Almost Angels by J.P. Burke
I'm falling... ...I hear voices outside... ..."Tell me about the dream you had"
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"Haibane Renmei" is the incredible animated work by yoshitoshi ABe [sic]. Airing in Japan in late 2002, the series stood out from the pack. Unlike most Japanese animation, this unique series did not attract people using bright colors, explosive action, and girls with gravity defying chests. Viewers were presented with strange angel-like creatures called the Haibane who lived in a walled town. The first episodes raised so many questions that people could not help but to be intrigued. What were the Haibane? Where is this town? Are they dead? Are they angels? These questions are left largely unanswered and up for debate. ABe himself refuses to give definitive answers, preferring to leave issues ambiguous and open-ended. This enigmatic style is what draws many viewers to the show. To better understand "Haibane Renmei" a little bit of background is required.
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yoshitoshi ABe has become a well known figure in the otaku world. He designed the characters for "Serial Experiments Lain", a popular and now classic anime. While the ABe touch is definitely there, Lain was not his own. He had little to do with writing the plot, only designing the characters. His next project was "NieA_7", an anime with characters similar in appearance to Lain but with a much different feel. "NieA_7" was a comedy, but it was different than a standard comedy. The plot centered on a "super-poor" college student in Japan who was simply trying to get by without starving. Much of the anime focused not on the sensationalist comedy provided by NieA [sic], an alien who lives in Mayu's closet, but on Mayu's every day life. A lot of time was dedicated to simply seeing Mayu getting ready for work, delivering newspapers, looking out the window on the bus, studying, or preparing dinner. ABe's animation has a distinctly different feel to it. The director of the English dubbing recalls "The one thing I feel is unique about ABe's work is how easily you forget it's animation. The characters seem too real for animation." (Hairston 41) ABe was very focused on the "in-betweens" (Gallagher) rather than the big events.
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"Haibane Renmei" was originally created as a doujinshi, a fan-produced comic. ABe, though a professional, opted to create a doujinshi because it gave him a large degree of freedom. If he were to try to sell it to a magazine, he would have to come with the story up front, have a certain amount of pages done on time, and so on. "Haibane Renmei" was largely an experiment. ABe explains:
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Haibane Renmei was born from my experiment to see what would happen if I made up a story ad lib without a solid plan for the characters and the world. I thought if I told a story with only things that pop up in my mind spontaneously, I might be able to peep into my own subconscious. (Hairston 43)
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This, of course, was unusual. Most writers design their settings and characters beforehand; ABe's unique approach is part of what made "Haibane Renmei" what it is.
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One of the heavier influences on ABe seems to be Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami. In Hard-Boiled Wonderland the main character discovers that every human has some kind of story at the core of their consciousness that they can never delve into. In the main character's consciousness there was a story of a walled town with a river that people could enter but could no longer leave. If the main character tried to focus on whatever happened to pop into his mind he could come close to knowing the story in his consciousness. It is interesting to note that this is how yoshitoshi ABe decided to write "Haibane Renmei". His goal was to see what his subconscious would create if it were given free reign.
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In "Haibane Renmei" the main characters are angel-like creatures called the Haibane. They are born into their world by means of a large, liquid filled cocoon which grows from a puff that floats in from outside the town of Guri. The town is fully enclosed in a large wall that nobody is permitted to pass. The exception to the rule is the Toga who seem to travel from city to city. While in the cocoon a Haibane has some sort of dream. The Haibane are stripped of all of their personal memories. They can still remember how to speak, walk, even ride a bicycle, but they have no recollection of who they were before they became a Haibane. Once a Haibane is born they are asked to describe the dream they had in the cocoon and are named based on this dream. After being named, a Haibane is presented with a halo which floats above their head and slowly rotates. Shortly after this, the Haibane's wings emerge. Growing wings is a painful and violent experience, and the Haibane develops a fever shortly afterward. Luckily for the Haibane, the pain of growing wings and the fever are both gone upon awakening. If a human citizen so wishes they may leave the city but they are never allowed to return. After living in Guri for some time, in some cases up to nine years, a Haibane will have their Day of Flight, where they go to some ruins near the Wall and ascend in a burst of blinding white light. A Haibane on the verge of their Day of Flight tells no one and leaves suddenly. It is said that on their Day of Flight a Haibane is at last permitted to cross the walls of the town. All that is left is a deadened halo and a few feathers. The Haibane are young teens who are given a second change at life to overcome a personal flaw in order to transcend to the next phase of their spiritual journey.
