Haibane Renmei: A Story of Salvation, an Unabridged Analysis
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- Опубліковано 26 січ 2025
- 🌸Links🌸
🌺Watch Haibane Renmei:
www.funimation...
www.crunchyrol...
www.amazon.com...
🌺Interview with Yoshitoshi ABe: • Haibane Renmei (灰羽連盟) ...
🌺Article's about Haibane Renmei referred to in the video:
myanimelist.ne...
🌺Other fan theories: / spoilers_can_someone_e...
bjrevels.tripo...
hanagasaitayo....
🌺Original music by The Dark Somnium:
/ @somniummusic
• "Follow Me" Sad Piano ...
Something I’d like to point out. When the communicator asks Rakka about if she is a sinner and they talk about how if you recognize your sin then you are without sin but if you think you are without sin then you are a sinner and how that circular way of thinking about being a sinner makes you sinbound, at first glance it seems like just a philosophical thing being thrown in there for you and Rakka to think about but I think that probably is genuinely what being sinbound is.
People in deeply depressive states of mind may experience ruminating, which is when someone thinks about something negative and obsessively tries to deconstruct it and think of ways they could’ve avoided it, ways they could get out of it, and ultimately how they probably won’t be able to. Despite it being circular thinking that has no end they can’t help but keep themselves bound to that loop. The feathered that start to show black on their wings are sinbound and therefore I think those are the ones specifically who are experiencing mental illness and not necessarily others.
Maybe the feathered who find themselves there are simply people who died too soon (explaining why they are all young even to the point of some of them being children) and not having experienced fulfillment yet they cannot take the flight and move on. People who experience depressive types of mental illness have a harder time being able to achieve fulfillment and so they are sinbound. But just because you are sinbound or previously were or were born sinbound, it doesn’t mean you can’t move on and take the flight, it just might take a little longer
Also I feel the term sinbound perfectly encapsulates what it feels like to have a depressive type of mental illness, the amount of self loathing that you feel to solely refer to yourself as an entity of sin and the helplessness you feel to be bound to it. My only exposure to this show is me currently being 2 hours into this video and I’ve already cried multiple times and have claimed Rakka as a character I can identify with. One of the most important pieces of media to me that I haven’t watched
Wow thank you! You take is great and gives me more to think about (:
It is a beautiful anime and piece of media, i hope you enjoy/ enjoyed it!
I only watched like 2 episodes like 10 years ago and it just popped up again and I’m super happy there’s more than just 2 eps.
HR is a masterpiece, but a strange one in that while you’re watching it you’ll wonder what the point is and why you’re slogging through it, and by the time you get to the last episode you will be so moved and glad you stuck through it. Much like Lain, there’s really no other show like this and no way to adequately summarize it. You just need to experience it.
I agree. The whole experience is impossible to describe. And I know, I spent 3 and a half hours trying 😂 it makes me really happy seeing so many comments saying they're going to watch the show now
I love lain!
This series has such a special place in my heart. On one hand I hate that it doesn’t get talked about as much as other series. On the other I’m glad it doesn’t because it feels like this special little piece that you have to actively seek out or just stumble upon. It’s such a hidden gem to me. It’s definitely an experience and every time I revisit it I am moved by it even if I can’t articulate why. For anyone who is a fan of Ico or Shadow of the Colossus I feel like they would appreciate this series because the stories are told in a similar manner in the way that they don’t tell you all the answers. Also the music is down by the same composer and is just amazing.
Thanks for doing such a long and comprehensive analysis on one of my favorite titles!
Shadow of the Colossus is my favorite video game too! I never even thought of that 😀
As someone who watched this show for the big mystery of "what are the walls 🤯🤯 who are these people 🤯🤯" by the end I feel like I was left with another lesson, one about how the questions I ask arent the important ones. Of course I still would love to know what's beyond the walls of Glie but not knowing kind of enhances my enjoyment of the story.
This video is awesome! You put alot of time into it and it shows. I hope you make more videos like this!
i would like one on berserk
Hey it’s weird seeing you here I love your creepy pastas
I love Berserk
RIP miura
He said it folks! Your passion and care taken really shows in this!
This is the best analysis of Haibane Renmei. 3hrs long yet worth every minute. A true tribute to the work itself
Okay about the how afterlife is understood in different religion. Despite the whole angel motif, this work seems closest in resembling Buddhist beliefs. All living beings are subjected to life, death, and rebirth due to a karmic debt or energy that draws them back into the cycle of reincarnation. This is called the cycle of samsara.
Depending on one’s karma, one could be reborn as an insect, an animal, a human, and even a higher being to live out that karmic debt.
This would explain why humans and haibane are existing simultaneous in this world; this isn’t purgatory or some afterlife, it is simply just a realm of existence much like what we are living out as of right now.
To tie this all together, the circle of sin is akin to the cycle of samsara - a closed loop of suffering. Suffering in the sense that life is a minefield of traumatic experiences: being born is traumatic, dying is traumatic, emotional shock is traumatic, physical injury and aging is traumatic, etc etc. The root cause of this cycle is said to be ignorance, specifically the lack of seeing reality as it is, or in another sense, the lack of realizing one’s true nature.
You can see the exact same parallel with Haibane Renmei. The sinbound haibane find themselves in a difficult situation; they do not know why they came to be, the karmic debts of their past lives bearing fruit in their current lives, and their true nature/name. They are stuck in samsara, the cycle of suffering...the circle of sin
Hello everyone! I hope you enjoy my first anime deep dive/analysis video. Like I said in the video please let me know your thoughts about what I said, or if you have any theories of your own I would love to hear it!
I think redemption stories are something everyone can appreciate in some way, so its a very smart piece. Also do you have a paypal? I never donated to you for your service in my redhill series.
@@crypticwander421 I absolutely agree. I think it's one of the most relatable aspects you depict in a story
Oh thank you! I do have a paypal, if you would email me at romnexcontact@gmail.com we can discuss it there
Amazing work
One thing that shook me to the core was Reki’s reaction to Rakka’s recovery.
