Orb: On The Movement of The Earth Review.
Now that this series is finally over, we can talk about what have experienced over the 25 weeks. Many questions were asked, and most are now answered, but one still remains: Was it worth it? The answer to that, of coarse, is a resounding Hell yeah!
I'dd admit that I this show escaped my radar, as it has undoubtably for many of you as well. In fact, I only started to watch the show after finding the first opening theme on YouTube (which has to be one of the best of the year, but I digress). Let's just say that I was very pleasantly surprised by this series. Studio Madhouse and the original author really managed to create just a really well written show. Bravo.
Anyways, let's go into the MANY pros and the two minor cons I have with this show.
Pros.
First of all, the music was just fantastic. From the soundtrack by Kensuke Ushio, who also worked on Chainsaw Man and A Silent Voice, which both have absolutely stupendous music. His soundtrack elevated many scenes, especially the many slow thoughtful dialogues, to a new level. Would the show be good without it? yes, but he really made these scenes even more fantastic and made them just that much more memorable. Also, the OP and the EDs are absolutely fantastic. The first op is what go me into the show, and while I didn't like the third and fourth versions of the visuals as much the song was still amazing to listen to. Also, both the ending themes are absolute ear worms. one of the best aspects of this show.
Second is the character change. Throughout the series we see characters motivated by many things and have many different goals in life, and we see how the light and passion of discovery and the thirst of knowledge has affected them. From a religious scholar turning towards science, to a bodyguard giving up killing, and to an selfish atheistic Roma girl giving her life to reveal the truth, all character are affected by the search of the truth. The characters who we see at the beginning of their arcs to the end are usually completely different. An excellent example of this is Nowak, who starts out as a ruthless contracted mercenary for the church, who ends up destroyed after thinking that the institutions he protected ended up killing his daughter, then briefly going back to work for this institutions before dying and accepting his wrongs.
Last pro is the messages of this show. The idea that scientific knowledge is a never ending process that transcends generations is something we see in the real world often. Also, the ideas of free thought vs. Institutional control are deeply developed throughout the series and mirror the actual historical struggles of not just the heliocentric scientist of this time, but also many other historical events such as the Scopes monkey trials and religious-govermental separations. This theme is well developed throughout the entire series. And even smaller ideas like the beauty of nature and human curiosity play a deep role in the story as well. This all creates a very deep and philosophical experience for the viewer.
