Haibane-Renmei - Wings of Sorrow (Vol. 2)

Haibane-Renmei - Wings of Sorrow (Vol. 2)

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

DVD Review: Moving On To The Other Side
Summary: 5 Stars

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.