Haibane Renmei

I felt this deserves a proper thread, so..

Haibane Renmei
Charcoal Feathers Federation

Based on characters created by Yoshitoshi ABe of Serial Experiments Lain, Texnolyze and Niea_7 fame, Haibane Renmei is the story of a world not quite unlike ours, but still nothing like we've seen. In this world, there exists haloed, winged people called haibane, who co-exist with the more regular humans. One group of haibane live in an abandoned old school dormitory they call Oldhome.

At the beginning of the series, the haibane of Oldhome are just about to gain a new resident, a girl born from a bizarre purple cocoon that appears one day in an old storage room. They name her Rakka, after a dream she remembers before being "born". None of the haibane remember how they got there, or even have any idea where there is.

The anime then follows the everyday lives of the haibane of Oldhome, as Rakka slowly finds out more about the world she is in, herself and life.

Originally aired in Japan in 2002 (13 episodes) and eventually released in the US by Pioneer, Haibane Renmei has stayed one of those "obscure" titles because of its fanservice free, mature and gentle content and "unusual" artstyle.

It's no surprise to many I'm a huge HR fan. I fell in love with the series from the first episode, and it's a show that refuses to let you down. It's a beautiful story, with beautiful visuals, design and a wonderful soundtrack by Kou Ohtani (recently known from his Shadow of the Colossus score). It's a touching and extremely engaging drama set in a fascinating and rich world. It makes us smile, cry and asks us to think for ourselves, often at the same time. It reminds us how important it is to live and enjoy our lives, embracing the joys, the sadness, the pain, the memories we experience along the way. It's about the bonds we form with the people in our lives and how little things can mean so much to so many. It's about the little ripples we leave behind.

Screens of the first episode for anyone interested (taken from Haibane Renmei Shrine):

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

Links:

Pioneer's official Haibane Renmei Website
Haibane Renmei Shrine
KAA's DVD rip of Haibane Renmei (1-13)

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Haibane Renmei is definitely one of my favorite animes as well.
At first, I was drawn to it because it was quite thought provoking, a quality I look for in all the stories I watch/read. However, I quickly came to the realization that Haibane Renmei is an excellent, 'heart-warming,' tale as well: it has far more to it than thought provocation. I daresay that no other anime has captured human (or human-like) emotion and memory--or so to speak--so well.
Haibane Renmei also serves as an excellent example sheer humanity: that Glie, the walled city, almost seems perfect, even though it must face many of the issues that any other city would face, disregarding many "modern" issues.

Really, though, I could attempt to articulate the greatness of Haibane Renmei for far longer than most are willing to read: go watch it for yourself; you won't be disappointed.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I watched till episode 6. I guess I just couldn't get much into that drama from the anime. Although the animation was awsome.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

At last. I can talk about a series I watched during my absence in GGF and wanted to contact Qwarky so much regarding this. I actually found out about HR when I read Q's entry in GFwiki.

In one word to describe this series: beautiful. It's not so much the visual appeal that makes it "beautiful", but the characters' involvement with each other and how Rakka has been brought up in her new "family" of Haibane. When I saw the opening sequence of Rakka falling down with the crow, I had my doubts, and I already put this anime in the "supernatural phenomenon" catergory of it being very convoluted with therories and the like. I was pleasantly surprised that this focused quite a bit with character building and dealing with Rakka's new start in life as a Haibane.

I'm not sure if people will agree with me, but when I think of Reki, another character will immediately pop up in my head as being of similar qualities to Reki, and that is Misato c/o Evangelion. Perhaps it's the guardian role that both of them play and that they are willing to spend time to guide their "children" in a new life.

Regarding the wall:

Spoiler:

The story element that surprised me was the element of the Wall. Perhaps it's natural human instinct or thought to foresee that whenever an authority claims to not do something, that will fuel a desire to break the rules and go against it. I honestly expected the plot to move in the direction of Rakka wanting to escape by the 12th episode, but I was met with a better conclusion regarding her "inner struggles".

