Haibane Renmei

Welcome to Old Home

Haibane Renmei/Charcoal Feather Association is a series created by Yoshitoshi Abe (of 'Serial Experiments Lain' fame). The anime aired in 2002 with a total of 13 episodes and was directed by Tomokazu Tokoro.

The story begins with falling– a gentle, slow fall accompanied by soft piano and a little crow friend. But this dream ends abruptly as Rakka awakes in a cocoon and is introduced into this world. She’s been reborn as a Haibane, an angel-like being with no memories of their past. From here she begins her new life in Old Home, a place where Haibane live, forming deep interpersonal connections around her as she tries to make sense of her existence.

Okay, so introductory stuff out of the way...

Something about this anime is just special to me. I watched it for the first time a few years ago, and ever since then it’s somehow managed to linger in the back of my mind. The whole series has a gentle, melancholic, and ethereal atmosphere. It's comforting yet at the same time feels so somber and nostalgic. Like warmth during winter. Everything is washed in this soft color palette and watercolor-like texture with gorgeous strings and acoustic guitar in the ost. Early 2000s animation quality be damned, nothing else has managed to evoke this indescribable feeling to me.

Just the first episode alone captured my attention and left me mesmerized. There’s a visceral scene in that episode which forever sticks with me; the scene where Rakka grows her wings. It’s an intense moment, and everything builds up into a gutted scream and the beautiful imagery of bloody wings bursting out of Rakka’s back. There’s just something so striking about the immense pain of growing wings, a symbol typically associated with purity and holiness being sullied with this very agonizing transformation. I’ve heard others say that this scene mimics the pain of childbirth, which is really interesting. And that's just the first episode, there's so many memorable scenes in this anime! But enough of my impromptu tangent.

I’ve heard others bemoan the lack of plot and slow pacing among other things. But for me? All of that was part of the charm. It’s a quiet series that lets you sit back and take in the atmosphere and everything. There are many open-ended aspects of the story, with more questions than answers. The Haibane’s world is confined to this small town. Everything about them is shrouded in mystery, wrapped in metaphors and symbolism (I love seeing different people’s interpretations).But the emotions are still conveyed so clearly and the characters, specifically Reki, are so complex yet understandable.

I guess what I’m trying to get at here is that Haibane Renmei is an unforgettable series to me. And I’ll cherish it for many years to come.