Basically, the Haibane Renmei are people with angelic appearances, and the story focuses on one who can't remember a thing about herself; she dreams of falling from the sky and wakes up in a cocoon where she's greeted by the Haibane Renmei, and is given a background of where she is and how everything works there.
The story doesn't have a bad idea. Why are they there? Just who are the Haibane Renmei? How do people end up in these cocoons? Unfortunately, questions like that aren't really directly addressed. Everything is inferred, based on key points in the show. Either that, or it's just blatantly stated something along the lines of "Nobody knows why." So many things about where they are, why, and so on are just left unanswered. I'll admit, I do like when things are left to the imagination, but the entirety of the show shouldn't be.
The characters aren't terrible. However, I feel like try really try to make irrelevant characters look important, and it takes time away from giving much needed background on the important characters. I will admit a lot of characters are dynamic, and play vital roles in the plot, but they could've been done better.
The artwork, frankly, is probably the least visually appealing I've seen. It doesn't look smooth, and the details on things are insignificant. The music falls in t same category as the art, I really wanted to skip the op every episode but I couldn't bring myself to do it solely for moral reasons. The background music wasn't bad though, however, it wasn't the best.
Now, for the enjoyment level... Even those who love this anime will tell you, IT CAN BE VERY BORING. If I didn't force myself to finish everything I started, I would've dropped it. There is just about zero plot progression until episode ~8, and it feels like a chore to finish. I do understand what they're trying to accomplish with it, I did get the parts that are supposed to be beautiful and moving, but it wasn't saving face for the rest of the show. I didn't hate it, but I'll definitely not rewatch it.
I'd recommend this to someone who wants to feel like they're watching one of those books they give you in high school that everyone talks about, so you start reading and then spend 2 hours on a chapter because you just give up. I'm sure there's worse anime out there, but there's certainly better. Sorry to everyone who watches this and prides it religiously, but I just can't.
Sorry to kill your day if you love this one, and I'd certainly recommend it to some, but it really isn't for most. Thanks for reading, see ya~