As you pointed out, even though she was feeling at ease by the thought of her friend overcoming some challenges of depression, deep down she felt spiritually naked, stranded, and alone. Not just because of her selfishness & inability to process and embrace the healing journey or her shame for confessing about the condition she faces.
Maybe, that course of action made her realize once more that her fight is getting more complicated as her limited time passes.
In plain words, her self-esteem, dreams, and hopes are getting one more layer of ice-cold walls/shows us that the rare moments of opening up about our MH problems are a pointless and harmful thing to do, never to be repeated.
*3 years later, and I’m so grateful to not be in that place anymore*
I always felt that the Haibane were suicides. The cocoon dreams are actually memories of their death. Reki’s finale finalized that idea for me. Christianity says that suicides are sent to Hell, but I always thought that’s merciful and loving Got wouldn’t allow that. He’d give them a second chance.
That's what I'm saying. Rakka's dream is litterly what is feels like to die. I suspect the bird is someone that loved her and tried their best to keep her alive
This opinion frequently pops up, and I generally disagree with it. The only two haibane that we know with certainty to be suicides are Reki and Rakka, and it's significant that they are the only two within the series to develop blackened wings. I'm of the view that it's only the haibane with blackened wings who are suicides, as the circumstances of their deaths would likely weigh heavier on their minds. The other haibane, I strongly suspect, are children who died prematurely. Glie is, in a sense, a limbo for children, a place where they could have a chance to live out at least part of their potential before going on to be reborn.
The Bible never said suicides are sent to hell. It's the interpretation of thou shall not murder, but if you want to be pedantic you interpret that as a vegetarian. It's misinformation to say Christianity says that.
@@crabb9966 Yeah, at a pretty early age I thought suicide sent you to hell, but I literally only thought that because of the game Dante’s Inferno. It’s pretty wild how easy misinformation spreads about Christianity and how most of the info I believe people get from it doesn’t even come from the Bible but just other “Bible Inspired” sources.
@@TECH-GOES-2-HECK yes, this suicide thing is strange because there is nothing that insinuates that in the Bible from what I have seen. Only God is the judge. It's interesting that suicide is rarely mentioned in the Bible
5:21 her dream really reminds me of what it was like overdosing, dying. I still believe she committed or something
I feel like cutting your wings is litterly self harm
Rekki's fear of abandonment really resonates with me
Great video. This anime has an incredibly special place in my heart. My theory is that normal haibane are people who died of non-natural causes and if they are sinbound it was suicide. I also theorize the communicator is a sinbound haibane whose time ran out and his wings and halo fell out because of the zoom in on him saying it's a lonely life. I think it's also why he feels so invested in Rakka and Reki. It adds a lot of depth to his character through this lens.
There are a lot of reviews of Haibane Renmei that are good but it's nice to have a longer, in-depth discussion/analysis/speculation/deep-dive video of it, it's obvious you put a lot of thought and care into it, and even though I've been theorizing for years about this show it was nice to hear more theories about it, especially about things like the Young Feathers
Thank you for making this!
Thank you! I'm so glad you liked it (:
By the way...the other person strongly affected by Kuu's leaving was _Kana._ Not as strongly as Reki, but her unusual display in episode six suggests to me that she is the one who wound Kuu's cocoon originally.
I believe that the ages of the Haibane, while not set in stone, also mean their Day of Flights also will or won't happen in relation to each other. There may be times that, even if a Haibane is ready, , she may be holding back because the others weren't ready to "take over". There has to be adequate people around to work and care for the Young Feathers. When it was just Kuramori and Nemu, Kuramori was the sole adult and she looked older than any other Haibane I've ever seen. Of course she couldn't go while Nemu was the sole other Older Feather. When Reki cam around, she waited two years until they were both older, before departing. Nemu might also be a case of this...she may not be around much longer herself, because Kana, Hikari, and Rakka are old enough now and taking on more responsibility around Old Home I really think Kuramori was able to hold back her Day of Flight, because the walls might allow that at times out of sheer necessity.
I’ve seen someone interpret the Communicator’s talk about the Haibane who never take their day of flight as a hint that those Haibane end up becoming the Toga.
Yes! I love that idea. I mean it's incredibly sad, but it makes sense.
thank you so much for this video. it allowed me to relive this masterpiece once again and cry in the end once again. the constant switch between the anime itself and your thoughts made the video so fulfilling, idk a proper word. ur analysis is very nice. also, this show gives me so much gender envy, it’s just so pure and gentle (sry for dumping)
Thank you so much!
for real though they got so much gender in this place !!!!
The Haibane are those who were unable to become who they were destined to be before they died. That is to say, the Haibane are specifically those who died before they became their true selves, not just anyone who commited suicide or was feeling emotionally unfulfilled in the end. The original lives of the Haibane were cut short before their souls could fully develop, and they were reborn in Glie to complete the gestation into their true selves, before moving on to whatever comes after.
As an analogy, think of a human life as a painting that represents a person and his or her experiences. The brush strokes that make up the person are the focus of the painting, and the strokes that comprise the background represent his or her experiences. If focus is only on the person, it could be considered complete no matter how much of the background is filled out or what it depicts, so long as the person is complete. Those who have portraits with largely unfilled backgrounds, backgrounds that contain that person's suicide, or backgrounds that illustrate a lack of emotional fulfilment could still be considered complete in their original rendition, as long as the complete person is painted. Thus, people with these kinds of portraits would not become Haibane. Now imagine if the artist ran out of canvas before a person's portrait could be completed, and thus repainted that person on a new canvas. The lives of the Haibane are these recompositions of people whose portraits were not completed on the first try.
@@CeramicDread360 beautiful analogy, I think you hit it right on the mark
This is just your theory
Easily one of the best anime I've ever seen. Wish it were more popular.
