I’ll get straight to the point: I don’t think an anime has emotionally swayed me the same way Vinland Saga season 2 did — until I watched Orb. I’ll be honest but when I reached episode 3, I couldn’t continue because of how insane the episode played out. It’s been a while since a show was that unpredictable yet captivating because of its uniqueness and beauty that it presents with its philosophical themes. I am not exaggerating when I say that Orb is genuinely top 3 new shows of this current decade.

*First part of this post is a recommendation while the second part will be my analysis/interpretation and thoughts on the show*

Recommendation

Brief Overview of what Orb Entails

The overarching presence of the show is the conflict between science vs religion, where astrology is deemed as a lower realm of study while theology is a preferred field. It starts out with a boy named Rafal, a child prodigy, who is accepted into university for theology but wants to study astronomy. He meets a heretic that introduces him the idea of heliocentrism, that the sun is in the center of the universe. Rafal is met with a challenge: continue studying heliocentrism while knowing the repercussions that comes with going against the Church’s teachings or abandon this pursuit for the truth.

Why this Show should be on Everyone’s Radar

Just from the synopsis, you may think it will follow Rafal’s fight for heliocentrism — you are slightly mistaken. The show has such a deep message about the lengths one goes in the pursuit of knowledge: that although death is inevitable, there is hope that someone will walk the path paved out for them. It’s such a nuanced show that brings in the viewpoints of heretics, clergymen, and nomads, where although many of them have opposing perspectives, it emphasizes that no one is necessarily wrong.

This story makes bold moves with its direction, but it plays out this way because of the characters’ strong conviction for the pursuit of truth. It displays tragic and unexpected scenes, not shying away from the cruelties in their society. However, the legacies that the characters carry leave a lasting impression throughout the show. It’s insane how well written the characters are in the few episodes they are present, as their convictions lead them to overcome their fears, make sacrifices, and recognize the beauty in the world outside their bubble.

On a technical standpoint, the production of the show is phenomenal, from the soundtrack to the beautifully animated scenes. We are also introduced to characters where right from the start, they are so intricately-written and become well fleshed out throughout their arcs. It’s also a show that introduces right from the get-go the world, conflicts, and its major themes. It has its light-hearted moments, but not necessarily filler that takes away your attention from the main story. Orb is an anime that is multifaceted with its nuanced themes and well-rounded in its pacing, animation, character writing, and story progression.

Thoughts and Analysis

Unique Aspects of the Show

The most obvious aspect of the show that screams different is the plotline. In general, there are few shows that tackle the idea of science vs religion, let alone explore heliocentrism. However, what really is interesting about the show is the different arcs that tie the overarching plot of pushing for heliocentrism.

It starts with the first arc, where heliocentrism is first introduced and recognized by our main character. The second arc, we elaborate, challenge, and put this research into writing. The third arc explores the technological advancements of their society and how it was beneficial to produce this writing. The final arc is a call back to what this story really is about. It genuinely feels like a complete story of how far one idea can snowball into becoming a revoluntary scientific statement in a time of strict Church orthodoxy.

With each part comes new “main” characters. It’s such a interesting approach to take the story but in the grand scheme of the progress for knowledge, it makes sense to introduce new characters. It’s basically a carrying of the previous character’s legacy while evolving the idea of heliocentrism with each new character. In my personal opinion, I felt that it was a bold but critical move to have “new” main characters. Within the anime community, I do think the majority of people do easily get attached to characters, so changing the cast could get a bad reception. However, despite how the audience may react, it’s a move that is essential to the narrative.

Strong Cast of Characters

Rafal: Just from 3 episodes, he solidified himself as one of the most intriguing characters in anime of the past year. As a 12 year-old boy, he has already gained such a intricate perspective on the world. What really blows my mind is that he knows the repercussions of pushing for heliocentrism, but it was more important that this knowledge would hopefully be passed along generations. Out of all the characters introduced in the show, he appreciates heliocentrism the most, given his enthusiasm to study astronomy in university. His passion for heliocentrism extends beyond living. What people may miss about him is that he actually believes that sharing knowledge is fascinating and pushes for discussion and progress. He holds truth and knowledge at such a high pedestal that it becomes the very thing that ends his life.

Oczy: Hands down the best character development in this show. From being in terror of being perceived by the night sky to perceiving the night sky with love and relief: it’s all because of heliocentrism. What was interesting about his character was that he didn’t necessarily feel strongly about learning heliocentrism, but it forced him to realize the beauty in astronomy. This was the freedom that he was seeking. The freedom to recognize the beauty of the world around you without feeling fear, to read and publish without repercussions. It was a nice addition to see his love for writing grow and to use these skills to write about his studies. He brings up such a great point about heliocentrism during this time period: there will always be someone who can find holes in their findings and argue against it. In a sense, heliocentrism has become his own faith.

