Originally Posted October 26th, 2015
Sin, redemption, mystery. A foreign town with abstract rules and hidden secrets, where angelic-looking creatures are born unawares, and attempt to come to terms with this world and themselves. This is Haibane Renmei, the 13-episode 2002 anime from the mind of Yoshitoshi ABe, known for his work on Serial Experiments Lain and Texhnolyze.
Haibane Renmei is certainly a strange beast to discuss. Much is left open to interpretation, and while not quite as bizarre and alienating as Serial Experiments Lain, it’s not a simple show in any respect. The series begins by bringing us straight into the new setting, from the perspective of the newly hatched Haibane, Rakka. She is guided by the other Haibane, with special guidance and care given to her by Reki, the “den-mother” of the Haibane’s house (called “Old Home”).
The first and greatest complaint that many and myself have with the series is it’s excruciatingly slow start. While one would think that introducing us to this mysterious world from the perspective of one who is just as ignorant about it as we are would help to convey the setting in an interesting yet understandably expository way, the start of the series is rather uneventful, and sad to say, uninteresting. This is due in part to many elements. None of the character relationships that empower the show later on have been formed yet, the direction of the animation for the start uses quite a few uninspired camera angles and many budget-saving shots of upper bodies talking. Further, perhaps the largest issue lies in our main character’s initially rather submissive reaction to this place. Why should the audience care, if you’re not doing a particularly convincing job of showing that the characters themselves care.
However, the series’ opening isn’t completely devoid of intrigue. Various scenes and character interactions provide buildup and give glimpses of what is to come, such as the chilling presentation of a Haibane growing wings, and the relatively relaxed mood transitions well into some of the darker parts of the series that are yet to be revealed.
The real strength of Haibane Renmei lies in the relationship between Rakka and Reki, and how those two characters relate to the rest of the cast. The growth in their friendship is believable, and Reki’s experience with trial, her caring attitude, and her hard emotional shell contrast well with Rakka’s naivete but developing desire to help Reki as she sees her more clearly. They are alike many ways and opposite in others, each comforting the other in their emotional struggle, resulting in an incredibly engrossing dynamic that only continues to get stronger and stronger as the show reaches it’s conclusion and more is revealed and introduced. How they talk with one another, how they express their emotions and read the other’s actions feels intrinsically unique to these characters and this series. It’s a back-and-forth that can’t be forgotten, and is a great factor in the show’s effectiveness.
It’s themes of redemption and coming to terms with oneself come towards the forefront as Haibane Renmei continues, however I will leave off touching on it’s more open to interpretation elements for the sake of letting everyone reach their own conclusions, just as the series’ creator and even the Communicator, a character within the show wanted.
Now for the visual side of things. The character designs of course are brilliant as one would expect of Yoshitoshi ABe, with the unique flair he gives his characters. Each design really suits the person, and the designs are strikingly beautiful and memorable. The animation is handled by a little known studio that was open from 1995 to 2006 called Radix Ace Entertainment. They’ve worked on NieA_7, Divergence Eve, and many similarly small projects.
Like ABe’s other projects, this was obviously animated on a lower budget, but unlike Lain or Texhnolyze, it’s a lot less clever in hiding it. The animation spikes and drops as much as the audio waves I see when I record.
One thing is clear. This company can – or could, I should say – animate. There are quite a few scenes, almost entire episodes even, where it sucks you in with engaging perspectives and fluid, lifelike character movements. Hints of this can even be seen in the first episode, with Rakka’s dream in particular. When they make the brilliant art style come to life, it works incredibly well. The problem lies in that that’s not happening constantly. Especially earlier on, the animation is generally decent, though still somewhat choppy or stilted, with a focus on shots that show less movement. On top of that, there are occasional cuts, sometimes several per episode, that I can only imagine are due to poor time management, low budget, or bad outsourcing because they are downright awful, jarringly so and to the point that you wonder how it could possibly get past the quality check. While it’s may not necessarily make up for these failings, as I said before, when it works it works. The final episode along with those leading up to it show a great spike upwards in the animation quality. While there are still a few hiccups here and there they really do pick up their slack. Even the episodes towards the middle and beginning of the series have moments that show this temporary great animation. When the story is showing a really important moment, you can see that the animators or the overseer valued that and made sure it was done with a higher quality.
The one consistent factor throughout is the wonderful background art, which really brings life to Old Home and the many other locations. While the animation is definitely lacking, the overall impression it leaves is positive. Those brilliant scenes, few they may be, leave a much greater impact than the mediocre ones.
How about the music? It’s something I feel is often left out when discussing this show, but Haibane Renmei’s OST deserves far more attention. The soundtrack is stunningly beautiful. Each piece is overflowing with emotion and atmosphere. More so than the background art, I find the music is what truly immerses me in this world. “Breath of a Germ” is regal and inquisitive. “Starting of the world” brings out the feeling of adventure and exploration. “Silent Wonderland” is immersed in melancholic ambience. “Shadow of Sorrow” is mysterious and playful, with a deeper sadness emanating from it. “Someday, Lasting, Serenade” is a beautiful duet reminiscent of Bach’s cello suites and sonatas, being misleadingly simple note wise, but filled with strong tone and powerful emotion. I could go and on about how every single song in this OST is brilliant. Not to mention that as icing on the cake for me, this soundtrack has quite a few songs highlighting the Viola – a largely unappreciated instrument, but a very beautiful one that has a rich, warm tone.
These many exceptional moments truly come to their highlight in the series’ final episode, which is a pinnacle of direction, writing, everything. The way it conveys the emotion of the scene is overpowering, and the ending to it all will leave you in tears. Though whether those be sad tears, happy tears, or a bit of both, I’ll let you find out.
In the end Haibane Renmei has a lot flaws, but it’s rawness, it’s powerful overwhelming emotion far surpasses every potential flaw one could find. Through its outright brilliance in the show’s peaks, it creates a great impact on the viewer, one that won’t quickly be forgotten. Haibane Renmei is a beautiful, euphoric experience that is not merely a show, but a true work of art, a masterpiece.
Written and Writing 