It first aired on Fuji TV between October and December 2002, and was later broadcast on Animax Asia in English and French under the title Ailes Grises (Grey Wings).

The series follows Rakka, a newly hatched haibane[b] (a being resembling an angel), and other characters in the city of Glie, a walled town with a single gate through which only a mysterious group, the Toga, are allowed to enter or exit.

Considered a classic by many, Haibane Renmei is described as a slow-paced, atmospheric, and philosophical series exploring the spiritual themes of the afterlife, guilt, sin, and redemption.

[5][6] Rakka settles into her new life in the abandoned countryside boarding school called Old Home, a "nest" of the haibane, and quickly bonds with the other residents, especially Reki and Kuu.

The Extra Edition is a flashback story to the character Reki's experiences as a haibane girl shortly after her mentor, Kuramori, left their home.

[10] Both works share a common setting of a walled town inhabited by memoryless residents, and some individual elements were also borrowed, such as birds as a recurring motif.

[11] Having started to write The Haibane of Old Home, Abe was approached by producer Yasuyuki Ueda, with whom he had previously collaborated on Serial Experiments Lain as a character designer, who proposed turning it into an anime.

[15] The walled city of Glie is often interpreted to be a form of purgatory or limbo,[16] and the story arc a journey toward redemption, salvation, or forgiveness.

[4] Anime scholar and critic Marc Hairston argues that the traditional Christian portrayal of angels is quickly subverted; rather than superior beings, the haibane are treated as second-class citizens in Glie.

[14] The creators have deliberately maintained this ambiguity and refused to elaborate on these points in interviews, with Yoshitoshi Abe stating he doesn't want to impose his personal views on the viewers.

[25] The series was first licensed and dubbed into English in North America by Geneon USA (named Pioneer Entertainment at the time), which published DVD releases from April 2003 to October 2005.

The decision to use a muted color scheme garnered a particularly positive reception; Mauno Joukama writing for the Finnish magazine Anime called it "picturesque", Animerica "stunning".

They note that while the animation quality was "fairly sharp" by early 2000s standards, it hasn't aged well with modern devices, causing certain artistic flaws to become more noticeable.

[1] Jonathan Mays of Anime News Network, in an in-depth review, described the Hanenone soundtrack as an "emotional expedition", concluding it to be "superior to almost all television series music.

Anime News Network's Zac Bertschy called it a "marvel", noting that it had managed to overcome his generally low expectations for English dubs.