Review of Haibane Renmei

Haibane Renmei is my favorite work by Yoshitoshi ABe, it may not be as mainstream as SEL, but I think it offer so much more. Everything about it absolutely oozes passion and life, everything feels like it was done with love and care for the world, characters, and story. I've watched this work twice, and I think I really started to understand my true thoughts and came to love the show after I originally watched it. I originally wasn't really sure what it was exactly that I liked about the show, and my first review reflected that. But after rewatching and reflecting I am confidentin my personal opinions and critique of this masterpiece.

I think I'll start with the shows strongest and most amazing attribute: its setting and world. Every single piece of this show is brimming with life, the town of Gille feels like a real and interesting place, making you 10x more invested in everything else. This feat is achieved through the depth of the world, things are explained and expanded upon with some of the best worldbuilding in any fictional work. Information about the world is given in a wonderful way where you get just enough information for things to make perfect sense and feel real, while still leaving so much space for speculation and curiosity. Some works fail to nail this balance, and end up either not giving enough explanation, and end up being confusing as a result, some others give too much, and are either average in this department or just plain boring. But Haibane Renmei is neither of these things, it nails this balance so perfectly that almost nothing else can compare, it leaves the viewer with plenty of questions about the world that don't end up clouding the story or detracting from events by being left unanswered. These half-facts half-questions not only establish the world, they also create the feeling of there being so much more going on in this world, creating depth and intrigue by not fully explaining everything. So many things in this show build the world in this way, each one of them making the world seem increasingly realistic and intriguing, keeping you fully immersed and interested the entire way through as the plot unfolds.

A perfect example of this is The Toga (this is a pretty minor spoiler but if you want to go in completely blind then skip this paragraph), they are introduced as a mysterious group of people who come by Gille to do trade with the town. They where strange clothing that covers most of their body and faces, the townspeople and Haibane aren't permitted to touch them, and they do not speak, only communicating with the Haibane Renmei's Grand Communicator in a type of sign language only they know. That's the extent of the information provided about them, and it leaves you with some intriguing questions: Where do they come from? Why can't the townspeople touch them? Why don't they speak? None of the answers are really given to you, which just makes you all the more curious about these strange people from outside the town.

This curiosity that every piece of lore the show gives you gives the whole show a slightly mysterious and magical vibe, which is just one of my absolute favorite vibes. This mysterious vibe is also greatly aided by the fact that Haibane Renmei just has inherently amazing and interesting concepts. Everything feels special and unique, because it honestly is, there really isn't a ton of anime out there with a similar premise to Haibane Renmei, and this originality combined with interesting elements and ideas just exemplifies the curious atmosphere of the show, immersing you in its world even more.

Another element that really helps the show establish its feel and setting is the music, which is done spectacularly. Each song uses soothing pianos and string instruments, with the occasional soft female voice being added for effect. The soundtrack provides perfect music that fits the world perfectly, and really adds to the scenes it is featured in. I'm usually never sure what counts as a 10/10 for music, as most shows often have pretty forgettable soundtracks outside of their OP's and ED's, but Haibane Renmei shows itself as a clear 10.

Speaking of OP's and ED's, how do Haibane Renmei's fare? Spectacularly.
First the ED, which perfectly encapsulates the feel of the entire show. It's a slightly melancholy sounding melody, with mysterious-sounding instruments used throughout, while still having a very soothing and calming feel to the whole thing. It's really a testament to how good an ED can be if done right, with my one minor problem being that it's visuals are a little bit too fly-me-to-the-moon-ey. The OP is also strong, although not as strong as the ED, and is a great way for me to talk about the show's overall feel from episode to episode. In addition to that nagging curiosity I mentioned earlier, courtesy of the fantastic worldbuilding, the show has a very pleasant and calming atmosphere, barring the more tense or emotional scenes. The calming and happy music, and the characters are really where this stems from, and the OP captures all of that quite well. The song used is cheery, utilizing a pleasant and soothing trio of violins in addition to a piano. This music is played over a pleasant collection of clips of the various characters going about their daily lives and looking towards the camera, the whole sequence has a very homey and comforting feel to it, perfectly capturing the show's energy.

This "homey" feel is something used through a large part of the show, in almost every single SOL-type scene everything feels comforting and pleasant in such a realistic and down-to-earth way. The main cast is filled with likeable and pleasant people who all make the viewer feel at home as they watch the daily endeavors of the Haibane of Old Home. The tracks in the OST really help build this feeling and make these scenes feel even more homey. They also have some stand out tracks during the more sad and emotional scenes, which also make those scenes even better. The music for this anime is really a work of art and is just another thing I love about it.

