Haibane Renmei
General
I admit that the series was something that intrigued me all along. I watched all the other anime from Yoshitoshi ABe like Serial Experiment LAIN and Texhnolyze and for some reason, I chose to buy other anime series before getting to “Haibane Renmei” until finally, my curiosity got the best of me and I finally purchased it.
Content
Story and subplots
“Haibane Renmei” evolves around a bunch of Haibane, young kids resembling angels with halo and little non-functional (as far as flying goes) wings. The ones followed in the series live in an old abandoned school they have nicknamed “Old Home”.
One day, one of the Old Home’s eldest Haibane, Reki (little stone) discovers a cocoon containing a new comer who will emerge sooner than later. This discovery is a big event for the Haibane and all the school’s inhabitants come to take either a peak or care of their new member.
The new comer is a sweet little girl whose incomplete dream in the cocoon will earn her the name of Rakka; Falling/Dropping. It is to note that all the Haibane are named after their cocoon dreams and they all must remember their dreams (but more of that later). The story then really starts as we are brought along her discovery of this new world of hers.
The Haibane are meant to work in a town named Glie whose region is surrounded by thick walls. Rakka is told that Haibane can only possess second hand items, no matter what it is (clothes to tea cups) along a set of a few rules. The most important one is the prohibition to approach or touch the walls that surround the region. All the rules are enforced by the Haibane Renmei, some sort of adult guardians overseeing the children from afar.
Not only the town people friendly to Haibane but Rakka is supported during her discovery by all the “grown-ups” in Old Home. Reki helps an old lady and takes care of the children in Old Home, Kana works in an old clock maker, Hikari assists in one of the oldest bakery in town, Nemu works in a library and Kuu helps out at a cafe…And so, Rakka must find a job to be considered a full fledged Haibane.
Soon enough, Rakka’s deepening friendship with Reki and Kuu goes through a harsh separation. As it is, Haibane are not meant to stay in this town forever. At one point or the other, they will need to take their “Day of Flight” and depart forever. Rakka goes into a deep depression and eventually finds solace not only in her friendship with Rekki and the others but with an understanding of her dream.
Important facts:
The Haibane must remember their dreams to be able to take their “Day of Flight”, a sort of second renaissance where they leave the region into the unknown. These dreams could be sparkles of memories and/or last moments before their rebirth in Glie.
A few sites have mentioned the world outside the walls could be the real world and the Haibane are reborn somewhere. To extend the supposition, I like to believe these children are given another chance and if it is true, then the Haibane live in some purgatory.
All the Haibane encountered in the series are young kids (I am not going to refer to the Haibane Renmei) and the hypothesis of them being reborn from premature deaths and/or suicides does make some sense with Reki and possibly even Rakka.
The crow, in the series, are said to bring something from the outside world to the Haibane’s world. Rakka believes that these birds are people from the past who have changed to escort the child into their new lives. They are also the only animals allowed to go beyond the walls. Haibane and humans are not allowed to leave the town and the only ones that have any interactions with the outside are named, Toga.
The Haibane are not allowed to have any new items nor are they paid in cash for their work; instead, they have some booklet where they scribe down what they earn. When they need to buy anything, the merchant just pulls off a page from that booklet. Maybe it is for a disciplinary purpose and a reminder anyone can survive with little material need.
Personal opinion
- The characters are splendidly done and the voice acting is amazing. Rakka and Reki are the kind of girls you want to care take care and hug. It was impossible for me not to have watery eyes when I watched this. Of course, the rest of the cast made quite an impact and the feel of the story could not have been the same without any of them.
- The flow is deliberately slow but well paced nonetheless. There’s no real action per se here and I got to say, it is an absolute breeze to watch… Haibane Renmei stands out as a heart warming (and breaking) drama with a soft dose of fiction and supernatural. I can not see this any other way. This is coming from an action maniac.
- The series is made of 13 episodes. Not long enough to get bored but the right length. The imagery and the emotional involvement developed on the characters make it absolutely worthwhile. Thank God, a series where I had no need to fast forward. Now, I just to admit that I wish they would announce a sequel series.
- Graphic wise, Yoshitoshi ABe and Akira Takada stand out in their work. It’s no real jaw-dropping material if you compare this to other series. It’s pure and simple, enough so that I can still remember each of the character’s faces and Old Home.
- Ootani and Heart of Air’s music is a soft melodious enchantment. Believe me when I say that if you were touched by this series, you will smile (or get watery eyes) every time you hear it play (Yes, I EVEN bought the OST as well)
I have waited way too long for this anime. Maybe I needed to see more series and genres. Maybe I needed to mature in my anime viewing but this; this stunning series has become my favorite anime series of all time (I just sounded like a kid here). Haibane Renmei is NOT for everyone even though I would suggest this masterpiece to anyone who would like to venture out of the sci-fi mecha, sword swinging, shooting all over town, comedic fan service and using sorcery genres often linked to Anime.
Old Home became my dream place. I truly hope it will become yours too… Actually, no…Just go buy this and support all the cast and crew that made this kind of treat possible.
Thanks to ABe-san for bringing this world to us and Ueda-san for believing and fighting for the series to become more than just a project.
I’d give this show a A+
***
ADV Films January 2007 releases
