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Friday, April 15, 2016

Anime Hajime Review: Haibane Renmei

Series Synopsis


The town of Gile is surrounded by a massive wall that no one is permitted to cross. It is said that the walls exist to protect the mysterious Haibane; beings with wings on their backs and a halo over their head. Who the Haibane are and where they come from is unknown, but the people of Gile faithfully look after them with a smile.

Each Haibane is born from a large cocoon with no memories of who they previously were, not even their name. The only thing they can recall is the dream they had when they were asleep inside. Although not rare, the arrival of a cocoon isn’t an everyday occurrence and it has been a couple years since the last.

Suddenly, one is discovered and from it emerges a young girl (voiced by Ryo Hirohashi). The news spreads fast and the Old Home, the main residence of the Haibane, is quickly filled with excitement. The older occupants do what they can to make sure their new arrival is comfortable, but one there's one, Reki (voiced by Junko Noda), who takes it upon herself to mentor the girl, who is given the name Rakka.

Though a little disoriented by her ordeal, Rakka quickly bonds with Reki and the other residents of Old Home. However, the loss of her memories is a heavy weight to bare. Along with that, she cannot
help but ponder the origins of the Haibane as well as the outside world.

Rakka struggles to make sense of the fate that has been given to her and wonders if living behind the Walls of Gile is a peaceful paradise or rather a constricting prison

Series Positives


There’s only one thing that comes to mind when I think Haibane Renmei, pleasant. While the show is that, there’s more going on that wouldn’t be described as such. The series never gets into truly dark territory, but it does get sad and low at points. There are ebbs and flows between happy and…I guess despondent would be the word. Yet even with all that, “pleasant” is still what I’m going to go with.

Regardless, I really liked this show.

Before jumping in, it wasn’t until after that I learned that Haibane Renmei’s creator, Yoshitoshi Abe, was also the character designer for Serial Experiments Lain. In retrospect, this should have been clear as day, but what are you going to do?

Does this realization add to my overall impression of this series; kind of actually. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t consider this as anything more than a fun bit of trivia because Haibane Renmei does a damn good job on its own merits.

The Story
Rakka

The way this show and this story is so masterfully deceptive is wonderful. Maybe it was a combination of expectations and conditioning, but this series, weather intentional or not, exploited my preconceived notions of where I thought it was going to go.

Haibane Renmei sets itself up as a familiar path, but at the same time it does nothing of the sort. Let me explain.
Reki
Be honest when you hear this scenario. There's a group whose origins are not known and live separately from the human residents of a town. A town by the way, that is surrounded by a giant wall with extremely strict rules attached. No one is allowed to go past the walls, no one is allowed to go near the walls, and no one is allowed to even touch the walls. These rules are meant for everyone, but that one group is most effected by them. Along with that, there are other rules that dictate how this group lives and how the townsfolk interact with them.

I think by now you have a pretty good idea of where I’m going with this but I’ll continue.

There’s also a mysterious religious sect that doesn’t speak, wears masks, and are the only ones who are allowed to go past the walls. Tell me you haven’t seen all this before. I can’t tell you how many times I have, which is why when Haibane Renmei didn’t bite, I couldn’t help but appreciate it.

The townspeople are excepting of the Haibane and don’t treat them all that differently. There are a lot of rules for the Haibane to follow, but for specific reasons. The strange religious group is not the mastermind of some deep conspiracy and is actually a great source of wisdom and insight.

The themes dealt within Haibane Renmei are more internal. This show is about self-forgiveness and self-worth. There are sad things that happen, but none of them are bad things. For example, there' s an event that occurs twice; granted the situations surrounding both of them are different, but the result is the same.

I won’t say what this event is because it would be a massive spoiler, however the feelings generated from both couldn’t be more different. One is low and depressing, as well as the catalyst for series of troubling events. The other, while still sad, is also happy and comforting.

Going along with that, the entire show is leading to a great climax that surprisingly had me at the edge of my seat. It’s been awhile since a story has had me so hooked and invested. To have it then pay off in such a satisfying way was incredible. The last time I simultaneous wanted to cry and smile like I did was with Anohana (now there’s a show that I should probably go back and review).

Haibane Renmei crafts a web that entangles you within its story. It’s hard to put down, making the viewing quick and meaningful. The more standard route that I though was going to happen wouldn’t necessarily have been the safer or less interesting one, but simply going in another direction, and doing it well, made this show all the more memorable and enjoyable.




Series Negatives


What I’m about to say isn’t a negative to the show. In fact I don’t have that many things I though were wrong or not done well. Instead this is going to be a heads up.

Although I believe there's more going on and should be classified as such, Haibane Renmei is a slice of life anime to an extent. In the first few episodes, not whole lot happens. The story takes the time to build ups its characters and establish the intrigue for the end game, thus the opening episodes are nothing more than a glimpse into Rakka’s daily life.

It’s not a rule, but slice of life anime tend to be comedies, or at least be on the lighter side. This isn’t a comedy and in reality there isn’t that much in terms of things going on. To some this might be seen as boring. I disagree, but to some this might be the case.

Haibane Renmei isn't out to make you laugh or feel depressed. It has a story that it wants to tell and that’s all there is to it. If you go into this series expecting something it’s not, you’re undoubtedly going to be disappointed.

This seems like a no brainer, but mind set is a factor when it comes to enjoying something or not.




Final Thoughts


I enjoyed this one a lot.

Amongst its calming tone and atmosphere, Haibane Renmei is able to produce a well-crafted story that is both sad and uplifting. It manages to play with expectations to create something that feels different and its own. This is proof that a story doesn’t have to have a lot going on in order to grab you.

Without any shred of doubt, I highly suggest giving this one a look.


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