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j0hb0y · 15 days ago

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Hiya Papaya! 👋

Someone online (I actually forgot who it was though and cannot find the message anymore) recommended to me Haibane Renmei with the quick summary of "It’s about a sort of afterlife where haibane need to figure out what to do to ascend.". I decided to give it a go, which was a good decision! I can really recommend you to watch it too! It's even better if you do that and then come back to this post and read the rest. However, I felt like this anime is not about "ascending" or "reincarnation". Personally, it's about moving forward with your life. (Spoiler warning obviously and I should mention that I have no clue about psychology and english isn't my first language, so I could confuse some phrasings.)

If you didn't watch it, let me clarify some small things:

There are angel-like people called the Haibane, born from cocoons, who cannot remember anything except for the dream they had just before.

The walls encase a town called Glie and some landscape with buildings (e.g. Old Home), forests and many plots of land

Nobody is allowed to touch the wall (or go even near it) or go behind the wall except the Toga and animals like birds (e.g. Crows which play a big role)

An organization called the Haibane Renmei takes care of the Haibane and their head is the communicator.

Being Sin-Bound means that a Haibane didn't have a dream and don't get their Day of Flight.

I'll also try to write this essay chronologically, so along what we learn in each episode.

So let's talk about my view on what story the anime is trying to tell. I believe Haibane Renmei talks about being able to take a step towards the future.

In episode 1 we learn that the one and only thing that the haibane remember is the dream they had before waking up in a cocoon, for example: falling, being surrounded by sparkling light, getting run over by a train or just sleeping. You can either interpret this as how they died or their plan to end their lives. In my opinion, it's the latter one because it makes more sense why they arrive in Glie and inside the walls separating the town from the outside world. We'll talk about it at a later point. So, the Cocoon represents coming out of their shell and getting help on their own. That's why it's a custom that one should break out of their own cocoon. It's like the haibane has regained their will to live and tries to improve their lives by getting help. Which is quite a tough thing to do. The part where a haibane doesn't remember anything besides the dream and getting a new name could be seen as a metaphor for restarting from zero and leaving the regrets (or anything similar) behind.

During episode 2 we also learn that there are not just angel-like Haibane in Glie, but instead they are allowed to stay by the normal people living there. The townsfolk are really nice people too, so I think these people personify a safe space where the Haibane can work and get back into a rhythm and normalcy. Additionally, in episode 4, Kana also mentions that the town is extremely protective of them, further strengthening this argument. This idea of Glie as a safe space is also represented by the communicator, who helps the Haibane and has them live in a controlled space so they can focus more on moving forward.

The next big thing that happens in this anime is Kuu having her Day of Flight (episode 6). I believe that this event is a signal that the Haibane has finally "solved"/worked out their problem and broke free of it. From my point of view, it seemed like Kuu figured out that she doesn't need to be like everybody else. The first clothing item she bought was a jacket in a larger size, the size of the other girls. She also tried to be like them by wearing Hikari's glasses or riding Reki's scooter. However, Kuu said to Rakka "You gave me some of the drops, Rakka.". Drops were filling a cup (in her mind) and it got completely full. On that same day, Kuu had her Day of Flight. In episode 3, Kuu said that she hoped that Rakka would be a little sister and seemed happy when Rakka called her senior. I think that made her realize that she doesn't need to be like everyone else; she can be herself and still be a senior. Kana also confirmed that in episode 6 by saying that "I think she no longer has to pretend to be what she isn't anymore." and "[...] but maybe she's grown up in her own way.". Meaning she's able to move forward towards the future. Having her Day of Flight. After Kuu had left, the only thing that remained was a few feathers and her halo. This can be a metaphor for stripping off that feeling that she's not like others. Like she's regained her humanity and not feel alienated.

Sadly, Rakka couldn't get over Kuu leaving and is in a really depressed state (episode 7). So much so that black spots appeared on her wings, which Reki recognized. This is where we learn about being sin-bound. (Note: I'm jumping between the crow and sin-bound themes since both of them are deeply connected) I think that being sin-bound signals someone that has given up or is about to. In episode 8, Rakka is led by crows to a well to meet someone. That someone is a skeleton of a crow. However, she recognizes the bird by saying "You've taken the form of a bird now, but it feels like I had known you from somewhere, a long time ago.". Furthermore, she adds "I can't even remember my name. [...] 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." These sentences give us a lot of information. She wants to disappear. She even thought/dreamed "My existence should be erased from the world.", when she was unconscious in the well. Due to her feeling lonely, she thought that she didn't belong in this world. That's why it hit her so hard when Kuu left.

The crows play a huge role in the anime too. In episode 4, Kana said these things about the crows "They're said to carry lost items.", "Things we left behind and forgot when we went into the cocoons." and Kuu also talked with Rakka about them in episode 3 "But I think they want to be friends with us.". It seems to me that the crows represent someone or something that is connected to past regrets/problems. But instead of being hurtful, they're trying to help so that the Haibane can be free again. Free from being sin-bound. That is why the crows led Rakka to the well. This thesis is further proven by the fact that Rakka wants to return to her dream and apologize to the crow (episode 9), which is directly followed by the communicator saying "One who recognizes their own sin, has no sin." Side note: They also talk about sin-bound itself, that "Perhaps that is what it means to be bound by sin. To keep going around in the same circle looking to find where the sin lies and at some point losing the sight of the way out." When Rakka got back to Old Home, Reki noticed that the black spots were completely gone. Meaning that Rakka is no longer sin-bound and has let go of her past regrets, she actually confirms this at the end of the episode too.

