Haibane Renmei Volume 1

Thanks to his excellent past work (including the illustrious Serial Experiments Lain); anything with the name Yoshitoshi ABe attached is well worth looking into. Haibane Renmei was his pet project, drawn with the intention of creative experimentation and it is a marked departure from the typical “slice of life” anime series. Though to attempt to pigeon-hole Haibane Renmei as a simple “coming of age” story would be doing a grave injustice to this whimsical, multi-layered work of art.

It’s tough to pin down exactly what makes Haibane Renmei so special. It’s a very subtle show that revels in quiet moments of reflection. The characters speak like real people and have normal conversations with each other, so much so I’m tempted to call it “reality anime” but then there are several exquisite moments of picturesque beauty; from the lush country-side surroundings of “Old Home” to the moment Rakka spreads her wings for the first time.
Isolating the story, Haibane Renmei is rife with thought provoking symbolism but then the characters are so full of life and bursting with emotion that they become so much more than just simple templates for ABe’s philosophical ideas. Essentially, Haibane Renmei defies a simple description.

We join the story as Rakka is born into a strange new world. She is a young woman, dazed and confused and surrounded by 5 or 6 people close to her age- but for some reason; they have halos floating above their heads and wings protruding from their backs. Could they be angels?
They call themselves the “Haibane” and go on to explain the situation to Rakka. Rakka wasn’t her original name, but when the Haibane are (re)born, they can’t remember anything from their previous lives. The only thing a Haibane can recall before “hatching” are muddled moments of a vivid dream and so each of them are named after these dreams. Rakka dreamt of falling from the sky and therefore, she was named “Rakka”, which literally means ‘falling’.

Haibane Renmei doesn’t have to work hard to settle us into the story. It’s interesting enough to watch as Rakka “hatches” and slowly gets to grips with her strange new surroundings. Of course, we as viewers are in the same situation as Rakka, feeling our way around these new characters and being introduced to the peculiar rules of this pleasant little village.
The mood is notably very relaxed and natural, covering us in the warmth of “Old Home” (the cosy derelict house that is a nest for the Haibane), but then suddenly explodes with a moment of sheer intensity or unabashed beauty. I was torn between emotions as Rakka’s wings broke through her skin, both wincing at the extreme pain she was obviously feeling but also taken aback by the gruesome beauty of her spreading her bloodied wings for the first time.

Despite being laden with religious symbolism, this is not a show that demands you understand complex philosophy in order to enjoy the story. At it’s heart, Haibane Renmei is a story about growing up and whether or not you grasp the symbolic meaning of it all won’t detract from what promises to be an emotional rollercoaster of a series.

In Summary

Yoshitoshi ABe has done it again with Haibane Renmei; a series that simply defies description. This is a serious emotional drama, covered with interesting religious symbolism and carried by some inspired moments of intense beauty. Some scenes in this first volume you will carry with you for a long time after watching; quite frankly, this is an outstanding piece of work.