Orb: On the Movements of The Earth
Orb: On the Movements of the Earth was developed by studio Madhouse and published in October of 2024. Its original source comes from its manga form created by Uoto. This tells the story of a 12-year-old prodigy named Rafal and his journey in 15th-century Europe. The young boy finds himself being confronted with heretical teachings that defy the will of the church. The teachings that the world is at the center of the universe are undone through his research. He believes that the world revolves around the sun. While his ideas are true the church wishes to silence him as he must find a way to push forward and avoid the Inquisition.
I say that when I have only watched three episodes of Orb, I mean it when I say these words: My heart is heavy. I witnessed a beautifully told opening three episodes. In a way that many anime try their damnedest to capture. And always fall short. It is not by visuals, not by music. But by truth alone. It is by this truth that a story unravels. A battle. Not by sword or magic, but from science against religion. I watch as truth is pushed to make way for religious doctrine. And what a beautiful story it is.
I, myself, come from a religious background. And sadly, my religion has made poor choices and created doctrines that have harmed others. I feel a sense of woe when I watch On the Movements of the Earth. Because I know what it is like for truth to be overshadowed. Don’t get me wrong, I love my religion, and I am steadfast in it. But to see the sins committed in the name of something greater. But that is with everything. Faith made it so that science could only go so far until science overtook to push religion aside.
Many feel as though they cannot coexist. That it must be one or the other. But that isn’t true to me. I’m rambling once more, but I feel we must be honest. We must let ourselves be bare and this anime stripped me of my walls. I watched a young boy stand in the face of death and he said but one thing that struck a chord deep down within me.
Even a wrong answer has meaning to it.
Rafal in Orb starts the anime by explaining how he is charismatic, intelligent, kind, and bold. To watch someone so devoted to rationality it begs to argue he is indoctrinated by the faith. And yet he does not believe. He accepts but does not practice. This opens him up to Hubert’s teachings. A man who is burned at the stake for his heretical beliefs. And in one segment I see him explain that the enemy of the Inquisition is a tenacious and difficult one. It wasn’t heretics or heliocentrism. It was belief, it was curiosity and imagination. In short, the truth.
They attempted to silence him, but he wouldn’t be even if he was wrong. Because there’s meaning. He asked Hubert whether he was afraid. Hubert said he was, and that is what made life all the more remarkable. Is that he feared for his life? Rafal does his best to push aside the teachings, and the truth. And yet like me mentioned it is a terrible and persistent enemy. But it isn’t an enemy.
We must understand that when we grow, we will form our own opinions on certain topics. We may be wrong in those opinions but that’s ok. As long as you are willing to see the truth you can live your life with no regrets. And possibly even make life better for someone else. Speak the truth you wish to see in the world. And the truth shall speak through you.