First Look: Orb - On the Movements of the Earth

Written by Ross Locksley on 04 Mar 2025

I'm still catching up with some of the more intriguing anime of the season, and so it is with quite some excitement that I sat down to watch Orb: he Movements of the Earth. One of anime's great strengths is that, despite it's reputation (and countless isekai shows) that it really can be used to create outstanding tales in any genre, the limitations of animation being so much less than those of film. The idea of a historic drama that centres around the science of the stars and the ruthlessness of the church to enforce doctrine sounds like the remit of stiff Sunday night BBC dramas, but in this instance the animated form delivers a deliciously dark tale that oozes menace from every pore.

Opening with a torture scene that puts one in mind of the casual threats of Inglorious Bastards or Ramsay Bolton from Game of Thrones, we see an almost bored Nowak the Inquisitor showing off the nails he has forcibly removed from his victims to a terrified man of science. The workmanlike approach to gruesome acts certainly captures your attention in these opening minutes, and you're left in no doubt as to the grim reality under which the city's residents must survive.

Moving on, we meet Rafal, a boy of just twelve years about to leave for a position at University, his adherence to religious doctrine and earnest nature earning him much praise and affection not only from fellow students, but also his teacher. We learn quickly from Rafal himself that he is no wunderkind, simply an orphan who quickly grasped how to endear himself to others by telling them only what they wish to hear. His true love is astrology, and is distressed to learn that his hobby must be shelved in order to fully commit to theology. Still, his life of ease at the forefront of his mind, he reluctantly acquiesces to expectation and agrees to let his passion go. That is, until his benefactor asks him to collect a reformed heretic from the local prison and show him to his new lodgings.

This meeting proves fateful indeed, the stranger, a man named Hubert, forthrightly admits to Rafal that he has no intention of ceasing his scientific research. Blackmailing the lad to keep his secret, he also insists that they meet at a secret location in the evening to discuss matters further. At the top of a hill with a clear view of the night sky, Hubert challenges Rafal on the true nature of the universe, forcing the lad to renounce the church's assertion that the Earth is the centre of the universe and instead that the Earth itself must be revolving around the sun - such a revelation invites torture and death, but inspired and perhaps slightly giddy, Rafal agrees to aid Hubert in his scientific endeavours and defy the faith.

Hubert - who's not a pretty boy then?

From today's perspective this all sounds rather silly, the very notion that an idea could lead to brutal punishments and shaming, but perhaps it's no so far from our own era, where right-think and enforcement are topics of mainstream conversation. 

It's exciting to see such a tale in animated form, the magnificence of the night sky is captured beautifully by Studio Madhouse, the beguiling skies (which would of course be subject to far less light pollution at this time) can easily be imagined to be so striking as to beguile the imagination of a young man who dared to understand them. The undercurrent of a violent and primitive society that also claims to be civil and enlightened is almost a character unto itself, personified perhaps by Nowak the Inquisitor. Never loud nor obvious, the threat just lingers in the air, palpable and ever-present. It's chilling when the mood turns in an instant, such as the praise heaped on Rafal in class coming to an abrupt halt when a student suggests his gifts are God-like. Jubilance turns to terror in a heartbeat.

Having watched the gonzo violence of Sakamoto Days and the fantastical gore of Übel Blatt, adding a genuine thriller to the roster has been a welcome change of pace. There is no innocence in this tale, but perhaps we can find truth and beauty.

Orb is airing weekly on Netflix.