Haibane Renmei  Recommended
Publisher
Geneon/MVM
Director
Tomokazu Tokoro
Production
Fuji TV
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
13 Episodes / 25 Minutes
Year
2002
Haibane Renmei Volume 4: Day Of Flight
By otaku_kei
4th Feb 06  It has been several months since the third volume of Haibane Renmei hit the streets but finally after this extended wait we get the concluding part to this imaginative whimsical tale. Rakka and the other Haibane are still mourning the loss of Kuu, but they must start to move forward and start healing if they are ever to find redemption. Yet Reki is starting to withdraw from the group as she slips into a depression over her own failures, guilt and sin blocking her path to her own Day of Flight. In this concluding chapter in the lives o the Haibane we finally get answers to many of the questions raised in this show, finally getting to understand what the Haibane are, the curse of the sinbound and just how a Haibane can find redemption! This show has been a journey: from Rakka's arrival at Oldehome, her first tentative steps into the world, getting to know the people and environment, through to the loss of Kuu and the grief that made her sinbound. This final volume represents the next stage of this journey for Raka as she comes to terms with the loss she has faced, and realising what another loss would mean for her. But Rakka also comes to understand that it is time to grow up and reach out to others to help rather than always relying on the help of others, a decision that comes just in time as Reki's emotional walls start to crumble! Reki has been a constant source of comfort and strength for all of the Haibane at Oldehome, but her buried guilt and the ghosts of her past will not leave her alone and she starts to alienate herself from everyone that cares for her. All of the allusions to past mistakes are explained in this volume and we finally get to know what skeletons lurk in Reki's closet. Reki's transformation from rock of sanctuary to emotionally withdrawn and hurting has been a gradual process that has developed across the series but finally takes hold in this volume. Reki's hidden past has been mentioned several times across the series, but we finally get to find out what her connection is with the Haibane of Abandoned Factory, and just what tragedy has followed Reki with every step. Reki's fall completely reverses the established relationships between Reki and Rakka. Rakka moves into the role of carer, comforter and source of stability for Reki, so that she can help her distraught and fragile friend achieve her long awaited Day Of Flight. Reki's salvation comes just in time and is only achieved by reaching out to those who care for her, a message that has come up frequently throughout this series. This marks a touching finale to a series that had quickly become one of my favourite shows getting a release on the UK scene. Its wistfully unfolding story about a young girl thrown into a world that she does not understand has been captivating. The people she meets in this strange world have a profound effect in shaping her into the caring openhearted girl that eventually risks everything to save her friend. For those of you who have been as enthralled by this show as I have then you will be delighted by this conclusion, even as you lament the end to a fine series. For anyone who feels in the mood for something a little bit different then this is the show for you!
R2 DVD Notes
Features: English Language 2.0; Japanese Language 2.0; English Language Subtitles; Interview With The Creators; Special Ending; Script Cover Gallery; Line Art Gallery; MVM Trailers
Release information: OUT NOW
Notes: Final volume of this show, and the disc quality that MVM have become known for is once again in evidence here. The extras I found of little interest and the "special ending " was misleadingly titled - just ending credits to a different closing theme! But once again I have to congratulate MVM on the audio and visuals of this show, just a shame that this is the final release of the series.
-- otaku_kei 4th Feb 06
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