Orb: On the Movements of the Earth (Omnibus) Vol. 1-2

チ。―地球の運動について― [Chi: Chikyū no Undō ni Tsuite] #1-2

by Uoto

Epic historical fiction meets scientific suspense in this award-winning tale that inspired an upcoming anime--available in English for the first time in oversized omnibus editions!

A mysterious pendant sparks a quest to shed light on an astronomical truth...even if it would mean Earth-shaking revolution.

In fifteenth-century Europe, heretics are being burned at the stake. Rafal, a brilliant young man, is expected to enter university at an early age and study the era’s most important field, theology. But Rafal values Reason above all else, which leads him both to the shocking conclusion that the Earth orbits the Sun, and into the hands of the Inquisition!

A decade later, two members of the Watch Guild, the dour young Oczy and the cynical Gras, find a hidden stone chest that details the secrets of the universe Rafal left behind. Dare they try to change their own stars by selling the heretical texts, or would that only lead to the stake and the fire?

Genres: Manga, Comics, Historical, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels

320 pages, Paperback

First published November 21, 2023

Reviews

[Rehan Farhad · Rating 3 out of 5]

পনেরো শতকের কথা। ইউরোপের চার্চ ও বিজ্ঞানীদের মধ্যে তুমুল রেষারেষি চলছে। জনতার ধর্মবিশ্বাসকে কাজে লাগিয়ে বিজ্ঞানকে দমিয়ে রাখার চেষ্টা করা হচ্ছিল, একের পর এক গবেষক,বিজ্ঞানীকে ফাঁসি দেয়া হচ্ছিল ধর্মীয় অবমাননার দায়ে। এই রকম প্রতিকুল পরিবেশে রাফাল নামের এক কিশোর ধর্মত্বত্ত্বের বদলে অ্যাস্ট্রোনমি পড়তে চায়, আকাশে জ্বলজ্বল করতে থাকা তারাদের দেখতে চায় অনুসন্ধানীর চোখে। খুব সাদামাটা একটা কাহিনি; এর মধ্য দিয়েই ধর্ম, বিজ্ঞান, সমাজ ও মানুষের মহাবিশ্বকে জানার অদম্য কৌতুহলের এক যাত্রা শুরু হয়েছে। Vinland সাগার পর আরেকটা ইউনিক মাঙার দেখা মিললো এই বছর।

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Polish people and the Catholic Church, a manga made for me specifically.

[Liam Bédard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Héliocentrisme 😍😍😍

[Emma's In Stock · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this story. I like anything historical, so the specification of the sprouting of the heliocentric theory was really neat to read a fictionalized story about.

The art style was intriguing, as well. It was drawn in a simplistic way which made everything look wooden; everyone looked like wooden dolls. It was eerie but fascinating, too.

The story had some really interesting parts, but also some boring parts or parts that dragged. There were also a couple of things where I really had to suspend my belief. With this being said, I liked the first volume more just because Rafal was a more interesting character to me.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raised my rating after rereading this volume

[★julia✿ · Rating 4 out of 5]

RAFAL WTF NO NIE JAKBY ZIOMEK SERIO?? SERIO?
Hubert tez byl fajny :(( Klimat oddany dobrze ig, nie jestem ekspertką. Ale z tym Rafalem to co to ma byc, slyszalem o pewnym fakcie zwiazanym z tym co soe stalo przed przeczytaniem ale nie spodziewalam sie.
I ten ziomek co sie poplakal jak mars sie "zatrzymal"??? i cant wait na kolejne tomy !! :3

[marcia]

DNF'ed @ Chapter 2.

I don't know why I borrowed this from the library. This is the polar opposite of what I'm into right now.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh no. I loved this.

[natalia 🦢 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genialne

[Aurora]

Started with a scene of graphic torture, so this series is not for me.

[Lingyi Kong · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tale of science and bravery

A moving story.
Very touching and shares the brave history of science from the old days when knowledge was forbidden

[Remxo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historical fiction about the discovery of Heliocentrism, set in a medieval European country that starts with a P. the story focuses on different men, who discover the 'secret knowledge' about earth's rotation around the sun, which conflicted with the established position of the orthodox Catholic church at the time, who enforced the belied that the Earth, being god's perfect creation, was at the center of the universe. Heretic scientists were persecuted, horrifically tortured and burned alive at the stake.

Christians in this book are written as 'C--', and god is 'G--', as to not offend anyone, I suppose? Kinda lame as the mass murders done by the Catholic Inquisition are a well established historical fact.

The art is all kinds of bad. It's like the author couldn't find an artist and decided to draw himself, without any experience or formal training. Which makes this a super quick read because there really isn't much to look at.

Story: 4/5, Art: 1/5

[Sai Fighter · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.

I think my biggest negative is just how wordy this manga is. Some of these panels were just walls of text.

I do really like the art! I love when the manga uses full pages and wide panels. Close ups of eyes and faces looked great. (This artist REALLY likes drawling eyes) Gore and violence scene with full pages were great.

I did skim the entire series. I think that its interesting that this manga does really focus on one character but the theory talked about in the story itself. (the inquisitor is the only consistent character) Like heliocentrism and thaumazein is the actual main character.

I'm sad that the subject matter didn't hook be because the art and panel presentation is something I really enjoy. Definitely something you should pic up if you like historical fiction.

