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As I sit down to write this review, I’m slightly at a loss as to where to begin. After ages of hearing praise lauded upon this anime, I had so many expectations of it, and am sad to say that it fell short for me. But I’m getting ahead of myself. The fact of the matter is, even though I don’t feel particularly rosy about this anime, I do have things to say about it. And before anyone gets too up in arms, not all of them are bad by any means! However, one of the reasons I feel so compelled to say these things ... is because through all the recommendations I’ve received for this show, no one else ever has (not to me anyways). So here I am!

Haibane Renmei is about a young girl who will come to be named Rakka, after she emerges reborn from an enormous cocoon that has sprouted up in an unused room of a compound filled with young, angelic beings called Haibane. She is the audience conduit for learning about this charming universe, as her eyes are as fresh to it as ours are and we will come to learn about this place and its inhabitants together. While not a particularly original or innovative means of exposition, it employs an effective one for its worldbuilding and characterization in tandem. For the first half of the series, Rakka is paired off with one of the other residents of Old Home where she and her group of Haibane reside, who let her tag along in their daily lives to get to know one another, as well as the town of Glie to which they are confined. Because of this, the series has a distinctly slice of life feel to it, and here is where my first issue with the show lies.

Said issue arises not at all inherently from the fact that it’s a slice of life, but rather from the fact that THIS show in particular is. This world has many interesting details sprinkled throughout; there are many rules and traditions the Haibane follow that I found myself enamored with and wanting to learn more about, but was frustrated with the fact that they kept getting swept aside in favor of the mundanity of the Haibane’s daily lives. One of the strongest points of the show for me is the lore of this world, and having a character like Rakka to allow us to explore it. She’s curious and eager to learn about this new place she’s found herself in, and I wish the show had embraced that air of discovery more than it actually ended up doing. Coming to discover a new and interesting place is exciting and fun to watch, but for me, simply settling in to an all-too-familiar routine, no matter in what world, is not (especially when the characters are, on the whole, endearing but not strong enough to carry the show through that kind of angle).

This is so frustrating because said lore is so interesting that the viewer can’t help but think of a wealth of big questions because of them. What exactly are the Haibane? Where do they come from? Why are all except one of them children (or children who’ve grown into young adults)? Why are there humans here too? What are the walls? Who built them? What is beyond them? Why can only the Touga and the birds come and go as they please? Is this place an afterlife, a next life, or somewhere inbetween? If all of these questions grabbed your interest in the second episode, don’t hold your breath, because none of them will come to be answered, except in vague and unsatisfying ways (if you’re lucky). This is made all the more frustrating by the fact that even Rakka, who is like an extension of ourselves here, asks all of these questions in the show. Because of this, you think that surely that’s where her story might go, but unfortunately she’s almost always answered with “Nobody knows,” and she just kind of accepts it and leaves us wanting. Rakka, how could you.

So, it can safely be said that this show has little in the way of plot. The only thing it has to offer in terms of substantial storytelling is two character arcs, both of which are resolved in fairly short order. But those two character arcs are my other favorite component of the show, because they provided an otherwise aimless meander through an enticing world filled with untapped potential with a bit of propulsion. Up until the first of said arcs, the show has a relaxed, pleasant tone with melancholic shadows that creep up rather suddenly through delving further into the inner workings of its subjects. However, it is worth noting that these inner issues are addressed and resolved with the same sort of vagueness that the rest of the show is so saturated in, and so there was never any hard-hitting emotional climax for me, which was a disappointment, seeing as I was promised tears.

All that being said, I’m not saying that lack of definitive answers, or not having everything spelled out for you is a bad thing. When handled well, it’s an asset, because it allows the viewer to engage with the material in a way they simply can’t when everything is handed to them freely. It certainly feels more appropriate when dealing with our amnesiac heroes’ pasts than with the intricacies of the place they live. But there is a balance to be struck with answered and unanswered questions, and I feel this show leans far too hard into the unresolved to be a truly satisfying experience.

As for the rest of it, the animation isn’t anything spectacular, but it’s all around very grounded and consistent which is far more important than flash or overt style sometimes. I can only think of maybe a couple of shots in the whole show that looked wonky or silly. The whole show is bathed in a sort of soft, traditional look which makes it feel like a quaint antique and suits the Haibane’s second-hand lifestyle and Old Home very nicely. The character designs are sensible and simple, but still distinct and full of, well.... character! My favorite being Reki for her clashing angelic attributes alongside a bike, cigarette, and long black hair. The soundtrack was perfectly agreeable, if understated. But then again, there is a school of thought that says that good soundtracks enhance the mood without stealing the spotlight. I don’t necessarily agree with that, but I’d rather have a soundtrack that blended in perfectly than one that stood out in all the wrong ways!

Haibane Renmei is, in conclusion, a perfectly fine show with some very frustrating issues. It moves very slowly through a world that kept me watching in hopes of coming to understand some of the mysteries of it, but never took me anywhere I wanted to go. It’s almost as though ABe had all these wonderful ideas for a setting and just couldn’t think of explanations for them, made the world anyways, and said “It’s not my problem anymore.” However, if you simply like atmospheric, contemplative shows that don’t feel pressured by narrative, this show is definitely not lacking in pleasantries either, and might just be the cup of tea you’ve been craving. While on the whole I do feel it’s over-rated, it’s by no means bad, and perhaps I’m just not the sort of person that can really appreciate it due to what I perceive to be unavoidable faults.