Orb: On the Movements of the Earth 1x25 Reaction Extended (YT link below)
Added 2025-11-27 00:00:10 +0000 UTCIn Orb 1x25, ?, the show with the audacity to try to move the earth comes to an end in the place it began, and yet we've come so far.
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Comments
Thank you! :D
Alex G
2025-12-13 03:05:47 +0000 UTCsad but I think it was so deep and rich for how short and sweet this show ended up being.. But thank you Mr.Goodwin! I enjoyed these reactions a lot :D
Emman Reed
2025-11-28 10:19:00 +0000 UTCThank you 😊
Alex G
2025-11-28 04:32:05 +0000 UTCThanks for introducing me to those terms. I'm gonna add them to my working vocabulary. It really is staggering to think about. In addition to brilliant ideas and innovations, there's also a sort of DNA to all actions, where every word, every choice creates a ripple into the lives of others and out into the world at large. It's impossible to know or trace that in it's fullness. It's yet another one of those magic eye type ideas where you can only sort of start to vaguely see a shape if you zoom out a bit. But I personally believe that on net, the moments (seen or unseen) where people did what they truly believed was right (or resisted what they truly believed to be wrong) is cumulatively responsible for... well, a whole lot of good.
Alex G
2025-11-28 04:31:38 +0000 UTCAbsolutely loved the reactions, your reactions and Orb were truly a perfect match! Thank you for the awesome experience :)
Jay
2025-11-28 03:45:18 +0000 UTCOkay. Long ramble incoming. The first time watching this show for me was earlier in the year where I watched the first few episodes until Rafal died. I guess that just put me off continuing for the moment. Then I picked it back up with these reactions. I tried a few times during to go ahead on episodes by myself, but I think it's there where I noticed that I found the experience less interesting that way. I guess as a huge astronomy nerd one thing that bugged me though probably superficial is I wish the story was more specifically about heliocentrism about astronomy compared to how broadly the story goes into just the relationship between science and religion of 15th century Europe in general. I guess what I'm pointing to is it's really a show about the concepts and not the characters which isn't usually as much of the thing that appeals to me most of the time and then the concepts are not necessarily the ones that most interest me but let's move on to how much I actually do enjoy watching these reactions. This is probably the kind of show for me that benefits from having someone else to analyze with to pick up on things more easily and as always your analysis of the show is just spectacular. Watching this show really gets into the root of a term from the dictionary of obscure sorrows called "Sonder" which is the realization that every single person around has as rich of an internal world and life as you do which in case of a show like this set in the past can be extended into a sort of "Chronosonder" where you're able to understand these kinds of people of the past as being far more alike modern people than you'd think. It showcases and makes you think how much lack of resources can limit great minds in this somewhat unfair world we live in. Like the great quote “I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein’s brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops.” Truly amazing people with wonderful insights have existed throughout all time and probably astronomically more have been forgotten than who have left a contribution that can still be seen and utilized in some form. It is fortunate for the characters in this show that even if their names will be lost to history there will be some form of their ideas that get to live on through the real historical figure of Albert who then moves the ideas on to Copernicus and then Galileo, Kepler, Brahe and so on. I'd love more anime or other forms of media maybe on some of these figures themselves though of course that is kind of the opposite of what this show was about as it was intentionally about these "fictional" smaller figures of history used to show this concept of the evolution of science/knowledge/truth through these miniscule steps at a time. TLDR: You increased my interest in watching this show in such a form that made it an amazing experience to have been a part of
Sale
2025-11-27 06:29:04 +0000 UTCThat is really beautiful, thank you. I also love your interpretation of the two worlds. It's funny, as I think I mentioned at some point I've been noticing a similar device lately, a moment where the author says "hey, I know this is a story but this is also real!" And what's so cool is that I agree. It is both fictional and real at the same time. On a more humorous note, you mentioned that those people of Nth century did all that torch-bearing with fewer resources. I think about this all the time: How did they manage to accomplish such amazing things without modern conveniences like showers and electricity? The sheer discipline and willpower is insane (by modern standards). I was also thinking... I grew up hearing that Bach wrote music to pay tribute to God. Whether or not it's explicitly religious, this is a sentiment I would like to revive from the greats of the past 😂 Anyway.... great analysis. I wonder what triggered this for the author, the way 10% for Potocki triggered Albert
Alex G
2025-11-27 04:40:55 +0000 UTCWow I think I've heard that saying before but I never had any context for it. It brings to mind the phrase "kill your darlings."