I also loved the dub. It has that early 2000s anime charm. It's ghibliesque while also having so many psychological horror aspects, it makes you feel so much.
No, dub is pretty abhorrent unfortunately
@whiteingale in ur opinion
I LOVED this show. Such a good mix of emotion, lore, and mystery!
You'll have to let me know if I do it justice!
I always thought the older girls were suicides while the young feathers were death by abuse or tragedy
Nice video! I had this up while I was at the gym these last 3 days and finally finished it. Haibane renmei is one of my favorite anime.
I have so many things to say, but for now, let me just say this:
So in the last episode, when Rakka tries to help Reki, Reki tells her those awful things, like that 'my kindness toward you was just for saving myself', that 'I was jealous of Ku', and so on and so forth. You rightfully described it as 'self-hate' and so, but on the other hand, actually, the scene is her long-waited honest moment with herself and her friend. It's true that it's not all the truth, but there is some truth in her words. Before, she just denied everything, like the fact that she's jealous of others. This moment of honestly was a pre-condition for the next scene when she asks Rakka to help her. In other words, this confession scene gets Rakka and Reki closer to each other, such that Rakka will be able to help Reki with her deepest and most difficult challenge.
Haibane children are very likely little ones that died before their personalities and sense of Self could be fully formed. Their time in Glie allows them to be fully fleshed out as individuals before they can go "on".
I love you for showing support for the deaf community (I’m deaf so that’s pretty cool)
Thank you! I hope to be able to go to a local college to take classes again soon! I took ASL 1-3 but then didn't use it enough. One day I hope to be fluent (:
@@RomNex good luck, it can be difficult at times but you’ll get the hang of it. I mean I’m deaf and can barely do it.
A beautiful commentary and analysis, you've given this show the attention and justice it so desperately deserves!
Thank you so much! I'm so glad you think so
I happened to remember haibane renmei from my childhood and found this video. While I don't recall why i feel such a profound emotion towards my memories, something about you sharing your views, moments and time in this essay really pulled at me. Thank you for this.
Your passion is palpable. We love you Rom. I could listen to you talk all day every day. Wouldn't matter if you were talking about dust.
Wow thank you!! One day if I release a video talking about my love of dust moats ill hold you to that 💚
@@RomNex 🤣🤣🤣 you won't have to girl.
Loved this analysis! Analysis videos are my favorite and it’s safe to say I really enjoyed your deep dive. If you want to, don’t be afraid to drop some more like this.
This was a lovely video, when I first watched the show It felt like I couldn’t fully click with it. Everything you talk about I could understand but I didn’t feel it. So having someone else do almost like a “lets play” of the show allowed me to feel the joy you have for the work and unlock a part of me that could feel the show too. I especially loved that you stopped to point out little things like jokes you found funny or a contrivance you notice. It really helped demystify the work and not get too serious about it, and in a way feel more real. Either way this was an incredible video and thank you for allowing me to love another story.
I'm so glad you enjoyed! Especially with serious shows like this I think its fun to make sure to keep the funny stuff in mind 😄
Thank you so much for creating this complete and extensive analysis of each episode. I have been a big fan of this show since 2006. It is the only anime I'll ever watch because it is the greatest ever created. While I don't agree with some of the religious ideas presented by the communicator, I believe this world is like an intermediate spirit world for kids who died in their human lives. Progressing towards perfection is their purpose, but having no memories of their previous life is hard for them to achieve this. Perhaps their deaths are in some way their own fault and this loss of memory is a sort of punishment.
I especially found this series heart wrenching after my brother died. If someone close to you dies and you don't understand, you can spiral out of control into depression, and then self harm. You want that person back so much that you want to be with them and consider going where they are. I'm glad Reki understood her ordeal and could help her out. Without people around you to help you out, you couldn't become your best self. In "The Bird" the scene where Rakka cries and desires not to exist at all, is too painful to watch. I would be lying if I never felt this way before, but I know suicide is wrong and is what probably got at least one of these girls into this world in the first place. I think when she falls into the well is probably something similar that happened to her in her human life. I believe she died a second time and then was reborn again a second time. Being born again is what is taught by Jesus Christ in the bible. That secondary dream, like her cocoon dream is so beautiful and sad. As for the bird forgiving her, that feels all too familiar too.
This is a really great video, painstakingly made and cared for, solid audio, visuals, and attention for even the smallest details of the show.. It's a real labour of love, and it's brilliant to see!!!
I think with the frog scene, it also symbolises how Rakka feels out of place, out of touch with the group, like its shown earlier. The others all seem to have let go and moved on, but Rakka's hurt persists, it distances, others her in her mind. She's been knocked out of her position in the group, she's on her back, vulnerable.
Haibane Renmei hits a special place in my heart. I picked it up on DVD quite some time ago in a WalMart of all places and I think it healed something in me. Just a little bit, as it was right when I was going through some of the toughest things I'd ever faced at that moment.
Being able to lean on others and in turn help them is a fulfilling part of human life we often overlook. No matter why the Haibane are born, what's important is how they live their lives now. I think that's why they forget - that burden can be far too heavy to carry. We don't get things so easily here, but it seems haibane are the people who - for whatever reason - needed that burden lifted the most.
I didn’t have the chance to watch a video essay this well structured and profound in a long time. You definitely know your craft, @RomNex!
Such a calming & inspiring voice, a down to earth, yet super creative and pensive artist! I generally love your narrations, but this magical analysis convinced me to hit the bell on your channel 🔔
Thank you for making this community feel so much richer!💌
Wow that means a lot to me! Thank you so much ☺️
This is such an underrated view on this anime; the way you articulate your thoughts without hurting anyone and or excluding other peoples' perception of how they themselves see this piece of media is fantastic. I love your thoughts on this too! Deserves way more support than its gotten, keep up the good work!! :DD
Thank you so much! That was my ultimate goal especially with this anime having so much religious symbolism! So glad it hit the way I intended (:
It’s a good thing that you’re finally doing the stuff that you liked making,I can’t wait for more of this.
