The Charcoal Feathers Federation, or The Haibane a group of people born from cocoons blessed with charcoal grey wings that sprout from their backs and halos that hover above their heads. Not angels as such, but a people apart from the rest of humanity living in a walled off town integrating with the peaceful humans that run the town. And that is pretty much all we know of the Haibane at the start of this second volume. Much like the newborn Haibane Rakka, the viewers are still only finding their way in this world where everything is still new and there is a lot that is left unsaid. Rakka becomes the eyes and ears for the viewer in this show; her joy is our joy, as is her sorrow. And in this

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volume there is a lot of sorrow and pain for this young girl.

Rakka is new to the world, but the responsibilities of the Haibane will not exempt her from what she needs to do, firstly of course being to work. Following on from some of her experiences in the first volume where she followed around the other Haibane to see what they do, Rakka spends some time with Namu at the library and seems to fit in there, perhaps finding her home away from home. This time of exploration and beginning also serves as a backdrop to the wider discussion of how the world began. Much like the philosophical ramblings of titles such as "Kino's Journey" this discussion has no real basis in religious theory as it stands at the moment

and comes across more as a children's tale.

But this tale spinning about how the Haibane came to be is quickly overshadowed in the later episodes by showing how the Haibane comes to their end. This show has built up a close-knit group of Haibane at the Olde Home a comfort blanket for Rakka, and therefore for the viewer, but that comfort is sundered by the loss of one of the Haibane. Rakka's reaction when she loses her friend is heartbreaking, and the loss once again hits so close to the viewer as they are just as new and fragile in this world as Rakka. But yet Kuu’s ‘Day Of Flight’ slots one more piece of the puzzle about the Haibane into place. The mystery that surrounds this enigmatic group is peeling

apart a layer at a time, and is serving to keep me fully glued to this show.

Yoshitake Abe's work is once again spell binding, and this show goes to prove that a new strand of anime releases in the UK that can be seen as starting with Serial Experiments Lain, traced through Kino's Journey and is still seeing light of day through titles such as this. A strand of anime that focus' upon the cerebral rather than the comedic or action oriented that has so dominated the UK market for so many years. This show is a joy to watch, and for everyone who wants to engage his or her brain whilst watching then I am sure that you will find as much enjoyment in this show as I have.