Habine Renmei?

[Kisa]

I think I spelt it right, But I was curious.
I have heard alot about this title, but all the reviews I have seen confuse me. So waht is the story line, how long, anything bad in it, ect... all the details you can give me please! The art looks so pretty too ^^

[That Dude]

Have you checked out the review here? It's pretty concise. If you still need help I'll be glad give you a summary of the story. The show is 13 eps by the way.

And as far as content goes it's pretty clean...There's a few H's and D's that I remember but not a whole lot or anything. The closing theme has Renmai naked, but she is curled up so nothing is seen. I found a very cool spiritual allagory in this show about redemption. It's the closest I've ever seen an anime come to outlying the salvation plan.

[eva-boy7985]

There's been many people that have posted threads asking about this, and each time I cannot recommend it enough. Created by ABe, the maker of Serial Experiments Lain, this show is quite unique in and of itself amongst anime titles. The art is beautiful, the music great, and the story both intriquing and strong. Without giving spoilers, it ultimately shows the beauty and simplicity of friendship, loyalty, and knowing the world around you and appreciating the people in it. There are also some good underlying Christian/moral principles and themes strewn throughout it as well. Be aware that much of the plot and events are character-driven, so one may classify this as more of an "internalized" drama in which the changes that occur throughout the story occur in the characters themselves rather than in the circumstances surrounding them. Definitely pick this one up if you can find it for a reasonable price, as it's one of the better and more unique anime I've seen in quite some time :-) Hope this helps!

[Kisa]

I had no idea there was a review.... *goes to check it out*
Sounds like a good one , but I am confused to the plot.. is there any?
I mean any real story or just these Habine people running around some random town? It sounds confusing....

[eva-boy7985]

the story is very character driven; in other words, much of the changes that occur throughout the story are in the characters themselves, rather than there being changes in the world around them. All in all, you could call it a "drama". Don't worry, it's a good story, but like I said I consider it rather unique amongst animes, so it may or may not be your cup of tea :-)

[ClosetOtaku]

The fundamental question of Haibane Renmei is this: what are the Haibane?

The mystery begins when a girl becomes aware she is falling from the sky. She then awakes to find herself immersed in a giant cocoon. Emerging, she is greeted by other girls who have wings and halos. She is given a halo of her own, and then a name - "Rakka", meaning falling. At this point she realizes that she has lost all her previous memories, her family, her home...

The plot is Rakka's journey in understanding what the Haibane are, why they are in the walled town of Guri, why they are considered special yet not allowed to own new things, handle money, or go beyond the city Gate. This may sound dull at first, but even in the idyllic town of Guri, there are dangerous places and unspoken secrets...

Haibane Renmei is unique among anime, and fairly unusual for cinema. At 13 episodes, it doesn't wear out its welcome, and is very spiritual and thought-provoking. I highly encourage you to watch it... and, yes, it is somewhat slow up to Episode 6, but that foundation is needed to understand the rest of the story.

What are the Haibane? That question is never completely answered, but a lot of theories abound. I won't discuss these - they are spoilers - but I'm sure you will come up with your own ideas...

[That Dude]

The second half of the show has a interesting story but I'm not really sure how to describe it without spoiling it. But the "main" plot is basically what ClosetOtaku said.

[Yamato145]

look at my awesome avatar ... its from haibane renmei ... I recommend this show so friggin much it is really awesome!

[Yamato145]

oh adding to what closetotaku said ... shes named rakka because of her dream ... all the haibanes are named after the dream they had in the cocoon

[CDLviking]

Content wise, there are a very few disturbing images, like the wings emerging from the back as in the above avatar, and some are more mentally disturbing, such as compulsive actions. None of the Haibane know anything about their previous lives, but some of it is hinted at, and it's not always pleasant.

Nothing to shy away from, but this is for mature viewers, not in the sense that anything is innappropriate, but because it opperates at a deeper spiritual and psychological level than most anime.

[That Dude]

Aye...That is true CDL.

[ClosetOtaku]

Also agree with CDL. Be prepared!

[SP1]

One of my very favorite anime. I live in a medium-sized town in a rural area, but believe it or not, our local public library has all 4 Haibane Renmei DVDs! Actually, they've got about 100+ other anime DVDs, too. I suppose I got hooked on anime watching these, although I went out and bought HR because it looked so cool.

If you want to investigate some of the Christian interpretations of this series, there is a Haibane Renmei project thread where I am working on a Sunday School lesson plan. However, this thread is for folks who have viewed the series at least once, so there are spoilers aplenty - be warned.

I let my kids watch this, but most of it probably goes over their heads.

[CDLviking]

I envy all you people who get anime and manga from your local library. The only thing ours has is Grave of the Fireflies.

[Kisa]

Wow, thanks you guys! Sounds really intereesting, I may just have to check this one out!

[That Dude]

Your welcome...And you should definately check it out.