I'm not just reading blogs, but also rewatched Haibane Renmei raw. Sadly, it's too hard. And it's not just Washi.

Again I saw a few things not seen previously, for example Midori grabs Hyoko under the arm at the festival (uh-oh).

Returning to present, as far as powerful storetelling goes, ef does not measure up (Dennou Coil might, we'll see; Manabi's strength lies elsewhere). Apparently either it's difficult for the industry to perform at Haibane's level all the time, or the market is not there.

Currently, Haibane Renmei's sales rating at Amazon is 14,697. It's middle of the road for an old series. Stellvia tin pulls pitiful 49,887; Shingu: 45,467; RahXephon: 14,211; Lain: 9,604; Azumanga thinpack: 7,563. To see what current "hits" (as much as it applies to anime) can reach, Naruto Uncut v.5 is 559.