Haibane Renmei, ep. 08-13

[oyceter]

Oh. That was a lovely ending to a quiet little series.

So I've been reading Rakka and Reki as suicides; is that just me?

Also, the ending was a little darker than I had expected, particularly all the bits with Reki. But I like the overall focus on forgiveness and grace, the notes on how even though it was important for other people to forgive Rakka and Reki, in the end, it was their own forgiveness that was the most important.

And oh, I loved Reki's true name actually meaning small stone as well, especially the note that she was the small stone on the staircase to the Day of Flight for so many of the other Haibane.

Reki in particular is a great character, and I swear I'm not just saying this because she's an angsty character who hides her angst under a smile (gets me every time). And I love her friendship with Rakka, the flashback to Rakka hearing Reki's voice in the cocoon, the parallels with Reki's relationship with Kuramori.

I ended up getting much more attached to this series than I thought I would; it's small and quiet and sad and hopeful at the same time, and it makes me feel calm and happy, even through the sad bits.

Comments

[the_rck]

My personal theory is that all Haibane are souls that died in despair, by suicide or otherwise. I'd take them all as suicides, but the large numbers of fairly young children seems to me to weigh against that. Though it might be that those who come in as young children are simply those who have more healing to do.

[oyceter]

Oooh, yeah. I was thinking they were all suicides, but then, that doesn't quite make sense as to why only Rakka and Reki have the black wings. And yes about the young children. Though I just realized I've been thinking of the Haibane as not changing physical forms between moves, but I like your theory on how the younger children have more to do -- it does seem like it's the older ones who have Days of Flight?

[the_rck]

Rakka and Reki both despaired as Haibane, as I recall. I had the impression that the black wings came from that.

It's been a bit over a year since I watched the series through Netflix. I've forgotten a lot of the character names, so I'm going to be talking about them vaguely.

I have the impression that Reki and the other Haibane who her age had changed a bit physically since they emerged. It wasn't anything major, just the difference between being in their late teens as opposed to being in their twenties. A lot of that would come with changes in body language due to experience and responsibility.

Didn't the priest guy (I can't remember his title, I'm afraid) say something about each Haibane only having so much time? I don't think he said that they all have the same amount of time. He was worried about Reki rather than about the other Haibane her age. I wasn't clear as to whether that was because Reki wasn't ready for a Day of Flight and the other one was or because Reki had less time before she ran out of time.

I don't think the series shows enough for us to draw conclusions about whether or not the younger Haibane have Days of Flight. We never saw any, but it was also fairly late when we first saw a male Haibane past puberty. I thought, at first, that none existed.

[oyceter]

Yeah, though it seemed like Reki's black wings came from even before that, since she was "born" (hatched? uncocooned?) with the black wings.

I think Reki and Nemu both grew up (or grew some) in the series -- from the flashbacks, they seemed to be younger and Reki's voice was definitely higher.

Yeah, I think all the Haibane have different amounts of time or something, since I think Kuu was there for less time than Reki but left first.

[the_rck]

I took Reki's black wings as a sign of pain and despair and loneliness that carried over even through the memory loss.

I had the impression that the rules under which the Haibane live-- things like only being allowed used clothing and such-- were set up to make them have to trust and rely on other people. Everything is set up so that they're around people who won't abandon them or hurt them without reason. They live communally but with some space and different options.

[oyceter]

I had the impression that the rules under which the Haibane live-- things like only being allowed used clothing and such-- were set up to make them have to trust and rely on other people.

Oh! I like that reading, thanks!

[heavenscalyx.livejournal.com]

We read all the Haibane as either suicides or accidental deaths, thinking of the Ninth (or Tenth?) Hell (I know it primarily through the description in Barry Hughart's novels, the one that Number Ten Ox describes as the only fundamentally unfair hell, because it contains the souls of suicides and accidental deaths and such, and they can't get out unless they get someone else to take their place). In this case, though, they can get out without drawing someone else in, but it requires some level of enlightenment. And, if that's the case, all the "humans" might actually be demons that populate the place and give them the contemplative space to find that enlightenment.

