Customer Reviews

Haibane Renmei - Free Bird (Vol. 3)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The third volume of the Haibane Renmei story (Episodes 8, 9 and 10) continues the beautiful tradition of the previous episodes. While the previous episodes have set up plenty of mysteries, this volume begins to answer some of them while raising new questions. In fact, Rakka is asking a number of questions about the nature and purpose of the Haibane, the town, and the wall. Some of her questions are universal: for example, if we all come suddenly into this world and leave just as suddenly, what is the purpose of my existence?

Despite the new bond that forms between Rakka and Reki at the end of the second volume, Rakka's instincts are still to isolate herself from others whenever she faces emotional pain. She feels that she does not belong in this world. The kindness that she receives from the other Haibane at Old Home and from the people of the town only makes her feel unworthy and guilty. She wishes that she could just disappear. She nearly gets her wish when she becomes trapped at the bottom of a dry well. There she finds the key to her cocoon dream. As a result, Rakka learns (and finds out that she needs to learn more) about the nature of sin, of forgiveness and of atonement, but not before she breaks a cardinal rule of the Haibane Renmei.

In the tenth episode, there is a flashback to Reki's birth as a Haibane and the relationship between her, Kuramori and Nemu. It is a bittersweet story about how Nemu and Reki became true friends under the loving protection of Kuramori. Also, the episode contains an important revelation about the wall that surrounds the town.

The Haibane Renmei series is beautiful animation telling an engaging story with characters about whom the viewer will truly care. If you have not seen this series, you are denying yourself a great treasure.

I don't think I've ever watched a series quite like Haibane Renmei. The first few episodes really got me aching to watch more. An almost impromptu anime based on a doujinshi by the artist of SE Lain, the story is quietly compelling and has a mystical feel to it. The characters are charming and very realistic, and the settings are wonderfully drawn to resemble a rustic european town. Much of color scheme is soft, warm colors. Paired with realistic character design, HR becomes very down-to-earth. The central plot revolves around Rakka her mysterious 'birth' into an enclosed city of winged people who cannot fly. The story unfolds slowly, and I've no clue how the plot will develop and how the series will end. It's rare to have an anime with such a mysterious and totally unpredictable storyline, so I'm really looking forward to the rest of the series.

It is a shame that this mini-series has only one DVD left to go. Heavily influenced by the same creative controls that produced Serial Experiments: Lain, Haibane-Renmei (Charcoal Feathers) is a story that tussles with the limitations of anime and comes up a winner. Drawing on the unusual premise of children who find themselves reborn with wings in a small town community. there they come to grips with a new reality (and no memory of their past) biding their time until they reach a mystical point where they can fly 'over the wall' into a new, and unknown life.

One would expect this tale of angelic creatures to be a bit lightweight and fluffy, but it is the exact opposite. The tale has a bitter-sweet turn to itself as it weighs the grief of departure against the promise of transformation. That change is always a little death. While the Haibane live special lives in the town's social matrix, they live them as real people. Squabbling, sharing, adventuring and growing - sometimes joyful and sometimes sorrowful.
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In these three episodes Rakka's story, which has been a main focus comes to a head. Depressed by the loss of Kuu, a friend who flew over the wall, and haunted by the dream of someone making a sacrifice for her, Rakku struggles with her own guilt and dismay. Even as this reaches for an unexpected resolution, Reki, her mentor, moves into the center light.

Reki and Rakka are both sin-bound, haunted not so much by a deed in their past as they are by their own feelings about their actions. And, because of this, holding back from making the passage. But Rakka is a young girl who can seek forgiveness. Reki, however, is already a woman, so far unable to deal with the core of her problems, and now facing a time limit beyond which a haibane cannot remain.

These episodes again demonstrate the deft way director Tomokazu Tokoro takes writer Yoshitoshi Abe's script and replicates in the outer landscape what is happening with the characters. The effect is both memorable and remarkable, substituting character development for the usual flurry of action and commanding the viewer's attention.

The gentle and appealing story develops further in this third collection, episodes 8-10 of the original series. As before, this takes place entirely inside the walled city. The atmospheric story advances, almost a soap opera, but the whole world of the Haibane comes to life more strongly, too. Rakka find some intangible need within herself. Two very unlikely guides lead her to answers. At least, she sees them as answers, even if they're shrouded in the opacity that another person's spiritual search so often has for anyone but the searcher. The wall of the walled city comes to life, too. It first appears as a danger, but Reki's care and surprising knowledge save Rakka from that. When she recovers, Rakka learns that the wall is much more, and has surprising importance to the angelic Haibane, even if most have no idea how.

Unexplained history and mystery pervade this series. They remain, even deepen, at that same time that these episodes explain even more of the Haibanes' closed world. You won't find bam-pow action here; it's more about the characters. Perhaps it reaches out to an audience of girls, who might identify with the largely female cast of central characters. You won't find a perfunctory add-on to the action oriented stories for boys, though. This creates pleasing a little mythology all its own.

This ongoing story really needs to be taken in order. You'll miss a lot if you start at this point. So start with volume 1 in the series, but be warned: it's addictive

-- wiredweird

You can find my review for the boxed set, which I recommend buying. Here I'll just be brief and say that if you like Anime with a meaning and a message, you must watch Haibane Renmei. It's the deepest, saddest Anime I've ever seen. I would say that, emotionally, it might be up there with "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn". Is it sad or is it uplifting? You'll have to decide for yourself.

There are 2 new characters introduced with this DVD. They ***sound*** like Reki and Rakka, they have the same names as Reki and Rakka but they ARE NOT Reki and Rakka !!! Its obvious that a different artist was used for the character drawings in these episodes and I hate it when that happens in an anime. Its only towards the last chapter that they start to look like their old selves. Go back and check out how they look in the opening sequence and the earlier episodes, in comparison to me Reki looks crudely drawn and Rakka has less detail. While watching these episodes I found that their "new" look was VERY distracting, only the strong storyline made me stick with it. 5 stars for the story, 3 stars for the animation with the new changes.