Review of Haibane Renmei

“Perhaps this is what it means to be bound by sin. To spin in the same circle, looking for where the sin lies, and at some point losing sight of the way out.” Show and tell are the biggest principles when it comes to modern entertainment. Unfortunately, most modern anime get wrapped up in the “tell” portion of this relationship, often causing the viewer to know all about the characters and plotline, while the ambiguity and mystery begins to fade away entirely. The result is something empty, predictable and otherwise boring. The other end of the spectrum create anime that are often regarded as intellectual oratmospheric in nature. They are the types of shows that allow the viewers to draw their own conclusions, while keeping the mysterious and unanswered alive and relevant. These are the types of anime that get talked about (for better or for worse) for years to come.

Haibane Renmei is most certainly a “show” style of anime, essentially dropping you into its lucid and ominous world, with little to no explanation as to what anything is. You discover the setting and atmosphere along with the main protagonist, Rakka and an open-ended interpretive storyline ensues. The “Haibane”, are individuals who randomly spawn from cocoons in a bizarre, walled-in world called Grie, equipped with charcoal feather wings and endowed with halos in order to make them distinguishable from the normal townspeople. There are many rules of this place the Haibane must follow, for reasons unknown… but most of all, they must not go beyond the walls surrounding their dwelling place. All Haibane experienced some sort of dream prior to their arrival, which is a direct connection to their names in the present world.

Most things in Haibane Renmei are very “matter of fact”. Haibane are not allowed to speak in certain places, they only receive second-hand goods and clothing and they are limited to working specific jobs around the town. Despite all of this, the Haibane lead relatively peaceful lives. They grow to accept their place and most of them lose their questioning attitude. As the story unfolds, Rakka delves deeper into the true roots of her existence in Grie, while doing her best to help out other Haibane.

I found the first half of the series somewhat dull, although most of the worldbuilding conducted in these episodes was a necessary evil. Nothing really “happens” persay, but character relationships are developed, and the writers do a fantastic job making you feel like a part of the environment you are transported to. I guess you could attribute this type of storytelling to the original creator, Yoshitoshi ABe (Serial Experiments Lain, etc.). Haibane Renmei has one major positive that SEL simply doesn’t have: accessibility. It’s much less convoluted and trippy, while maintaining an equal level of symbolism and atmosphere present in its predecessor.

Another interesting thing to point out about Haibane Renmei is there’s really no “antagonist” in the entire anime. Most all of the conflict is internal to the characters themselves, which is very contradictory to most anime released today. As anime viewers it sometimes feels like we’ve grown accustomed to being spoon fed with a plot and “bad guy”, so the inquiries made by Haibane Renmei’s story feel very atypical at first. It’s certainly something you have to get used to after watching modern anime, but this also allows the series to become quite versatile.

The thematic nature of Haibane Renmei is another point of dexterity it exudes. Many people believe the Haibane to be individuals who have committed suicide, and are stuck in purgatory, atoning for their sins in order to take their “day of flight” and move on into salvation. It’s just one of the many theories surrounding the series, but I think there’s little doubt that it is a testament to one of Haibane Renmei’s most prominent themes, retribution. While in Grie, the Haibane help conquer their biggest internal strifes, while helping others to the greatest extent of their abilities. At first I was put off by how helpful everyone seemed in the town, but the retribution theme kept popping up in my head and it mostly made sense after that.

The ending episode, without giving away any spoilers, is one of the best conclusionary segments of recent memory. It’s quite powerful and puts many points into perspective. It also puts closure on many aspects of the Haibane world, while still leaving plenty of interpretations out there to think about. It’s wonderfully paced, and packs a punch emotionally. One of the few endings that have made me shed a tear.

As with many anime of its type, Haibane Renmei is rather open-ended. Even the creator made it a point to mention that there were many parts of the series better left unexplained. This creates two reactions to anime fans. 1) The more logical minded viewers get frustrated and disregard the series in general for being less cohesive, or 2) The more open-minded viewers talk in great length to the mysteries the anime contained and the various themes present within it. I’m normally a logical person, but I appreciated what Haibane Renmei presented to the inquisitive. ABe prided himself on the fact that the manga was written “as it went”, which could be another reason for how the series seems less contrived and more up to the viewer to decide its true nature.

To me, there are really only two characters that matter in the entire series: Rakka and Reki. That’s not to say that the other characters were bad, but they didn’t receive the necessary development to be relevant in the grand scheme of things. This is mostly due to the short run time (13 episodes) of the anime itself, one of my biggest complaints. The result was my lack of interest in the other characters, potentially missing a development point for them I would’ve otherwise latched onto. Rakka started off as a relatively boring protagonist in the first part of the series, but grew greatly as she began to discover her true identity and purpose in Grie. Reki, on the other hand was a very complex character from start to finish. You knew from the start she put on a slight facade, and her unraveling was emotional and gripping.

The animation in Haibane Renmei is very hit and miss, depending on the scene you’re watching. This is a similar complaint I had with Lain, because most of the time the art seemed low budget or sloppy, but when an important scene arose it appeared that the detailing was exemplary. It’s an inconsistent used of the studio’s money, but in their defense I guess it helps enhance the emotion from the well-animated scenes. The colors used in the various environments are flat and washed out, causing the dreamlike, languid atmosphere to really impact the viewer. The character models were decently drawn, but nothing spectacular.

Music, while nothing over-produced or extravagant, was undeniably effective. The OP is reminiscent of the environments crafted by ABe. It’s fanfarish but mysterious, I loved how simple but beautiful it seemed. The ED was alluring yet unsettling, with a single image of Rakka seemingly trapped in her dreamlike state from the cocoon. The rest of the OST was brilliantly placed when the mood fit, and I had to download it immediately afterward. Voice acting was very strong in the English dub for the likes of Rakka and Reki, which was impressive considering the lack of impressive credentials amongst the main cast. I’d rank this as one of the best dubs I can remember with Cowboy Bebop, Monster and Paranoia Agent.

To summarize my “negatives” for Haibane Renmei:
1) Too short, leaving almost no time to develop beyond the two major characters
2) Animation is very sporadic and can be distracting in some instances
3) Easy to lose interest in the first few episodes due to worldbuilding and character relationships
4) Doesn’t follow a specific “plot formula”, making it less appetizing to more logical viewers
5) People may get too wrapped up in its unanswered questions and focus less on its overall themes

My final verdict of the series would be positive. I’d highly recommend this to anyone who’s a fan of anime like Serial Experiments Lain, Texhnolyze or Paranoia Agent, and its similarities to Angel Beats actually made me dislike the latter anime even more because it’s just a worse version of Haibane Renmei. If you aren’t a fan of brain buster shows, you might still get something out of watching for the worldbuilding, but you’re better off steering clear of this one. Sure, many of the questions brought up in the series aren’t answered, but that’s part of what makes Haibane Renmei special. It’s minimalist approach, coupled with superb crafting on ABe’s part make it an anime worthy of praise for what it accomplished with so little actually being done. It does suffer slightly from budgeting problems and overall length, but it most certainly leaves an impression and moment of pondering on you, something I can’t say about many other anime out there.