Review of Haibane Renmei
I have about 35 minutes to try to unpack this symbolic, emotional, complex piece of work before my lunch break is over. Is that making the most of my time on Earth? Maybe not, but it's something. Haibane Renmei is a show that presents more questions than answers. The Haibane are vaguely angel-like beings who are born from cocoons (either as children or adults), possess no memory of who they are or their lives before (re)birth, are named after their dreams in utero, are confined to a closed-off town and are subject to a very particular set of rules: no going near the walls surrounding theirtown; no using money to purchase their secondhand clothing or really anything else - everything's kept track in a personal book; no speaking to the Haibane Renmei - a mysterious and masked group who seem to govern the Haibane; they're forced to live either in "Old Home," which is exactly what it sounds like, or an abandoned factory; they have to work at jobs for the sole purpose of contributing to the community rather than receiving payment; and they all eventually experience a "day of flight" where they seemingly disappear from existence.
The story primarily follows Rakka, a young girl who meets this environment with anxiety and confusion, but also with a fragile kind of innocence, as she struggles to come to terms and make sense of her situation. Reki is a senior Haibane who does her best to take Rakka under her wing - no pun intended - but is haunted with demons of her own that aren't given true context until later in the series. They both live in Old Home with a group of younger women and children, and they all seem to do their best to support each other in this esoteric and peculiar world knowing their time is short and their end will be abrupt.
The show carries a very meditative, atmospheric kind of tone, with the sepia color scheme and almost gothic 19th-century setting injecting a healthy dose of ambience. This isn't the kind of show with explosions or fights or really any moments of catharsis - mystery and tension are the name of the game here, and if you're not paying attention to the subtle interactions between characters or the visual cues that aren't always explicitly highlighted, you might end up a bit lost. I'm honestly not even sure all the details I listed above are 100% correct, since the series throws a heft of information at the viewer and leaves them to sift through it in this opaque, tannish world.
On that, there's a ton of symbolism here that feels incredibly deliberate, and the themes of redemption, sacrifice and guilt will likely resonate with many regardless of their religious background. I can't speak for what the creators intended to convey through this series, but my (elementary) interpretation is ...
***POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF SENTENCES***
... that a failure to forgive yourself for past mistakes only hurts you and the people around you, and that you can try your best to right your wrongs, take accountability for yourself and be the most selfless person you can be, but until you're able to come to terms with the person you are and the actions you've taken, you'll be haunted - nay, doomed by them for the rest of the borrowed time you're living on. There is no salvation in self-hatred or suffering; the only solace you'll find is in making peace with yourself and those around you.
My personal assessment is that Haibane Renmei is a mature, subtle, symbolic show full of restraint and realism despite its fantastic setting. It's a show that rewards patient attention from the viewer, and though this can be interpreted as a critique, it doesn't answer the questions it asks because the only possible answers are the ones you give it.
Life doesn't come with a rulebook, but it does come with consequences, and if you were blessed enough to be given a second chance or even an afterlife, would you really treat it any differently?