Summary:
In a village surrounded by high walls that the residents are forbidden to touch or pass, a girl is born from a cocoon after a dream of falling from the sky. Named for her dream, as all born such are, Rakka soon finds herself sprouting wings and sporting a halo as the other members of the Old Home. None of them remember anything but smidgens of a past, but all know they had one. Such are the Haibane, for whose sake the town isolates itself from the outside world. Here they live, working their jobs, accepting no pay and using only things that have been used before. It all seems so peaceful – but no thing in this world is without purpose. There is a reason they became Haibane, and something every Haibane must someday do. And finding what that is – both for her sake and her friends – is soon the most important thing of all.

Cast:
Noda Junko as Reki
Hirohashi Ryou as Rakka
Yajima Akiko as Kuu
Miyajima Eri as Kana
Orikasa Fumiko as Hikari
Murai Kazusa as Nemu

Genre:
Fantasy, Drama, Psychological, Mystery,

Episodes:
Thirteen. There is no sequel of any sort.

DVD Availability:
Yes.

Review:
There are some experiences that are beyond comparison or explanation. You want to try, because something like that begs to be shared, but in the end all you can say is ‘you had to have been there’, or ‘you just have to see it for yourself’. Watching Haibane Renmei, for me, was such an experience: Enchanting, mesmerizing, spell binding, haunting, beautiful beyond words…and none of those are really enough. As a reviewer, I am bound to try and explain the unexplainable, and so I will try to describe the experience of watching this anime. But in the end, you’ll just have to watch it for yourself. It is simply something else.

From the beginning, Haibane Renmei snares the mind with an understated sense of pure magic. Its characters work the same: a soft air of sweetness belies the underlying trials of the heart that are the core of this story. Rakka, the lead, is simply a pleasant, honest, gentle young girl of fifteen or so: somewhat uncertain at first, she spends the first several episodes following the lead of the others as she comes to understand the life expected of her – something that only sounds boring because you have not experienced what simple conversation is like in Haibane Renmei. Life itself, from moment to moment, fascinates and entrances, with gentle beauty that makes you smile and, when the time comes, makes you feel their pain with exquisite directness. The leader of the group is Rekki – tall, black haired, and a smoker, she gives an impression that somehow seamlessly blends biker mom and gentle, nurturing older sister into someone who casually supports almost everything and everyone, especially Rakka, as the newest and least secure member. I suppose the next most noticeable one is Kuu, the youngest. Cute and endearing, with that constant enthusiastic delight in life that characterizes so many children of that age, she shares a special place in the hearts of all who live in Old Home – and before long, an especially close place in Rakka’s. Hikari is blond, blue eyed, and sweet – with a rather rascally curious and irrepressible side that saves her from unholy moe-hood and elevates her to the level of a Haibane character. Kana is black haired, black eyed, and spunky, a tomboyish sort with a cheerful attitude and a quick friendly-cocky grin. Mechanically inclined and gung-ho about it, her complaints about hard work are generally a facade. Last, and oddly suited to it, is Nemu. She is actually the oldest resident of Old Home – Rekki is second. But her quiet, unemphatic nature means that Rekki is the one who takes the lead. Slow, plump, and inclined to sleepiness, she works in the library, where everything is quiet, and she can read and steal naps. Haibane Renmei does not have villains – it is the sort of story where all the enemies are internal. A few outside characters do bear mention though – The Communicator, an old man who wears a mask and communicates with the outside world, is in a way the one who polices the Haibane, but the wellbeing of the Haibane is clearly of real personal importance to him. Old Home is only one of the places in town where Haibane Renmei live – the inhabitants of the Abandoned Factory are a bit rowdier than those of Old Home, a bit street like and tough with a sprinkling of boys in their ranks. Still they’re good hearted, and some have a personal link to Reki – one that plays an important role as time goes on.

The first episodes are pure slice of life – or they would be, if the world we have been plunged into did not softly scream of mystery. Even as we walk, dreamlike, through this new world, seen through Rakka’s eyes, guided by kind, engaging, supportive friends, the fact that something essential remains to be understood about the town and its winged inhabitants – something not quite sinister, but something that, once known, cannot help but bring change – is very clear. And the most important changes in our lives are often, initially, painful. The Haibane are born with no notion of what came before, but they all know that there was something – that they all had once lived lives beyond the wall. The wall that cannot – not should not – be crossed. The truth about the Haibane Renmei – what they are, where they come from, and what they have come for – is the question that drives this story, and there are several layers to the answer. Answers that are both bittersweet and beautiful – and meant to be found. The stories revealed within the story, the truths upon truths, and the redemption hidden within sin, paint in time a world so painfully beautiful as to forever mark the soul. This is the kind of story that leaves a mark on those who see it – you do not forget. And for all that there were tears, you hope that it is real.