Thank you so much 🥰
Well damn... her crying at the windmill.... oh lord that is accurate....
You put as much heart and soul into your analysis of this masterful anime as the creator of the anime put into creating it. After watching (and sometimes bitterly crying over) your video I am now going to hunt down a copy so I can watch the original anime myself. Thank you for not only introducing me to this gem but also for your thoughtful and insightful analysis. I am curious to see what my own takeaway will be after watching it myself. Again thank you. ❤
Wow I am so flattered to hear I could affect you like that! I am so happy you are going to watch it yourself 😄
I watched this so long ago and had to watch it again after your analysis! Thank you for reminding me of this sweet story. You did a great job with research and really taking a deep look at the lore and mystery. I always thought that the Haibane were children who had died in some way and weren't quite ready for the step of reincarnation. The little feathers were stillborn babies, died in infancy from disease or another (not so nice way). They have no expectations of life, so they need to grow more until they are ready to take a new life. There is a belief that we choose to reincarnate, or not, after death, due to what we want to learn and how we want to grow in the next life. Also, there are people around us who we are always drawn to, even if we have no memory of them from before.
I always thought that their life in Old Town was a time to learn, to prepare themselves. When they are ready, either mentally or spiritually, they can take their flight. Raka needed to learn her importance to other people. Reki needs to learn that people do not abandon her just because they are leaving--and that she did need help from others. Kana needed to learn that she can be fulfilled, allowing others into her life to help fill that cup.
I don't think that all of the Haibane were kids who committed suicide. Some obviously did, either intentionally or accidentally. But I do think they are all kids who have died.
I'm so glad you enjoyed! Thank you (: I like your take a lot too, since making this video and seeing more comments I think I'm leaning more into the whole suicide thing too
"If im to disappear without accomplishing anything, then whats the point of my existence"
How dare you verbalize my greatest fear
Without affecting others in the world.
I noticed this - the halo given to each Haibane was made of the gold leaves harvested on name plates between the Wall, this may be a form of blessings from Haibanes that taken flight. Another is that the shape of the Wall reflects the shape of halo above the Haibanes.
I love that insight! I never noticed this
I absolutely love haibane renmei. After like 10 years of anohana being my favorite anime i found this gem and it was dethroned.
Gosh! you've put so much effort into this and I enjoyed every second of the video.
You deserve so much more praise for covering one of my favorite anime of all time.
I hope to see more of your videos in the future. ❤️
Thank you so much! I'm so happy you enjoyed (:
Thank you. This sneak peak into your mind, is beautiful.
Thank you so much (:
Thank you very much for sharing this! That was a beautifully made and heartfelt.
i finally finished this show-- i first made it to ep 9 of the sub, but i found it too slow to power through. but i was still intrigued by the themes of the show and ended up rewatching the whole thing in dub. i kinda wish i just watched your video instead now lmao, this is so thorough it's like a third time watching it. my favorite thing about this show is how realistic it feels despite it's fantasical premise. yes it's understated, but there are also moments where i'm just like omg melodramatic--because the characters are mentally ill teens. reki's character arc alone made this show worth finishing, to see such an accurate portrayal of a traumatized young woman find peace.
here's what i think of the world, nothing groundbreaking but: it's not meant to be 100% logical or plot hole proof. the haibane are children that died without knowing true peace, love or happiness. the town is set up so they can experience these things before moving on to death.
i'm an atheist so i can't really connect to the religious parallels. but it really reminds me of my time at a long term residential therapy program for teen girls. we were removed from society and put into an artificially made loving, nurturing environment. but we were treated as second class citizens so we wouldn't be too comfortable and not find motivation to graduate the program. the relational therapy model focused on us connecting with other patients and guides in order to find contentment within ourselves. kind of like kuu and reki's arcs. people graduated and left (probably never to be seen by us again) at their own paces, causing loads of mixed reactions. i mean we even lived in a house together, and had emphasis put on working not for the money but the community and mind. so many nemu-remi and rakka-remi type relationships there too.
in real life practice these programs are not as effective or sunshiney as haibane renmei's rendition. i see both those programs and this anime as a jumping off point. since i do not believe in the afterlife, i see haibane renmei's message as motivation to live a life so complete that i'd feel as content as kuu when i die. and to try my best to help the people i love achieve this as well. because for me, there are no second chances.
anywho i think it's a show about healing and it's complications and how it's different for everyone. i really like your theories about the touga and rep. two things that are unresolved in my mind: i don't get why being unhappy is called "sinbound", and i don't like it either tbh--the idea that depression is a sin or moral failing. two, kuu's departure felt so similar to a suicide. and i mean it kind of was. but i don't know what to make of it's commentary on irl suicide or it even has one.
sorry for the literal mini essay of a comment, the vid being 3.5 hours gave me an excuse to put more into my comment to match the vid!
I really enjoyed reading your comment, you helped me see it all in a different light thanks to sharing your experience. Thank you!
Thank you for making this video so much. I’m a content creator as well, so I know how hard it is to put quality content out there but even though the show is not so well known, you have made something that truly lives forever.
Wow thank you! This video was a real passion project for me so I am so happy to see you say that
Oh wow, I'm so glad I found this - I was genuinely considering doing a deep dive on this anime, and I'm very, very glad to find someone has already beaten me to the punch with such a well-considered and well-crafted video.
I'm just beginning it but I can tell just how much work you put into this - thank you, so much, for creating this
Just saw this on reddit and it's great that people are watching and talking about this show because despite being critically acclaimed this anime is very under popular
I agree, I hope my video can help bring more attention to it
One of my favorite shows in existence, so stoked to see you talking about it!
I watched this series shortly after it came out and I don't know any other anime or even any piece of media that's embedded itself into my psyche more than Haibane Renmei. Its pace is pretty slow and deliberate, the animation pretty standard, but I feel it completely nailed exactly what it set out to do. The first time I watched it, I was obsessed with it for years and I'm currently rewatching it like 20 years later and am reminded why I loved it so much.
