Orb

Orb (or Chi) was a show that I had seen get quite popular, and the poster honestly drew me in. A friend had recommended it to me so I decided to give it a shot when I felt like I was in an anime mood, and I’m glad I did!

I’ve never had a strong interest in the stars, I’ve had a passing interest in them in the idea of thinking “oh wow how pretty!” but if you asked me to point out even the north star or any constellation, I couldn’t tell you. At most I’d be able to say that looks like a star. So the subject matter wasn’t something I’m necessarily passionate about, or at least, at first glance.

To me, the subject of astronomy and celestial objects was a vessel for the messages and the themes that the show (and presumably the manga though I haven’t read it) is trying to portray. That’s of course not to say the subject of the church and heliocentrism isn’t important, but to me the more important aspect of the show are the themes of conviction and records.

The characters in Orb are great. All the different perspectives are fantastic and I particularly like that there is one consistent character across all arcs, and that being the antagonist, Nowak. He’s not a good person, but his character is important to what I believe is the most central theme to the show, which already isn’t subtle.

Conviction, and what it means to people. The turning point in every main character’s arc is always when they go against their previous conviction, abandoning it. Jolenta talks about how conviction is a curse, and tells Draka to wander.

Every main character of each arc has their own convictions in some degree or form. Rafal was committed to the “easy” way in life, following what others say and saying what others wanted to hear. But his moment of growth is when he defies that conviction. He refuses to tell the court and the inquisitors where the research materials were. Had he adhered to his previous conviction in life, he would’ve offered them up, been forgiven, and continued an easy life as he had previously admired. But he didn’t He refused. And in doing so, going as far as to even kill himself, he keeps the truth, heliocentrism, safe.

Oczy and Badeni have similar moments for their own convictions. Oczy was scared to look into the skies, for fear of the eyes that would judge him. His conviction was that the earth was doomed, and that the heavens were pure. His guilt and conviction kept him low to the ground, unable to see what was above. Until someone helps him, and he ultimately makes the choice to break his own conviction and finally look into the skies. This culminates in personally my favourite and what I think is the most beautiful scene in the show, when he looks up in the sky for Venus.

Badeni on the other hand’s conviction is all about how he believed that only those worthy should be able to research, and that’s why he was determined to be the sole person to complete heliocentrism, and if he didn’t, then so be it. Yet, despite him saying all of this, he breaks his conviction and doesn’t destroy the heliocentrism materials, additionally, he even uses unorthodox ways to preserve his research.

In doing so, both of them go against their previously set convictions for themselves. In return, they preserve something else, the theory of heliocentrism.

The next part has Draka with her own conviction. This is when the show is the most blunt about their themes. Her uncle tells her that she needs a conviction to survive, though ironically adhering to his convictions is what gets him killed. On the other hand, Draka is actually shown abandoning her convictions. She throws away her father’s keepsakes, the keepsakes that remind her of her conviction to make money. Instead, she throws them away for the sake of something else, heliocentrism. Jolenta’s legacy.

Another character that throws away their conviction is Schmidt. It’s another extremely powerful scene, but early on in his talks with Draka, he talks about how he is convinced that there is a God. He refuses to go against God’s wishes, and believes in God’s will. That’s why he uses a coin for some arguments, much to Draka’s chagrin. This leads to another one of my favourite scenes in the show, where Draka decides to use this method to resolve an argument. The result goes against what Draka desires, but Schmidt as an individual, acts against God’s ‘fate’. He goes against his conviction to leave things to God, and takes charge of his own destiny.

I really love that scene both because of the callback, but because it also illustrates Schmidt’s growth as a character.

The last arc of the show with Albert and the “Rafal” is interesting because while I don’t believe that was actually Rafal (but rather they have the appearance/voice of Rafal), I think it was used to show another case of what happens when one’s conviction goes too far. Had Rafal lived, it’s possible he would’ve ended up like the “Rafal” we saw. Someone who was willing to go any length for their conviction (like Jolenta), becoming a murderer.

And in the end, Albert, someone who was willing to be curious, to wander, to doubt and not be stuck to preconceived notions was the person who inspired Copernicus and create the heliocentric model we know today. Tying back to the start of the show where the question is asked of what must be offered to discover the truth of the world was really good too.

Ultimately, I went into this show expecting a show that was about the stars and it to be really pretty (and hopefully have fun characters). But instead, I got a show that showed me the fears and dangers of sticking to convictions, and to learn how to accept new ones.

I may have gotten some details wrong here and there due to faulty memory, but I really did enjoy this show. A lot more than I expected. I was impressed by the story telling, the strong theming, and how much I found myself actually reflecting. Not to say this is true of all anime, but I usually watch anime to relax/unwind or while exercising, and this was definitely not a show that I could do that with lol. It compelled me to compile my thoughts even!