A girl called Rakka dreams about falling from the sky and then she awakens in an odd cocoon. After a little while she breaks free and meets angelic beings with ashen gray wings and halos. In a short time, she grows a pair of her own wings, receives her own halo and becomes a member of the Charcoal wings. The Charcoal wings live in an old building called the Old Home, which is located on the top of a small hill on the outskirts of a town. After some time, Rakka finds out that the small valley she lives in is surrounded by a huge wall and that only a small group of people called the Toga can go outside of the city limits. Why did Rakka become a haibane and what mystery does that enigmatic valley hide? You will have to answer on this question by yourself.
-Story (10/10)-
A girl called Rakka dreams about falling from the sky and then she awakens in an odd cocoon. After a little while she breaks free and meets angelic beings with ashen gray wings and halos. In a short time, she grows a pair of her own wings, receives her own halo and becomes a member of the Charcoal wings. The Charcoal wings live in an old building called the Old Home, which is located on the top of a small hill on the outskirts of a town. After some time, Rakka finds out that the small valley she lives in is surrounded by a huge wall and that only a small group of people called the Toga can go outside of the city limits. Why did Rakka become a haibane and what mystery does that enigmatic valley hide?
Haibane Renmei (Charcoal Feather Federation) begins as a typical slice of life and you will probably think that every episode will run in the same vein. But I guarantee you that Haibane Renmei has an ace in its hand and it will surely make you feel sorry about your prejudice. But let’s forget about the bad!
This anime consists of two parts: the first is world building and the second is denouement. The world building might be boring for you and you will probably want to skip a minute or two. That will be quite a big mistake; you should never skip even a second. Before watching this show, PLEASE, ask yourself if you are ready to be attentive. Inattention will result in your incomprehension of the world of Haibane Renmei and in result you will only waste your precious time. However, if you are ready to be attentive and you have never been afraid of a complex story, Haibane Renmei won’t disappoint you, on the contrary, it will reward you with one of the greatest story ever.
I can’t give the storyline anything less than 10/10. It did leave some unanswered questions, but it wasn’t bad. The show gives its viewer a great opportunity to think: it will raise the question, give you all the possible hints (not always), and you will have to answer on these questions by yourself. It was a very pleasing experience for me, to take a break and to give the episode that I have just seen a thought, and I am sure that you will find it interesting, as well.
-Animation(8/10)-
The animation is mostly top notch. The portrayal of landscapes will make you hold your breathe. The character design is unique; it does look plain, but that plainness gave this show a touch of realism and it worked well. Without a doubt, this anime was made in 2002, which makes the animation a bit outdated. That is why, if you are a fan of “cute girls”, you should avoid Haibane.
-Music(10/10)-
I highly recommend to all of you to download the whole anime’s OST. It is something you will never describe with your own words, you need to hear it by yourself. Some tracks will make your day brighter, the others will make you think about something in your life, or will even make you sad. The soundratck is simply brilliant.
I saw Haibane Renmei both in English and in Japanese, and to my big surprise the both versions are equally good. Alas, I can’t tell you which version is better. Both English and Japanese voice actors did amazing job and I highly appreciated it: their characters looked alive and realistic, it was very pleasant for me.
-Character(10/10)-
The entire cast is charming and pleasant. Haibane Renmei shows a wide range of personalities: from the cheerful Kuu and tomboyish Kana, to the gentle yet
melancholic Reki. The bonds that Rakka builds with other characters – especially Reki, which become critical to the plot in its later stages – are very interesting to follow. All characters received enough screen-time and it was very entertaining to follow them from the very beginning until the very end.
-Enjoyment (10/10)-
The good:
1)Storyline.
2)Characters.
3)Music.
The bad:
1)None.
Haibane Renmei is one of these rare gems that you will want to never end. I was shocked by the deep and dark story-line, the animation added more darkness to the show, the music helped me to get accustomed to the Haibane Renmei’s world and the characters were the final drop for me to fall in love with this show. It is truly one of the best of Abe Yoshitoshi’s works.
-Overall(9,8/10)-
On the whole, saying that Haibane Renmei is a masterpiece only because of symbolism will be the same as saying nothing. Haibane Renmei takes care of every little detail, making this anime that fascinating. A beautiful fable about the true nature of forgiveness and resignation.
*Side note: This show has almost nothing to do with the religion. (if you are one of these folks…)
Without a doubt, this show isn’t for everyone. As I have already mentioned, it may be difficult for one to be attentive. This is NOT a series that should be watched without attention. If you are ready for that “sacrifice”, you will have to see the entire anime. By entire anime, I mean every minute, every second, everything! If you see everything, you will be able to understand and fall in love with Haibane Renmei.
Overall, I dropped Haibane Renmei twice. And only when I saw it without skipping even a second I was able to fully understand the idea of this show. If you feel bored, make a pause; Haibane Renmei isn’t something you can easily marathon. If you are ready for this show, I wish you to understand every single detail, which was shown in that splendid fable called Haibane Renmei.