Another crucial part of any work is the art, which in a lot of anime can really fail to impress, being nothing more than just average or unremarkable. In this regard Haibane Renmei also succeeds with flying colors, although I will admit it isn't as spectacular as the other aspects. The show uses a rather soft color palate, which adds to that nice comforting feel. The characters themselves all have unique designs, designs more unique than a standard "different hair style and eye color" operation. The art style itself certainly looks like its 2 decades out of date (as of 2021) but does so in a good way, aging quite gracefully like Evangelion instead of turning into some ancient feeling art style. There are definitely aspects of the style that could be improved, but it still is able to make the show look appealing and also definitely contributes to the almost constant feeling of comfort this show brings in it's lighthearted scenes.

My praises for Haibane Renmei extend beyond the technical aspects and moods of the show however, and extend into the characters and story. The former being what I will discuss first. The characters of Haibane Renmei all hold a place in my heart, and some of them are easily favorites of mine. They each feel special, and all have their own personalities and distinct designs. Many a show is able to achieve this by following simple archetypes and by lazily changing small aspects of a character's design. Haibane Renmei's characters don't confirm to basic archetypes and don't feel like copy-pastes of each other with their hairstyle's swapped. Each one is clearly defined and set apart from the others. Some of the characters aren't necessarily super original, but none of them feel sloppy, and the ones that do have more cliched personalities always have some extra elements that make them more than a boring archetype. Kana is a great example, while she is a bit of a basic "tomboy" character, she has the unique aspect of being an armature clockmaker, and is quite passionate about her hobby. On top of them all being more unique then your average "I don't like hurting people" shounen protagonist, they also just seem and feel like wonderful people to be around. By the end of the show you just end up wishing they were all your friends, and that you could eat pancakes or halo-shaped pastries with them.

The wonderfulness of the characters extends beyond them simply being enjoyable and memorable characters, as the main characters Reki and Rakka each go on their own personal journeys as they come to terms with themselves and learn how to move on. Their journeys and developments are amazing, and are a great reason for the story and overall show's quality. The development and inner struggles they go through drive some of the best and most emotional parts of the show, making it just that much better.

And that story is truly a great one, and is probably the best SOL story I've ever experienced. Most dilly-dally without much actually happening, which can be fine, but Haibane Renmei goes that extra step and delivers a satisfying story. It has plenty of light hearted SOL segments that flesh out the world and characters, but also has a large amount of more serious, story focused segments, especially as the series goes on. The story itself isn't something I would like to deeply touch on, as I feel that it is really best experienced blind. So I won't really mention its contents other than to say they are great. I really think that Haibane Renmei does a fantastic job of blending these SOL elements with a more serious and emotional story, creating an experience that is both impactful and emotional while still feeling lighthearted. All while a cloud of mystery hangs over everything, creating a beautiful story and experience truly like no other.

This story is also the vehicle through which some of my favorite scenes ever were created, and this show has quite a few of these masterclass scenes. Everything about them is truly amazing, and aren't something I want to discuss with anyone who hasn't seen the anime. The music, art, and story all come together perfectly to create beautiful works of art that really defy all expectation. The climax is a wonderful example of this, and is truly amazing. It cultivates a complicated swirl of different emotions and delivers a strikingly moving and climactic emotional scene, before leaving you with a bittersweet and beautiful conclusion.

I also have one other scene that is a great example of this, and that I will break my no spoilers rule for. So I strongly caution you: IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED HAIBANE RENMEI, DO NOT READ THIS PARAGRAPH! As for everyone else that has already experienced one of the best things to ever grace this earth, I really want to talk about the wings scene. I've always found it to be such a powerful scene, despite the fact that it isn't really even that long. It draws you in, as the previous events of Rakka's birth into Old Home lead into her receiving her wings. The scene is tense and dramatic, with Rakka's pained cries echoing as 2 blood-stained wings shoot from her back in a most gruesome fashion. That reveal right as the wings emerge is probably my favorite moment in the entire show. Despite the aged art style and gruesome nature, that shot always struck me as truly beautiful. The whole scene is really a wonderful sight to behold, and is one of the best first episode sequences I've seen. It's then also followed by a much calmer scene as Reki cleans all the blood and grease from Rakka's wings as she sleeps, evoking a much more sentimental kind of beauty as the first episode ends and Rakka drifts off to sleep.

Haibane Renmei is really a work of fine art. Passion bleeds out of every corner, and it never ceases to interest me. Everything from the atmosphere, to the music, to the story and characters, is truly a sight to behold. It is hands down my favorite SOL anime, and is one I will likely return to in the future, to see Rakka, Reki, their friends, and Old Home once again. I highly recommend this anime to anyone, especially those who enjoys more serious stories. Haibane Renmei is truly a masterpiece, and one I think everyone should watch.