Review of Haibane Renmei

My wife and I both strongly, strongly disliked the previous works we've seen from this creator- Serial Experiments Lain and Texhnolyze, respectively- so by and large we expected more of the same here and our suspicions were correct. You can tell very quickly when you begin watching this that it was made by the same guy and that's damn near the only thing that happens very quickly in this anime because, just like its two aforementioned counterparts, this has horrible pacing and moves at a snail's speed. Ultimately, while it shares many of the same problems as the other two anime- horrid pacing, a bare bones/generic/undevelopedmain character and even less developed supporting cast, heavy-handed bigger picture messages, etc- I'd like to at least be fair and objective enough to at least acknowledge a few things I thought Heibane Renmei did do well before I proceed with trashing it.

1. Its base concept is creative and original. Interpretations and re-imaginations of purgatory, the afterlife, limbo, etc have indeed been done many times but I've never seen it done in this way. While I didn't particularly like this anime I can say, in fairness, I've not seen another anime that's like it in terms of plot and concept.

2. A few background songs stood out to me in a good way. I thought a couple of them were pleasant and emotional and probably worth adding to my playlist after the fact if not for the fact that I am so lukewarm on the anime as a whole.

3. The ending, specifically the very last episode, was well done, powerful and significantly better than the rest of the show. It's simply too much of a slow, boring slog to get there and I was simply too uninvested at that point, but the final episode itself is very good.

With all those things said, and while there were a small handful of flashes of brilliance where it seemed for just a few moments as if the anime were going to pick up its pace and become interesting, those moments are simply too few and far between and it never quite escapes what is perhaps the biggest anime sin of all- it's simply boring. It really and truly feels like a slog to watch throughout the majority of its viewing experience and for me nothing (other than MAYBE bad writing) kills an anime more than that.

Rakka and Reki are the only characters remotely developed in this anime and I'd say they get a grade somewhere in the middle, but they're certainly not developed beyond that, and the supporting cast, even though entire episodes are devoted to each of them, are forgettable throwaways.

There are plot holes, even within the rules and context of the established anime world, that detract from the overall immersion and enjoyment of the experience.

And, as mentioned, the things the anime wants you to take away from the experience are spelled out very clearly and borderline shoved down your throat. You won't miss the message.

At the end of the day while I did prefer this anime, barely, to the previous two works I've seen from this creator, it is, ultimately, simply more of the same. It's slow and boring and simply not all that fun or entertaining to watch and it doesn't do enough well to offset that to a meaningful extent. As far as I'm concerned Yoshitoshi ABe is 0 for 3 and it'll be a long time, even though we own it, before we want to go anywhere near the fourth and final anime we own from him- Kino's Journey.

TLDR- If you have already seen, and thoroughly enjoyed, his other works- Serial Experiments Lain and Texhnolyze- you'll definitely enjoy this too. Otherwise, hellllllll no...