This is a title that talks about the value of knowledge.
In the current season, among various kinds of shonen, you can stumble upon the anime Orb: On the Movements of the Earth – a new title in a historical setting from the well-known studio Madhouse.
This series does not have grandiose battles, a sudden threat of universal proportions and a dynamic plot developing in a fantasy universe, but there is an interesting story that makes the viewers think.
What Is Orb: On the Movements of the Earth About?
At the beginning of the 15th century, the young prodigy Rafal plans to enter the university and devote his life to the study of theology – the most important science of the time. However, deep down, he really wants to go into astronomy. And one day he meets the heretic Hubert.
Hubert is an adherent of the heliocentric system, while the whole world, and especially the Church, believes in the truth of the geocentric system.
Under torture by the Inquisitor, Hubert supposedly renounced his views, and this time the Church granted him forgiveness. When he meets Rafal, the heretic tells him about his research and decides to use threats to force the boy to help him continue it.
At first, the boy wants to tell everyone that the old man has not reformed, but something in the theory attracts him. As a result, after each meeting with Hubert, he believes more and more in the movement of the Earth and begins to make his own research, risking his life for the heresy.
But what if this heresy is actually the truth, which will turn out to be a scientific breakthrough capable of turning the idea of the world upside down?
Orb: On the Movements of the Earth Is an Exciting Anime Despite Historical Spoilers
The series begins with a rather brutal scene in which the Inquisitor tortures another heretic and boasts of his achievements in the form of a collection of nails torn from previous victims. The creators immediately set the tone, rejecting almost all medieval romanticism.
There are no knights and noble kings, but brave explorers and treacherous clergymen. Given the peculiarities of the time, they are in constant danger and risk being caught.
Uoto, whose manga of the same name was the basis for the anime, does a great job of making the viewer worry about the characters, because they can be removed from the story at any moment, leaving all the developments and scientific achievements to their followers.
Even if we take into account that we have a global historical spoiler, thanks to which we can assume that Copernicus will eventually prove the theory of heliocentrism, the series does not get worse.
Orb: On the Movements of the Earth Is Another Madhouse Masterpiece
In fact, Orb: On the Movements of the Earth is mostly a collection of the author's thoughts on faith, feminism, the importance of education and scientific discovery, and the price of truth.
In his creation, the mangaka put astronomy at the center of the plot, but he could have easily chosen another science. Uoto simply chose a voice that was ideal for his purposes, capable of conveying important, exciting thoughts to people.
Orb: On the Movements of the Earth can certainly be considered a worthy candidate for inclusion in the top ten anime of 2024. For the second fall in a row, Madhouse has released excellent series that are undoubtedly worthy of attention.