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.

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 .__.

They're not. It's just one interpretation. There is nothing in the series that specifically states whether they were or weren't, it's really up to the viewer to tell. I personally don't think they were (one of them might have been, but that simply adds to the beautiful drama and resolution).

And seeing as the main point of the show isn't about finding out what the haibane are, the story really doesn't focus around some super mystery of the haibane, so I don't think you have anything to worry about it.

There's nowhere I can't reach.