Angel’s Egg (1985)

In 1984 Oshii left the staff ofUrusei Yatsura and the employ of Studio Pierrot to begin working on his own projects. Oshii’s departure not only marked the beginning of a new phase in his career, it also served as the impetus for his former colleagues to create the popular animated film Project A-ko (1986). Yūji Moriyama, director of animation and storyboard artist on Project A-ko, stated: “The crew [of Project A-ko] consisted mainly of people who had worked on Urusei Yatsura. Initially, that TV series was directed by Mamoru Oshii, but he stepped down along the way. His defection demoralized the crew and left us utterly unmotivated. We were ready to move on to something more interesting, something we could really sink our teeth into. Those of us who shared that sentiment got together and brainstormed. And this film is the culmination of all our ideas”1