Summary

• Angel's Egg gets a 4K remaster overseen by director Mamoru Oshii, preserving its iconic art and animation.
• The film's abstract story and surreal mood make it a must-see for anime fans seeking a unique viewing experience.
• Details on theatrical release, Blu-ray availability, or streaming are still unknown, but anticipation for Angel's Egg's return is high.

Angel's Egg, a 1985 film from acclaimed Ghost in the Shell director Mamoru Oshii and original Final Fantasy artist Yoshitaka Amano, is finally getting a high definition remaster. Anime critics have fondly regarded the esoteric and surreal film for its incredible animation and jaw-dropping art direction that brings Amano's unique style to life in a way that few anime have.

According to a report by Anime News Network, Angel's Egg is getting a 4K remaster produced by Tokuma Shoten. The remaster will be overseen by Oshii himself and will be based on the original film print of the acclaimed short.

Unfortunately, no further details are known, so it's unclear whether Angel's Egg will see a theatrical rollout, a Blu-ray release, or be available on streaming.

Angel's Egg is a Landmark Achievement in Animation

Yoshitaka Amano's Style Looks Gorgeous in Motion

Animated by Studio Deen, Angel's Egg might be a relatively short film at 71 minutes, but it leaves a large impact. The movie follows a young girl protecting an egg in a post-apocalyptic city. Eventually, she's accompanied by a soldier who wants to steal and potentially destroy the egg for unclear reasons. The story itself is deliberately vague, with much of the short's appeal coming from the mood and atmosphere. The result is one of the best art styles in anime history. Given how important the look of the film is, it will only be aided by a 4K remaster.

Though Angel's Egg is regarded as a classic now, Oshii has said that the film's box office and general reception were so poor that they kept him from getting work for some time after the film's release.

Angel's Egg features little dialog, with the soldier and the girl only having a handful of notable conversations. As a result, very little is explained about the world or setting of Angel's Egg. Why the world is in the state it is, where the soldier comes from, and the purpose of the tanks that roam through the city are all left completely unanswered. Instead, Angel's Egg is much more about letting the viewer's imagination run wild. Angel's Egg is a deliberately challenging film and one of the best deep anime that will leave fans with a lot to think about after the movie ends.

Angel's Egg's uniquely thoughtful and introspective energy didn't earn the movie any favors upon release, but now makes the film seem decades ahead of its time

Another advantage Angel's Egg has is just how unique it was upon release. While there are many 80s anime that have aged quite well, much of what was popular, especially in science fiction anime, was dominated by the hyper-masculinity of series like Fist of the North Star. In contrast, Amano's much more feminine style and the quiet focus on something more thematically rich and dense set Angel's Egg apart from many of its contemporaries. Angel's Egg's uniquely thoughtful and introspective energy didn't earn the movie any favors upon release, but now makes the film seem decades ahead of its time.

Angel's Egg Has a Chance to Get its First Real English Release

The OVA's Previous Release in Australia was a Strange Experiment to Say the Least

Though Angel's Egg changed the course of Oshii's career and is widely regarded as a visual masterpiece, the OVA has never been officially released in North America. The film's only official release in English the absolutely bizarre 1988 independent film In the Aftermath. In a strange move, In the Aftermath chooses to intercut the original anime scenes from Angel's Egg with a live-action subplot.

Instead of the deliberately murky story presented by Angel's Egg, In the Aftermath attempts to add more logic to the anime classic by clarifying several plot points. In the Aftermath casts the little girl carrying the titular egg as an angel who is uncertain of whether she should save humanity or not. While that premise may be fine on its own, and even does have something to do with the themes presented by Angel's Egg, the alterations and live-action segments ultimately do much more to harm the mystique and subtlety of Angel's Egg.

While In the Aftermath's release does little to hamper the power or impact of Angel's Egg, its legacy as the only official English release of the OVA is notable. With the upcoming remaster by Angel's Egg's original publisher, Tokuma Shoten, there is a possibility that the film will finally be available to English fans in an official capacity. Making the matter even more enticing is how easy it would be to re-release the film logistically.

Angel's Egg contains very little dialogue, meaning the localization or dubbing process would be much simpler than it normally would be for an anime movie or series. At a minimum, all that would be needed would be subtitles for what dialogue there is. Though this process would certainly be relatively easy for a big anime distributor like Crunchyroll, the problem with releasing Angel's Egg in North America might come down much more to rights issues than logistical ones.

Angel's Egg's Western Release Remains Uncertain

But American Anime Fans Should Care Anyways

Ultimately, it's unclear whether Angel's Egg's 4K remaster will come to North America or not. Some of the best anime ever remain bigger in Japan than America, and that could certainly remain the case with Angel's Egg. Still, the film's unique place in history and its beautiful artistry means that its remaster should be celebrated by anime fans of all types. Angel's Egg from Ghost in the Shell director Mamoru Oshii and Final Fantasy artist Yoshitaka Amano is one remaster that more should be paying attention to.

Source: Anime News Network