Badeni: I never thought I would have attachment issues to a man that was greedy, blunt, and rude in the beginning of the arc. He was the character that grew on me the most. While he wasn’t the most idealistic character, he was the most rational and calculative. Initially, he wanted to take almost all the credit for heliocentrism but by the end of the arc, he values the contribution from Oczy. Oczy and him have many opposing views, however Badeni gradually acknowledges his viewpoints because he realizes that Oczy shares the same passion on heliocentrism. He was also a strong believer of finding the truth, even if it meant destroying thousands of years of knowledge on geocentrism. Even to the end, Badeni places his faith on heliocentrism, that it will not end and that Oczy’s book will persist in the future.

Jolenta: She’s such a great empowering female character that challenged the prominent sexism in their society. Being a woman in this society put her life more at risk, yet her pursuit in understanding the truth of the world pushed her to face adversity. In the third arc, we see her project her concerns and experiences to Draka, as she understands how being a woman limited her from many opportunities. Her personal connection to Badeni and Oczy was beatifully showcased. While we didn’t see them interact very much, she strongly valued their knowledge and conviction to carry on heliocentrism throughout history by mass-producing Oczy’s book. I loved that she grew to be strong-willed but she never lost her humanity and kindness even when she commited crimes to achieve her goals.

Nowak: He’s considered the antagonist of the story; however, as the story progresses, we come to realize that there are truly no villains. The story is just filled with those fighting for their convictions. He was initially a character who strictly followed the Church’s teachings: punish those who go against God. However, meeting Rafal, he became a character confused of those who followed heliocentrism, viewing them with pity, doubt, and hatred. It was a hard concept to grasp: why would all these people risk their life for seeking a “truth” so against God’s teachings? In the scene where he hallucinates Rafal in front of him, he realizes that he was the one stopping heliocentrism from progressing and finally accepts its beauty. In a way, he was a slave for his loyalty to the Church.

Draka: While she wasn’t necessarily interested in heliocentrism, she understood how the mass production of Oczy’s book could earn plenty of money. She has a simple desire of survival and security, which drives her attachment to money. We see in the beginning she’s very cunning and unapologetic, especially to the soldiers and her uncle. As this arc progresses, she begins to value Jolenta and her group’s passion in pushing for heliocentrism. She embodies Jolenta’s will and makes a sacrifice to ensure the printing of the book. In the very end, even though she let go of her materialistic desires, her convictions eventually led to her death just like Jolenta mentioned.

These are some of the major characters I found particularly interested. However, there are so many other side characters that had such depth in the few episodes they were in. No doubt, this show would not be as great without the various ideals that shape our characters while pitting some against each other.

Directing and Cinematography

It may not be your typical flashy battle shounen, but there are scenes where I’m taken aback by how beautifully it’s done. It feels similar to Vinland Saga in how they isolate major moments in the plot, such as setting a white background behind the characters while omitting background music to enhance the tension of the scene.

Speaking of the soundtrack, the subtle, eerie, yet melancholic music elevates the tragedy of the scenes much more, especially for the deaths of Rafal, Oczy, and Badeni. I genuinely teared up because of how beautifully tragic the scenes were. Animation wise, Madhouse did an outstanding job in elevating the source material with not just fluid action scenes, but well-detailed shots of the night sky. It genuinely took my breath away whenever there was an eye shot, as the details conveyed the character’s emotions so well. One example was the shot of Oczy’s eye glazing into the sky, as he finally overcame his fear and recognized the beauty of the Earth.

Orb has outdone itself in the production department, as I don’t think this show would be as beautiful if it didn’t have amazing cinematography.

Philosophical Themes

The themes are the major ingredient that makes Orb such a feast. What I noticed are 2 major themes Orb centers on.

One quote stuck out to me from Rafal: “When it comes to the pursuit of truth, one thing is most important. You must believe.” It emphasizes how in a way, science and religion during this time period are two sides of the same coin: it is the truth as long as someone believes in it. Truth and belief is practically a juxtaposition, but Orb is able to tie these two concepts together. With limitations to science and overwhelming curiosity, we almost have to believe it’s true. The pursuit for the truth is what pushes our main characters to go against the odds, discovering new knowledge with the risk of execution.

The way fate is presented in Orb is tellingly beautiful. The fate that brought Rafal, Oczy, Badeni, Jolenta, Draka, and Arthur together enabled heliocentrism to grow from an idea to a reowned belief supported by many astronomers. The transition to each chapter of the story was fate introducing one character to the idea of heliocentrism from the predecessor.

Final Thoughts

As I’ve mentioned in the entire blog post, this anime is nothing short of amazing. Although it’s broken down in different chapters with new characters, it’s able to seamlessly connect to one another, creating a dense but compelling tale. One of my favorite parts of the show was easily the character writing, as each character held so much complexity and yet, I could step into all their shoes and see their perspectives. It’s rare that a show in this day and age can be both excel on so many aspects without losing momentum.

My only “complaint” would be the last 2 episodes, that left off on an ambiguous note with Rafal alive. While I feel like it felt more questions than answers, it made sense in the grand scheme of the story. Rafal is a reminder of why pursuing knowledge can be so fulfilling and powerful.

Orb was such an incredible 25-episode journey. While it may not be your standard anime with fight scenes, school festivals, or over-the-top confessions, it’s a powerful story where the simplest of scenes can move mountains. This has the potential to become a modern classic.

Score: 9.3/10