I just repurchased this show on BluRay from Amazon after watching this. I had some on VHS, then repurchased it on DVD about 15+ years ago, wore out one of the DVDs, and now just repurchased it on Bluray.
Trully awesome anime, im impresed to see not only yt recomending me a videos about this in 2021, but the video being bassically new… wow. Nice to see people are still watching this anime
So many of the older ones, specifically 90s-early 00s, are just so amazing.
man, i decided to rewatch this show since i felt like I didn't appreciate it properly as a young teen. and I was right. rewatching this show made me fall in love with it.
and then because it took me so long to rewatch it, I got this sweet video. lucky!
I'm gonna share some thoughts since you kinda asked for it at the end:
I'm kind of surprised that more people haven't interpreted haibane as a purely religious (spiritual) structure.
the rule being: if you die before meeting some nebulous "spiritual fulfillment" criteria, you become a haibane.
suicice automatically disqualifies you, perhaps obviously.
but so does just being super young.
once you reach that "enlightenment" you get a pass to the afterlife "for real".
it's not too far from your own interpretation, though I see it as more constructed.
idk if the communicator was formerly a haibane.
it makes more sense to me that he's a descendent of the institution that built the walls and created The Haibane System so to speak.
(the idea being that Glie was constructed to catch the spirits that otherwise couldn't make it to the afterlife)
that said, a lot of my supporting evidence is circumstantial at best, but I do enjoy how the show has that much room for interpretation.
---
and a less developed thought, sharing something that you missed: each haibane has a true name, with an associated plaque in the wall, if I remember correctly. That has some strange implications. reincarnation?
A lot of great insight here! I think the show can definitely be taken as more religious but I go off mostly what the creator of the show said in that regard and he stated apprently this story is not "inhetently religious". Also since I'm not religious it didn't feel natural to look at tit that was aside from the basic symbolism. I have seen a lot of really good arguments for the religious parts I didn't include though! Especially on reddit. That place is as always a gold mine for is into these niche topics. I think the plaques on the wall didn't have much else to do with other than the haibane communicator deciding to give them more evidence to help them get to whatever state of mind they need to move on. Like Reki who was unable to do anything about her predicament, to move on, or resolve, without seeing her true name was 'To be torn asunder' (i can't remember the exact phrasing). It helped her remember details she couslnt before and she was finally able to face her demons. I think these names are who they truly are, have implications to how they died maybe like Reki getting hit by a train possibly. But i don't know about reincarnation and how that would fit, if you do I'd like to hear your ideas about it
@@RomNex my read on ABe's statement is that the show doesn't allude to any specific existing religion.
as for the plaques... thinking about it, I see them as part of the magic (enchantment?) that brings haibane into the town in the first place.
this comes with the interpretation that the town was constructed specifically for haibane, which goes something like this:
someone noticed that the afterlife (reincarnation or otherwise) is only available if you reach some sort of "spiritual enlightenment" before you die.
and seeing that hole in the system, they decided to build a town to catch and raise the spirits that otherwise wouldn't make it.
(it can't just be a town of haibane. after all, it takes a villiage to raise one child)
there's a million branching interpretations that you could take from here though...
my guess is that each nameplate is a magical artifact that captures a *type* of spirit.
though this has weird implications since it seems like your fate is determined by wordplay.
apparently people with that become "involved nuts" just so happen to have dreams that give them the name Rakka?
maybe another Reki will join the town with a dream about uhh... almanacs. (暦)
to later become another Reki (small stone 礫)?
yeah idk, lol
See this is why the video was so easy to make! You can go on and on with the little details forever. I only wish more anime were like this for me
@@RomNex it's a lovely case of "less is more".
a nice contrast with some anime I've seen that explained too much and accidentally built stupid worlds, lol
i gotta thank you
i started watching the first few episodes but i wasn't patient enough to stick through the slice of life moments to find out what the story was truly about, your 3hour long recap was perfect for that, truly an amazing video...
A three hour vid about my favorite anime? Hell yea
Just finished the show yesterday, and as always I searched youtube to get other people's insight. Love finding long video essays about the shows I enjoyed, and I'm ecstatic to see a video that's over half the runtime of the show it's talking about. Too often it seems like people abridge their opinions and analyses to meet some arbitrary time constraint. It's such a good show, absolutely worth hours of insight. 100% agreed on the dub. There's something about the subdued and understated performances that really sells them as actual people, not actors playing characters.
7:05: "I have never encountered a show that keeps me guessing so long into it, and for so long after it."
I would love to hear your insight on From The New World. It's the only other show I've seen that's kept me developing my opinions and coming to realizations for months afterward.
1:23:50 This is both literally and metaphorically self-harm. It's fascinating how the show is able to convince the viewer that, while it's obviously not the right thing to do, and it may not be relatable to most viewers, Rakka's actions are _understandable_ in a way that real life SH generally isn't to people who don't "get it."
2:11:38 I feel it's also important to note the difference between their mentor figure finding them cutting their feathers-Kuramori slaps young Reki, punishing her for her self-harm, instilling the idea that she's wrong for feeling those emotions. Kuramori can't sympathize with young Reki. She doesn't "get it."
But Reki _embraces_ Rakka, letting her know that her feelings are valid, and that although she shouldn't be hurting herself, she isn't _wrong_ for the emotions she feels. Reki _gets it._
2:16:25 "Then are you saying I'm a burden on her?"
I'm not a psychologist and have no data or research to back this up, but it seems like a common sentiment among people with depression: that other people caring about you is burdensome on them. In reality it's a gift. How wonderful it is to have someone you care about.
2:38:08 When I saw this, I had to check the original japanese version to see if her voice somehow synced with the camera angles... it super doesn't, it's basically identical
3:00:00 This show does such a good job displaying complex emotions and helping the viewer sympathize with the characters. You shouldn't be jealous of your friends' happiness, but you can't help how you feel, and it _fucking sucks_ to be aware that your feelings are inherently wrong. You shouldn't judge yourself for your emotions, but the human brain is an asshole that'll do it anyway.
