Haibane Renmei  Recommended
Publisher
Geneon/MVM
Director
Tomokazu Tokoro
Production
Fuji TV
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
13 Episodes / 25 Minutes
Year
2002
Haibane Renmei Volume 1: New Feathers
By otaku_kei
22nd Mar 05  Even last year I would have laughed at anyone who suggested the UK would get titles like Haibane Renmei hitting the shelves, but after a succession of releases such as Serial Experiments Lain, Fruits Basket, Kino's Journey and others it is clear that the UK scene is much more mature than it was back then. And honestly I think we all know that most of that has been achieved through the titles that MVM have been releasing, whilst ADV have for the most part been stuck in the rut of Giant Mecha titles. Haibane Renmei comes from the creative mind of Yoshitoshi Abe, who many will know as the character designer behind Serial Experiments Lain, this is a show that he had the first kernals of ideas for long before he got to work on Lain. In many ways this may be his most personal work but what it certainly is, is a beautiful show that already from this first volume is going to feature a lot of introspection and soul searching. A young girl dreams of falling from the sky and awakens hatching from a cocoon surrounded by strangers with halos and angelic wings. With no knowledge of her past this girl who is christened Rakka must come to terms with her new life and new experiences that start rather painfully when her own set of wings burst from her back. She is now one of the Haibane a group that coexists peacefully alongside the humans of the local town. Now she must do her own bit to understand this strange world, the truth about the Haibane and what lies beyond the walls that enclose all the humans and Haibane together. This show has been for me one of the more anticipated releases coming out this year. This show is slow paced and thoughtful, nothing much actually happens in these four episodes but that is I feel the point. This is a show about finding your way in the world, to find your place and how you fit. Sure that may change later in the series but for right now this show is an almost perfect exploration of how someone reacts when transplanted into completely unfamiliar surroundings. Of course there are then also questions being raised about just what the Haibane are and why no-one can leave the confines of the town. These intriguing issues I'm sure are to be developed later in the series. With this show fresh in my mind I can really say how good I thought it was, a show that looks beautiful and sounds great. The voice talent for the dub were excellent, and the sample of the sub appeared to be just as good. This is a title to check out only if you have been a fan of titles such as Lain and Kino's Journey. In fact this show is aesthetically reminiscent of Kino with a use of muted palette to create a reality to the show. I was captivated by this volume and am just sad to say that I will not get a chance to see any more for a few months.
R2 DVD Notes
Features: English 2.0; Japanese 2.0; English Subtitles; Textless Opening; Original Japanese Opening; Art Gallery; Episode Previews; MVM Trailers
Release information: 4th April 2005
Notes: Well once again MVM's partnership with Madman means that they are releasing some of the most high quality discs onto the UK scene, combine that with such a great range of titles and its a winning formula.
Haibane Renmei also comes with a few little extras, but unfortunately nothing that is going to keep the viewer coming back again. Still all in all a solid release.
-- otaku_kei 22nd Mar 05
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