Alex G
2025-11-27 03:42:43 +0000 UTCAlex, it’s been SIX MONTHS in the making, but we’re finally at the end. It has been nothing but pure bliss watching your reactions to this show, and I am so incredibly grateful for everyone that recommended this to you and made it possible for this series to happen. There are so many things I want to say to you and to everyone else that’s watching this show, which I know my words would be inadequate for. Still, I’ll try my best to convey here the inspiration I received from this show, and to clear up any potential plot confusion for first time viewers. I mentioned in my comment underneath episode 23 that there is a key detail in us going from the setting of “The Kingdom of P” to the post time-skip (which in reality was more akin to a dimension-skip) setting of “The Kingdom of Poland”. The objectively correct interpretation of this change in settings, is that we’ve shifted from the “fictional story” to the “real story”, which is also why you see a different Rafal alive and (un)well in this world. But the purpose of this dimension change is a simple one, it’s simply to show that the story we’ve seen up to this point was lost to history, as everyone involved has passed away — with our torchbearers gone. This is also meant to be a meta-take on how just like these characters we’ve grown to love across the 23 episodes, there also existed countless souls over the course of history that must’ve felt the same inspiration as they did, and each contributed to humanity’s pursuit of truth in different ways, yet are still “nameless” as they are lost to history. One of the key themes of episode 23, something that was repeated by the imaginary Rafal to the dying Nowak, is that humanity tends to view those that lived before them as merely “people of the nth century”. I think you connected to this point really well in your commentary on how we tend to perceive people of the past as ignorant, foolish, and unaware of the truths that we’ve come to know in our own respective eras. But that isn’t the truth, as they also had hopes and dreams of their own, while also actively participating in the pursuit for the greatest truths in life, and often arriving at the same conclusions as us of today — using less resources! This is a reminder that there really are torchbearers in EVERY era, and that is a miracle truly beautiful enough to connect all of humanity together across the chasms of time. But going back to Orb’s semi-breaking of the 4th wall, or rather, the act of dimension-shifting with the intention of cracking at the 4th wall in order to prove a point — the most popular interpretation is that everything we’ve watched in the first 23 episodes were reconstruction attempts of history by Albert. The idea is that Albert came across the final note of “10% to Potocki” and “On the Movements of the Earth”, in which he began to trace its footsteps backwards through time, leading to his perception of how everything could’ve led up to it based on whatever discoveries he made in his lifetime. Under this line of interpretation, I must admit that Albert had a humorous side to him in making his teacher, Rafal, the first torchbearer to martyr one’s life away in Orb. It goes along the lines of “Wow teacher you were a shitty person, so let’s offscreen you first” LOL. But there is obviously also a generous reading to this, in which he captured the best quality of the adult Rafal, which was his curiosity and valuing of the pursuit of truth, and encapsulated it in its uncorrupted, untainted, PUREST form in the teenager Rafal that served as the greatest opening main character that Orb could’ve asked for! It’s also hilarious that both versions of Rafal actually appeared in the opening for all 25 episodes straight, right under our noses, during the transitioning sequence of tall Rafal in the dark room (caught redhanded) to short Rafal in the burning cathedral :D I also want to state here that this “fictionalization” of the first 23 episodes of the show does NOTHING to reduce my enjoyment of everything that came before the final episodes, precisely because everything we’re watching is fictional in the first place! The author clearly wanted to use this cracking at the 4th wall to convey a point, and I think he did it in a way that doesn’t come off as cheap or give off the feeling of futility to the audience. Because remember, the whole point of Orb is to point out that there very much EXISTED in humanity’s history people like Hubert, Rafal, Oczy, Badeni, Jolenta, Schmidt, Draka, Nowak, and even the young unnamed inquisitor who was burned at the stake for saving Jolenta! We just won’t ever know the exact names and lives of these unsung heroes of faith because of how they were lost to the course of history, and how we tend to perceive them as only people of the past, people physically separated from us due to time and space. But speaking of the young nameless inquisitor, I’d like to point out another detail that the confessor of the final episodes, who talked with our Albert, shared the same voice actor as the partner inquisitor of the martyred one. This intentional detail was meant to explain that Albert also likely used the confessor’s story to trace the footsteps of history, and to paint the narrative of the young inquisitors that we watched in prior episodes. If you line up their story, you’d see how it fits what the confessor said in his confession of how he “left his friend to die”! But with that, I think I covered just about every detail there is to mention on the intricacies of the show’s somewhat complex ending. Your commentary pretty much covered everything else, and it was really moving to hear you talk about the final sequence connecting all of our protagonists. They were also separated by time and space, yet each of them passed on their inspiration to the next, no matter whether they saw the Stars or the Sun in their final moments. We went from the night sky to the crack of dawn, to finally, with Albert as our final protagonist: we get to witness the morning Sun in all its glory — a sign of the future full of hope for the ongoing torchbearer. Finally, I also just realized while watching this episode, that Orb is where I got the word of encouragement I put in my comment underneath your post from 6 months ago, back when your Youtube channel was at the risk of deletion. I told you back then how I was grateful for our encounter in this shifting world, and how I considered your inspiration to me as nothing short of a miracle, especially when considering how a lot of the developments of my own life were changed through watching your channel and hearing your inputs on the many aspects of life. I said back then, that “A miracle can be defined as a fateful encounter in life’s ocean of chanced possibilities, but also the sole chanced encounter in a sea of certainties”. I realized today that I paraphrased it from this final episode of Orb, with the confessor’s quote of how “Miracles are chanced phenomena that occur when inevitability rules. At the same time, they are also inevitable phenomena that occur when chance rules”. I am genuinely in shock at how I quoted Orb to you in a word of encouragement right before you started it, in the month of you starting it (the Youtube deletion post was on June 1st, and your first Orb reaction was on June 21st)! Who’s to say this isn’t a miracle in itself :D Lastly, Alex, I wanted to express my gratitude to both you and the other people that watch you. People who actively took time out of their day and lives to leave behind thoughtful comments, all with the purposes of engaging in these reactions and discussing the intricacies of life. I suppose this could also be defined as a form of our pursuit of the truths of this world, and I have found it immensely beautiful countless times. This is the last show that you’re currently watching that I’m following, and it’ll likely be a while before I comment again (ReZero Season 4?). I’ll also miss my fellow Orb peers and their insightful comments, alongside our weekly Orb journey over the past six months. But I trust that no matter where all of us are in life, we will all be connected under the heavens, by the stars. Stay safe everybody, may God bless you all abundantly!!
