Review of Haibane Renmei

We walked with empty smiles plastered on our faces... As Haibane Renmei touched me in private places... It finished its job without any traces... The transition from casual to elitist tastes. Now that my poem is out of the way... Haibane Renmei! When describing this series, thought provoking is quite the understatement. Mysterious is a super understatement, and beautiful is also not giving it the credit it deserves. The only way I can describe Haibane Renmei and be satisfied is to call it flawless in every single aspect. Of course, no anime is flawless, Haibane Renmei included. But when it comes to expressing its themes, Haibane Renmei is top tier stuff.It's themes are pretty subtle, and you'll need quite the imagination to get the full experience from this show. The metaphors can be taken in differently from other points of view, but it doesn't do it in a mindfuck way, like Cereal Experiments Lain. It does so with simple yet thought provoking riddles, subtle symbolism, and little life lessons.

Haibane Renmei is mysterious. It starts off asking questions, and ends asking even more. However, it doesn't end off in an unsatisfying way. Instead, I thought that in ended beautifully, in a way that gave closure yet still have you a lot of questions to think about long after you finished watching the show. What do all of these little themes in Haibane Renmei mean?

Pros:
- Simple, well paced, and serene story, full of mysteries.
- A lot of implied facts and themes, meaning that different people will have a different viewing experience.
- Very beautiful yet simple art!
- Another god like soundtrack, Haibane Renmei is another master of music whose soundtrack always seems to fit the mood.
- Main characters are incredibly deep and fleshed out, even given the mysterious circumstances surrounding them.

Cons:
- Very little resolution on mysteries.
- As a result, the plot can feel fairly lacking.
- Side characters are fairly impactful, but get very little development.

Story:
With a combination of slice of life antics, as well as beautiful symbolism, mystery, and heart wrenching drama, Haibane Renmei sports a very simple, yet also complex and confusing story. The world of the Haibane is incredibly mysterious, and the characters know as much as the viewer about their own world. This not only makes the characters believable and relatable, but also makes their daily lives more impactful.

Haibane Renmei first starts out being a normal slice of life. It follows a group of Haibanes, which are normal people but with small wings on their backs and halos on their heads, and their daily struggles. Despite their appearances, they cannot fly and don't have any special powers. Their fantasy appearance causes a lot of normal human beings to mistreat them, and a lot of regulations and limitations are placed upon them.

The world that this story takes place in can be taken in as symbolism as well. In order to fully explain it all, I must describe the world of Haibane Renmei. Thus, there will be slight spoilers I guess...

*SLIGHT SPOILERS*

The town that the haibane live in are separated from the outside by a huge wall. The townsfolk, including the haibane, cannot go past the walls, and must stay within the town. Only a mysterious group of people, known as Toga, can go beyond the wall. The Toga's mysterious nature aren't touched upon much, but humans and haibane cannot speak to them, except for a communicator.

The haibane are hella mysterious. They don't know why they are born, or why they exist at all. However, what they do know is that the haibane have some sort of past guilt or sin that they carry with them. Weighed down by their sin, they can't use their wings to fly. However, when a haibane is ready to move on from their guilt and is forgiven of sin, they take what is called "the flight." That is when a haibane is ready to leave beyond the walls, and fly off in a blinding light. Where they go or whether or not they will be seen again is also a mystery. However, there are also haibane who are unable to be forgiven of their sin. These haibane are considered "sin bound" and are unable to take the flight, and are usually depicted as having black feathers instead of gray.

This description may seem kind of confusing, but if you try to look at the symbolism within this world, you can come to a conclusion as to what it all means. For example, the city could represent earth. The outside world is heaven. Thus, earth and heaven are separated by a wall, and there is no normal travel between them. The only ones who can travel between them are the Toga, who can represent god. Humans cannot speak to god, which is why no one can speak to the Toga, except for the communicator, who represents an angel. The Toga, or god, bring in things from the outside world, or heaven, and thus bless the earth with things from heaven. Haibanes, who probably represent normal humans, cannot go to heaven until they are forgiven of sin, which is when they are able to finally fly into heaven. However, sin bound haibane cannot be forgiven, and thus aren't allowed to go to heaven.

And what's even more symbolistic are the dreams of Rakka and Reki. Now here is what I'd call a SUPER SPOILER so please look away, but it's a theory that I need to put it on here...

Reki's dream involves standing in front of a train. Rakka's dream involves falling. These dreams are supposed to represent their past, and their sins. Could these two have... committed suicide?

Think about it. Suicide is one of the most serious sins in the circle of hell, and it isn't one that's easy to forgive. The greatest sin about suicide is hurting the ones who try to save you, which in Rakka's case, is symbolized by a crow trying to keep her from falling. This is also why Reki was sin bound, as she always pushed away those trying to save her.

*END SPOILERS*

There is a lot more subtle symbolism and mystery, like the symbolic meaning of gray feathers, and the circle of sin riddle. These metaphors only scratch the surface.

Art:
Very earthy art style, Haibane Renmei uses a lot of natural colors, like brown, gray, yellow, and green! This makes the show look like a painting instead of an animation. It gives off a very melancholic and peaceful atmosphere, as well as an eerie and mysterious vibe. It truly synergizes with the mysterious story of Haibane Renmei. The character designs are also simple, but very beautiful. Rakka is pretty adorable, and you can somewhat get a sense of a character's thoughts and feelings by their design.

Sound:
Haibane Renmei sports an incredibly beautiful and fitting soundtrack. The OP in particular is just 10/10 all around, and the OST always fits the mood of a scene. The voice acting is also incredibly on point, as it really expresses the moods and characteristics of each character. The use of sound for story telling was also well executed, such as bell tolls and other sound affects.

Character:
Rakka and Reki are extremely deep and down to earth characters, making them amazing protagonists. Despite their fantasy appearance, they are still relatable and believable, reacting to different scenarios in a realistic way. They know very little about their world as well, and whenever they learn something about their world, it isn't always taken well. The side characters are also very believable and well rounded, and although don't go through much development, are still a very likable and impactful cast of side characters.

Enjoyment:
Beautiful, enchanting, peaceful, but also heart breaking! Haibane Renmei was an amazing experience, with a great mix of peaceful slice of life, gripping drama, and thought provoking mystery.

Overall:
Haibane Renmei is still underrated in my opinion. While a peaceful and mysterious slice of life with slow pacing is definitely not for everyone, for those that enjoy these types of shows with substance, you'll really love Haibane Renmei.

TL;DR: In all seriousness, Haibane Renmei easily stands as one of the most emotionally impacting anime that I've ever seen, as it touches such powerful themes in such subtle yet awe inspiring ways. At face value, a plot that brings up so many themes yet doesn't resolve them for you can be a disappointment, but Haibane Renmei does it in the most satisfactory way possible. It's not the events in the show that break your heart, its when you realize what it all means that causes your jaw and heart to sink to the floor. As someone who quite unfortunately relates to the depressing themes that Haibane Renmei delves into, I can honestly say Haibane Renmei has the possibility of being a life changing experience.