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Before the Haibane are born into Guri they each have a dream. A Haibane's dream is of critical importance since it is an indication of how he or she died. The only dream presented to the viewer in full detail is Rakka's. The dream begins with the camera, perhaps Rakka's point of view, bursting through a surface of water. Rakka finds herself falling from the sky in darkness upside-down, disoriented, and confused. She feels unafraid, yet her heart feels cold. While falling she encounters a crow, flying alongside her. The crow attempts to cease her fall by grabbing hold of her robe. Rakka thanks the crow but admits that its effort is futile. The crow releases her and she continues her fall. Suddenly, she begins to fall through clouds and the sky lightens. She rights her position so she is no longer falling head first, and as the ground rushes towards her she panics, closes her eyes, and begins to tumble. This dream is rich with symbolism, both obvious and subtle. The fall in Rakka's dream represents the method of her death: falling from a high place. The water from the beginning of the dream perhaps shows that she fell into water. However there are less overt signs to note. Rakka's fall not only represents how she died and also represents her fall into depression that caused her death in the first place. (Ep01 DVD1 00:00-01:36)
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Kuu's Day of Flight had a profound impact on Rakka's life as a Haibane. At the time of her Flight, Rakka had been in Guri for several months and was finally become accustomed to life as a Haibane. Her wings had fully become a part of her body, and she had learned her way around the city. She became very close to her new family at Old Home. When Kuu leaves, everyone is saddened from losing a good friend, but the other Haibane understand that this is a necessary part of life, and they too will move on someday. They console themselves by saying "...we'll see her again. Let's believe that. Kuu just went a little before us, that's all." (Ep07 DVD2 49:24). For Rakka this is not enough. She becomes withdrawn, choosing to eat her meals in town rather than with the other Haibane (Ep06 DVD2 58:39) and even cleaning Kuu's room every day (Ep06 DVD2 58:49). At the same time, strange black spots begin to appear on her wings. As Rakka's depression intensifies the spots become more and more prevalent. A Haibane's wings are an indication of their inner spiritual state. If a Haibane is succumbing to their flaw their wings will become spotted, or sometimes completely black. Rakka's fault is that she becomes very attached to those around her and when they leave she cannot cope. This may explain how she died in the first place. Perhaps a close family member, her mother or father, died and she was not able to cope with the loss. When Kuu leaves she falls into a self-destructive depression. She begins to hurt herself while trying to solve the problem by cutting the tainted feathers out of her wings. Luckily Reki was there to pick up on these signs and act on them. Rakka begins to apply medicine regularly to her wings to prevent the black spots. The medicine may be a temporary fix for the spots, but they do nothing for the incredible pain that Rakka is feeling inside. She wanders out into the fields surrounding the towns and breaks down in tears. Here she says something that gives an insight into her flaw: "I don't belong anywhere. My existence should be erased from the world." (Ep08 DVD3 12:53). Here the viewer sees in Rakka a process that is most likely very similar to whatever lead to her death in the world before. She loses someone close to her, becomes disconsolate, believes something to be wrong with herself, and believes that she should cease to be.
