is a 2002 Japanese anime television series based on an unfinished dōjinshi manga series by Yoshitoshi Abe, . The 13-episode series was directed by Tomokazu Tokoro, animated by Radix, and produced by Yasuyuki Ueda. The soundtrack was composed by Kow Otani. It first aired on Fuji TV between October and December 2002.
The series follows Rakka, a newly hatched haibane (a being resembling an angel), as she navigates her new life in the city of Glie, a walled town with a single gate through which only a mysterious group, the Toga, are allowed to enter or exit.
Abe had previously worked with Ueda as the character designer for Serial Experiments Lain, which Ueda had co-produced and created. Ueda approached Abe with an offer to make The Haibane of Old Home into an anime; Abe agreed and wrote the screenplay for the anime, continuing the story that was outlined in the two-chapter dōjinshi. The story has been noted for its ambiguity and introspective nature, applying a range of spiritual symbols to convey themes of sin and redemption. Its setting and focus on lost memories have been compared to surrealist stories by Haruki Murakami, with Abe citing Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World as a specific influence.
Seen as a cult classic, Haibane Renmei has received positive critical reception, with specific praise for its orchestral soundtrack, atmosphere, and restrained color scheme. Assessments on its visuals have varied over time; initial reviews commended its dreamlike style, while later ones critiqued the lack of quality control and flatness of the art. It has been released on physical media several times. Originally licensed by Pioneer Entertainment (which was later acquired to form NBC Universal Entertainment Japan), the first English dub of the anime was released as four DVD volumes from 2003 to 2005. Its license is held by Crunchyroll in North America, MVM in Europe, and Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in Australia. In July 2010, a six-disc HD remastered Blu-ray version was released in Japan.
Plot
A girl dreams of gently falling through the sky before waking up inside a giant cocoon. Upon breaking out, she is tended to by a group of winged and haloed young women who introduce themselves as haibane. Like her, none of them can remember anything before being born from cocoons, and many are named after an aspect of their dream. They name her , and ceremoniously strap a newly forged halo to her head. During the night, Rakka goes through the agonising process of growing wings, while Reki, a senior haibane, cares for her.
Rakka is introduced to Old Home, an abandoned boarding school that, along with the Abandoned Factory, serve as "nests" of the haibane. While visiting the human-populated town at the center of Glie, Rakka witnesses the Toga, a group of traders who are the only ones allowed to pass through the walls that surround the town. A masked figure known as the Communicator serves as the liaison between the town and the Toga. The next day, Rakka meets the Communicator at a temple, who explains that Rakka's livelihood is guaranteed by an organization called the Haibane Renmei, but she must also find work in return.
Working alongside other haibane at a bakery, clock tower, and library, Rakka grows closer to the residents of Glie, but considers herself undeserving of their kindness. Soon after, she receives a solemn goodbye from Kuu, one of the younger haibane; Kuu goes on to disappear during the night, leaving behind a grey halo in the Western Woods. Reki tells Rakka that Kuu may have taken her Day of Flight, in which a haibane is said to have gone beyond the walls. Rakka refuses to believe that Kuu is gone, and begins to develop black blemishes on her wings. She uses scissors to cut off her black feathers, but is caught by Reki, who gives her medicine to hide the blemishes and reveals that her own wings had black feathers from the day she hatched. Reki sees herself as permanently "sin-bound", but says that Rakka's blemishes were a fluke.
Rakka remains despondent, and finds more black spots after running away from a human who tries to touch her wings. She flees the central town, and follows a crow to a well in the Western Woods. After falling down, she finds the bones of another crow, and buries it, feeling that the crow was a protector in her past life. She remains trapped in the well until a group of Toga rescues her. Rakka follows the Toga, and the Communicator finds her after she touches the wall. After she returns to Old Home, Rakka is instructed by the Communicator to work inside the wall and collect light for future halos.
Determined to support Reki, Rakka learns from the Communicator that Reki blames herself for a failed attempt to climb the walls that nearly killed Hyōko, her friend from the Abandoned Factory. The Communicator gives Rakka a small tablet containing Reki's true name, which Rakka delivers after the New Year festival. The name causes Reki to remember her own dream, in which she stood in front of a moving train and was struck by it. After rejecting Rakka's offer to help, Reki is nearly run over by an apparition of the train, but asks to be saved at the last moment. Rakka saves Reki from the train, causing the name on the tablet to return to . Reki goes on to have her Day of Flight, and two new cocoons emerge in Old Home.
Characters
thumb|The senior residents of Old Home in the anime. Clockwise from top left: Hikari, Nemu, Kuu, Kana, Reki (middle).
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