Haibane Renmei eps 5-13

[meganbmoore]

Though very beautiful and moving, this series may be a little too sedate and paced for a lot of anime fans. In the end, It's very like Kino's Journey or Gunslinger Girls...a series that you go into probably expecting building action and a grand revelation, but instead you get quiet, moving stories of personal growth and resolution.

Instead of focusing on mysteries and intrigues, Haibane Renmei focuses on the daily lives of and relationships between the characters, how they deal with their uncertain future, and the blank slates of their pasts. Neither the town nor the haibane are ever fully explained, but they don't need to be. What you need to know, the show lets you figure out.

The series does have some definite religious undertones, but while the angel imagery ties it to Judeo-Christian tradition, in some ways, that's as far as it goes. The world of Haibane Renmei seems to primarily be a resting place to gather yourself between one place and another, rather than a representation of a specific religious idea.

I could say more, but, though not really a series where many spoilers apply, I think it's best watched knowing as few details as possible. Highly recommended

oyceter's tag.

An AMV(it does spoil one of the 2 things that I would call important spoilers in the last minute and a half, so you may want to stop when it hits 4 minutes...there don't seem to be many good AMVs out there for the series, sadly...):

Comments

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

If you've seen Gunslinger Girls, the paces are aboutthe same, though the feel is a little closer to Kino.

I should check Aria out again, now that it'a being published by someone else. I was following it for a while, but then its US publisher cancelled it.

[amewarashi.livejournal.com]

I haven't watched it, and to be honest the plot of Gunslinger Girl doesn't call my attention.

I've only read until volume 5 of Aria (plus all of Aqua), but it's really cute and heartwarming.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

No, Gunslinger Girls really isn't for everyone. (That said, most "official" things I've read on it, trailers. etc., don't really represent it well...it's mostly slice-of-life for young girls who have been turned into living weapons, and exploring what that means to them personally, and their relationships with their handlers.)