As a groundbreaking series, Gundam completely shaped the course of the mecha genre for decades. Yoshiyuki Tomino brilliantly portrayed war, humanity and society through the characters and received acclaim for his work. He praised his contemporaries for their offbeat work, but there are exceptions.
Recently, Tomino seemed rather disappointed with a modern anime which made waves on the Internet. Orb, in particular, didn’t seem to pique his interest and he gave his reasons as well. But that won’t dim the series’ significance in splendidly portraying the age-old science versus religion debate.
Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino’s thoughts on Orb anime
The 70s and 80s were some pivotal years for the anime industry. This is true for Gundam and other series that paved the way for cyberpunk and mecha genre. These were a trailblazer in the manner with which they questioned the societal conventions.
War, for instance, is one such theme that is central to every cyberpunk and mecha anime. The growing disparities between humans, governments, and other species is one of the tropes. Yoshiyuki Tomino’s work stood out through its commentary on patriotism, duty, loyalty and much more.
Gundam or robots weren’t merely for aesthetic purposes but played a pivotal role in carrying out atrocities. They were the harbinger of a dystopian society ridden with war and conflict. But what interested him more is this new-age anime which somehow failed to render impact through its performance.
In an interview, Tomino opened up about the Orb anime and how it deviated from the source material. He said:
I was annoyed that the staff had no awareness of their role in shaping culture. The concept of the manga is so strong that I want to say, ‘Don’t underestimate manga.’ Still, I never thought an artist would come along who could express such a theme so well in manga,
It is true that most anime take a detour from the source material. And while the series cut some interesting dialogues and scenes, it is relevant nonetheless. His criticism was met with contempt by fans who in turn praised the series. It points to the splendid portrayal of the science versus religion debate.
The splendid portrayal of the Science versus Religion debate
There are believers and then there are skeptics. The age old debate of science and religion is something that continues to this date. And to execute it perfectly is a big feat for Orb: On the Movements of the Earth. The anime is set in 15th century Poland where the Church has no place for curiosity.
Curiosity indeed killed the cat, but here it puts humans on a stake. Yes, it reflects on the Church and its brutalities in different moments. Caught in the middle of this conflict is Rafal, who is an aspiring theologian. He also seems to have a penchant for astronomy but it only gets messy from here on.
His inquisitiveness is met with contempt as he finds himself being tangled in this chaos. The Church is an institution and a powerful one that too. It would clip the wings of imagination at any given point. But what it also does is tells you something important: You must not ask questions.
The Inquisition isn’t a new concept per se. It has been a tool used by religion to carry out witch hunts for a very long time. We witness it in Castlevania where medicine practitioners were burnt at the stake. Similarly, astronomers that challenged the dogma were seen as “potential threats to peace”.
Overall, Orb anime is a thought-provoking series which is a must-watch. From voice-acting and music to Madhouse’s animation, it is sheer novelty.
Gundam is available for streaming on Prime Video. Orb: On the Movements of the Earth is available for streaming on Netflix.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