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Upon your recommendation I've finally begun watching it and I think it's absolutely fantastic. This strange calm washes over me and I'm absolutely dumbfounded by the beauty of settings and the charm of the characters. Many thanks for bringing this series to my attention. ^_^

I was speaking idiomatically.

I found myself very surprised that my feelings for Rakka drew close, but for Reki even closer. It's been sometime since I've seen it, but Reki demonstrates that she wants to things right, even though she previously messed up her own life. It's these enduring and understanding attitudes that make such a character, real or imaginative, much more appreciative. What I like is the wide range of characters. We have Kuu who is a simple minded yet optimistic Haibane. And for quite the longest time, I kept thinking she was a boy, similarily to Ed in Cowboy Bebop.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Usk so bad Qwarky

Anyway, love the series blah blah etc.

Spoiler:

Are all of them supposed to be suicide victims, or only the Rakka and Reki? Rakka and Reki, i think, definately are, but i'm not so sure about the rest =/

Also I was reading 'hard-boild wonderland and the end of the world' by Murakami and one half of the novel's story resembles HR a lot.

FELIPE NO

I watched this show on a whim while on vacation last year, and I was surprised at how engaging the story is. Emotional stories with little action usually aren't my thing, but I found myself genuinely drawn in by the characters. The best part of the show is trying to figure out what it's all supposed to represent in the real world; very thought-provoking.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Finding anime of this calibre is sometimes difficult when many audiences want not only drama, but a splash of comedy and action. In a way, Haibane Renmei has a spot of mild comedy which I thought tied in well with the drama. The main focus of the story was on Rakka, a newly introduced Haibane who arrived at the beginning of the series.

The animation style reminded me of Serial Experiments Lain when watching the first episode and so this series soon became one of my favourites. Whilst the way in which anime is animated is important to me, I also look out for the music and sound quality in an anime series. In this series, you won't be disappointed with the music, as the music is beautifully done by composer Yuki Otani. Whenever I want to relax after a long day of work, I can usually find myself listening to the Haibane Renmei OST which has a chain of classical music to help me relax.

Having watched Serial Experiments Lain and Haibane Renmei, my next venture is to watch the NieA_7 anime series which is sitting on my self, waiting to be watched. If your into anime and not bothered about having large explosions or worried about complex storylines then you should consider watching this series.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

This thread is a winner! Haibane Renmei rocks. I've got the boxed set. It's probably the only anime in my collection that I think my mom would like. I should watch it with her this summer...

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I haven't seen an ABe anime that I haven't liked, and Haibane Renmei is no exception. It's a very charming and engaging series, with a good dub to boot.

If only ABe had done an entire manga series for this instead of just a doujinshi...

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I thought Haibane-Renmei was a good anime show. It caught my attention after i watched the first episode. I thought sometimes it was funny and sometimes sad. It also had a good storyline about the Wall and how Reki had her own thing going on with the secret room. I also liked how Raka at the end saved Reki from death and made her get the Blessing. Also with Kuu leaving and Raka being all sad I think it was very heartbreaking. Overall it was a good anime show. I just wish there could of been another story out of it.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

It's been quite a while since I saw Haibane, I really need to re-watch it soon. As I remember it there really wasn't that much going on in the show, but the atmosphere was just so incredibly wondrous that it didn't really matter. Everything from the beautiful art and the town itself to the music just flowed perfectly and you could just sit there and take it all in. Instead of a series with 'style over substance' one might almost say that it's a case where the 'style is the substance.' I'm also a fan of ABe's of course and have all the shows he worked on as well as a couple of artbooks. I just find his art really relaxing and cozy.

If anyone's interested I can recommend the Guri no Machi, Haibane no Niwa de artbook, which has some sketches and beautiful colour illustrations. There's not a whole lot in it, but it's quality and then again it's not particularly expensive either (for an artbook.)

Last year also saw a re-release of the series on DVD in a fairly cheap boxset, featuring gorgeous wrap-around artwork by ABe. I urge anyone who enjoyed the series to get it; I'd definitely pick it up myself if I didn't have the original box and volumes already.

