Sin and Salvation and Haibane Renmei
I hate starting posts like this. It’s much easier to begin a post if you’re in the midst of a series, but a roundup, or review, always feels like it needs to be couched in some kind of context or background. I don’t have much to offer in that respect.
Three things, I guess:
- Haibane Renmei is a series that was recommended a few times. I couldn’t remember by whom, so I checked MAL to jog my memory: turns out 16 of my MAL friends have seen it: for some reason CCY did not rate it, and lelangir called it a 7 by virtue of the fact that it was not Gunbuster (understandable), and the rest were in the 8-10 range. I realize MAL is a severely unscientific research tool, but it does give me a pretty good impression of people’s thoughts. Also, I do remember that coburn and TheBigN were the biggest proponents, although others call it a 10.
- I watched it too friggin’ fast to do any mid-series posts.
- I’m trying in vain to translate that little lump in my throat into an appropriate post.
So I’m not sure where to begin, but let me say this: my overall impression is that Haibane doesn’t play out like one anime… more like three. They don’t have hard demarcations, instead they flow seamlessly into one another. But if you took say, episode 2, episode 7, and episode 11, they would each feel like they could have come from a different series.
First, there’s the introduction. This lasts fully half the series or so, and it gives off a decidedly un-ABe-like vibe (if you’ve seen Serial Experiments Lain and/or Texhnolyze you know what I mean). We, the viewers, get to see the town of Glie through new and wondrous eyes — Rakka’s eyes. The beginning of her journey is painful. She’s born lonely into the world, devoid of her memories, and her own body becomes a foreign thing as she’s transformed into a winged angelic Haibane. But others who’ve been through this shelter her, and the residents of Glie are lovely people, so she’s surrounded by love. In this way, it’s very Aria-like. And like Aqua, Glie is a unique location because it’s almost ridiculously mundane in its day-to-day life but fantastic for the simple fact that it exists. As Rakka fits into this world, there is little to no plot development to speak of, just a wide-eyed sense of wonderment and discovery, and Aria’s same simple magic that leaves you smiling.
But Haibane is a creeper. As suteki~ as that first part is, the second arc is equally crushing. Things change, Rakka enters a deep crisis of faith and personality, and like any good fictional hero, must overcome this. Unfortunately, it’s pretty hard to talk about it, or the third arc, without giving away the farm, and the unexpected way in which the story unfolds — though never jarring, always kind of morphing — is one of the series’ strong points.
One of the unexpected turns (if not quite a twist) is like Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann’s most masterful one: it turns out the series isn’t actually about who you think it’s about. Well… it is and it isn’t. But let’s say Haibane Renmei has two fantastic characters in Rakka and Reki, the oneesama-type character who takes selfless care of her fellow Haibane. It’s an interesting proposition, the idea that all the characters are half-lives whose more putty-like years were spent in a world (presumably ours, but maybe not) that they can no longer remember. That means that they get a fresh start, so the things weighing down Reki’s mind are particularly powerful, and Rakka quickly learns that life in Glie can be an easy stroll or the world’s most pleasant prison depending on where you sit.
Haibane Renmei, according to Yoshitoshi ABe, is a religious story, although it doesn’t mirror or endorse any particular religion. The Haibane’s angel-like appearance probably serves no other purpose than to make this obvious (that and he probably liked drawing wings and halos).
If it doesn’t really tell the story of a god, then how is it religious? I suppose it’s because the central topics here are salvation and the nature of sin. The Haibane Renmei (communicator) tells of the circle of sin, a thought paradox that characters like Rakka and Reki become hopelessly trapped in. It’s heartbreaking because it’s a bit like original sin in that they carry it from their birth, and are powerless to stop it when they emerge naïvely from the cocoon. But salvation also comes whether they like it or not.
The assessment of sin and salvation goes something like this: Being deserving is not a matter of intent; intent only clouds the issue. That’s not how you’re saved.
No one is entirely devoid of sin. Even if you’re just selfishly trying to absolve yourself of sin, if you’re good at it, you become good in the process. I love that. In that way, it’s a lot more idealized then your average actual religion, but makes such beautiful sense. In the end, that anti-paradox becomes the fix for the first paradox, the circle of sin. Though much is lost along the way, Haibane Renmei leaves its viewers feeling saved.