I've also seen people read it as the Christian purgatory, but I don't like that as much as I like the Buddhist-leaning take. (For one thing, I wasn't brought up to think of Purgatory as a particularly forgiving place, or a peaceful space for growth. It was a place of punishment. Ah, Catholics.)

I'm glad you enjoyed it! I really love this series. It's cathartic and therapeutic and strangely serene.

[oyceter]

Oh, that's interesting. Except... I don't know. I like the Buddhist-learning take as well, but the town doesn't really feel like a hell, since even my vague recollection of Buddhist hells have demons and are scary. But I may be completely wrong too!

[thomasyan.livejournal.com]

I think I had wondered if they were suicides, but that theory didn't resonate strongly. I mean, this is anime -- you know, from Japan. A while there is Christian imagery (the wings and halos), it doesn't seem to subscribe much to Christian beliefs. So them being suicides is problematic for me. Plus, what about the other people in the town then -- where are they from? Are they ordinary people or do they also come from the normal world? Finally, I like the God's dream story so much that I want it to be canon. Oh, ok, having God is sort of Christian.

I love this series. I'm so glad you enjoyed it, too.

I introduced this series and Gunslinger Girl to some friends. I forget which one I showed first. Anyway, after the first or second, a friend turned to me and said, "You really like your anime sweet, don't you?" She's the one who said Gunslinger Girl struck her as (almost) shojou.

Speaking of the latter, I just read volume 4 and am eager for volume 5, because I saw its Japanese cover, which stunned me with its contents....

[oyceter]

*nods* I think I ended up being convinced that Reki and Rakka were suicides, Reki in particular because of the train dream, and Rakka because of the falling. And I can see the view of suicide in the series as a non-Christian one, since the series focuses more on the feeling of alienation and regret than the wrongness of taking your own life.

Hee! I am a little amused by your friend calling this series and Gunslinger Girl "sweet." They are, but not in the way I usually think of the word.

Ooo. Is vol. 4 out in English now?

[thomasyan.livejournal.com]

What makes it even funnier to me is to call Gunslinger Girl shojou.

Yep, volume 4 is out in English now. I also reread the first three volumes, and was reminded how I felt the anime did a better job with the Elsa arc.

[oyceter]

Hee! i missed that bit.

Ooo, I'll have to look for the manga!

[msagara.livejournal.com]

I adored this series -- it was always quiet, never flashy. I admit that it took me a while to start watching it because, well, wings. Girls with wings.

It's been a while since I watched it, so I might be confusing the names -- but the only death I took to be a suicide was that of the smoker, and that, largely because her birth into the world (or her rebirth) started in a state of despair/isolation. The underlying theme -- that one is never truly alone, that one turns ones back on the things of value in a life because one chooses to despair, was likewise quiet and understated. And the damage done, the unintentional damage, again, quiet. There's no real tone of judgement in the entire series, and the end always makes me weep.

[thomasyan.livejournal.com]

The Kuu arc (the youngest in the main group, who I thought was a boy) always makes me cry, too.

The ending has so many nice touches, including the fireworks and pie.

[oyceter]

Hee! I remember rachelmanija showing me the first episode after introducing it as a sweet, quiet series. We hit Rakka growing her wings and blood and pain and I stared at Rachel. "Sweet?"

"Er. I forgot about this part," she said. "It really is though!"

And it is. It really does remind me of Gunslinger Girl in the way it takes a really sketchy sounding trope and then proceeds to tell quiet stories with them.

I love the themes of the series in particular and the gentle healing.

[msagara.livejournal.com]

We hit Rakka growing her wings and blood and pain and I stared at Rachel. "Sweet?"

I remember that, and my reaction -- mostly surprise -- but I remember also thinking that this series might go to darker places in that deceptively quiet way.

[oyceter]

Yeah... and it did go a little darker than I had imagined it would, though really, I love the tone of the series so much.

[msagara.livejournal.com]

The whole tone of the series was muted and lovely, and it drew you in slowly -- it was approachable because it seemed so benign. And the dark places it went were very real, but there was that same almost gentle quality to it -- lack of judgement, lack of zaniness.