Wondrous, fascinating, heartfelt, and sometimes sorrowful – I’m afraid this is one anime for which I am unable to maintain my usual level of distance when reviewing. For a perfectly told story that carves its name in your soul, I can only give it that rare perfect score of five out of five. If you are allergic to slow paces or character focused plots, stay away. Otherwise, see this before you die, or regret it all your remaining days.

Final Rating: 5/5

This review is brought to you by Z.N. Singer

Credits:
Information such as cast and airtime are taken from the ANN encyclopedia. Everything else is and always will be the creation of the author.

Plot Summary:
Kino, a young girl, travels the world on and with an intelligent motorrad named Hermes. Determined to see as much of the world as possible, she goes from town to town, and stays three days in each, no more. There to see, not to judge, but to see as much as possible, together they observe all the shades of man, from wonder to selfish to blind to evil. Man is as varied as life, and the strangeness, the horror, and the beauty are as unlimited and varied as they are deceptive. But in the end, they are simply the colors that make life, and life is beautiful.

Studio:
Studio Wombat

Cast:
Maeda Ai as Kino
Aigase Ryuji as Hermes

Genre:
Philosophy, Drama, Psychology.

Airtime:
Kino no Tabi aired from April 08, 2003 till July 07, 2003

Episodes:
Kino no Tabi runs thirteen episodes, plus a special.

Review:
I once read somewhere that a popular complaint about Gundam Wing is that there was too much philosophy being discussed in mid-battle. In other words, they wanted action, not why the action was happening. There are plenty of adrenaline rushers for action lovers out there, and some that mix action and introspection. But introspection is usually playing second fiddle. Kino no Tabi is a fascinating exception. Imagine a very real, gritty set of Aesop’s Tales made not to teach a lesson, but introduce a question. The true purpose of Kino no Tabi is to present a series of what ifs. What if a country found a way to make everyone be able to sense each others feelings as their own? What if a country advanced so far that no one actually had to work to get things done? What if a country that felt a deep historical attachment to their land learned a precise date when it would be obliterated? The parade of sociological and psychological conundrums produced are deeply, deeply fascinating. No other anime has had the nerve to serve no other purpose than for you to think about it, and they do it well. I’ve given Kino no Tabi a five for well honed uniqueness, more than anything else. Oh, and because I love to think about things like these.

Sigh…my usual format doesn’t work very well here. Kino and Hermes are literally the only constant characters. For any other to appear in more than one episode is truly rare, with the only exception of the members of the Coliseum arc, the only one to take more than one episode. Kino is a young girl, soft spoken, who seems to enjoy teasing Hermes. Coming as a sightseer, she consistently refuses to take part, interfere, or judge what she sees. Hermes has a high, nasal voice something like a child, and sometimes seems to feel as if he helplessly lives at Kino’s whim. The relationship is trusting, though. Kino observes, and Hermes comments and asks questions. Lot’s of questions, most common of them being ‘why did you do that?’

There is no plot to speak of; the series is episodic. Sometimes one episode will cover several unrelated situations. However…if you are a thinker, someone who tries to see into the psychology of the characters you see, someone who really gets into the debates of ideologies that sometimes occur in them, or wish you could get into them but find them kind of simple minded, and besides you’ve hear them before…you will love this anime. The anime is famous for the phrase ‘The world is not beautiful. Therefore, it is.’ If that sentence intrigues you, watch it. If it made you go ‘huh? Is this some kind of zen thing?’ then go watch Naruto or Bleach or something.

There really isn’t that much more I can say without going into details of episodes. It’s an anime dependent on an inclination of though. I’ve done my best to deliver the feel, and the goal. All else I can say is that I am such a thinker, and as such, I give this anime a five.

Final Rating: 5/5

This review is brought to you by Z.N. Singer

Credits:
Info such as cast and airtime are taken from ANN’s encyclopedia listing. All else is and always will be the origination of the author.

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