Haibane Renmei and the Seven Deadly Sins

In a theory proposed by Otaku Sempai Seth Weiner and by Wraith on the Haibane Renmei fan website Sekai no Hajimari, the main character Haibane are said to be representations of the Seven Deadly Sins. The sin that each of these Haibane depict thus determines the nature of the trials that each of them must face. According to the theory, the Haibane-Deadly Sin depictions are as follows:

Reki - Pride
Rakka - Gluttony
Nemu - Sloth
Kuu - Envy
Kana - Avarice
Hikari - Lust
Midori - Wrath

Some of these combinations are not outrighly obvious. Hikari, for example, does not represent lust in the way many would initially think. In Weiner's version of this theory, proposed during an Otaku panel discussion of the Haibane Renmei series shortly after it was released, the depiction of lust through Hikari is entirely indirect, accounting for key aspects of her character including her innate clumsiness and mischievious personality. According to Wraith, Hikari's poor impulse control and short temper are also key indicators of Lust.

On the other hand, the representation of Avarice through Kana is much more direct. In Kana's case, avarice is represented, not as love of money, but as love of the mechanical over the spiritual/social. According to Wraith, Kana's trial is to learn how to 'stop and smell the roses.'

Again using Hikari as his prime example, Weiner also goes on to try to use this theory as an indicator to judge the relative length of time it will take for each Haibane to achieve their days of flight. In what he refers to as the 'Hikari Principle,' Weiner states that the length of time it takes for a Haibane to achieve the day of flight is directly relative to how difficult the sin depicted through said Haibane is to overcome. For example, according to Catholic scripture, pride and lust are two of the most difficult sins to overcome. This would explain extraordinary length of time it took Reki to overcome her trial and thus achieve her day of flight. If we apply this principle to Hikari (who is a four year old Haibane at the start of the series), it is plausible to assume that she could continue to remain in Guri for several more years.

Wraith's complete version of the above theory can be found at http://cff.ssw.net/index.htm. It is important to note that this theory, although extremely plausible, is probably not what ABe had in mind.