone. It’s not surprising, since the visuals & animation were done by Yoshitaka Amano, who’s name might be familiar to fans of Final Fantasy. The OVA is just brimming with imagery that only he could have drawn, as the mix between gothic, technological, fantasy, and religious iconography that would later be found within the FF franchise is right in front of you. The world that this OVA takes place in feels incredibly old, yet there’s vibrancy to be found in it’s somewhat muted color palette, and there’s a surprising amount of fluidity when it comes to the movement. Not only that, but the background imagery is gorgeous to look at, as it’s somehow believable despite the occasional weird/alien visuals.
Voice Acting
Perhaps one of the weirdest aspect of Angel’s Egg is that there’s hardly any voice acting in it. I’ll get to it in a moment, but due to the lack of characters you rarely hear anyone speak. When you do hear the voice acting, it’s not bad! It may be minimalistic, and again you don’t hear our characters talk often, but I have heard way worse out there than what’s being spoken here.
Characters
Like I said above, there is a severe lack of characters in Angel’s Egg. In fact, we only have 2 main characters! Literarily called Boy & Girl on Wikipedia (and the movie itself if I recall correctly), there’s very clearly personality & motivation to them, but because they hardly speak it’s so hard to read them. One could make the argument that they’re mostly blank slates so the viewer can imprint a piece of them onto these two, but even then you would have to imprint a lot onto them for the two to have full personalities and characteristics. That being said, they’re interesting enough for the viewer to stay glued to the screen during the entire run time. You definitely want to know what’s going to happen to these two, even though you can’t quite read their personalities.
Availability & Pricing
Perhaps the biggest flaw of Angel’s Egg would be it’s availability. Since it’s release in 1985, there has never been a release here in the states, and worldwide by extent. It crops up from time to time on sites like Youtube & many other video sites with various English subtitles, but it’s never had a proper DVD/Blu-Ray release here in the United States. It’s incredibly baffling as to why, but if Bennett The Sage’s theory is correct, then it goes from baffling to infuriating. In any case, I got a link below so you can watch it:
Angel’s Egg
Overall Impression & Rating
Angel’s Egg is just a confusing one for me. On visuals & presentation alone, it is nothing short of an artistic masterpiece like I said earlier. As an anime, it’s definitely something. Not abysmal by any stretch, but with the Dark Souls like storytelling, it’s hard to figure out who the characters are & what’s going on (Ironic, since I love Dark Souls quite a bit). If you’re coming into this for artistic merit, then you’re definitely going to find it. If you’re coming into it for being a clear-as-day anime movie......you’ll like it, but you won’t fall in love with it.
Angel’s Egg easily gets a 15 out of 10 due to how it looks & presents itself, but a 6 to 6.5 in terms of everything else.
And that was my look at the sadly obscure Angel’s Egg. Despite it not being talked about much, it’s influence in many games & anime can still be felt today, and it’s popularity is strong enough that it’s got a strong cult following even in the beginning parts of 2023. Well, with January done, our sights are set to the rest of this year, so join me soon for the first overview of the year. See you when you show up!
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If you’d like to take a look at this movie’s history (As well as the bizarre story & meaning behind the religious imagery), then click on the link below:
Angel’s Egg (Wikipedia)
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