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Haibane Renmei, translated by the author as Charcoal Feather Federation, is a set of original doujinshi written and illustrated by Yoshitoshi ABe. It is also the name of an anime series based on them. They follow the adventures of Rakka, a new member of the Haibane: strange angelic-looking beings who live within a walled city named Guri.
Although not confirmed or denied by the author, many fans suspect they are based on the novel Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami.
The series starts out with two scenes. One contains the image of a girl falling from the sky, cradling a crow. The other consists of a group of Haibane finding a large cocoon growing in a storage room. When the cocoon breaks open, its occupant - a teenage girl - is brought to the guest room, where she is cared for by several Haibane, most notably one named Reki. All the girl can remember is her dream of falling; as older Haibane are named by their dream from within the cocoon, she is named Rakka. Shortly after arriving, Rakka goes through the painful ordeal of having wings grow from her back, and is given a halo.
As time progresses, she learns her way around the Old Home, one of two places in the city where Haibane live. She learns about the town, in which the people are friendly and generous to the Haibane, but in which Haibane must work and are subject to harsh rules. Foremost of these are to not touch or even approach the wall that surrounds the town.
As Rakka begins to bond with her friends - most notably Reki and another Haibane named Kuu - she begins to search for a job. However, amidst this, Kuu grows distanced. One day, Kuu disappears in the western forest near the wall in beams of light. Rakka becomes distraught when she learns that Kuu, like all Haibane eventually who carry no guilt, passed over the wall and will never return.
Rakka becomes depressed, and notices her wings turning black. Despite attempts to hide it, Reki discovers this and shows Rakka how to hide the spots. Rakka learns that Reki considers herself born a sinner, and sees herself as having no chance of passing over the wall. She was born with black wings after a dark dream, and has been hiding it ever since. Rakka later runs off in depression, led into the western woods by crows. There she finds a well, sees her full dream, and buries a dead crow found at the bottom of the well, who she somehow knows to be a person that she wronged. Her guilt forgiven, her wings turn gray again and she focuses on helping Reki, whose time has almost run out.
Rakka works to get another group of Haibane from the other side of the city to forgive Reki for a long past transgression in which she tried to pass over the wall and got her boyfriend severely punished for damaging it. However, Reki still has not made sense of her dream, and seemed resigned to her fate. As Rakka tries to shake her out of it, Reki tells Rakka that she never really cared for her, and was just taking care of her to try and be saved. Rakka leaves her, crushed, but returns to save her after reading Reki's diary and discovering that she truly did care.
Characters
- Rakka ("Falling"): A new arrival to the Old Home, Rakka struggles throughout the episode to find herself, and has trouble escaping from curiousity of her pass. She forms many friendships, but her closest is that with Reki.
- Reki ("Pebble"): Always smiling and being kind to the other Haibane, Reki - one of the most senior Haibane in the home - is troubled by her past and by her dreams.
- Kuu ("Sky"): The youngest of the "older" Haibane, Kuu overcame initial awkwardness to achieve a sense of peace. Very close to Rakka, Rakka became devastated when Kuu departed.
- Nemu ("Sleep"): The oldest Haibane at the home, she is often teased for her habit of sleeping in. She doesn't leave the home, for her desire to help ensure that Reki will make it as well.
- Kana ("River fish"): A mechanically inclined tomboy, she works at the clock tower in the center of town.
- Hikari ("Light"): A serious, but mischievous haibane. She works in a bakery downtown.
- Hyouko ("Icy lake"): The leader of another group of Haibane in town (the co-educational Abandoned Factory nest). At some point in the past, he and Reki were romantically involved.