Last night, and since Angel’s egg 40th anniversary is approaching on December this year, l thought to watch this film at last.

It was a great mixture of science fiction and surrealism as it told a story of unnamed characters who both had the same question in their minds but different approaches toward it: what is it in the egg?

The art style in this film is carefully polished, with every line and every brushstroke carefully speaking of raw and repressed emotions.

The main question in this film, what was really inside that egg? and how to believe faithfully in something while you are not fully aware of its origins, contents, or perhaps its existence.

This question is open for interpretation on our end as the story exists in a primal land where past generations of existence became shells and the mundane life are rediscovered wonders.

The film is an absolute visual and mental nourishment ans deserves to be watched several times to fulfill your artistic appetite and reach to your own conclusion.

I had this novel before but lost the copy so l definitely had to purchase a new one. Owning an art piece made by Riyoko Ikeda is must if you are a fan of old vintage manga.

Claudine represents far more than his identity. He represents the love-ache, brilliance, and nobility that can be found in a platonic or romantic manner.

I find myself in awe of the many opportunities he claimed to educate himself, gain a noble standing or simply gain the love of many due to the novelty of his character and the uniqueness of his appearance and mentality.

As a character, the author managed to translate the ache felt through the questions echoed with no answers to meet. Who is he? Is he imperfect? Will he be able to live in eternal love as he is unapologetically?

You dwell in these questions as well as you are trying to base his experience on many that you probably have encountered in your life.

As someone who has been raised and lived in a conservative setting, questioning your identity can be blasphemous, an insult to God and his creation.

However, l have met many Claudines in my life, many of whom who have to hide who they are in order to live their lives with a sense of normalcy and to avoid being cast away.

Learning how to fit in while you blossom into adulthood can be challenging, you will be forced again to remember that not all fantasies will be bestowed with a happy ending and you will be pulled back into your harsh reality.

Claudine’s pain was very visceral, very intense as it moves you to tears through his heartbreaks. His words, thoughts, tears, shock and deep love was all captured in its realness through his manners and beautiful expressions.

A fitting song of his pain was a cover done beautifully about heartbreaks and it can be found here.

The search of who we are, our identity, whom we love, and how to love after a heartbreak is something the humanity has gone through since the beginning of times, however, to be translated into such articulate and visual language is an art that many do not have but certainly only few and one of them is Riyoko Ikeda.

I procrastinated … A LOT .. I know :C

Anyways, I think that anyone can learn a thing or two from the phantom troupe.

The phantom troupe is group of class-A gang members coming from “Ryūseigai” or Meteor city which is an unknown city and its existence is known to only few people in the Hunter x Hunter universe.

The team made their debut by the 71st chapter and appeared in the 51st episode in the 1999 version and consist of:

Chrollo Lucifer

Chrollo Lucilfer is the leader of the phantom troupe. He is charismatic and a leader by nature.proven by his huge effect on his team members prior to officially establishing the phantom troupe. This was particularly shown during the Pakunoda x Kurapika dilemma where making a decision while Chrollo’s life was at stake was very hard, and the phantom troupe’s decision making consistency was shaken despite their belief that every member is a “limb” in their “spider”.

Management styles

There are four types of management: autocratic, democratic, laissez-faire, and transformational. Chorollo uses the democratic style with his subordinates and there is a voting system that they all have to agree with.

In the yorknew arc, the phantom group has to do a change of plans and flee the city but they did that via a voting system and a reading through the leader’s new stolen ability.

Phantom Troupe members

The group consist of thirteen members with varying nen types, skills, and abilities which equals to different roles and responsibilities in the team:

Some members are specialized in forgery using conjuration to materialize copies of varying range of items like human bodies, buildings, and stolen goods which can be used as traps or means for tracking their enemies.

While some members are stationed in the front line during the troupe attacks because of their superior physical strength and their nen mastery (mainly enhancers are front lining during attacks), some members are specialized in clean-ups post attacks, interrogation, and forming strategies along with the leader like: Pakunoda, Feitan, Shalnark, and Shizuku.

For transmuters like Machi and Feitan, they are excellent information gatherers for the team. Because of their speed, sharp intuition, and response to their surroundings, they are able to gather information under any circumstances and they can aid an enhancement nen type teammate during pursuits and attacks. Machi’s specialty in Nen stitches is a valuable source in aiding the injured members.

Front-liners like Nobunaga, Phinks, and Uvogin are essential to protect the members with the most unique abilities like Shizuku and Pakunoda, and they are very capable of swift and absolute destruction ensuring to bring the most damage to the enemies/victims as possible.

The founding members are: Nobunaga, Feitan, Machi, Franklin, Shizuku, Pakunoda, & Uvogin originating from Meteor City –Ryūseigai– where people do not have any official records which made the inhabitants vulnerable and deprived of rights and resources and later used by influential figures and organizations to carry on various kinds of crimes.

Purpose & leadership

Phantom troupe seems to have a cult-like mentality. The troupe has another name “Spider” (旅団クモ, Kumo) which represents the group structure as a head (the leader) and its legs (the other members). This indicates the importance of the leader to the group despite Chorollo’s will for the survival of the group with minimal regards to him personally.

The Cross of Saint Peter was adorned on the back of Chrollo’s long coat and was worn as necklace by Shizuku indicating possible similarities between the formation of the group and the origin of the symbol in Christianity.

According to the New Testament, “Saint Peter was among the first of the disciples called during Jesus’ ministry, and as Saint Peter assumed the leadership of the early followers and considered a pillar to the church”, it can be indicated that Togashi formed the Chrollo’s character with this background on mind. Additionally, there is an interesting piece written linking Saint Peter being a fisherman and Chrollo’s Nen fish ability among other interesting commentaries and explanations here.

Chrollo has an interesting ideal when he was confronted with Uvogin’s suspicions of having “a Judas” among the troupe and by Gon’s question about the troupe’s intentions behind their acts.

The Phantom troupe existed to repel against the reality they found themselves in, no records, no recognition, and betrayal from the others who are humans just like them, by birthing them and allowing them to exist in a barren land full of filth and extreme poverty. That is why they turned to someone who promised them riches and a better life out of Ryūseigai , Meteor city.

Despite him being the leader, Chorollo has expressed his apathetic ideals on many occasions, for example when he was captured by Kurapika, he insisted that he is “worthless as a hostage”.

The reason behind it is that Chorollo has established that the leader is a part of the team, not on top, that he is not a “prized hostage” that can be used against his troupe when conflict arises.

This allows the team to conduct plans without the fear of losing their weakened leader, ensuring that the troupe continues and not to be in jeopardy.