Haibane Renmei

Haibane Renmei was based on dōjinshi (fanzines) written and illustrated by Yoshitoshi ABe, titled 'The Haibane of the Old Home', published between 1998 and 2002, whose story covers only a small part of the plot of the animated series.

Yoshitoshi ABe has stated that he was influenced by writer Haruki Murakami, and there are several parallels between the walled city of 'The End of the World and a Cruel Wonderland' and the 'City of Guri' in this series.

ABe was also influenced by the musical group ZABADAK, an influence that is reflected even in the title of the work.

The soundtrack, titled 'Hane no Ne', was composed by Kou Otani with simple instrumentation of acoustic instruments, and Otani himself participated by playing the piano in the recordings.

One of the tracks on the soundtrack album, 'Wondering', was composed by Celtic harpist Masumi Sakagami instead of the main composer of the series.

In the Blu-ray edition, released in limited form until October 2010, small changes were made compared to the original television broadcast: a narration about Nemu's further fate in the final episode was shortened and some scenes that hinted at haibane who failed to depart were removed.

Video game designer Yōichirō Miyake pointed out that, although Japanese anime usually excels at presenting ambitious plots but rarely knows how to conclude them well, Haibane Renmei is an exception, functioning as both Rakka's story and Reki's.

As part of promotion, at Comic Market 62 in the summer of 2002 a commemorative DVD called 'Haibane Renmei cog.00' was sold, which included a three-minute promotional preview and a phone card with an illustration of Rakka; it was reissued at Comic Market 63 that same winter.