Haibane renmei

My heart is beating strangely after watching this. But what does it mean to be "Haibane renmei"? At least a few answers, or hints, wouldn't hurt. It's a very slow, almost soporific anime. I didn't really start to get into it until the fifth episode, before that I was wondering what on earth these people see in it. Now I kind of get it in a way. (16/11/2009)

Several initial impressions lead to a good mood when thinking about what new things Rakka will learn, what job a certain Grey-winged will show her, or what Reki will announce at the little party. But somewhere around the sixth episode, the atmosphere suddenly shifts to contemplative thoughtfulness, and Haibane Renmei becomes philosophical/spiritual perfection. The desire to understand the essence of one's own existence is a tricky topic, in which one can easily get lost and start speaking empty words, and the same applies even more to discussing guilt, sins, and forgiveness. But it is precisely in these exchanges that the story is strongest and painfully self-aware. The final episode is then proof of the weight of friendship, and its inevitable culmination is almost liberating – and unforgettable. (20/10/2007)

Unfortunately, even though I am constantly deluding myself about my imagination and fantasy, I did not let myself get fully absorbed by this calm and very well-crafted work. Initially, I especially had quite a problem with the slow pace and the fact that nothing important happened in the first few episodes, in my opinion. So I could even understand the person who says it is quite boring. Fortunately, from the fifth episode onwards, it caught my attention. It started to tease my imagination and raise many questions about what the Haibane actually are. I had to think about where it takes place and what is going on there, plus a lot of thoughts running through my head about the meaning of life and everything. I guess that is what it was supposed to be about in the first place. In addition, I commend the anime’s creators for the fact that I did not get precise and proper answers, and thus even now, when writing my review, I am still thinking about how to describe my impressions accurately. Haibane Renmei is a very interesting, emotional, initially very slow show with nice animation and an amazing soundtrack, which adds even more depth to it all. Even though we do not see it much with the ordinary eye, we have to guess. So a very well-produced show, although due to its too calm start, it did not grab me at all, which is not the fault of Haibane Renmei, but rather of my imagination and my sometimes lazy mind. Objectively it should be awarded five stars because I got what the anime’s creators were going for, even though subjectively it would be awarded four stars because I just cannot forget the beginning and the fact that it did not work for me. 8.3/10. (14/12/2015)