I basically agree with you. In my opinion, every Haibane is either a suicide or the victim of some terribly unfortunate circumstance.

Reki and Rakka both committed suicide. Reki felt that she couldn't ask anyone for help, for fear of rejection. This tells me that at some point beforehand, some person (or people) she trusted with all her heart really hurt her. Maybe they didn't come to her aid when she really needed it. Maybe they emotionally or physically abused her. The important thing is that when she opened herself up to them, she got hurt. In response, she shut herself up tight, isolating herself from others in a depressing world of loneliness. This resulted in a downward psychological spiral that eventually led to her decision to commit suicide violently by letting a train run her over.

Rakka's situation is less clear. The very first scene of the series is a point-of-view shot in which the camera starts out underwater, but quickly accelerates up and breaks through the surface. The next thing we see is Rakka falling through the sky into the town of Guri. Throughout the first episode, there are a couple conspicuous camera shots in the guest room, where light can be seen shimmering above Rakka in a strikingly water-like pattern. However, neither is there any open water in the room, nor is there any feasible source for the light. I think that this shimmering light, which is the same as what we see in the very first scene, is a sort of afterimage of where Rakka was when she committed suicide. The reason I think she committed suicide is because of the way she behaves when Kuu disappears. She becomes depressed, she gets the idea in her head that nobody would care if she disappeared, and she even says that it would be better if she just didn't exist at all. I think that she felt this way in the previous world, and that when she did, she actually went and erased herself from it by committing suicide. Maybe she threw herself down a well, or maybe she did something else. In any case, the high amount of underwater imagery indicates to me that she definitely fell into some sort of body of water. The recurring symbol of the crow represents someone that Rakka hurt by committing suicide, someone who cared about her, even though Rakka didn't realize it. I think it's likely that Rakka caused great anguish and grief for this person, but I think it's less likely that Rakka's suicide actually caused this person's death. (Maybe they tried to stop her from jumping, so she dragged them along with her? There might be support for that in the way the crow tugs on Rakka's gown as she falls in the dream. Or perhaps, after Rakka went, this person became depressed and eventually committed suicide, too.)

To me, the question of whether Reki and Rakka (and Haibane in general, I might add) were actually transported to Guri just before or just after their deaths isn't very significant. The important thing is that they whole-heartedly went through with suicides that either were or surely would have been successful. I think the claim that the other Haibane are also suicides is not very easy to prove, although if all the adult Haibane were, it would certainly give things a nice feeling of completeness.

I still have the little Haibane to discuss. The idea that Guri is a place of healing and second chances really appeals to me, so I'm inclined to believe that all the Haibane in Guri fit that description. That is, all the Haibane in Guri were once either fragile people who suffered from serious personal or circumstantial problems, or people who never had a chance in the first place. That would explain the kids, even the really small baby that appears at one point in the series. Maybe the kids lived in misery and poverty in the previous world, and they never really had a chance to live before their life was cut short by some unfortunate turn of events (e.g., sickness, accident, murder). The fact that the kids don't respect the name-by-dream tradition and give themselves names based on things they like or want to become (e.g., Hana [who wanted to be a florist], Dai [who wanted to be a carpenter], or Shouta [who likes shortcake]) supports this claim. They had no chance to become or enjoy anything in the previous world, so they're doing it now in the town of Guri. As for the baby, I've heard people suggest that it's the result of an abortion or miscarriage, but I prefer to think of it in the same terms as I think of the kids, only much, much younger.

>>4 All the water imagery hadn't occured to me until you mentioned it, maybe she did fall into a well, after all she did find the crow there. I like to think that the person Rakka hurt actually tried to stop her from jumping. What she says to the crow may have actually been her last words to that person when you think about it. Especially if she did commit suicide (not that I'm doubting you on that point). She could have done a 'Constantine'(the part where the girl throws herself from a roof into a pool). Or maybe she jumped from a bridge, and maybe that's why when she was crossing the bridge with Hikari she was extremely nervous. Hikari's personality would contradict the idea of suicide, however, she does get very upset when she thinks someone is angry, upset, or just withholding information from her (toaster in the tub?). Nemu could have swallowed a handful of sleeping pills. Kana could have easily drowned herself, and most likely in a river.

What about Hyouko (sp?)? or that girl who was with him in abandoned factory...I can't remember her name....

Anyway, The kids did confuse me, and you helped give me an idea as to why they're Haibane.

Hyouko and Midori. I don't know; their characters get even less air time than any of the supporting Haibane characters from Old Home. I just don't really have much of an idea of what their history might be.

