Search - Haibane-Renmei - Wings of Sorrow (Vol. 2) on DVD

Moving On To The Other Side

Marc Ruby? | Warren, MI USA | 11/29/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In this, the second DVD in the set, we join Rakka as she works in the library with Nemu. Raka is looking for meaningful work, something that she can contribute to the general community. For now, she seems happy among the books, and the presence of all the old books renews her interest in the beginning times. How God came to create both the Haibane and the humans. Back in the Old Home, Kuu helps Rakka find a room of her own - a big step in Raka's developing independence. But the sudden intervention of Kuu's "Day of Flight" inserts an element of trauma as winter begins to move in. While all the Haibane feel a sense of loss at Kuu's passing over the walls, Rakka takes it especially hard, perhaps because Kuu had made a special effort to help her.This comes to a head as this set comes to a close. Rakka's inability to handle her grief begins to affect her physically. Rekki, in an effort to get Rakka past the issue trigger a revelation that does little to soothe Rakkas fears. With the coming of the cold the horizon darkens.One of the two elements that seem to play against each other in this series is the sense of 'place,' or of one's position and interrelationships in a closed community. The other is the individual's need for curiosity and the freedom to grow independently. This is a core conflict in Japanese society, but is hardly irrelevant for cultures at large. Thsee are the stuff of which both tragedy and great achievement are made. Part of the genius of Yoshitoshi Abe's screenplay is the skill with which he manages to keep us in suspense over which will predominate in the end.All of the artists and actors in this series should be congratulated in setting a style and grace that makes a complex tale seem as natural as the simplest of coming of age stories. And doing it with imagery and music that sets a tranquil and often gemlike character on the world of the Haibane. Like their clothes, is has a comfortable, hand-me-down, feel that will be hard to let go of. Which may very well be the point."

Greater mysteries

Nels Lindberg | Seattle, WA United States | 12/10/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Wings of Sorrow" ends the introductory episodes and kicks off the main arc of the plot. The Haibanes' idyllic existance is deeply shadowed by its tragic impermanance, as Rakka learns to her sorrow. The very nature of their being is a puzzle, which somehow makes her loss worse. The half-answers she finds deal with the 'how' of matters, rather than the 'why'. The older Haibane seem to resigned themselves both to the inevitability of loss and the impossibility of insight. However, they have experience on their side. The harshness of this new, confusing world deeply injures the sensitive, delicate Rakka, who is still trying to find her feet. Despite the unhappy parts of these three episodes, "Wings of Sorrow" is just as charming as the previous volume. Haibane Renmei is a wonderful work of art, as well as a moving story. There is no uneveness in the style, nor any false notes along the way."

"Wings of Sorrow" is true to its name

Larry W. Stearns | Vincennes, IN United States | 11/02/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It is very hard to talk about the second DVD in the Haibane Renmei series without fear of saying too much and ruining it for those who have not seen it. There are three episodes on this disc (5, 6 and 7.) The disc starts out where the first left off: Rakka is learning more about the Haibane and the town. This time it concentrates on the past. Nemu (the oldest Haibane at Old Home) tells Rakka about a now discarded library book entitled "The Beginning of the World" that was so damaged that no more than some parts of the first few pages could be read. At the same time, Nemu tells Rakka about Nemu's turbulent past with Reki (the next oldest Haibane) when they were about Rakka's age. Here Rakka gets the first real indication that this world has a dark side.The rest of this DVD tells part, but certainly not all, of the story of the true nature of the Haibane and the town. The incomplete story in the damaged book "The Beginning of the World" makes a wonderful parallel to this part of the Haibane Renmei story. If you have listened to the soundtrack CD and you have wondered how on earth the series could ever use some of those melancholy and mournful passages of music, the second disc answers this question. "Wings of Sorrow" is true to its name.The quiet beauty of this story established in the first disc continues in the second, but it is certainly transformed by the darker topics covered here. As with the first DVD, the special strength of this series is the character development, and nothing develops character like crisis and conflict. As a storm breaks out, literally and figuratively, Rakka and the other Haibane at Old Home suffer a personal loss. Rakka, however, has much more difficulty accepting this loss than the others. This isolates her from the others as she tries to cope with it on her own in her "all-too-human" way. The mysteries deepen and, at the end of this disc, you will share Rakka's question, "What are the Haibane?""

Better than most US "blockbusters" :)

Donald E. Wallace Jr. | Kennebunkport, Maine United States | 11/10/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What can I say that others above haven't said? Nothing, therefore I will just reinforce the others reviews by saying this is some of the best written, best directed, best animated, best soundtrack anime around.After the first dvd, I could not stop talking about this series, and was jumping with glee when the second dvd arived. This series is SO good I have to say it it better by 10 fold over Evangelion.No Mecha, no magic girls or boys, no cyberpunk Tokyo. What you get is characters with more depth than "Jlo" combo could ever hope to obtain :PIf you like anime like me;BUY THIS SERIES!"