this is the kind of anime i see people looking back on in about 5 years to gush about as an underrated gem.

set in 15th century poland, the premise is, admittedly, a bit of a hard sell-- i've been trying to convince many of my friends to give it a shot, though it's a bit of a futile effort. however, i think this is the kind of story that we desperately need to engage with and learn from in times like these. the ability to doubt and believe, as well as how to delicately balance the two to navigate and make sense of the world we live in. the power of perspective also has great importance here as you follow multiple, rotating protagonists and one reoccurring "villain", whose beliefs of the pursuit for the truth and devotion to religion make them clash. their hopes, passion, and humanity really help in creating such an engaging world and story.

i originally thought this would just be some historical anime and had a hard time actually starting it myself. but of course, it's much more than that. what starts off as a conflict between science and religion evolves into something more conceptual and yet all encompassing.

__what is discovery without challenge?
what is faith if you blindly believe it?
what is freedom?__

these are the questions our characters themselves ponder as they carry on the knowledge to change their world, but they are also questions that we the audience must reflect upon as well. in an age where we can access information within seconds in the palm of our hands, there is little doubt about what we are told. such thoughtless belief is part of what orb teaches us to overcome, that we are creatures of inquiry and that the truth cannot always be so easily accepted. orb filled me with this sense of curiosity and questioning every week, whether about the night sky or my own worldview. every episode ends with some kind of epiphany or question for the audience to think on until the next week. i admit that my attention span isn't the best, but this anime had such a pull that it was hard not to focus on the dialogue and characters, knowing that there would be pay off for it in future episodes. in the same vein, those who don't like to "think hard" about the media they consume, aren't interested in the philosophical and wordy nature of this series, or need instant pay off in storytelling will have a hard time really getting into it. and that's okay. all i ask is that a chance is given.

also, special mention to the soundtrack of this series! kensuke ushio did a fantastic job pulling at heartstrings and invoking feelings of fear and wonder. of course, sakanaction and yorushika were such perfect picks to do the opening and endings. this is one of the very few anime where i could just never bring myself to skip the opening. the voice acting was also superb and i strongly believe that nowak is tsuda kenjirou's lifetime role. i could do a whole separate review going on and on about how wonderful he was, but will leave it at what i've said.

i honestly don't have complaints or nitpicks about this anime. i love how open ended it is and how it really makes its audience think for themselves, rather than spoon feeding everything to us. i can see people being a bit nitpicky about the animation, but i don't think this is the type of show that needs to rely on grandiose scenes to get its messages across. uoto has created something so incredibly special and i look forward to his other works.

it really was our orb-solute chi-nema.