We have the answer to one of the great puzzles in anime. Marc Hairston talked with Yoshitoshi ABe recently and asked what radio station the shopkeeper was listening to in the second episode of Haibane Renmei.
He said it was local and the antenna was inside the wall. Apparently the wall blocks any radio signals from outside Glie.
There’s also a possibility of the story continuing with an older Rakka, and ABe is working on a novel.
Nice find!
The idea of a novel is interesting since ABe has made his name almost entirely through picture-orientated works. But then, HR proved that he’s able to tell a good story so I’d like to see how that pans out.
I’m glad that he’s reluctant to do any follow-up stories to existing ones until he’s comfortable with the quality (there are too many inferior sequels to TV shows and movies!) but it goes without saying that a second season or side-story to Haibane is a very exciting prospect indeed! ^_^