Haibane Renmei

Born from a cocoon in the village of Old Home, a young Haibane—a being with a halo and small gray wings—awakens to a world she does not understand without memories of her past. Named Rakka for the dream of falling she had while inside the cocoon, she soon becomes accustomed to life in the strange town. However, there are strict rules for the Haibane, such as being forbidden to leave the village or go near the walls surrounding it. These, along with mysterious disappearances of their kind on their "Day of Flight," begin to unsettle Rakka and the others since they know almost nothing about their own kind.

As Rakka and the other Haibane live their lives with no memories of the past, they try to break free from their former pain and ultimately find salvation.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Reki Main

Noda, Junko Japanese

Rakka Main

Hirohashi, Ryou Japanese

Kana Supporting

Miyajima, Eri Japanese

Kuu Supporting

Uechi, Aki Japanese

Nemu Supporting

Murai, Kazusa Japanese

Hikari Supporting

Orikasa, Fumiko Japanese

The Communicator Supporting

Ooki, Tamio Japanese

Kuramori Supporting

Hisakawa, Aya Japanese

Hyouko Supporting

Suzuki, Chihiro Japanese

Midori Supporting

Mizuno, Manabi Japanese

Ueda, Yasuyuki Producer

Iwatani, Yoshinobu Producer

Haruna, Go Producer

Gotou, Hideki Producer

Reviews

Apr 25, 2010

Siarus

Recommended

This is the most striking anime I've ever seen. The care and imagination that went into every aspect of the show is remarkable, but due to the slow, gentle nature of the series I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, if only because this isn't a typical anime in terms of plot. The suspense is subtle -- difficult to spot if you're watching it for the first time -- and builds up over half of the series. Haibane Renmei starts off languid and mysterious, and it tapers off just as languid and mysterious, and every episode seems to reveal more questions that never get answered. Even ... with the sudden spike in conflict later in the series, most of it is internal.

Don't be fooled by the angel-like appearance, by the way. Religion has nothing to do with this anime, and ABe has said before that it's a purely aesthetic choice, though some do feel that there's symbolism involved.

That said, it's provocative and heartbreaking and dreamlike. Pacing is slow, but expertly done. You'll find that one episode transitions easily into the next. And so much of the story is implied... as well as character backgrounds and the like.

Its art doesn't try to wow the viewer, and it seems content to just let the setting and soft colors and unique character designs speak for themselves. The backgrounds are gorgeous and detailed. Characters' personalities are mild and realistic; no character gets shoved into the standard archetypes you so often see in anime.

Also notable is the soundtrack. Every song fits the mood of Haibane Renmei perfectly -- especially notable (aside from the opening, "Free Bird," and ending theme "Blue Flow") are "Garasu no Yume," "Ailes Grises," "Starting of the World," and "A Little Plate's Rondo." Many of them feel like lullabies. Personally, the soundtrack is one of my favorite parts of this series, but looking at the other reviews, it looks like I'm the only one who finds it so breathtaking. Your mileage may vary.

It begins by letting the viewer into the peaceful simplicity of daily life in Glie, allowing insight into the setting and the minor characters, but it grows into a story about friendship and letting go and guilt and forgiving yourself and so much more. The climax of the story is likely to make you cry or cringe or suck in your breath -- maybe all three.

At times depressing and at times gently uplifting and feather-soft, Haibane Renmei is unparalleled in beauty, and I wouldn't hesitate to call it my favorite anime of all time.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Jul 7, 2015

ecstacitylife

Mixed Feelings

Being on every "recommended anime" picture list originating from 4chan or reddit, a lot of people say to watch this anime even though its not for everyone and evidently, not for me.

Story:
The first three episodes were cool and I thought they were the introduction, but it turns out HALF of the series is the introduction. I was super hyped starting this show after hearing about it and having it relate to Serial Experiments Lain (worked on by the same guy but not necessarily in a major way IIRC) but it was a major letdown that the story had a great setting without any movement ... with the characters.

Art:
It's got that "early 2000's" feel. Concept art is similar to SEL in style (just look them both up) This and the music kept me going.

Sound:
The music is so good, I've listened to it for weeks after I finished the show. Blue Flow is eerily nostalgic for me and brings warm feelings with the other background music doing the same.

Characters:
Characters aren't really touched upon other than Reki and Rakka who are the main focus of the show. Often times the characters seem flat and I couldn't care less what happens to them because I don't know enough about them even if they aren't the main focus of the show.

Enjoyment:
The last two episodes made it worth it, but its not worth dragging through the rest of them, trust me, I have done this. Stop at episode 4 if you don't like it. The show is essentially a framework for your own interpretation; they give you the mold to the show, you have to come up with everything else, like what do the festive nut colors represent other than the two explained? or why does the wall do what it does? or how did the regular people get there? The show never touches upon this because its too focused on its characters, and by characters I mean Reki and Rakka and NO ONE ELSE.

Overall:
I'm probably gonna get torn a new one for this review, but its as honest as I could get and sure, its been awhile but I wrote this without looking anything up to refresh myself. Again, this isn't for everyone. I expected a fantasy show and got a slice of life with characters who have wings instead.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Sep 9, 2011

black_cat20

Not Recommended

The only thing worse than realizing you have to take a dump after showering is realizing you've wasted your day on an entire anime series like this once it's over. I don't hate this, then again it's too long, taking me in the middle of no where mentally, and when it's over I ask myself why. I'll try to find good/bad points:

+ Perfect opening scene where she falls from the sky
+ Really addicting harpsicord used in some scenes, watch out for it!
+ I guess it has a nice Castle in the Sky-esque atmosphere
+ Excellent dinner around ep 6
+ The inside of the wall feels like ... a dark mystical dream
+ Unbelievably well done climax of the last episode (too bad thoes 20 seconds are the payoff)

- I'm pretty sure halo's are used only in iconography
- The wing growing thing was gross
- What's the purpose of wings if they can't fly? --> filler dialogue
- Storytelling seems forced
- Lifeless characters
- Animation seems cheap, imagery seems primitive
- Lame opening/closing songs
- Takes about 8 episodes for the train on the wheels to get rockin & rolling
- Laptop on my stomach was too hot

All in all, this is a very sad attempt at a series, and I kinda feel sorry for myself for ever watching it in the first place. I have nothing else to say. Have a nice day (I know I didn't)!

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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