Speaking of Reki, she's another sin-bound. That's the reason why she knew so much and was able to help Rakka this often. Since Rakka has recovered, she and the communicator got to have a talk in episode 11 about Reki. There she learns that "She is still lost in the dark. Rakka, you had the bird come to you enabling you to fill in the missing pieces of your memories. However, Reki has no one. She must face the darkness in her mind, on her own." From what we learn throughout the last 3 episodes, I'm positive that Reki's regret is similar, if not the same as Rakka's regret. Reki is alone but, in contrast to Rakka, she felt betrayed by everyone "Every time I trusted someone, I always ended up being betrayed." (episode 13) because everyone leaves her side. When Kuu had her Day of Flight, she said to herself "In the end, everybody leaves me.", just like when Kuramori (a Haibane who took care of her) was gone or she and Hyouko (a Haibane from the Abandoned Factory nest) weren't allowed to go to each other's district. She was afraid to hurt somebody she trusts and get hurt by them. As a result, she stopped trusting everybody and became a "stone" by closing her heart (episode 13). Even Rakka noticed that in episode 11 "Because she doesn't want to worry anyone and because she doesn't want to lean on anyone, she just smiles.". In the last episode (13), Reki also remembers her dream; in that dream, Reki is run over by a train: "It's an iron rail that carries something. This is where... I abandoned myself.". So not only has she "[...] lost the people that she could share her sorrow with.", but also herself. Additionally, her time is limited as she was ready to vanish, leaving nothing. "Soon, I will be forgotten by everybody and vanish. Where did I go wrong?" And if she was not rescued and forgiven by Rakka, she would've gotten hit by that train. She would've died if she hadn't found the last remaining energy to call for help. To put it bluntly, this is a direct comparison to suicide. Reki had given up on her life and wanted to end it because "[...] no matter how much I wished for it no salvation has ever come to me!". She was afraid that no one would come to her aid if she asked for help. But at the same time, Reki didn't want to die. She wanted to be just like Kuramori, helping the newly hatched Haibane and that's why she called for Rakka and was "forgiven". Rakka found the answer to the question of the circle of sin (episode 12): "The one who recognizes one's own sin has no sin. You cannot help going in circles if you are alone, but if you have someone by your side..." and together they broke free and both of them were no longer sin-bound. The same night Reki had her Day of Flight.

So what happens after the Day of Flight? For that, we got to talk about the walls that encase Glie. We go a few episodes back, specifically episode 9, when Rakka touched the wall because she heard laughter coming from it. Rakka even recognized it as Kuu's voice. Then she has another conversation with the communicator and we learn that "Only those whom the walls recognized as ready to live outside may go beyond the walls." which implies that the Day of Flight is someone ready to live a normal life again. However, Rakka falls ill shortly after (but this time it's not because of being sin-bound). In episode 10 we learn from the communicator that "Even a good Haibane must be punished if she touches the wall.". I think that the walls are a metaphor for a limit and you should not overstep or push too hard to get back on track. I firmly believe that the walls also act as a reminder to take your time to heal, let go of regrets, ask for forgiveness and when you're ready, aka the day of flight, you can go outside and go towards the future.

While working inside the walls (to collect light leaves), Rakka has to wear a robe as protection. I imagine this acts as guidance to avoid overstepping the limit too. Inside the walls there are tags on walls with names written on them. In episode 12 we get to understand that these are the names of the Haibane. Furthermore, the communicator explains "It is proof that the Haibane attained a true identity. When the time comes the name on the tag hanging from the wall is changed to the true name." I'm positive that its meaning is that the Haibane is not someone new, but rather the Haibane did (re)find their real selves. The real self who was lost and can move towards the future.

Of course there are some things that I cannot interpret or some that don't really fit, for example, the Toga (people who come from outside the walls to do trade and only the communicator is allowed to talk to them) or sentences like "As you cannot remember the world you used to be in... nobody in this world remembers you.". However, it's stated that "[...] The creators have deliberately maintained this ambiguity and refused to elaborate on these points in interviews, with Yoshitoshi Abe stating he doesn't want to impose his personal views on the viewers."(Source: Wikipedia) and I'm misusing that as an excuse to not be able to explain everything, hehe.

To put it in a nutshell, given the arguments above, the safe space being Glie, being sin-bound represents giving up and from what we learn of the walls. I'm firmly convinced that anime's key motif is going forward and not reincarnation. Anyway, I'm grateful to you for reading my thoughts and opinions! And I hope that you'll share yours with me. :D

On a side note: The communicator leaves Reki alone after their conversation in episode 10 with the following sentences: "You have always been there for Rakka. You have been doing the right thing. And now, you must not be envious of Rakka for moving forward.".

#anime #haibane renmei #essay

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