Zemekis Posted May 2 Report Share Posted May 2 (edited) I just started reading Haibane Renmei, but I'm realizing that this process may be a bit more complicated than I inititally thought. I have seen imagery from this series for such a long time at this point, dating back to really old imageboard times, that I assumed it was more popular. I've always been drawn in by the blurry, sepia tone...it's so melancholy & unique! As it turns out, it's fairly niche and even someone as experienced as me got tripped up while figuring out where to start. I try to read mange first whenever possible before watching an anime, but upon receiving the manga from the library (yes, I still use those) I read the back of the book..."anime manga?" This series is from the early 2000's, with the manga being published in the US during 2006. This is still well within the years where "animanga" was a phrase, as well as those bizarre releases where they would use stills from the anime to sort of create a manga in reverse. That's what I think the US release of the manga is. It's all in color too. I had assumed that this book would consist of the original doujin or perhaps the expanded re-write. Those are available within the top 2 Google results from scanlation websites, but I had hoped to read it in physical format. What I got was a janky anime frankenstein (making no comments as to the quality of the story, haven't read it yet). In my defense, when I requested this from the library its name in the catalogue was simply "Haibane Renmei." It was a shot in the dark, which is sometimes part of the fun. Thus, I ask you: have you watched Haibane Renmei? Read the "anime manga"? Is it worth my time? Should I watch the anime then read it to compare? Or just read the scanlated source material, then watch the show (skip the animanga version)? There are bound to be some old heads here who remember Haibane & have an opinion on watch/read order for a newbie. Edited May 2 by Zemekis Put both images on the bottom to shorten post 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arisien Posted May 3 Report Share Posted May 3 (edited) I have a general appreciation for ABe's works and distinct style, and this is no exception. I've only seen the anime but I enjoyed it. My understanding is that only 2 chapters of the manga were released before the anime was announced and he stopped working on it, so it just covers the first few episodes. Edited May 3 by Arisien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonewolfe187 Posted September 12 Report Share Posted September 12 Out of any of my favorite works from abe outside of lain its easily, haibane renmai 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arisien Posted September 13 Report Share Posted September 13 Pleasantly surprised to see this thread get an update! It really is a nice allegory and character design. I've been meaning to read the Murakami novel that inspired this and some other heisa-kei series, and then revisiting the anime at some point. Wonder if Zemekis ended up watching the series or reading whatever it is he found at the library... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koby Posted September 13 Report Share Posted September 13 I've yet to watch this, but I'll certainly give it a watch someday when I've got some time outside of gaming or watching my weekly shows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zemekis Posted September 25 Author Report Share Posted September 25 On 9/13/2024 at 12:58 PM, Arisien said: Wonder if Zemekis ended up watching the series or reading whatever it is he found at the library... I haven't watched or read it yet! what I got from the library was an "animanga" so it was mostly anime stills with text. At that point, I'd rather just watch the show. I'll read the source material online first. Thanks for reminding me! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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