Orb: On the Movements of the Earth Episode 8 – Pursuit of Truth

Hello and welcome back to Anime Rants. You probably know the story of Icarus. He famously built a pair of wax wings to fly. Despite his father’s warning, Icarus flew too close to the sun. His wings melted and he fell out of the sky. This story is supposed to be a warning against human arrogance. Humans shouldn’t try to reach the sun. However, not everyone views this story in the same way.

In this episode of Orb, Count Piast says that good scholars need to be like Icarus and keep trying to approach the sun – which is a metaphor for truth. According to Piast, Icarus only failed because he built his wings out of wax instead of something stronger. “If wax is not enough,” he said, “we must make wings of steel, and continue approaching that truth we call the sun.”

In my worldview, truth matters much more than what feels good or what’s commonly accepted. True scholars like Piast, Badeni, and Jolenta agree. Now, let’s see what happens to them in the eighth episode of Orb: On the Movements of the Earth.

Episode 8: We Must Become Icarus

Episode Rating: 9/10

As he starts speaking with Jolenta, Badeni realizes almost immediately that she’s the author who solved the problem. He isn’t shocked or worried about the fact that she’s a woman. Actually, he sees this as a fortunate boon. A woman is less likely to report him as a heretic because she, herself, would likely be accused of witchcraft. Orczy says that Badeni’s calculating nature is cruel, and I agree that it’s not a humanistic approach. However, I also agree with Badeni when he stated, “It’s reality.”

Jolenta was eager to discuss astronomy and universe models with Badeni. However, as the strange monk drew closer to his real point – heliocentrism – Jolenta grew uncomfortable. This was, after all, heretical research. So, the young woman told Badeni and Orczy to leave. Badeni obeyed, but he felt sure that Jolenta would change her mind and join the cause. When Orczy asked why Badeni was so certain, he said it was because Jolenta is true scholar.

I appreciated this because, if Badeni truly looked down on Jolenta for her sex, he would have said something very different. For example, he might have claimed that Jolenta would change her mind because women are weak-willed creatures who tend to defer to men. But that’s not what Badeni was saying at all. He recognized that Jolenta cared about what true scholars also cared about – truth. No matter how uncomfortable or dangerous, she will surely try to reach the sun.

Badeni was correct, but before Jolenta agreed to join him, several important events took place. Jolenta spied on the scholar’s meeting again. She heard Count Piast announce that he was dying and that he wanted to perfect his geocentric model before it was too late. When Jolenta tried to sneak back inside, she was caught by Piast near the well. He demanded to know why she never attended the meetings or lectures. Jolenta explained that she wasn’t allowed by the other men.

Surprisingly, Piast was sympathetic. While the Bible said women should be quiet and never teach, Piast believes this may be an interpretive error. He gives Jolenta permission to attend the discussions from now on, adding that she had better turn in an impressive treatise. This conversation was surely uplifting for Jolenta on a personal level, but it also made her realize something objectively important: with his massive libraries, Count Piast was the best person to help Badeni prove heliocentrism.

The next day, Jolenta went to meet Badeni and Orczy. This time, she admitted to being the author who solved the problem. She proposed working with Count Piast, but Badeni was initially against the idea. Everyone knew that Piast wanted to prove the geocentric model. Jolenta argued back, and Badeni finally agreed to try. However, at the meeting with Piast, the cranky old man refused to cooperate.

We then see a long flashback of Piast’s life as a student. He was rejected by his family for being a scholar instead of a soldier or some other “useful” occupation. But Piast’s professor was also an eccentric who made him feel welcome. The professor stressed the importance of pursuing truth and using one’s talents to gather information. It’s possible that these memories will lead Piast to change his mind and help Badeni.

The episode ends without a clear decision from Piast. I look forward to hearing his thoughts in the next episode. As for this episode, I don’t have any complaints. The pacing was excellent, the themes and character writing were top-notch, and the music was great as usual. I suppose the visuals were not excellent – everything always looks too dark – but that’s the least important part of an anime in my personal opinion. Anyway, that’s all for today.