As winter approaches Rakka falls into the depths of despair. Grieving the loss of her friend Kuu and terrified of the prospect of living out her life as a sin-bound, she ventures into the Western Woods in search of answers. There she makes an important discovery thanks to a bird’s guidance and voices her concerns to the town’s Communicator. Meanwhile, Reki has problems of her own when the Renmei give her a stark warning, and also has Rakka’s deteriorating health to add to her concerns.

After the tragic and hard-hitting events of the previous volume the third instalment was looking to be a very sombre affair. However, there are in fact some real glimmers of hope and a number of nagging questions are beginning to be answered. It is testament to the thoughtful writing that went into this show that I was completely absorbed in the story that was unfolding; no matter how painful the experiences that the characters were going through the episodes held my unwavering attention. Rakka’s emotions were conveyed so eloquently that I felt genuine sympathy as she went though the inevitable feeling of guilt and loss, before sighing with relief and experiencing intense curiosity as she sets out into the Woods. Similarly, Reki becomes an even more interesting character as a series of flashbacks tell the story of her early life as a haibane, including her old friend Karamori.

The soundtrack continues to be a delight, with the minimalist strings and piano fading subtly in and out with the occasional moments of haunting vocal harmonies. The artwork is quite simply stunning, conveying the mysterious atmosphere of the Western Woods and the subtle facial expression of the cast; as always, the setting of the story remains timeless and achingly beautiful. My only real criticism of these episodes is that of the animation quality: while the artwork itself cannot be faulted, the movement of the characters and camera angle show signs of time and/or budget restrictions during production with moments of cheap-looking and less-than-fluid movement. However, the show relies a lot on dialogue and static scenery rather than action sequences and CGI trickery, so it detracts little from the episodes overall.

The storyline has progressed more than expected though: the seemingly sedate and subtle storytelling does lull you into missing some significant details if you’re not careful. Past experiences of some of the characters, details about the strange little world in which the Haibane live and numerous minor questions that the viewer might have (such as what the halos are made from) are given some explanation, and more importantly Rakka is finally finding some important answers of her own.

In Summary

I’ve been struggling to come up with one solid reason as to why I’ve fallen so in love with this strange little series. It’s probably a combination of story, characters, philosophical themes and music that have made Haibane Renmei so enjoyable so far, rather than any one particular aspect. Even during the most dramatic and emotionally charged moments it never once falls into melodrama or self-pity; the soundtrack fits the scenes perfectly and there is a cast of characters you find yourself really caring about. I’m now waiting for the final episodes with baited breath.