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Rakka has always felt a strong connection with the birds in Guri. Even in her dream the crow is a prominent figure. Ever since she arrived at Old Home she has felt that the birds were calling her. It is in Episode 08 that she decides to act on these feelings. The birds lead her to a well which she proceeds to climb down, becoming trapped at the bottom. At the bottom of the well is the skeleton of a bird. Upon seeing the bird Rakka says "You've taken the form of a bird now, but it feels like I had known you from somewhere, a long time ago." (Ep08 DVD3 20:05-20:13) This gives rise to the idea that this was someone who cared very much for Rakka in her previous life, perhaps a parent or a family member, maybe even the one whose death so disturbed her. Rakka begins to bury the bird, and in what may be the most critical lines of the entire series Rakka says:
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"Forgive me. I wish I could do more for you. I can't even remember my name. They say the Haibane are all like that. So I can't remember who you are. Except that you're somebody precious to me. I was always lonely. And I thought nobody would grieve, even if I was gone. So I wanted to disappear. But you were by my side. You became a bird to go over the walls and let me know that I was not alone. I" (Ep08 DVD3 21:29-22:51)
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This shows Rakka's sin, which is different than her flaw. Her flaw is the fact that she tends to be very selfish with relationships. When people who are close to her leave she turns into a self-destructive spiral of depression, which apparently resulted in suicide. Her sin was her belief that nobody cared about her, that it would not matter if she was even there or not. By saying that this precious person became a bird for her it is almost as if she is saying that this person died for her, and Rakka still believed that she was worthless, and that was her sin. By becoming aware of who and what this bird was and being truly sorry for it she was absolved of her sin and her flaw simultaneously. This is why when Reki, perhaps her closest relationship in Guri, leaves it is a joyous occasion.
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Reki's dream is the only other dream that the viewer sees. In her dream Reki is standing on a railroad at night, wishing to become a pebble. In the final episode we see how the dream is to play out. When Reki receives her true name she learns that it means one who splits up people. This is a reference to the fact that it is largely her fault that Old Home and the Abandoned Factory are as split as they are. Reki, rather than asking for help, merely stands in the path of the oncoming train. Reki's death was a suicide. One particular passage in the last episode can be used to determine why Reki resorted to this final measure.
Young Reki: "Rakka came to help you."
Reki: "I don't deserve to be saved."
Young Reki: "I... Can't I even ask for help?" *begins to turn into stone and decay*
Reki: "Stop it!"
Young Reki: "Are you so afraid of trusting someone?"
Reki: "I don't want to be betrayed ever again! In my dream, and in this town no matter how much I wished for it no salvation has ever come to me!"
Young Reki: "Because... you never actually asked for help. The only thing you did was to wait."
Reki: "I was afraid. What if I ask for help from the bottom of my heart and nobody answers? What if I really am completely alone?" (Ep13 DVD4 60:45-61:52)
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Fear is the root cause of all of Reki's problems. In her previous life she became depressed and upset over something, perhaps the loss of a family member like Rakka. She should have asked for help but was terrified that she may ask and have no one come to her rescue. This protective barrier is what the pebble she wants to become represents. She wants to shut herself off from the world and become hard, inert, unfeeling. When she came to Guri she let Kuramori through this protective barrier. Kuramori loved her, cared for her, and protected her. When Kuramori left on her Day of Flight Reki was devastated. The person that she had finally let through, finally trusted, had seemingly abandoned her. Her fear of asking for help has lead her to believe that she is not worthy of being saved. This is the reason that she has resigned herself to becoming a failed Haibane. She is so terrified of asking for help that she cannot accept help when it comes after her. In fact when Rakka comes to help her, she is turned away. Reki has pushed away all who love her and care for her and is left alone to face her demons. When Rakka re-enters the room she finds herself in the midst of Reki's dream. It is a dark night and they are standing on a railroad. In the distance what appears to be a train approaches. As the train draws nearer Reki does nothing but stand in it's way and await the end. Rakka attempts to save her but is held back by Young Reki. At the last possible instant Reki calls out "Rakka, help me." It is at that moment that Reki's flaw is repaired, Young Reki disappears and Rakka is able to save Reki. By asking for help Reki has overcome her flaw. Since her sin was breaking apart people she overcame that when the reconciled Old Home and the Abandoned Factory by making up with Midori and Hyouko. By overcoming her sin she became her true name, pebble, which refers to the stepping stone on the way to the next phase. By surmounting her sin and her flaw she becomes a Blessed Haibane and is able to achieve her Day of Flight.