There's a clue to Hyohko's (yeah, it's spelled with an 'h', despite the nick I often use) past/dream in his name; it means 'icy lake.' As for 'Midori,' well, I don't know; it's a fairly common female Japanese name, and the only meaning I know for it is 'Green.'

One thing I'd point out: it appears that the Haibane don't necessarily entirely leave Glie after the day of flight, given the scene in which Rakka hears Kuu's laughter echoing inside the wall. That'd lead me to believe that the day of flight yields something more complicated than merely being shunted off to a higher plane of existence.

>>7
Using the doujinshi as reference, his name is 氷湖 (ひょうこ). How you spell that in roman characters depends on the system of romanization. Both Hyohko and Hyouko are fine, in my opinion. The important part is that the "oh/ou" sound is a long vowel. And yeah, like Bagels said, his name means "ice/icy lake"

Regarding Kuu's voice in the walls... I don't think that just becuase Rakka hears it means that Kuu is somehow there. Washi, the communicator, tells Rakka that it was just the wall reflecting her own thoughts and memories of Kuu, or something to that effect. Still, I suppose I can't rule out the possibility that something of Kuu actually was retained in the wall. There isn't a lot of information to go on regarding the nature of the wall.

Maybe Kuu is held with in the area where her name was. Those things do sort of look like...pods. It could be a place of further atonement before being sent off someplace else.

Another thought just occured to me. Hyouko shows somewhat of a disdain, or maybe he feels shunned about being a Haibane. He hides his wings and halo from the townsfolk, even though(considering Glie is so small) everyone probably knows he is who he is.

Let's say all older Haibane are suicides (even though it's said ABe doesn't agree with that p.o.v.) perhaps Hyouko didn't commit suicide and feels (instinctively) that he doesn't belong amongst the others.

I don't think Hyouko tried to hide the fact that he's a Haibane when he was younger. He might be trying to hide to escape being ridiculed as "that" Haibane that desecrated the wall by driving a piton into it while trying to escape.

But why doesn't Reki also try to hide the fact that she's a Haibane? Well, Reki was already used to being the odd one out, even to being ridiculed, which might be why she doesn't act the same as Hyouko. Plus, she resolved to become a good Haibane after the incident, and a good Haibane wouldn't hide like that. (Not that Hyouko is bad...but...we don't really know very much about Hyouko's personality and history, actually.)

But wouldn't the townsfold know who he is whether or not he showed his wings and halo?

I mean you can disguise the village idiot, but people know who he is anyway. (not that I'm comparing him to most village idiots....you get what I mean)

I'm also curious about Rakka's true name...Involved Nut?

Rakka's true name is 絡果 (pronounced the same 落下, which is the name she is originally given). The meanings of each kanji in her true name are given by WWWJDIC as:

絡 - entwine; coil around; get caught in
果 - fruit; reward; carry out; achieve; complete; end; finish; succeed

As you can see, the translators took a little liberty with the translation, but I think "Involved Nut" is pretty close to the meaning ABe intended.

I think the name is really about, well, her involvement in the world of Haibane Renmei. That is, she is an important element in a tapestry of relationships. This was exemplified in how she was the (only?) one who was able to break through to Reki and save her. She also helped Nemu write her book, helped Kuu happily achieve her Day of Flight, and helped improve relations between Old Home and The Abandoned Factory. Without Rakka, lots of good things might never have happened, but she was there, and she helped do all those things. At the end of the series, too, we see that it's only the beginning, because Rakka will surely go on to care for and support numerous Haibane, including the twins (remember those two cocoons at the end?). In this way she is an "involved nut," whose roots will grow out to touch and have a significant influence on many aspects of the world of Haibane Renmei. The root metaphor isn't as strong if you consider her name to be "involved fruit," but the idea is still there.

(Some text adapted from one of my posts on OHBB)

I think that only Reki and Rakka committed suicide. Both had the black feather sickness. I took the black feathers to represent some sort of impurity. The other Haibane did not suffer from it.

I don't think that the black feathers are caused by a sickness. Nor is it a curse that befalls unfortunate, somehow innately "bad" Haibane, as Reki thought. They're more like an indicator for the state of mind of that particular Haibane. The ones who get black feathers are Haibane who develop negative psychological symptoms that could lead to more suicidal acts, even though their memory has been erased. Even though they had been transported to Guri, Reki and Rakka both developed symptoms of the same kind as they had developed before committing suicide in the previous world.