"And I hate myself for it" is the rawest voice acting I've ever heard. The understated and subdued performances up to this point make this line hit so damn hard.
3:16:25 The haibane children gave me pause too, but there seem to be relatively few of them compared to the teenagers. I don't know what the suicide rate of children under 10 is, and I'm not interested in finding out just to support a theory about an anime that's old enough to drink at this point.
The real issue with the suicide theory is that we don't see a lot of (or any?) clearly adult haibane. It also doesn't explain the Toga, or the humans, or the Communicator. There are ad-hoc explanations you could make up: perhaps suicide victims are reborn as haibane younger than they were when they died. I don't like making stuff up though. I'm personally happy undertanding that the haibane are clearly humans who lived unfulfilling lives, who died and were reborn in Glie.
My theory for what lies outside the wall is simply that it symbolizes death. It doesnt matter what it is in-universe. What matters is that we, the _viewer,_ can't know.
@RomNex this was a hell of a composition, "well done" is really all I have to add. Your thoughtfulness, qualifying commentary, silliness, and obviously genuine connection to the source material made this 3 1/2 piece more enjoyable than I think I would have found a cold-watching of the show on it's own! So, well done!
Thank you! And of course, thank you for your insight on the script (:
@@RomNex hey for what I did get to, you're most welcome!
What a wonderfully done and in depth video! Haibane Renmei has been one of my favorite shows since I was in high school and struck a deep chord with me. I went to go get a tattoo from it yesterday and wanted to put something on to get me in the right mood and found your video. It was a lovely prep for it and I loved your analysis of it all ~
A tattoo, that's so cool! I'm so glad you enjoyed (:
There is definitely more going on with the crows than the connection with the well.
The charcoal wings are supposed to live off what isn't wanted by people. Like a crow.
Like in some mythology crows are (don't quote me) watchers of death, or something like that.
Maybe flight day means they turn into crows so they can leave the wall, or travel between words to help those in need.
Like in the well, she finds the bones of the crow she once knew.
Cycle only there to help her find herself?
I haven't watched the show, but will when I can find it.
There are also a lot of elemental factors involved that weren't discussed.
I should watch it now and stop blabbering.
Great analysis. It has me thinking and interested!!!
I'm almost 2 hours in and what a wonderful video essay my dude. So personal and perfect. Thank you
Wow thank you so much, this was such a passion project and I hope I can make more in the future
i usually listen to you or dark somnium while walking and didn't know you made content like this too! I definitely will be watching this show and come back to watch the rest of this video! ❤
my theroy on causes of death of haibanes:
rakka: jumping down from high places
kana: drown in water
nemu: poisoned by CO gas
hikari: didn't survive during medical operation
reki: crushed by train
Ooo these are all great theories especially Nemu I had never even considered that
Thank you so much for this video! I identity with this anime so deeply and it has been my favorite ever since I watched it
I'm so glad you enjoyed (:
This is such an incredible video and I have wanted to see such a deep dive on this show for so long I am so glad I was recommended this video 😇
I'm so glad I got sent here, subscribed. Thank you for making this.
The communicator states that their halos are made from the light leaves found on the name tags in the wall. The light leaves look to me to be reminants of the light let out when a Haibane takes their day of flight, that are possibly absorbed and captured by the wall. I think they are echoes of the fulfillment, good will, and personality of past Haibane. This would explain the ghost like echoes of laughter Rakka hears in the wall, as I also agree "the wall projects what you want to hear" was more of a placation than a truth. I think this would also explain the glow and voices/singing from the wall after the year end festival.
Perhaps then the halos are meant to help ground/comfort the new Haibane being composed of the light of those who have passed peacefully and found their salvation. Maybe that's why they seemingly adapt rather quickly to being in a strange place with no memories.
I really really enjoyed this video !!! :)
Thank you so much!!
It's been probably 18 years since I had first watched this. I ran across it not long after the passing of a good friend and it was a very cathartic watch.
I didn't know if I'd make it through your video in one sitting, but I absolutely did. What a love letter you have crafted to a wonderful series that had slipped from my mind. This really is an achievement. You should be very proud of your work.
Thank you so very much for taking me back to what feels like a lifetime ago and doing such a great job covering this really fantastic piece of media. It made me remember just how much it helped me during a difficult time.
I'm so glad to see my video could touch you in that way. This right here is why I decided to make it. Thank you
@@RomNex you really did a hell of a job. I know it had to be a real nightmare of a project, but you really need to know how fantastic you did. It really is on that legendary tier of long form deep dives. You should be really proud of this no matter how many views it ends up with. Not everyone will watch an almost 3 1/2 hour video on a 20 year old non-action oriented anime, but they 100% should as your care with the subject matter really shows how much you value the original work. I really can't say thanks enough. This was an absolute gift.
Wow by I've been waiting for it and here it is and wow it's as long as you said it is going to b great
Whoa, this isn't the video I was expecting to see from you but absolutely one I'm interested in! I think I'll leave my own fan theories until I've seen your full video, but I do have a key bit of information from the Japanese side of the ABe fanbase that I'm interested to see if you end up covering.
Ooo! I am very excited to see that as well. Hearing little bits and pieces from other fans like that is what I really was hoping for!
@@RomNex Just gotten around to finishing the video, and I loved it. As for the info I mentioned, I remember asking a Japanese fan of ABe's about his work and getting the very simple, but fascinating reply: "Mind. Body. Soul." as in, mind being Serial Experiments Lain, body being Texholyze and soul being Haibane Renmei. I've seen a few mentions of this since then and for me it adds a whole new layer of complexity to these already complex series. You could also substitute in: ID, Ego and Super Ego.