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"Haibane Renmei" is not so much a television show as it is an experience. For many it is nothing special, but if you are lucky enough to be one of those the series has an impact on, you are in for the ride of your life. Watching this series has profoundly changed my life in various ways. I have felt emotions so powerful that I couldn't move, I have dedicated dozens of hours to my online Shrine, and I have spent over forty seven hours of my life watching the show. I feel as if I know the characters intimately, as if I had known them for years. I think that perhaps the greatest feature of "Haibane Renmei" is that there really are no answers. No one can say definitively "Yes, they are angels." It is left entirely up to the individual. All I know for certain is that "Haibane Renmei" is certain to puzzle, delight, and utterly absorb people for years to come.
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Works Cited
Hairston, Marc. "A Little Lower than the Angels..."
Animerica Sep. 2003: 39-42.
Hairston, Marc. "Yoshitoshi ABe"
Animerica Sep. 2003: 43-47.
Haibane Renmei - New Feathers. Created by yoshitoshi ABe, produced by Aureole Secret Factory and directed by Tomokazu Tokoro. 100 min. Pioneer Entertainment, 2003. DVD.
Haibane Renmei - Wings of Sorrow. Created by yoshitoshi ABe, produced by Aureole Secret Factory and directed by Tomokazu Tokoro. 75 min. Pioneer Entertainment, 2003. DVD.
Haibane Renmei - Free Birds. Created by yoshitoshi ABe, produced by Aureole Secret Factory and directed by Tomokazu Tokoro. 75 min. Pioneer Entertainment, 2003. DVD.
Haibane Renmei - Day of Flight. Created by yoshitoshi ABe, produced by Aureole Secret Factory and directed by Tomokazu Tokoro. 75 min. Geneon Entertainment, 2004. DVD.
Murakami, Haruki. Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. New York: Kodansha International Ltd., 1991.
Lecture by Fred "Piro" Gallagher at MIT. New Funnies Lecture Series - Megatokyo. 1 April 2004.
Old Home Bulletin Board. http://cff.ssw.net/forum. Wraith.
Contributing members: Wraith, kerpan, Logozo, charp, Sankuranbo, Kana-chan, SharkbarkButterElf, jafwasw, One Classy Bloke, Taters, Masterplan, orange, bshiny, Z?, the Amazing Dragon, rekio, Moonman, Khshathra Vairya, nekotsukimi, marc_hairston, JNKGP, Das Badanha, Topaz, Animedia, refugee, ctw, Monkey_Man, Shiroi Hane, MeanE, Mercurius, Ubik, enosseleman, Bill Smith, jmarcusg, Wind, hhabjan, hayabusa, Tux, Chonosan, Xenobus, yatpay, Loopy, Mister Nobody, Ramone, Hedgehogey, goodpoop, Belthazar, Synesthesia, evil_kenshin, PotBelliedCow, Koyer, DoubleD, nojay, Plinth, Swordfish2Cowboy, hayama, wierzbowski, Uteki, Devil Doll, killy-kun, ainsyle, Only Ashes, Sahadir, Mikiyo-sensei, hioh121901, jmc, Hyouko, ryuu, Isko, Lach, Innotech, Zach, Stanton29, Icelandyk, michaelwb, King7, gordok, darksoul, animecrazyguy, WootonBasset, SleepyHaibane, DCH, Inc., Shindo, Ame, Shinnentai, ClosetOtaku, Kaze, Novastar824, Ran_chan, Skorpion9x, Shinmizu.
Forum last used for research on 14 April 2004.
Thanks to Topaz for helping me flesh out ideas and proofreading!
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