Angel's Egg
Alt titles: Tenshi no Tamago
Synopsis:
In a dark and largely abandoned city a little girl wanders in search of something – beneath the folds of her dress she carries a mysterious giant egg. While living on the streets, she encounters a lonesome warrior who has forgotten his past and his purpose and, like the girl, travels aimlessly. Now they journey together, mistrustful of each other whilst sharing in the silence of the city. But who is the little girl? Who is the warrior? And what form of creature lies sleeping inside the egg?
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Serial Experiments Lain
Alt titles: Lain
- TV (13 eps)
- 1998
"I have only abandoned my body, I still live here" - are the words emailed to friends of Chisa, several days after her death by suicide. As Lain delves deeper into the world of the "Wired" (also known as the internet), the line between it and reality becomes more and more unclear. Close the world, open the nExt.
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4 people think you'd like this because...
add recActions speak louder than words in Lain & Angel's Egg, two thought provoking anime that take their time to unravel into philosophical stories, ultimately attracting any fan of abstract/surreal type anime.
Cat Soup
Alt titles: Nekojiru-sou
- OVA (1 ep)
- 2001
Cat Soup is an extremely abstract, abnormal, and at times, disturbing adventure, from the director of Nadesico. This 30 minute OVA follows two kittens through what seems to be the underworld, as they search for one of their lost souls. Along the way, they encounter new (edible) friends, scary situations, and even the end of the world! Will these felines manage to return unscathed? Or more importantly, avoid becoming the main course for dinner? Confusion abounds in this quirky OVA.
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4 people think you'd like this because...
add recSo, you thought NGE was too straightforward? Lain made too much sense? Cat Soup and Angel's Egg are both exercises in convoluted, overly artistic anime that should entertain you. Both are visually incredible, and both will leave you completely and utterly clueless. And that's nice, sometimes.
Cat Soup and Angel's Egg manage to do what few others can, that is to express an abstract tale through surreal use of animation styles and little to no speech to draw in a ‘thinking' audience. Both are must sees for fans of strange but compelling anime that are truly stunning if just to look at.
Cat Soup and Angel's Egg, though very different in subject matter and storyline, both require a suspension of disbelief to be entirely enjoyed. Don't ask "how are they doing that?" or "why!?" ... just go with the flow, and the artwork and every-direction-at-once storylines will pull you in.
Cat Soup is whimsical with a meandering milieu, whereas Angel's Egg takes place in a stable setting and has incredibly dark and edgy overtones. However, if you enjoyed one because it's a visual feast that remains senseless unless you motivate your brain to make it make sense, then definitely try the other.
1001 Nights
- Movie
- 1998
Princess Budu sleeps, and dreams. She dreams of whimsical fairies and a wicked, restless beastial spirit. Her dream is one unmoored from identity and self - perhaps she is the fairy, perhaps those other fairies are other persons also. Also moving through her dream, always recurring in her thoughts is her lover Prince Kamar. The beastial spirit desires Budu; Kamar desires Budu, and she only has eyes for Kamar. Through her dream she floats and fades across an Arabian fantasia of minarets and mosques. These flickering moments, fleeting snatches of slumbered thought, are filled with an intoxicating, ethereal beauty.
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add rec1001 Nights is also an anime which explores the aesthetic possibilities of animation making it almost central to the work. 1001 Nights contrasts with Angel's Egg as being more a free flight of whimsy and fantasy. It is sensual and expressive inhabiting an entirely different emotional realm to Angel's Egg, and testament to Amano's versatility. That said it is animation for animation's sake a rich and vivid exploration of movement and colour with very little in the way of a message or plot - and in that sense is very markedly different to Angel's Egg. It is however an exuberant work, and I highly reccomend it.
Comedy
Alt titles: Kigeki
- OVA (1 ep)
- 2002
Legend tells of a lone swordsman who lives in the Demon's Castle, the ruins near the Black Forest. This mysterious stranger only accepts rare books for his services, books from the ancient past. Comedy tells the story of a young girl who desperately wishes for her family and village to be saved from the coming English soldiers' wrath, and is willing to trade a precious book in exchange for the deed. With only her legs beneath her, she runs towards the Black Forest, hoping to get there in time...
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3 people think you'd like this because...
add recBoth Angel's Egg and Comedy have an innocent little girl with white hair as the principal character. Both anime speak more with beautiful pictures than words (even though Comedy contains more words than Angel's Egg). Also, they are without a doubt dark with a sort of gothic feeling behind it. You'd surely like one if you liked the other!
Two beautifully enchanting anime that use actions over words to express themselves, abstract and devoid of any clear meaning or reasoning - most definitely a ‘thinkers' anime. If you enjoyed one, you will love the other.
Comedy is a sixth the length of Angel's Egg, but they share a dark tone and beautiful visuals. Moreover, Comedy is also about atmosphere rather than a solid plot. Definitely check it out if you enjoyed Angel's Egg.
Le Portrait de Petit Cossette
- OVA (3 eps)
- 2004
Kurahashi has never been the same since the hallucinations started. His condition is not medical in nature, and only seems to be triggered by an antique glass which shows him things he never would wish to see. For Kurahashi, figuring out the mystery of the Petit Cossette that appears to him in his waking dreams is a matter of life or death... and his sanity...
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2 people think you'd like this because...
add recBoth Angel's Egg and Petit Cossette feature dreamlike, distinctive imagery. Angel's Egg is almost purely symbolic, while Petit Cossette uses its symbolism for the purpose of ultimately a straightforward (if metaphysical and a little obtusely presented) love story.
Both Angel's Egg and Le Portrait are very dark, gothic shows that require a lot of interpretation if they're ever to seem coherent. Angel's Egg is more 'artsy' about it and contains more unique religious themes, whereas Le Portrait is more psychological spookiness but I think a fan of one will enjoy the other.