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Earth revolves around the sun, and we know this now. But in this series we're following various scientists (or science-enjoying individuals) as they discover the secrets and math of why this happens, as the church brands them as heretics and tries to kill them. I was surprised at how our main characters change from volume-to-volume but each brings some new wonder to the story. It's "science" and really it's all about observations, how things appear and what we can observe from watching them. And above all else, the beauty of it! Is saying that Earth revolves around the Sun actually against God's will, or is the Earth something beautiful in accordance with God's will?

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A manga depicting a somewhat historical notation of 15th century geocentrism, upheld by the church, that earth is at the center of our universe, and everything revolves around it. Later, at the expense of Galileo (and many past figures of science), we learn the correct view that the sun is actually at the center of everything.

Honestly, the doctrine of Christianity will declare everything as heresy if it’s not in the Bible. This manga shows men dying for their mere curiosity, administered by the hands of the inquisition. It’s sad that ideas are repressed, that the only hope people could have at the time is happiness upon death and entry into some fake heaven.

[Sam Bellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loving the anime adaptation on Netflix at the moment, thought I'd try my hand at picking up the manga (it's a bit hard to find in the UK!). Uoto's art sometimes leaves a bit to be desired, but for me that elevates it. He takes the Yoshihiro Togashi approach, where for simple scenes you get simple art, but when we have moments of emotional intensity, the artwork steps up a notch and becomes expressive, vibrant and visceral - the scene between Oczy and Gras is the perfect example of this. Some of the dialogue is a little too on the nose and exposition can be heavy and unnatural at times, but all in all this story has really captured me. Looking forward to more.

[Kasper · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a review of the entire series:

This one has been causing quite a stir in the manga/anime community, so I went into it with high hopes, but, unfortunately, it didn't really live up to them. It's very much a series of "ideas" and the story is constantly bending itself to express its core themes and putting the characters into situations where they discuss these themes. It's all very heady and probably feels very important to those not used to encountering ideas like these; but that sort of "storytelling" has never been my cup of tea. The writing felt very contrived a big chunk of the time, and I never really cared about any of the characters except for perhaps one.

[Brandon Phan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dawg who’s the mc? Nah I’m kidding. This review is for the whole series. What a strong sense of purpose in all the characters shown each pushing progress in their own way. To be so strong in conviction and to believe in it so fervently is inspiring. I wish I had that passion for something. Great protagonists and antagonists with no shying away from the horrors of the inquisition. I teared up during a certain reunion. I was disappointed at first but it really rounded out a character’s arc. Conviction goes both ways. Cheers this is a great series for seinen readers!

[Hel Rasmussen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read that this was based on Copernicus somewhat and that was the reason why I checked it out. And I am impressed. The violence was a bit hard to deal with, but considering it is based on Medieval Europe and the Catholic Church stamping out heresy, it is to be expected.
The art is hit or miss, but the story stands on it's own and I am intrigued as to how important the pursuit of astronomy and knowledge as well as the dark side of the Church.

[Nur Agustin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review encapsulates all volumes--

Orb is a rare blend of history, philosophy, and raw human emotion, packaged in art so beautiful it almost softens the blow of its tragedy. Almost. It’s the kind of story that stays with you, making you grateful for the truths we now take for granted and mournful for those who paid the price to prove them. If you’re in the mood to have your heart crushed by the weight of history and the brilliance of storytelling, this one’s for you.

[piratesPencil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this more than I expected to. While the art style feels a bit stiff at times, the story really grabbed me and left me eager to read the next volumes. The pacing was quick and captivating, the characters were interesting, and the plot had several twists (like the end of volume one!) that I didn't expect. I like the themes being explored here, too.

[Aurabelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this a lot. Book 1 I loved and wished they went on with the same character (understandably they could not). Book 2 definitely had a great commencement for a story to unfold. Curious to see how the rest goes.

[Toy J Cupboard · Rating 5 out of 5]

It shows how science and religion both hold intelligence and violence. It highlights that true wisdom comes from questioning norms, while blind adherence can cause harm. Through stunning night sky scenes and powerful dialogue, it encourages deep thinking and continuous growth!

[Hà Linh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I deeply admire works where the author dedicates significant effort to studying the subject, and infusing the story with their original insights without overdoing it. This is precisely such a work.

Về sự vận động của địa cầu, con người, khoa học, lịch sử và xã hội.

[Pau Sainz Pérez · Rating 5 out of 5]

"-Heaven and earth compatible? You mean heaven is as filthy as earth?
+Or it may be that earth could be as beautiful as heaven. Perhaps its not that our earth is fallen, cut and cast off but has ever been part of that beauty. I believe the latter.
-Tonight´s sky is kind of pretty really"

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full series: 8/10

"Thaumazien. In the words of the ancient philosophers, it's the wonder that prompts intellectual inquiry. To put it more simply, it's a body that thrills at the beauty of the world, and a mind that wishes to become closer to it. In short, it's the feeling of a question."

[Afnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's like eight characters to revolve around and they're all so strong. When the heart of a story is that much impactful and the author believes in these short avenues, each and every line they've spoken of became like a great page-turner

[Hayeley Norris · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Mamá · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy interesante, aunque el dibujo no es mi favorito, quiero continuar con la historia.

[Omar Villafane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting 💫