Hailan
2025-11-27 03:08:13 +0000 UTCThank you again. I wouldn't have watched this without knowing that you'd comment on it, and I'm very glad I did. This whole discussion is all way above my pay grade, but I'll offer one interpretation to try to contribute: The devout Buddhist monk Linji is credited with saying "If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him." It's meant to be shocking, appalling even, to force us to consider what could possibly make a Buddhist master teacher who has pursued Buddha his whole life say that. (Alex rather thoroughly articulates why it's dangerous to believe that we have found a concrete "final destination" and why, especially when we think we've arrived there, we have to reconsider everything that led us to that delusion) Anyway, I'm almost certain that the author, who studied philosophy in Japan, would have heard of this story, and my head canon is that he sees both the audience and even himself idolizing Young Rafal. "Rafal had it right" is probably "true" (to an extent) but it is not "the truth." In order to get us (and himself?) to realize that and to keep "wandering" beyond that, he must kill our idealized version of Rafal (and Draka, Oczy, Jolenta, and even Antoni), and by extension, also Brudzewski and Copernicus. Painful, but sincere and principled to the very end.
Ryan
2025-11-27 03:07:11 +0000 UTCThank you ! I will be thinking about it a lot as well. I also think it will be interesting to come back to after giving it some space. I have a feeling there will be something different to be found every time
Alex G
2025-11-27 02:13:16 +0000 UTCVery nicely said. And thank you 😊
Alex G
2025-11-27 02:12:31 +0000 UTCI finished this show right before you started reacting to it and I have thought about this story, the characters and its themes on a weekly basis since then, and will probably continue to do so. This reaction series has been a treat to hear your perspective on it, thank you for the videos.
Shane O.
2025-11-27 02:04:19 +0000 UTCWhat was it you said in episode 23 around the 13-minute mark, something-something Rafal’s smiling face is always a sight for sore eyes? Unexpected retrogrades don’t only occur with Mars. Regardless, this was an absolutely wonderful reaction series on a beautiful anime. It’s easily in my top ten TV shows of all time, though my love for it inflames my own nitpicks against it as well. These mostly consist of minor historical errors and misconceptions, though even with that, it offers a solid answer to their existence with the final two episodes. My favorite part of Orb is probably the constant conflict and testing of philosophies on how and when to attain knowledge, and through it, truth. Each protagonist, or at least their journey, presents a philosophy that breaks down the flaws or potential failings of the previous or subsequent viewpoint. Finally, with this episode, Orb presents the dangers of Rafal’s heroic zeal for the truth, even at the cost of his own life. For if you are willing to give your life as a necessary sacrifice for knowledge, is there any pragmatic reason preventing you from a similar sacrifice of someone else? First-Arc Rafal wouldn’t fall to this failing, or so I hope, but a truly zealous and amoral thirst for knowledge will whet itself through blood if need be. As such, this brings about one of my own takeaways from Orb: The pursuit of knowledge alone, though a worthy goal, is neither good nor evil in and of itself. Even so, we desire the goodness of truth as opposed to the evils of ignorance, and knowledge of our world is an aspect of this truth. Therefore, to reconcile the two and attain both truth and the fullness of knowledge, our pursuit must be formed by wisdom, courage, and ultimately humility. In so doing, we reach for the pinnacle of beauty, the highest good, our greatest purpose, that truth beyond truth! It’s been an absolute pleasure to witness Orb again alongside your exemplary commentary, and it was quite exciting to discuss with this community. This and Re:Zero have brought about some of my favorite introspections from you, and I can’t wait to see what might come next! There were some good choices which earned high vote counts last time, so the future looks bright. (Season 2 of Frieren will go so hard.)
Ethan Cragg
2025-11-27 02:00:35 +0000 UTCAnime of the Year
bl0odm1st
2025-11-27 00:25:22 +0000 UTCAbsolutely 😁 There might be a gap depending on timing because I'm going back through the show again and not sure I can catch up before this season ends
Alex G
2025-11-27 00:15:22 +0000 UTCQuick question I meant to ask on the last MHA episode, will you do a Q&A for MHA since the series is wrapping up ?
Lyrical Kell of Music
2025-11-27 00:02:01 +0000 UTC
