Orb: On The Movements of the Earth

## The Anime

### Soundtrack

I thought Orb's soundtrack was quite nice. I enjoyed the short music tracks used in various scenes. Though, there could've been a bit more variety in the tracks used. It's still just as good as any good anime soundtrack, though.

The opening song is really nice. I didn't know Sakanaction made music like that. The tension in the song really complements the story really well. It's genuinely an iconic song, and it fits the show really well. The animation is also really good, with a lot of interesting shots and angles.

On the other hand, the two ending songs aren't as good. I can't say I prefer one over the other, though. I'm honestly disappointed that Yorushika didn't cook as hard as her other songs. The songs are good, but honestly really underwhelming compared to the opening.

### Thoughts

Orb is one of the most professionally produced animes I've ever watched. I really enjoyed the long and winding story that was delivered to me through the screen. Each and every fun, endearing, and tense moment was portrayed in an incredibly well. The anime in its entirety is incredibly interesting.

The best and worst part about Orb is the plot. Orb follows the story of heliocentrism through around a century of development. I'll cut to the chase; it follows many people passing down the knowledge whether directly or not. It's an incredibly heartwarming story about how incredible the power of the human mind is.

I quite enjoyed the first arc. It set the stage for a story that was even bigger than anyone could ever think of at the start. Basically, it followed the journey of Rafal learning the value of existing in this world upon learning that the earth isn't at the center of everything. Before that, he looked down upon everything in this world as something that was trivial, not worth his time. I think it's a wonderfully simple message to start the story off with. Other than that, it also provided a good amount of worldbuilding regarding the control that the church has over the lives of daily people. Heretics were hunted and executed, while the truth was suppressed. It really set the tone for how serious this anime was going to be.

The second arc is one of the best arcs I've ever watched in an anime. I really liked seeing the story of Oczy and Badeni play out. Oczy was someone who felt ashamed of living in such a lowly world to the point that he couldn't look at the stars. Badeni was someone who lived in fear of human connection, yet he yearned to learn so much about this world. Heliocentrism opened doors for them towards a more beautiful view on life. As it was said in the story, the earth is a part of the heavens, so there is nothing to be ashamed about. While the beauty of the world is also portrayed as something only possible to be viewed through the lens of human connection. No matter how much Badeni tried to work alone, he needed the help of others around him, whether it was Oczy, Jolenta, or Count Piast. Other than those two, there are also multiple other plot points brought up by Orb, such as the gatekeeping of knowledge, the doubting of past theories, and even misogyny in academia. It is genuinely that despite how simple of a concept heliocentrism is, it can provide so many pieces of important dialogue. To be honest, all of the plot points in this arc are incredible!

The third arc follows Draka as she is dragged into Jolenta's operation to proliferate the ideas of heliocentrism. To be honest, this arc isn't as good as the second or the first one. This and the fourth arc are really what prevent this anime from being a 10/10. Despite all that, I still do think this arc brings plenty to the table. There's a lot of action in this arc, because it follows the Heretic Liberation Force. In spite of that, what really impacted me about this arc is the fact that it was basically about one question: Why should we live on? Draka and her mentor essentially argued that conviction is what we should live on. Whether it's conviction through money, God, or whatever it is that anyone believes in, they argue that it should light the way for our futures. Despite it getting a lot of runtime, this plot point wasn't finished properly in this arc, to the point that the other messages aren't worth talking about. I think that is my only complaint about this anime; the fact that it got less interesting near the end. Other than all of that, I will say that this arc wraps up the character arcs of Jolenta and her father really well. More than that, I also really liked how complicated the characters in this arc were. They were portrayed so beautifully.

I think this anime ended well in the fourth arc. First of all, it ended the debate between conviction and doubt. This arc argues that it's a false dichotomy. It literally talks about how important conviction is to show the way forward, while also talking about how essential doubt is to not fall into the fangs of confidence. I thought the way the show executed this was incredible. It also shed light on the true personality of a previous character, which I didn't expect at all. Other than that, it also ended the story's theme of "passing the torch" very well. Despite the protagonists in the previous arcs failing to eventually publish a book about heliocentrism, word eventually caught on by fate to a vulnerable scholar. Eventually, it got to the ears of Copernicus himself. Heartwarming. Very nice.

Overall, Orb's story concerned itself with a lot of topics. In my opinion, it shouldered way too many of them. Despite that, it still executed so many of them with such grace, passion, and care. It's seriously amazing that a 25 episode anime can do that so incredibly well. Superb.

In my opinion, the best part about Orb is the characterization. Every single important character was depicted with so much depth. I got to see and feel the depths of their consciousness. Whether it was their fears, loves, desires, or whatever it was it felt truly personal to the characters themselves. I enjoyed seeing Oczy love the stars, Badeni love his neighbor, Jolenta strengthening her resolve, and so much more. It's genuinely amazing. There is something for everyone!

The artwork in Orb is beautiful. It's definitely fantasy with a tinge of seriousness in it. Standard for something of this caliber, but it shouldn't leave without being praised.

All in all, Orb is a near-perfect anime that is only sullied by its own ambition. It tries to do so much, and succeeds at some (if not a lot of) aspects. That also reflects one of the messages in this anime. Icarus didn't die because of his confidence, rather because he didn't know the wings were made of wax. Despite all that, he still died with a smile on his face from the satisfaction of flight. I think that's a really powerful message. Despite the mid-at-best second arc, Orb is still genuinely one of the most uniquely good animes in the world. There is nothing like it anywhere. 9/10 Gem-Gem.