Haibane Renmei-
Volume Two: Wings of Sorrow
(MVM Region 2 PAL DVD)
(2005)
review by Blackgloves

This mythical anime tale, created by graphic artist & character designer ("Serial Experiments Lain"), Yoshitoshi ABe and produced by Studio RADIX, continues with a second volume of episodes featuring the race of angelic beings known as The Charcoal Feather Federation, or Haibane Renmei. The first volume introduced us to Haibane new-born, Rakka after she hatched from her cocoon in the abandoned school house christened Old Home. Here, the race of female beings with halos and charcoal grey wings live in apparent bucolic bliss on the outskirts of a quite old town populated by ordinary humans. The first four episodes introduced us to the unfamiliar customs and habits of the Haibane through Rakka's initiation, and also gave us a glimpse of the strange world they inhabit: the town of Glie is surrounded by walls and no one, Human or Haibane, is allowed to leave; only a race of masked traders called the Toga are permitted to enter for a limited period each week; the Haibane are regarded with a strange mixture of reverence and contempt by the Human population; they are not allowed to handle money and can only wear second-hand clothes donated by the humans. As we get used to this world and its rules, we also meet Rakka's new friends: Nemu the librarian; Kana, who works for the Clock Master; Hikari the baker's apprentice and Reki -- Old Home's teacher. Then there is Kuu: by age, this tom boy is much younger than Rakka but, in fact, because she hatched some time before her (Haibane emerge from their cocoons fully developed but at different ages) she is actually Rakka's senior. A special bond seems to exist between the two girls though.

The first episode (episode five: Library *Abandoned Factory* Beginning Of The World) of this volume, "Wings Of Sorrow" sees Rakka still trying to find a job that appeals to her. She has already worked with Kana and Hikari for a short time and is now working with Nemu at the Library. Here she discovers that the library's books have come from the Toga -- who brought them from the world beyond the walls of the city. Any reference to the world outside has been removed though, leaving half-formed ideas and incomplete stories that fire the imagination. As a present for a pregnant Human assistant librarian called Sumika, Nemu and Rakki fill in the blanks from a book called "The Beginning Of The World" to make a creation myth that explains the Haibane's origins and their status with the human population. Rakka also discovers that there is also a population (or nest, as it is termed) of male Haibane who live in an abandoned factory in the east district. One of the boys, Hoyohko, used to have a forbidden relationship with Reki but the whole episode is shrouded in mystery.

This episode continues in much the same vein as the previous four of the first volume, except that now, Rakka is searching for answers and discovering hints of greater mysteries. Up to this point, the town of Glie has appeared to exist in a state of perpetual summer bliss with its rolling green hills bathed in golden rays of sunlight. in the next two episodes ("End Of Summer *Rain* Loss" and "Scar *Illness* Arrival Of Winter") Rakka starts to discover that there is a darker side to life as a Haibane. While the first episodes felt like a dreamy metaphor for the rites of childhood, here we have a sudden transition to dealings of death and loss. Rakka explores Old Home, trying to find a new bedroom for herself. Kuu helps her and leads her to the room where her cocoon first appeared. Winter is on the way and Kuu's halo seems to be fading; this is only the first sign that changes are about to occur in the town. During a thunder storm, Rakka notices a ray of light emerging from the western woods, near the wall of the town. Rakka discovers that most Haibane have a "day of flight": a time when they quietly leave their home place forever and disappear to an unknown life beyond the protective walls. Rakka is heartbroken to think that she will never see Kuu again and this leads her to come down with a mysterious illness that makes her wings discoloured. She tries to hide this from the others by sniping out some of the feathers, but Reki eventually discovers her secret and tries to heal Rakka with some medicine made from an "elderly" tree (a special tree that grows near the town walls in the western forest). Reki then explains to Rakka that her condition resembles the state called "sin bound": while most Haibane live in happiness within the protective walls of the town until they are called away on their day of flight, some are imperfect and forever destined to remain within the town! The first indication of this condition is that one cannot remember anything about one's cocoon dream (from which the Haibane usually take their name). Rakka can still remember hers, so why is she suffering these symptoms of the sin-bound state?

This series continues to be entrancing and, now, also rather poignant. The widescreen anamorphic transfer looks quite nice -- although the NTSC to PAL conversion makes the image appear slightly soft. English and Japanese 2.0 audio tracks are included with optional English subtitles. As usual, there aren't that many extras included; just MVM's usual features: creditless opening, TV commercials, art gallery and episode preview trailers.

This series is now beginning to come into its own, adding some dark, Grimm's fairytale atmospherics to a previously serene series. Fantastic!