You've probably also heard mention of the obvious parallels in this series to Murakami's Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World? If you haven't it's worth looking into, and also reading that book. It's like Johnny Mnemonic meets Haibane Renmei with a dose of magic realism. Make of that what you will!
As for ABe and the team, they have been working on a fourth anime together, which visually and thematically seems like a mix of all of them. Sadly though, the director fell into a long illness which halted the project, and passed away in 2013. However, I just looked up the project again and there's some wonderful news: as of March this year, according to the writer, Chiaki J. Konaka, work is 80% funded and show is mostly complete! Now that's something to look forward to! Apparently they have been working on this anime now for 18 years.
Very interesting, I know I have to check out that Murakami series and especially if it has a book I always love that. I had not ever even heard of that before now so thanks for the recommendation! I'm so glad you enjoyed (:
Oh, and I completely forgot to mention: if you'd like a deeper dive into Texhnolyze I'd highly recommend UA-camr BadRespawn's series of videos on the show.
Thanks, I haven't actually watched it all the way through but I plan too soon so I'll check those out too 😊 you're just full of useful information about anime hit me up on discord or email if you ever want to infodump out about anime
Thank you a lot for this video. I watched it a few months back, but leaving the comment only now. It gave me a lot of things to think about, new points of context for the show, that i can now notice and appreciate on inevitable HR re-watches
Really cool to see that this long deep dive into HR i clicked on came from a channel ive followed for years. Great surprise, several years later.
Great job ROM. This definitely looks like it took alot of work. I like it very much.
I never really got into this show but after all these years I'll definitely check it out when I get the time. Thanks for the recommendation Rom. 👍
Heyyy.... I remember you from Somnium vids. I always loved your voice so much in those videos!!!
Thank you! 😄
on my next watch through i want to see how many and when crows appear in the show and when. there are different folk and superstitious meanings to sightings of crows and how many appear, i wouldnt be surprised if a show with this amount of depth and symbolism included something like that.
i love you for your dedication & attention to detail 💐✨
Such a beautiful analysis of my favourite Anime. Thank you ❤
This is an amazing analysis - Thank you !
beautiful commentary. I am an atheist but I am moved this show, probably my favorite show, We all seek salvation in some form.
To me it seemed pretty obvious, the town is a place where children go who died prematurely. They stay there till they grow enough to move on to whatever comes after. For some it just means maturing, for others, those who are sin bound, they have an additional hurdle to overcome. I also don't think Nemu was a case of self harm but likely just someone who was really frail and sickly and slept a lot as a result. Otherwise, I think she would have had black wings due to dying with such a sin. The Touga are likely past haibane that didn't move on. For me the unanswered questions are where the humans come from and why are all the rules in place. Why can they only have hand me downs, work in the oldest business and whatnot. That said, those questions also don't seem very important. That was a fantastic anime. Very hard to watch though. I cried several times throughout and teared up a few times watching this. It is especially tough seeing that Reki feels like a mirror of the past 10-15 years of my life.
Since I got to your final question now.. I am a naturalist.. We are all biological life forms no different than any other. We simply took a different evolutionary path. I see no reason to believe there is anything after we die. Certainty no all powerful, all knowing, all good deity. In the world we live in, that is simply an impossible contradiction. My best advice is to make the most of the life and time you have. Spend time with your loved ones and form new connections and bonds. Don't waste a second of your time with religion. Once you have broken free of the shackles of religion, you begin to realize that the beliefs held within religion treats those who fall outside the religious construct horribly and often for factors outside their control. I don't believe in evil, at least not in the way religion treats evil like a counter force to good, but if I were to give my own definition of evil, I'd define it as corrupted or twisted morals. The belief that something that is blatantly wrong is in fact good. Something like torturing someone for all eternity in the worse ways imaginable for a few mistakes they made in life, or a person who thinks such a thing is "good" or "just". I don't want to get too deeply into the religion stuff. I know I have already said enough to trigger a lot of backlash if the wrong people read it and I could rant about it for hours so best I drop that topic.
Oh this is unexpected 😳 Glad you have no problem showing your other interests here .🥰
This was a wonderful analysis thank you for putting in all this hardwork! Also your voice sounds like it comes right out of the anime itself lol!
Thank you so much!!
Holy shit this is amazing.
Thank you for putting the amount of effort you did, this is so well done.
I think the dreams are how they died. I think the show deals with mental health issues and dealing with hard emotions and issues. This was an interesting video, not only about a show I had never heard of before, but also an insight into your thinking and beliefs.
I love your voice. Watching this makes me so sad you don't believe the way I do because things you touched upon, I've been there, and my belief is what has gotten me through. I don't say I have a religion, to me it is a relationship with God Jesus. Seeing how you deep dived into this makes me amazed you haven't looked into faith, looking for answers. I don't know, maybe you have. This video shows me how smart you are, how emotional (I mean that in a good way), and insightful you are about things you are passionate about. I deal with mental illness so that might be why I say so many themes of it in the show. I haven't seen it but from what you showed I think I might like it. I really like the artwork of the show. I also like the voices and that it isn't over the top like you pointed out. The one thing is why are there normal people there? It kind of throws the whole thing off. Are they really regular people or perhaps another entity designed to appear to be human to help the gray feathers be able to move on? Also you said the halos don't do anything but are more just for aesthetics but they blink when it is getting time for them to take their flight, so maybe that is the purpose, to signal that they are leaving soon. I don't know. Just some thoughts I had. I didn't plan on watching this video in one time but I did and I haven't slept yet so sorry if I sound rambly lol. Thank you for this video, I know you worked hard on it.
I appreciate your insight! Thank you for your kind words, I was hoping my analysis would come off as intelligent and not just too opinionated so im really relieved to see you say that. I have never truly been able to buy into any one religion. I was raised around Jehovas Witnesses for awhile, and then later on my own tried to see if the Baptist church was for me. Something always never clicked. All I know is I believe one day in some form I will be able to experience being with my brother and other dead loved ones again. And that makes me happy (:
I think you're right about the halos though, I think its likely their only purpose could be to show when the haibane are going to move on, sort of just like an early warning system!