“It’s very Aria-like. And like Aqua, Glie is a unique location because it’s almost ridiculously mundane in its day-to-day life but fantastic for the simple fact that it exists.”
That’s a great way to put it. It’s a wonder to me whenever people say they dropped Haibane Renmei (or Aria) because a couple episodes bored them. I find their setting, their world so fascinating that I savor every new bit of info I can get, and imagine how people adapt to life there.
I prefer to think of Haibane Renmei as a spiritual experience more than a religious one, though the distinction may be small, or entirely in my mind. Ideally, religion and spirit should be one in the same, but the reality of the matter is often different.
For me, religion is about group thinking, group activity, preachers teaching followers about right and wrong. Haibane Renmei is so personal, focused so much on Rakka’s and Reki’s psychological journey, they dig deep into themselves and wring out their own truths, that we feel as though we are discovering great truths about ourselves as well, rather than being lectured to about sin and salvation. This personal struggle and search for self-actualization constitutes for me the spiritual experience.
I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed Haibane Renmei. As well as holding it in high regard, it seems to be the kind of story whose fans become unshakeably attached to it.
The fluid transition between arcs is something that only really struck me when re-watching it, partly because I watched each of the 4 DVDs rather as I would a series of feature films. The change of focus in the second half is very neat, and once I knew what developments were in store the experience was more organic and less, as you say “crushing”. Of course the shock value present in it the first time around was valuable.
I agree with Kadian on the spiritual/religious distinction. Were it not for the wings+halos the characters’ journeys could almost pass as purely psychological, but I think the notion of conquering sin en route to grace places the message somewhere between a paean for self-adjustment and a religious experience.
@kadian
I am in agreement with you on the distinction, more below. But yes, that’s I think what makes it so: it’s personal, and while it’s couched in vaguely religious imagery it’s much more about a personal journey than a sense of faith or a particular mindset.
@coburn
I like how you put that — I felt extremely attached right away, even protective. When people say they found it boring early on I want to come to its defense, but at the same time it makes me feel like I’m in an exclusive little club (even if that’s probably far from the truth, considering its apparently popularity with most who’ve seen it. I don’t know if it’s the personal nature of the story, or something in the execution, but even knowing how many people love it, it feels made just for you.
I’m excited to see what kind of observations I can make the second time around as well. I’m sure there will be decent value in it more than once.
I would tend to agree with both of you on the spiritual/religious distinction although I find in Western culture at least there are plenty who use “I’m a spiritual person but not religious” to justify a lack of a solid belief foundation (i.e., I use shallow new-agey bullshit to make myself seem more rounded or interesting). That’s neither here nor there, though.
I got the word “religious” from the ABe interview on the 4th DVD, but even while watching it I figured that he might have meant “spiritual,” and the finer points of his statement may have been literally lost in translation.
Heh, I may well have been one of those people who recommended it to you but TBH I’m not surprised you enjoyed it as much as you did. It’s tough to put that enjoyment into words effectively though, so props for pulling it off!
There’s much about this series that I understand and appreciate on a subconscious level but to actually explain what it means to me…I don’t know. I think you’re right in calling it a spiritual show, but interestingly it doesn’t really gravitate to any particular religion. Maybe that’s the clincher: it’s a blank canvas of sorts that allows people to see it in their own personal context and draw meaning from it that way.
The dual protagonist thing was a surprise to me – the shift in focus accompanies the shift from fantasty/iyashikei to something darker and more psychologically-inclined but it does it so smoothly.
Haibane Renmei is a very, very special story to me (lol, just noticed what I still use for my gravatar!) – one of a very few that is really close to my heart and one that I recommend straightaway to people who want a change from mindless entertainment and, well, just want to watch something thought-provoking and different. So much love…
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, anyway. The resolution you outlined in the third paragraph is, quite possibly, the most profound and ‘able to apply to real life situations’ observations I’ve ever seen in fiction. No kidding. The ending, while pretty open, is simply beautiful.
One thing I loved about Haibane Renmei was that it was intentionally supposed to be up to your interpretation about what happened, what the Haibanes/Glie represent, and so on, and it felt like it was made that way from the beginning.
I need to re-watch it. Especially because the show is my all-time favorite. #1, baby.