On The Movement Of The Earth

Summary

• Orb anime focuses on Heliocentrism and Geocentrism, portraying inevitable change through research-driven protagonists.
• Orb and other anime explore themes of life and death, the balance between knowledge and mortality, with a cyclical view.
• Both Orb and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure shift protagonists to enhance the plot, passing knowledge along generations for a greater purpose.

Orb: On The Movement Of The Earth is an anime that reviewers brand as “not for everyone” and is focused on a small niche. The anime focuses on Heliocentrism and Geocentrism, determining the position of the earth in the universe and if it rotates or is being rotated around.

Orb: On The Movement Of The Earth follows the story of multiple protagonists as they try to change the world with their Heliocentric model, devising ways to elude the church and preserve their findings, hoping their research proves what it was intended. While this philosophical masterpiece is currently airing, various other anime share similar tropes and are sure to be a great watch.

10

5 Centimeters Per Second

The Inevitability Of Change

Change, be it either good or bad, is inevitable with time, and this anime and Orb focus on the portrayal of these themes. In 5 Centimeters per Second, time creates distance between Takaki Toono and Akari Shinohara, the protagonists of the story, bringing about the inevitable change in their relationship.

In Orb, change is a major driving force as the protagonists keep on making research and passing it on to the next generation, believing in them to continue from where they stopped and hopefully, to finalize the Heliocentric model, changing and turning the world on its head.

9

Planetes

Cosmic Perspective And Humility

It is not every day that one finds an anime that appreciates the beauty of the cosmos, and while they embrace it, they take different approaches. Orb takes the universe as a sign of God being immaculate in his work, battling to prove the beauty of God on Earth or Earth being created to test his people.

However, Planetes takes a much more lighthearted and clean approach to this. They help the universe in their own little way by clearing up space junk between the Earth and the Moon, adding comedic scenes while maintaining the philosophical theme of space development.

8

Made In Abyss

Finding Life Within Death

These two anime explore the balance between life and death, focusing on how they depend on each other. While Orb views it as part of a cosmic cycle where death is inevitable and new life continues from there, Made In Abyss paints the Abyss as a living creature that has its own charm that entices others to explore it further, even at the cost of their lives.

It focuses on the individuals as they sink further into the Abyss, testing themselves and blurring the thin line between life and death. They portray life and death as a cycle, one where the thirst for knowledge requires acceptance of the possibility of mortality.

7

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure

Constant Switch In Main Characters

Both Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure and Orb take a unique approach when it comes to the protagonists, having no issue when it comes to switching them to better enhance the plot of the series. For Orb, it is almost seamless considering characters labeled heretics end up dying.

For Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, they switch the protagonists every season, each one having their story to tell and their contribution to the overall plot. The only difference is that Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure’s protagonists’ changes are seasonal, while Orb happens every few episodes, with each one passing down knowledge to the next.

6

Serial Experiments Lain

Existentialism And The Meaning Of Life

What is the truth about their existence as humans? What is the meaning of life? What is their purpose? These are the kinds of questions that Serial Experiments Lain tackles.

This anime provokes and deals with questions that borderline resemble philosophical thought processes. Characters are forced to ask themselves the purpose they have in their lives, distinguish between what is real and what is not, and consider who or what governs the flow of life. It is an anime that ensures reviewers do not skip the phrase, “This is not for everyone.”

5

Mushishi

Humanity’s Relationship With Nature And The Universe

Be it the astrology used as base arguments on Heliocentrism and Geocentrism in Orb or the study of Mushi, the most basic form of life in the world of Mushishi, they both have a solid relationship when it comes to connecting with nature and the universe as human beings.

They both appreciate the serenity and beauty of nature and what answer it holds for us, be it the model of God’s work or the meaning of life itself. Ginko may be a guide cursed to ceaselessly wander, but the world does not turn for him, the same way the universe does not turn for the Earth.

4

Code Geass: Lelouch Of The Rebellion

Morality And Legacy

In Code Geass, rather than the church, the supreme power and enemy was Holy Britannia. The series focuses on the morality of several characters in their mission to build a legacy. Holy Britannia and the freedom fighters fighting for Japan operated in morally gray areas, with Lelouch solidly against his father and questioning his legacy.

Certain characters in Orb question the faith and morality of those serving the church, as they commit acts that are supposedly atrocities and refuse to accept the possibility of a different model being closer to what God had created, all because of the legacy the church had set.

3

Steins;Gate

The Weight Of Knowledge And Curiosity

Knowledge is power, and with great power comes great responsibilities, responsibilities that certain characters in both Orb and Steins;Gate are willing to shoulder. Knowledge in Orb comes with heavy consequences, especially knowledge of Heliocentrism. It could lead to being ostracized by society and even death.

In Steins;Gate, the thirst for more knowledge on the Phone Microwave gadget puts the main characters in danger. They sought to control it as much as possible, giving them the power to alter the occurrence of certain events in time. And time cannot be altered without dire consequences.

2

Texhnolyze

Freedom Vs. Determinism

To live in the shackles of a seemingly perfect utopia where outside forces ultimately dictate human behavior or to be free? Both these anime tackle this question in depth, albeit in different societies and manners.

For Orb, the supremacy of the church in scholarly decisions is tackled alongside how the church refuses to accept change, and how its soldiers do not question the system to which they have been entrusted to enforce. Texhnolyze takes a cyberpunk approach to the need to strive for improvement, deeming a clockwork society with nothing to achieve poison to human nature.

1

Dr. Stone

The Resilience Of Humans At The Sight Of Breakthrough

The resilience of humans in both Dr. Stone and Orb is exemplary. In Dr. Stone, despite being set back to an era without technological advancements, they strive to carve out a path from scratch while keeping themselves alive, no matter how long it takes.

Similar to Orb, some humans refuse to forsake their belief in the Heliocentric model despite the near-inevitable gruesome death that awaits them should they be caught. They are ready to put themselves on the line for the sake of Heliocentrism, believing in their successors to prove their theory.