I was speaking idiomatically.

It has also been a while since I've watched Haibane Renmei, but from what I can remember it was very enjoyable. It's up there on my list.

One thing I didn't quite pick up was how they became "angels".

I really remembered the opening sequence. HR had wonderful music overall, but it was the opening song that kick started the series. It's just so serene and breathtaking, I couldn't even believe I was actually watching an anime at that moment. The scenery was also very rustic and pretty. Overall, lovely video and audio.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

*Another revival*

Haibane Renmei is one of my top three anime!

It's such a wonderful anime and so different from all the other stuff out there. And Yoshitoshi ABe has such beautiful art!

I think everyone should watch it. It's so awesome and deep. And you can come up with a billion theories on everything in it.

It's a must see.

FELIPE NO

This is one of the most profound Anime series that I've seen. Rakka is my favourite character. She's such an innocent soul. The atmosphere is very fantasy-like and so is the story. It was also depressing at times too.

Spoiler:

It was sad and at the same time, touching to see Reki leave.

How ya doing, buddy?

*REVIVE!*

So I'd been meaning to watch this for a few months (I believe Tails bugged me to), but just got around to it last week and finished it last night. The series was a refreshing change of pace from the usual anime stuff (BOOM NINJA KICK ROBOT KAMEHAMEHA SPACE FIGHTER KAWAII!) I watch. But yeah, it was awesome and beautiful and fully hit me emotionally, so I had to stab myself to rationalize why I was tearing up inside. The art was also some of the prettiest work I've seen. <3

So, damn; it's done. :/ Onward to Planetes, sup Bigblah.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by nazpyro

*REVIVE!*

Thanks. This reminded me that I should watch this series again some day
Truly wonderful.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I bought this with the rigthstuf deal but donated it to our club soon afterwards. Hopefully, we'll get to show it next term as I'm curious to what happens.
Just from reading that Rakka just awakes from a cocoon and comes to learn about the world she's living in makes me think that there's some kind of element of mystery throughout the whole series and a gigantic shocking truth at the end. At the very least, it will be a welcome change from all the fanservice these days.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

oooh there's a thread on this...

i personally found haibane ranmei really beautifully done. good animation, and a really good storyline, even though it was sort of slow to start. it got really provoking in the end there, but it was really awesome anyways.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Yoshitoke ABe is a great artist but for some reason his work has always felt really obtuse to me, and I just can't get into it.

I was speaking idiomatically.

watched Haibane Renmei finally like a month ago
intersting show i get that the girls were sucidials victims but the creators says otherwise (from what i got from wiki)
the show left me with emotions only a few can do that.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by lemonmanko

the show left me with emotions only a few can do that.

Watch Millennium Actress and get back to me on that.

And for the thread, getting the 4 DVD collection for $16 USD was a sweet deal through righstuf (the promotion is over), and after I'm done 24 season 3, I'll be sure that even watching this again gets priority over Patlabor =O.

FELIPE NO

Damn you stupid people, and stupid me. I accidentally read the entire thread - seeing if it's worthy to watch (Not that I don't trust Quarky). Fuck, now that I read that they were

Spoiler:

suicidal victims, is it still fine to watch? Or has the experience been ruined ._.

PS. USE FUCKING SPOILERS .__.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Sepharite

Damn you stupid people, and stupid me. I accidentally read the entire thread - seeing if it's worthy to watch (Not that I don't trust Quarky). Fuck, now that I read that they were

Spoiler:

suicidal victims, is it still fine to watch? Or has the experience been ruined ._.

PS. USE FUCKING SPOILERS .__.

Spoiler:

No, they are not all suicide victims. At least, it doesn't look that way. You might have misunderstood what people were saying in the thread. But hey, thats alright. You will just have to watch the series to know what is really going on. =)
Also, even if you DID know all the plot details, that would in no way spoil the enjoyment of this series in the least bit. I am the sort of person who doesn't usually like to watch things after having seen them already. Haibane Renmei is one major exception.

So in conclusion, WATCH IT! =-U

Jam it back in, in the dark.