The Essentials
Name: Haibane Renmei
Genre: Fantasy, Drama
Episodes: 13
Released: October 9, 2002 - December 18, 2002
Based On: Dōjinshi Haibane Renmie and The Haibane of Old Home by Yoshitoshi ABe
Director: Tomokazu Tokoro
Produced By: Radix, Fuji TV, et. al.
US Distribution By: Geneon
Major Japanese Cast
Rakka: Ryou Hirohashi
Reki: Junko Noda
Nemu: Kazusa Murai
Kana: Eri Miyajima
Hikari: Fumiko Orikasa
Kuu: Akiko Yajima
Washi: Tamio Ohki
Major English Cast
Rakka: Carrie Savage
Reki: Erika Weinstein
Nemu: Kirsty Pape
Kana: Zarah Little
Hikari: Hunter MacKenzie Austin
Kuu: J-Ray Hochfield
Washi (The Communicator): Michael McConnohie
Scores
Animation: 8/10 (x 4 = 32 pts)
Story: 10/10 (x 4 = 40 pts)
Music: 9/10 (x 4 = 36 pts)
Coherence/Story Arc: 10/10 (x 2 = 20 pts)
English Dubs: 9/10 (x 1 = 9 pts)
Gut Score: 10/10 (x 5 = 50 pts)
Total: 187/200 (93.5%)
Review
Haibane Renmei is about a girl who suddenly arrives in an old building via a large cocoon. Once she “hatches,” she finds herself surrounded by girls with small wings and halos. The girl doesn’t know who she is, where she came from, or anything about her past, but she is able to remember how to do some things, such as walk, talk, eat, ride a bike, etc. Upon hearing the dream that the girl had when she was in her cocoon about falling, the others name her Rakka, which means “to fall.”
Rakka finds out that she is what is called a Haibane like the rest of the girls in the building. Like her, they all came in a cocoon, and don’t remember anything before they arrived. They live in a town surrounded by a large wall, which they aren’t even supposed to go near and neither they, nor anyone else in the town is allowed to leave.
The Haibane are also treated like a special class by the town. They can have jobs, but only at certain places, and aren’t allowed to carry money, carrying a notebook in which they write down how much money they have earned and spent. However, the citizens of the town also regard Haibane as something special and which can bring good luck.
However, being a Haibane isn’t easy for Rakka, as she must deal with one of her friends disappearing, as well as dealing with pains from a past life she doesn’t even remember.
Haibane Renmei has an air of mysteriousness throughout the series as one never truly learn what the Haibane are, why certain people seem became Haibane, or why they suddenly mysteriously leave, though there are explanations for what the metaphor is supposed to signify.
While the story is told mostly from Rakka’s point of view, and is indeed largely based around her growth as a Haibane, the story also focuses, if not primarily so, on her best friend Reki, something which one doesn’t fully realize until the last half of the series.
Haibane Renmei combines excellent storytelling with pretty good animation and an unusual, though fitting, musical score. While the entire story is, in part, a metaphor, it is still largely a coming-of-age story which is refreshing in both it’s uniqueness and quality. Haibane Renmei is definitely a show that just about any anime fan could enjoy.
First Watched: May - June 2007
Do I Own: Yes
Do I Recommend: Yes
3 Comments
goodness me! I love this Anime! most especially the ending theme: “Blue Flow” its like ahhh…kinda like you’re warped into the world of the Haibanes. Charcoal Feather Federation. its kinda sad that Reki has to leave and left me to cry a bit (ive kinda got attached). but still, i give this a 101% rating. t’was aired here in the Phils wayback 2005 by Animax-Asia, was dubbed by voiceover Singapore (crappy, but I somehow got over it though:D), and its title is Aile Grises.
nice review. :D
I think you’re far too generous with the animation score here. We have episodes subcontracted out with poor artistic control (Reki’s visit to the temple), we have confining lines not thinning properly for medium zoom (when Kana scares crows and elsewhere). The core design is great and it shows everywhere Abe was able to exert his influence. But the lack of budget is what kills.
Haibane Renmei enters the panteon of the greatest series of all times on the strength of its story, not animation.
If I had to give numbers on a linear scale, I’d give it 6 or 7.
This generosity is something I see from time to time. Dokuro-chan 8/10 for story? Please. How about 2/10?
By being too nice this way you compress the resulting percentile grade into 80s and 90s. The need to have decimals is an implicit admission of it.
Well, I think I said upfront in my “how I rate” post that basically 80% or so was “average” so the fact that the 80% range is where the median falls isn’t surprised by how I explain my own ratings (I’ve even updated it now to make that point even more clear, I think).
Basically a 7 to 8 rating is “average.” to me. Perhaps I’m thinking too much like school grades where anything below a 70 is basically failing, but that’s how I’m largely scoring things. So, how I rate most things, a 6 or 7 rating would pretty much be “below average” while a 2 rating would basically mean “non-existent.” If I used 5 as an average instead of 7 to 8, yes the scores would probably be more spread out.
(and maybe I am being generous with the dokuro-chan score - I always go back and re-review things when I review a show for my podcast, so I’ll look at it again then.)