HAIBANE RENMEI
Touched by an inordinately young angel
Review by: M.H. "I Dream of Chicken Pot Pie" Torringjan
Length: 13 episodes
Genre: Slice-of-life
Watched: 13 episodes, subbed
I don't think that I need to state it by now, since it goes as a given that I like watching stuff that makes you think. Be it logic puzzle solving a la Spiral (only preferably with an actual ending) or be it mind-fuck that leaves you lying awake at night, thinking about the possible interpretations of whatever the hell you just saw (which, by the way, is an extremely unhealthy thing to do the night before a midterm; if you find this problem bothering you, I'd recommend Nyquil: It's not just for sick people anymore), I enjoy watching it. However, in between the two of those categories I just mentioned is a more subtle allegory. Something that describes things that we all think about without being directly about us. Yoshitoshi aBe is probably best known for his first major project, Lain, which was of the latter of the previous two categories, although in this series, he tries to ensure everyone that he's not just a one-trick pony.
Plot summary: In a small city in the middle of somewhere, a race of angel-beings known as Haibane live their lives, acting as companions to the humans who live in the city. The city is surrounded by a wall so that no one can go outside, and the only ones who know anything about the wall or the outside world is the organization known as the Haibane Renmei, who act as the leaders of the city in matters spiritual and economic. Rakka, a newborn to the group of Haibane who live in Old Home, has to find her place in her new life and discover things about the world around her, as well as about herself.
Artwork: The style is mostly realistic, with a very similar look to Lain. The only differences are really the shades used, which are much lighter for the most part, and the wings and halos on most of the main characters. The character design, while fairly generic, still distinguishes the individual chracters from each other and from other series. The backgrounds blend nicely with the foregrounds; altogether decent artwork.
Music: The soundtrack for this series is a nice, relaxing break from j-rock-based series, a peaceful mood-setter that fits the series nicely. I frequently found myself being lulled to sleep, not out of boredom for once, but from the music’s mood. It felt like I was being wrapped up... in an electric blanket... and... asjkld;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;j; What?! Oh, right, I was doing something.
Characters: The Haibane are all named for their dreams that they had before being born - er, hatching - er.... whatever... So, I guess that would make me “No underwear in a math exam.” Anyway, Rakka, whose name means falling, is the newest Haibane, and is still getting used to life in her new place. She is cheerful, helpful, and friendly, and tries her best to fit in and come to understand her new life as best she can. She doesn't remember the dream that she had while in the coccoon, though, which troubles her (and with good reason). Reki, or small stone, is one of the oldest of the Haibane, who has lived at Old Home for her entire life as the caretaker of the young feathers and the friend of all of the Haibane at Old Home. Like Rakka, she doesn't remember her entire dream, but she tries to hide it from the rest of the Haibane. Nemu, or sleeping, is another of the older Haibane. She works in the library and helps out with Reki's job when the need arises. She spends much of her free time, as her name implies, napping and, as her name doesn't imply, cooking. Kana, or river fish, is a mischievous Haibane who is determined to become a master mechanic. She works at the clock tower in town and has little formality (although much respect) for her boss. Kuu, or air, is a cheerful Haibane who tries to help Rakka to adjust to her new life as best she can. Hikari is another one of those cheerful (catching a theme here?) Haibane who lives at Old Home and works at the baker's. The problem with the characters was that while a few of them were very well-developed, some of the regular characters (like every-episode regular) weren't very well developed.
Plot: The interesting thing about the plot is how deeply steeped in allegory (that doesn’t involve raping someone’s mental capacities) it is. The themes of searching for one’s place in life, the role of religion in society, coming to know oneself, and coming to accept life’s cruelties were all handled in indirect manners by these characters, making the plot a lot more interesting than other slice-of-life dramas I’ve seen (especially ones that involve weak attempts at comedy from an alien bum and an unattractive schoolgirl, not that I’ve ever seen anything like that).
CHICKS!! Unfortunately, most of the girls in this series were far too young to really be lusted after, and a few were far too ambiguous to be definitively classified as females. I also think that the gold ring floating a few inches over their heads would be kind of creepy at times, but regardless, there are a couple of angels that I wouldn’t mind being touched by. Reki has a rough exterior, but it covers a soft inside. She can put up a tough façade because of her life, but in the end, she really cares for others, especially the others at Old Home. She has a nice figure, not too hormone-driven for those who like being able to hold a girl without having to worry about silicone squirting all over their shirts. Nemu is a softer version of Reki; a similar attitude without the tough exterior. She has a similar figure as Reki, so if you can’t get around the attitude that Reki puts up, then Nemu is probably your girl.
Overall: After having suffered through NieA Under 7, I was kind of worried about what aBe would have put out on this series. I had seen such promise in Lain, only to realize that he’d really screwed up when I found out that he’d done NieA. In this project (done before NieA, mind you), he has put out a more satisfying and entertaining effort, while trying to stay away from the mind-fucking of Lain (although it did have its moments). If you like more low-key anime and intellectual meat to go with it, then this is definitely for you.
IN A NUTSHELL:
+ Great plot
+ Can relate to the situations
+ Low-key intellectualism
- Kind of flat character
Final score: 8/10
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