Haibane Renmei

06/08/2024

Here is some things i wrote down while watching haibane renmei and then my thoughts after:

i love the religious aspects and christian inspiration for the art direction i love how weirdly eerie everything is and although its a fantasyish world it feels so realistic by how the haibane dont truly know why they are here and what their purpose is except to be born and to disappear in the flight day thing the music is beautiful and really sets the mood of eerie and fantasy that shows how early in years it is, like a mix of pre industrialization but also after in sone way

but i also feel like when i get to the later episodes ill get sick of atleast one song if it plays too much (edit no i did NOT)

the charachters are done beautifully each having their strengths and weaknesses for example reki is more caring to the people younger than her and is soft but she is like that because she herself is still soft atleast inside like how she talks to that one guy from the other haibane house. but she is still soft because she was born sinbound and people avoided her.

and kuu, a great character but id say she is used more for rakkas development as she has obviously finished her own journey i like how the style is reminiscent of lain but its not exactly, of course because its animated by a different studio but same art director. another thing to add is when rakka first gets her wings, i feel this is a beautifully done sequence that is animated perfectly and really resonated with me (sorry i keep saying beautifully)

im usually not into this kinda fantasy stuff but something is different man same with berserk, episode 8 is really hitting me in the feels thus show is so sad bro this us peak fiction ep 8-10 hopefully the rest aswell

"One who recognises their own sin, has no sin. Then are you a sinner?"

man that ending was so happysad, im glad it wasnt a sad ending though i wouldnt be able to take that, the mental health themes are very strong in the last few episodes and it is beautiful.

seeing that rakka lives on positively with everyone, and seeing the twins made me very happy. when reki finally asks for help is one of the best scenes ever and had me on edge, im glad that reki got ger day of flight. i also find it cool how she dissapears when rakka closes her eyes, very nice touch.

overall this has to be one of my favourite anime no doubt, everythinh is perfect and i had little to no issues with it and i like what yolky says on hianime "this ending was sick and a proper send off to the charachters of the world. i wouldn't want further story progression like an ova showing what happens after the ending since i feel the show gives us enough hints for us to piece it together ourselves." which id like to add that they already left stuff unanswered like what happens after day of flight, whats beyond the walls, and what really are the toga?

the symbolism as i said early is perfect, death, language, runes etc the way the city is potrayed more as a limbo, overcoming your sins then passing on to the afterlife

"Une fille qui a des ailes grises", meaning "A girl who has grey wings".

Conclusion:

This anime has quickly became one of my favorite animes ever, im surprised because when i planned to watch it i didnt think it was gonna be some masterpiece but instead some average, yet experimental anime, but boy was i wrong. Tbh i think this may have topped lain... maybe ill have to rewatch lain but haibane renmei for sure left more of an impact on me atleast for the most part they are very different stories so maybe they shouldnt be compared at all

also i found a cool fan site that documents a few things of the series, worth a look if you are interested but it will most likely have spoilers so look at your own risk!

the background art also is something that id like to talk about because i at first didnt think much of it becauese it is very reminiscent of most anime backgrounds of the time that i usually dont like but for some reaseon these ones really grew on me and i dont know why, i guess they might have more effort poured into them than other animes cus wow it really adds to the atmosphere... speaking of

Atmoshphere and atmospheric media is one of my favourite things to ever exist, the queitness, the look, the soundtrack tho small details, melancholy, subtle storytelling that doesnt spoon feed you and eerieness or strange feelings that you cant really express. some of my favs except haibane would be lain, escape from new york, island by joel haver, fooly cooly and many others im forgetting but especially the first two

the art is also 100% something that needs to be talked about, the art of Yoshitoshi ABe is nothing to be understated, ill go on for hours of how much i love his art so ill say that his works are some of my favourites. the animators did a great job emulating his style and executed it very well. especially in important scenes like the before mentioned wing scene when rakka grew her wings.

rakka and all the other charachters are well written and feel real, all having their own life and experiences in the city of glie. i feel i already talked about the charachters in the notes so i wont touch to much into it

im not great at writing and expressing my feelings so i feel i understate how good this anime is and i feel i am missing many stuff i love about it. if i feel like i have to add more ill add an adition to this page and ofc if i ever rewatch

also after watching i looked into merchandise and ofc most of it is japan oly and super rare, i just want a figure or a poster bro :( and i REALLY want one of the art books but they so expensive crodie.

also i wanted the cd but they are also rare and expensive, i did download the soundtrack off soulseek so ig i atleast have that.

would i reccomend? fuck yeah