Let’s review some history to get a feel for when this series is supposed to be happening. We know that Rafal’s story started in Poland in the 15th Century. We also know that the printing press was invented around 1440 by Johannes Gutenberg. It was commercialized in 1454 and was used first for the Church, printing Catholic Indulgences and Bibles. Before long, philosophers, scientists and other academics were also printing materials. (Source: The Gutenberg Press.)
Although we don’t know the exact year in which Orb was set, it was probably supposed to happen at least a decade after the commercialization of the printing press. In other words, it’s the 1460s or later. In these days, the idea of printing a book for the masses to enjoy was still novel (pun intended). Jolenta’s printing plan was truly bold. Orb: on the Movements of the Earth continues to impress me with its historical setting. Let’s review episode 22, in which Draka must convince Bishop Antoni to adopt the idea of printing a book about heliocentrism.
Episode 22: Neither of You Will Be Known to History
Episode Rating: 8/10
Nowak’s forces attacked the houses where the heretics were hiding. Thanks to the other men covering for them and fighting the knights, Schmit and Draka escaped. They killed two men, stole their horses, and took off into the night. Nowak pursued them with two other knights. Before long, they were catching up. There was no way both Schmit and Draka could escape – so Schmit opted to stay behind and fight.
Schmit had grown attached to Draka. I believe this fact is important in explaining how he felt in his last moments. Schmit said he was frightened of his duty for the first time. He also told an enemy fighter that his killings thus far had been motivated by faith and belief in divine destiny. But now, I think he’s fighting purely to protect Draka. Schmit defeated two of the three enemies, but was stabbed in the back by Nowak.
I liked Schmit and I didn’t want him to die, but I expected it. As deaths go, his was acceptable. Schmit died telling Nowak that he had chosen this path himself. A lot of characters in Orb end up abandoning or acting against their faith at key moments, so this was fitting with the greater story. Schmit stopped feeling assured that he was enacting God’s plan, and that scared him. However, he followed his heart and gave his life to protect Draka for his own very human reasons.
In my previous episode review, I incorrectly assumed that Draka’s plan was to convince Nowak to join the cause. In actuality, she went to meet with Bishop Antoni, which makes a lot more sense, since they met once before. Draka managed to make a compelling case for the publication of the book on heliocentrism. Antoni listened because he was interested in personal profit. He tentatively agreed to the plan and demanded 80% of the profits. With little choice in the matter, Draka agreed.
This is a bit of a side tangent, but Draka based her plan’s success on the argument that people want pleasure more than imposed order or tradition. It relies on the assumption that humans are “greedy for gratification.” Personally, I prefer to say humans are eager for stimulation and quick to learn when old systems are failing. It’s also true that humans flock to problematic forms of pleasure, like gathering in crowds to watch executions. Still, let’s not pretend there isn’t a positive side to humanity’s hunger for new experiences.
While the two finished talking, Draka prepared to use Antoni’s carrier pigeon to deliver the letter that Jolenta gave her. Just then, Nowak entered the dark sanctuary. He was stunned when he realized that Draka – this heretic – was going to be excused of her crimes and join a clergy member in making money. He argued against it because he had already invested so much of his life into crushing this idea. Nowak argued by asserting that heliocentrism was clear blasphemy.
Antoni disputed this. Heliocentrism was never outright banned by the Orthodox Church, nor was it forbidden in the Bible. (However, one can certainly interpret heliocentrism as a threat to the religious models of the time, just as many religious leaders were threatened by the discovery of dinosaur fossils or natural selection centuries later.) In short, heliocentrism was permissible.
This chain of events happened because Antoni’s father, the previous Bishop of the city, hated heliocentrism. He once studied it himself, but then branded his best researchers as heretics for some unknown reason. Hubert was tortured and ultimately killed for this, which is where our story began. It’s crazy that all this started from one man’s hatred who happened to be in power as a religious figure.
At any rate, Antoni wiped the slate. By burning the death records of the heretics Nowak hunted, he made sure there was no record against heliocentrism. I don’t think for a moment he’s doing this to fix his father’s mistakes; I think Antoni is a sociopath who only cares about personal gain. Nevertheless, this is good news for the heretics. Will Nowak let all this happen in front of him without a fight? Will he ever discover that Antoni tried to kill Jolenta? A lot remains to be seen, but that’s all for today.
~Thanks for reading~
Written by 7Mononoke at Anime Rants
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