That's a smart point... Rakka falling, Reki met with a train, though I wonder what of Kuu... Pretty sure what's his name ... Hyouku ... died playing with fireworks though.
Abe must have been at a very bad place himself given how much the cutting her feathers, really looks like selfharm. So whatever th rest, its about healing and a community to heal, and i think the laving can not only hurt because people die, but also just people laving. People dont have to die to leave. Maybe people ther ehave tomove on once they resolved everything they wanted for , whoever they go.
Of course it toodeals with dead loved ones but also any other leaving and moving on eventually.
Whatever it is, it definitly deals with mental health, healing and the hard place that is inbetween , safe but also a priison, supportive but also hard .
Maybe its a place where good people are taught to deal with their own isses and or grow to become angel or something.
Ha the exboyfriend ha. , and the comunicator both tempting rakka in a position where she can explore her curiosity and get reki to confront her feelings by angering her. Even giving rakka a letter to trigger her to express her nightmare to give her a chance to recognize it. And Rakki being stubbern enough toget tto her. The communicator is probbly just knowing people very well.
Read chilren ogf the whale, its similar in exploring innocentce , it getting dark and symbopluic and it has clear magic, but also , just reminds me of the weirdness and themes. If explained more.
Cry.
the toga. when haibane fails to take "flight".. is it really such a "worse" alternative? especially since they get access to the "outside world" and still occasionally visit the walled town.
i wonder if there ever was a haibane who was like : i'm gonna skip all the "day of flight" stuff.. i'm going to join the toga.
Hey you know I never thought of it that way. It doesn't seem so bad right?
Maybe they know things but were unable to move on, and who knows how the outside world is, i mean the city seems like a paradisew and it would hurt a lot to be only allowed ther conditially and not talk to the community. The sign language might be a way around not being allowed to communicate.
And maybre they know what could happen after the flight and the regret, is that bad, with mostly cut off of the town. I mean its livable, but after the flight must something great to move on and the habane know something and, help.
But it might be really be a roundabound about communication being banned and ex haibane having limits placed on them, the haibane renmei might just found loopholes to make it possible to help and aid to help people overcome that, and be less cut off?! And they were lonely driven , and having known paradise. It might be a community that is kinda origfinally, had it worse helped each other and that why they do that.
Plus i think what happened possibly tto reki, might be the worst outcome, worse than that
I watch the series after your video and I am forever thankfull that u introduce the show to me.
It was worth the 3 n a half hr of watch and I felt validated that I'm not the only 1 who thought of hyouka that way (there's just so many things done wrong).
I'm so glad you liked it! Thank you so much
@24:33 I rewatched this several times. And I'm pretty sure she sitting on the floor. I originally watched this in 2007 and just recently rewatched it. Had forgotten almost everything other than I liked it. Still like it now and am now watching a video about it that is almost as long as the entire show! :D
I watched it in german and I realize there's quite a bunch of differences in the translation. In german they didn't translate Haibane wheras here they seem to say charcoal-feathers instead all the time. Another thing I realized is that in english Rakka refers to Reki running away with that guy from the factory as "cool" whereas in german she said "romantic".
@1:25:00 I don't think she wanted to harm herself with the scissors but instead wanted to play it off or hide it out of embarassment.
That's really cool, I love the bits of information about watching it in German! It's so interesting how differently the translations can make the context feel
@@RomNex When she met him he also didn't tell her to quit smoking in german. But I don't remember what he said instead. The quit-smoking part came later... when she then actually listened.
I think this also can drastically impact the perception of that scene.
Omg I'm actually gonna watch the anime first and then come back to this video so I can enjoy it more
This was amazing. It's the first deep dive video that I watched and then decided to go back and watch the whole anime afterwards to get my own thoughts of it aswell, and I gotta say, I think you nailed it on this one.
You can definitely tell this was a passion project, and a damn good one in my opinion. I love this type of deep analysis, especially when so much of a series is not directly said. If you hadn't have made this, I most likely would have never seen Haibane Renmei. It's easy to gloss over and with Funimation's shitty quality uploads of it, most might not give it the attention it deserves.
So before I ramble on into infinity, Amazing video, and i can't wait to see what you have on the horizon next.
Awesome. :)
Amazing job RomNex! 😊💛 From this work and deep analysis, it really shows that it’s one of your favorites! I think that’s the great thing about creating content you care about! 😊
Thank you so much! And of course thank you for all your hard work with help editing it for me (:
@@RomNex I’m here to help anytime you need me! :)
There are a significant number of children who commit suicide, but still it’s an imperfect explanation
I love it!! Do more of these pleaaase
Hey Rom good to hear from you
Had to stop part way as I'd like to watch some of the anime first.. but I can applaud your production value and thoroughness right now 👏👍
I can't wait to see what you think once you watch it for yourself! 😄
@@RomNex Wanted to get to this much sooner but unexpected health issues, ya know? I mentioned angiogram in another comment but that's just the start to clear me for the real horror show in cpl months lol... I've just had the most random shitty health luck recently so guess I'm kinda morbid atm but I do want to finish this soon!
Coincidentally I snapped a pic of a Studio Ghbli festival sign at a movie theater in Vegas because it reminded me of a certain narrator I respect. If you're really curious to see it I could post it on insta or email.. just lmk
* sry if I'm rambling.. I've been smoking to deal with the stress and my friend's stuff made me chatty for some reason ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@@jackdare oh I understand! Unexpected health issues are the worst. I hope they clear up soon I hate to hear your sick ):
This is amazing! Keep it up :)
Thank you so much!
Excellent anime, great selection. BoogiePop phantom next?
Oooo that is a great suggestion
you have a very beautiful voice (the video is also great i gueeess🙄)
Thank you 😄
How is the 4 days I don’t check this chanel somehow the same 4 days after this masterpiece was uploaded