Review of Haibane Renmei

Watching this was an introspective, cerebral experience, which leaves a lot to the imagination in a way which inspires you to think. Haibane Renmei stands out as not only stimulating introspection with its themes, but actually requiring it to fully absorb the story. It's certainly not for everyone, as most of the so-called mysteries pretty much remain so, but the point to them isn't that they're there for a payoff, the point is that they're there to challenge you. All that you're left with is a handful of conclusions and inferences that you have to sort out yourself. It isunapologetic in this regard, and I think Haibane Renmei is made better for it, if only because this is a path that so few anime take. Beginning with the strongest part of Haibane Renmei, the story feels mysterious, and perhaps directionless at the start. Like the Haibane themselves, we are thrust into a landscape which is altogether familiar and alien, with a sense of being lost and needing to find one's way. Throughout the show things don't really ever make perfect sense, only just enough sense to navigate it and deliver metaphysical and psychological lessons. That can be a hostile environment for the viewer, especially if one expects a classic structure, but I still contend that it is innately valuable. It is because of this structure that the show is able to cover a lot of emotional ground in a short run, exploring themes of self-harm, forgiveness, depression, redemption, suicide, morality, loss, and friendship. You can't help but to feel these things and process them yourself as they happen on screen, which makes for a direct, almost tactile, experience. Of course, this also means it can often be rather uncomfortable. Haibane Renmei is an uncomfortable, confrontational work wrapped in a cozy, ethereal artistic package. A bold take that both adds to its value as a work of art in general and sets it apart as a title that is distinctly unique from the vast majority of anime in particular.

The art has got that warm, nostalgic 2000s look to it, crafting spaces which range from liminal to breathtaking. It can inspire a frigidity and loneliness some moments through the use of pallid earth tones, and a secure joy in other moments through the use of lovingly crafted architecture and bursts of color. Everything is painstakingly worked down to the most minute detail, from the texture of the wall which surrounds Glie to the emotions on people's faces. Even the lighting plays its part, with its presence or absence defining a variety of scenes. When it softly glows, it gives a scene this sense of warmth and timeless safety, but when it is sharp and overexposed, it gives a sense of overestimation and disorientation. The art style and its subtle visual-emotional strategy is, in a word, iconic.

The sound is of a similar quality to the art, managing to effortlessly move the viewer from scene to scene and mood to mood with an orchestral score that has an innately forlorn, emotional quality to it. It's hard to describe, but it sounds simultaneously nostalgic and unknown, like music played at a distance sometime in your childhood. It is subtle, emotional, and impressive all the same. This isn't even to say anything of the sounds of life, which range from the peaceful background noise of daily life, to the panicked tones of emotional crisis. The voice acting is unique as well, and bears mentioning. I watched the dub, and while I recognize that it's a little rough in terms of raw quality and talent, I do feel like its amateurish tint actually plays in its favor. The fact that the lines aren't clean and rehearsed makes this story feel all the more authentic and impactful in a way that the relative professionalism of the Japanese voice work is missing. It is for these reasons that Haibane Renmei joins the rather brief list of anime for which I consider the dub not just preferred, but essential for the optimal experience.

The characters are engaging, sympathetic portraits of relatable, flawed, and often broken people. They are the perfect inhabitants of the story and the lessons it has to impart, and it is broadly impossible to choose favorites from among them. Be it Rakka and her desire to know herself and therefore finally belong, or Reki and her grappling with her past self in the hope of redemption, or even the supporting character Hyouko and his struggle to connect with the people he cares about most. Every single one goes on their own personal journey of growth and self-discovery, and it feels like nobody was left behind, like the Haibane of Old Home are really a family in the truest sense, despite being made up of the most perfect strangers imaginable. Overall, Haibane Renmei is a difficult, valuable anime not fit for the emotionally unstable or thrill-seeking. It is a fully realized world with some of the most convincing, down-to-earth worldbuilding I have ever seen in anime, and yet it leaves almost all of it pristine and untouched in favor of focusing on gut-wrenching human drama. It can get slow at times, but that's not an issue if you really consider what the show has to offer you during those moments of silence. All in all, I absolutely recommend this anime. I have seen few anime able to say so much so well in so few words as Haibane Renmei, and what it does say will stay with you for the rest of your life.