Final Thoughts on Haibane Renmei

W

Warmaster

Great Teacher
Its now two and a half years since i was introduced to Haibane Renmei by a friend on another internet board who said a race i developed for my fantasy writing was like the Haibane (they weren't really, just humans with wings really!) But it has taken these two and a half years until today until i have finally been able to see all 13 episdoes. I had been a little worried, after having read the basic outlines, that seeing the visual aspect after well of a year of contemplating may have been a disapointment...

But as it turned out, i needen't of worried. Haibane Renmei is stunning in every possible way. The Story is probably the most origional i have ever seen in Anime (next to Serial Experiments Lain, and thats by the same guy!) But there are lots of great stories around, it is the presentation that gives this series its edge for me. Especially important is how dark the story actually is overall. Its dark, depressing, often upsetting, but despite that, you never once feel like that. This is because i have never watched a series which has ballanced the Darkness and the Lightheartness in such a way that it spoils a series story (FMA hold up your hands!)

Despite having no action, and a pedestrian pace, it never once seemed to drag, and even better for me who likes strong story arcs, Haibane seems rather like a 6 hour film than a series of episodes.

I am Immencely impressed, and with an ending that answers as many questions as the series seems to create, Yoshitoshi ABe has just risen above Miyazaki in my Anime writer's stakes. And that takes some beating!

Great stuff!!! 8)
 
I loved every minute of it, pure and simple! The storyline has the same level of complexity that people associate with the likes of NGE or Lain (and tops them on my 'all time favourites' list, which really is saying something) and yet the characters are all really likeable and easy to relate to - it's the cast that clinches it for me really.

The other great thing that Haibane has going for it is the artwork. ABe is a brilliant artist and has created perhaps the most beautiful setting of any anime show I've seen yet - you could take a screenshot, frame it and hang it on your living room wall! It's definitely up in the league of Miyazaki in that respect.

As for the way the story went...it is pretty dark in places, but I was pretty happy with how it ended. There could have been some exploration into more than two of the main characters perhaps, but such is the limitation of a thirteen episode series. What I especially loved about the ending was how it was just as much a beginning of something else. After everything that had happened up until the final scene, it left a sense of hope that everything will turn out okay.

I can't wait to see what ABe and his colleagues will come up with next. :D
 
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Concrete badger said:
I loved every minute of it, pure and simple! The storyline has the same level of complexity that people associate with the likes of NGE or Lain (and tops them on my 'all time favourites' list, which really is saying something) and yet the characters are all really likeable and easy to relate to - it's the cast that clinches it for me really.

The other great thing that Haibane has going for it is the artwork. ABe is a brilliant artist and has created perhaps the most beautiful setting of any anime show I've seen yet - you could take a screenshot, frame it and hang it on your living room wall! It's definitely up in the league of Miyazaki in that respect.

As for the way the story went...it is pretty dark in places, but I was pretty happy with how it ended. There could have been some exploration into more than two of the main characters perhaps, but such is the limitation of a thirteen episode series. What I especially loved about the ending was how it was just as much a beginning of something else. After everything that had happened up until the final scene, it left a sense of hope that everything will turn out okay.

I can't wait to see what ABe and his colleagues will come up with next. :D
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Yep, i liked the ending. Its one of those things, a true 'ending' perhaps puts unwanted finality on a story, but having no ending at all is worse. So they did the interesting set up of ending this story arc, and begining another. Perfect for the Fan Fictioners no doubt :p

I also found it interesting in that you Expect it to be Rakka's series, but it actually turns out to be Reki's, which is interesting on only the way ABe can be.

Question, Did ABe do the key animation on Haibane? I believe he only did the origional character designs, and of course the script. True the designs do show some affinity to Lain (which i may add, has some of the strangest 'serious' Animation i have ever seen. Cheap to the extreme, but extremely effectively done. but thats off topic :p)

I was also debating with a friend on MSN earlier. I've got him into Anime (princess monoke got him) and introduced him to odd episodes when he was down. I gave him my Works Box set version of Haibane 1 since i already had it. Before that though, i showed him episode 1, and he was utterly shocked at it. He claimed it was 'the strangest thing he had ever seen' :p Then again, he said that when we saw Howl's Moving Castle as well :wink: I'm not sure he'll like Haibane as a whole, but i am willing to try and force him!
 
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There's no mention of ABe doing any key animation according to the show's ANN entry - as you pointed out he did however write the screenplay. Although the original concept was his (scanlations of the original manga are worth tracking down - they look stunning) he didn't direct it either. The director is the same guy who did the Hellsing OVA...ABe seems to be part of a team who have worked together on several projects, and they have all been impressive from what I've seen of them.
 
Concrete badger said:
There's no mention of ABe doing any key animation according to the show's ANN entry - as you pointed out he did however write the screenplay. Although the original concept was his (scanlations of the original manga are worth tracking down - they look stunning) he didn't direct it either. The director is the same guy who did the Hellsing OVA...ABe seems to be part of a team who have worked together on several projects, and they have all been impressive from what I've seen of them.
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Yep, i do think the animation does bare a similarity to ABe's work in Lain though - its the eyes (the eyes in Lain are very different to the usual anime eyes, and EXTREMELY FREAKY!)

I did check the orgional manga scans, and it does seem they made a concious decision to keep to his general theme, even if he was noot directly invovled in the character designs.

As to ABe's other projects, my experience is limited to the first volume of Lain and the first volume of Texhnolyze. Lain is stunning, an amazing work (not often you can say that from only the first volume!) but it is, there is basically no flaws in that volume at all, hence i am looking forward to splashing out on the rest of those at some point. However Texhnolyze in comparison seems a little weak. Its very clever as usual (hardly a word seems to be spoken in the first episode) but it hasn't remotely grabbed me in the way the others have. I need to give it another go and see.

I also need to see NieA under 7 at some point as well. I'd like to see how well ABe can handle comedy, largely to see what kind of breadth he can manage in his writing.
 
Haibane Renmei is fantastic. The best DVD in the Works box. Now I have to decide whether to wait for a possible boxset (seems unlikely) or get the rest of the separates.
 
cornixt said:
Haibane Renmei is fantastic. The best DVD in the Works box. Now I have to decide whether to wait for a possible boxset (seems unlikely) or get the rest of the separates.
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at 4 dvds though, getting just 3 more isn't a bank breaker.
 
Yoshitoshi ABe has never let me down with a series yet. I can't choose my favourite ABe series so I don't. They are all number one for me.

Everybody should check out his artbooks, the sketches in them are fantastic.

P.S. You could also try ebay. I got the boxset on there for £17.49(after amazon failing me) and no, it is not a bootleg.
 
watched this series last weekend (it's a a habit of mine, spend months collecting up the dvds then get them all watched in a couple of days!)

Very enjoyable, subtle (if that's the right word) drama
 
I don't know if this has been posted, but there is a Haibane Renmei box set available from Amazon now - although there is only one left in stock at the moment. :shock: I can't say anything about Ebay, since I've never shopped there. So I won't say anything at all. :mrgreen: [/Captain Obvious-ing]
 
There are one or two box sets (they seem to differ in the packaging and that's about it), such as this one on the up1 site. I spotted a gorgeous box set at Cyber City Anime in Leeds but since I have the first two discs on R2 it would be a bit pointless to buy it (that and the fact that Iwas skint at the time)!
 
ConcreteBadger said:
I spotted a gorgeous box set at Cyber City Anime in Leeds
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That would be the limited edition box most likely. I prefer the standard box with ABe's artwork all around the box however.
 
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