HAIBANE-RENMEI #1: NEW FEATHERS - DVD review

"Haibane Renmei" (Charcoal Feather Federation) is a thirteen-episode TV series created by Yoshitoshi ABe (spelled correctly). I consider him to be pretty gifted, and have greatly enjoyed some of his other series, most notably "NieA under 7". Like many other anime series, "Haibane" started life as a manga (Japanese comic books). Unlike most manga, "Haibane" was a self-published manga from Yoshitoshi ABe that he started writing, decided to redo the story and so restarted under a similar name, then decided that "Haibane" should really be an animated feature, published a final issue to explain such, then made one last issue with some of the back-story. The resulting series is a wonderful mix of weirdness and warmth. This first volume contains four episodes- "Cocoon- Dream of Falling from the Sky- Old Home", "Town and Wall- Toga- Haibane Renmei", "Temple- Communicator- Pancakes", and "Trash Day- Clock Tower- Birds Flying Over the Walls".

The series begins with a girl falling through the sky, head down and eyes shut. A crow flies up to her and caws, waking her. She notes that, although she isn't afraid, her heart is cold. The crow seems desperate to stop her fall, cawing at her and trying to halt her decent by grabbing the hem of her dress. "It's useless," she says. "But thank you." With one last caw, the crow lets go, tumbling up into the sky. The girl continues to fall.

The girl awakes, thinking she was dreaming, but finds herself in an old house, surrounded by five other girls, each with small wings and a halo. They ask to hear about her dream before waking, but she can't remember it clearly besides the feeling of falling. The apparent leader of the group, Reki, names the new girl Rakka. Rakka starts to protest, but realizes that she has no idea what her name was, or anything else about who she was. By the next day, Rakka's wings have grown in.

For lack of any other name, the winged people call themselves Haibane. There are only six older ones, including Rakka. They work in the local town to help support the dozen or so children Haibane. Haibane are not allowed to own anything new, possess money (they use checks), or leave the walled town, Glie. They must also not linger by the walls. A group calling itself the Haibane Renmei regulates what the Haibane can and cannot do. The group is represented by a single speaker. How exactly the Haibane Renmei enforces its edicts is not shown in this disk.

It's hard to try to offer much insight into "Haibane Renmei" because the series doesn't rush to explain itself. After her awakening, Rakka spends the rest of the disc exploring her new life and looking for a job. The rest of the residents of Glie are human, and have to obey similar strictures as the Haibane; they cannot leave the city, and they have to treat the Haibane according to the Haibane Renmei's rules. That's not to say they mistreat the Haibane; on the contrary, the townsfolk have so far been kind, even indulgent.


Video:
The video aspect ratio is 1.78:1 (full-screen on 16:9 monitors). The colors are fairly plain, with lots of greens and browns. Everything the Haibane wear and use are used, so their possessions are all pretty shabby. The character design is signature ABe, with emphasis on realistic-looking people. The town, clothing, and artifacts all blend together to make a believable, internally consistant society.

Audio:
You can watch the show in either Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo Japanese or DD 2.0 stereo English. There is an option for English subtitles for either just signs or everything. I chose to watch the show in Japanese DD 2.0 with full English subtitles. I especiall like the music. Since I'm hardly a music expert, I'm going to describe the music as folksy, and just hope that's a real word. It nicely reflects the rustic world of "Haibane Renmei".

Extras:
For some reason, the previews for the next episode that usually come at the end of an episode or in Extras, and not part of the main feature. There is also a Non-Credit Opening and a Original Japanese Opening (it's the same, just the credits are in Japanese).

The Art Gallery feature has thirty images that proceed at the viewer's pace. There are design sketches of the characters and various objects used in "Haibane Renmei".

--Miscellaneous--
The DVD comes two mini-pencil boards. The first shows Rakka with her new wings on one side and the wings coming out on the reverse. The second pencil board features Reki on one side and the six older Haibane with a few younger ones on the reverse. There's also a booklet titled "Haibane Journal: An Outside Story" which contains a lot of useful information about the series. There is also a single-page, fold out colored insert with chapter listings on the back. The DVD cover is reversible.

Film Value:
So far, I can't get enough of this series. Honestly, it was hard to stick to my usual rule of writing a review before watching the next DVD in a series. The set up is so mysterious- who are the Haibane? What does it all mean? Is Glie some kind of Purgatory? If it is, what did the Haibane do to be put there?