Haibane Renmei

Writing this on 20/7/2025.

I just finished watching this series after finding a video of the ending song on youtube 2 nights ago. I really liked this one. The world is mysterious and sort of enigmatic and yet the atmosphere remains comfortably mellow with a bit of quiet melancholy.
The story told was intruiging, the world being as mysterious as it is had me wondering if any questions regarding certain things would be answered but most of them aren't and I'm cool with that since this is a more character focused story.
I like the main cast they're all pretty likeable at the very least and they all feel human, not too exaggerated or tropey to any degree and I appreciate that. All of them have time dedicated to them in an episode at least though there is more emphasis on Rakka and Reki in the latter half. Reki's struggles were painfully relatable to a degree and i was quite happy to see how things concluded with her. I especially loved how the meaning of her name held so much significance, that which I only realised by the end where it's stated more clearly. That made me smile. As for Rakka, I liked particularly liked seeing how she dealt with grieving and overcoming it along with helping Reki overcome her struggles as well and being driven to do so for other haibane after Reki leaves. I guess I liked seeing her find a purpose and help others, given how aimless she seemed initially, not that I'd blame her for being so.
I liked the atmosphere and music, as I said earlier it has a melancholy yet quietly comforting vibe which fits the setting pefectly. The look and art of Haibane feels a bit dreamlike or akin to painting. The environments are detailed and nice to look at. It's quite easy on the eyes and I particularly like how the sky is depicted in some episodes.

As for the music, it compliments the vibe of the show greatly. Ignoring the ending and opening for a moment, the background music is tranquil and melancholic and a lot of the songs feel like lullabies. I really love the opening song, starts of sound a little adventerous but as it ends and the piano plays and the music begins to fade away, I feel nostalgic. No idea how to explain it, I just really like how the opening ends as if it sounds like another part is beginning.

The pacing might be slow for some people and it's a lot more down to earth compared to other anime but I think Haibane Renmei is well worth watching and I'm glad I happened to discover it. I'd say it's made me wanna be more productive and appreciative of certain things.