I can't talk too much more about it now, though, otherwise I'll get distracted from my English essay and never get it done...

Wouldn't it be a travesty if a sinbound Haibane committed suicide??

I wonder what would happen to them?

>>12
I just noticed that I completely ignored the first part of your post. I don't think that the townsfolk really know about the incident with Reki and Hyouko. I mean, the town looks to have quite a few people, and there aren't that many Haibane. None of the townsfolk seem to know very much at all about the Haibane, so I wouldn't be surprised if the incident were kept on the down-low.

I just can't reconcile that all Haibane were born from suicide. That's not just the ones from Old Home and Abandoned Factory, you're also talking about the Haibane Renmei, the Young Feathers and any incidental groups whom may simply have not been mentioned in the series.

I actually have a bit different theory myself, which explains why there's such a difference between a Haibane from Old Home and one from Abandoned Factory; remember that the Young Feathers were not originally from Old Home. Remember also, that the young feathers did not get names from their dreams, and look at the naming conventions of the older Haibane in Abandoned Factory. Hyouko, meaning 'Ice Lake', Midori, meaning 'Green'. It seems to me that their particular names are more in reference to their personalities than their causes of death, especially in Midori's case.

I think that the idea of Old Home being the home for, well, post-suicidal girls could be correct. However, I don't think it's common for all Haibane. Those that come from Abandoned Factory were not suicidal, they were more troubled than anything else.

Oh, I don't know... Sorry, this thread's making me think as I write, so my ideas probably aren't coming through as clearly as I'd like them to.

When a Haibane times to fly, where do they go? To the other side of the wall or given another chance to live into the real world?

>>21
Somewhere that isn't Guri, that's for sure. That's about all I can say.

I may be out of place here, but felt the need to speak up. I'm a 55-year-old guy with 2 teenaged children, and I had the privilege of watching Haibane from 1st episode to last. I have watched LOTS of anime over the past 10 year, and have to say that I enjoyed Haibane the most. I found it gentle, thoughtful and insightful about human needs and relationships, especially the need for forgiveness and of caring for and trusting one another. The series showed a great understanding of children and their needs, and of the consequences of guilt, as well as the redemptive power of forgiveness. I enjoy reading your thoughts on the symbols in Haibane, and I'm very glad to know others have been touched by the story enough to discuss it and continue to learn from it. I guess maybe it's about time I watched it again.....:)

I've always taken it for granted that only the Haibane who developed black feathers were suicides. The others seem to me to be those who died violently, but not by their own hands.

At the beginning Reki says that an Haibane doesn't remember anything of the past life, and nobody of the past life remember of the Haibane.. So i think that the ones who die without being remembered become Haibanes

At the beginning Reki says that an Haibane doesn't remember anything of the past life, and nobody of the past life remember of the Haibane.. So i think that the ones who die without being remembered become Haibanes

I disagree with the theory that the haibane committed suicide in their past life...
I do agree however, that their names (which are influenced by their dreams) play an important role in the story.

reki's = to be run over / stepping stone
rakka's = fall / involved nut

I think the names just serve to provide dichotomous contrast between "good" and "bad" applied to a social context...
Rakka shines when she displays the qualities of an "involved nut" in the same way that reki displays her ability to be a "stepping stone" (she took care of the young feathers and was a model figure in many ways). I don't think the two necessarily cancel each other out; both can be true at the same time.

Rather, I think the two names represent two sides of a character, a choice they get to make.

One of the most important aspects to the reki plot was that she was obsessed about her dream and her inability to remember it. Eventually, this caused her to spiraled down in a depressive cycle

This may be interpreted as her attachment and perseverance on the negative aspects of herself...

Art and media likewise, are often a projection of the author/artist's inner thoughts... which leads me to question where ABe drew his inspirations for haibane renmei from... did he himself have a depressive episode, or did someone close to him experience something similar? Once again, I don't think the entire series was about "depression" but I think it does play into one aspect of it...

If someone did ask me though, I would say that the series was about "learning to fall and pick yourself up again"
This is exactly what happened to both rakka and reki (perhaps the crow was someone who intended to help rakka, but she pushed him/her away?).

Off topic a bit- but The name/Word "Midori" (緑/ みどり) actually has two meanings in Japanese. The verb "Green" and the descriptive noun "foliage" sort of like nature, earth, that which grows....is kind of hard to explain.

I'm actually studying japanese right now in tokyo and JUST finished this series- I'm so glad that people have posted their theories here because i really wanted a bit more clarity... >.>