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Mar 16, 10:03 AM
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Nov 2023
30
and the mal score is growing up so fuckiing fast
Mar 16, 10:17 AM
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May 2024
1
can anyone explain rafal's timeline? i don't think it's the same rafal because the color of his shirt is different if you notice. maybe someone found something similar?
Mar 16, 10:50 AM
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Aug 2019
12
Maybe this is what Orb's ending wanted us to do. To come together, albeit only here online, to discuss and understand the "truth" of this show. And that is pretty cool.

Sorry I'm being a bit cheeky but I find it so inspiring that the discussion section here in MAL suddenly lit up this time of day and it just keeps on going. Have fun everyone! I already got to understand everything there is that I lacked about this series' finale. Hope you guys find your answer.
Mar 16, 11:06 AM
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May 2022
147
10/10. I have no word to describe it
Mar 16, 1:18 PM

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Apr 2015
732
So, it ends.

I think it was a really good series overall. It had some down sizes and the last 2 episodes went full of interpretation.
I still listen the OP often, its is iconic already. 9/10
Mar 16, 1:33 PM
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Jul 2023
11
loved this from beginning to end. the endless thirst for knowledge was beautiful to see. one of my favorite shows!
Mar 16, 3:53 PM

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Sep 2022
316
Great anime but the ending is a letdown.
Mar 16, 5:03 PM
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Sep 2024
4
For me it was all confusion left after the end , and i think that was the point
Well some of the confusion was resolved after reading these comments...makes reading these comments mandatory after this episode...
Anyway 9/10 this was actually beautiful...
Mar 16, 5:26 PM
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May 2020
2
Congratulation, we made it until the end, easily say one of the best anime i've ever seen (10/10)
Mar 16, 5:36 PM

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Dec 2010
188
The ending has been stuck in my head since yesterday, but I finally made a simpler sense of it . Great stories with genuine vision and intention often come together like this.

Episodes 23, 24, and 25 function as both an epilogue and a prologuewhat a brilliant way to bring things full circle. This approach also invites the audience to connect the dots and experience that sense of [?] (thaumazein!).

You can immediately start from Episode 1 with the perspective that everything up to Episode 23 is Albert’s own fiction, inspired by the pivotal moment he overheard the Potochki letter—something that bugged his curiosity and stayed for years. Full circle !



Deeper layers of Chi episodes through in-depth discussions and reviews
https://www.youtube.com/@SriMoriReaction
Mar 16, 5:38 PM
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Dec 2021
1
I can't believe this ended already. I never had much feeling for anime as much as Orb.

It's like when walking into restaurant, some know what to expect, some don't. When I walk into restaurant name "Orb : On the Movements of the Earth" I don't know much what to expect from it. Other restaurants would provide me satisfaction and leave with impression, but none had made me feel I need to comeback next time every week. But for Orb, I'm waiting again and again for next time I could come back to this restaurant and see what it would offer me.

The storytelling itself is already the greatest I ever seen. The death of characters aren't tragic like any other but they are beautiful. Some philosophies in this story made me wonder even more, some philosophies answer questions that I don't even question but I realized at that moment that my questions have been answered.

Orb has made huge impact on my life, expanding my mindset, helping me understand myself more and everything around me.
Mar 16, 6:28 PM
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Oct 2019
812
So, it's a full adaptation ? It's over over, no sequel right ?
Mar 16, 6:54 PM

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Jun 2019
7096
zkiel_hub said:
can anyone explain rafal's timeline? i don't think it's the same rafal because the color of his shirt is different if you notice. maybe someone found something similar?


Why would him owning a different colored shirt preclude them from being the same person? Don't many or most people who own clothing own multiple different colors of shirts and multiple different colors of other articles of clothing? Even if he were the same person he is clearly aged up, from a 12 year-old boy to presumably a young adult aged late teenager or early 20s-aged person. I don't think that if he was meant to be the same person now at age, say, 18, 19, or 20 that he would still be wearing the same shirt as when he was 12 or that it would even still fit him.
Mar 16, 10:04 PM
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Apr 2023
2
So, who is "Rafal" in Albert's story? In episode 24, people discussed and theorized that the "Rafal" in Albert's story is different from the Rafal in episodes 1–23 (or an alternate-universe Rafal who chose repentance in episode 3 instead of believing in Heliocentrism in court and stays alive instead of drinking the poison). However, in the end, Albert discovers Draka's book "On the Movements of the Earth" and the message "10% goes to Potocki" (Potocki is Rafał's father-in-law), which means they are still in the same universe.

Still, I don't think they are the same Rafal, because the timeline doesn't make sense.
Mar 16, 10:21 PM

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Nov 2013
506
Very philosophical series. Some surprises in this last episode though. I thought the main character from the first ep was executed for being a heritic, not a murderer. A bit confusing in this flashback. But overall, good story content.
Mar 17, 1:29 AM

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Sep 2014
5030
This was an unusual and very interesting show. Somehow as soon as the Draka part was over I liked it again, despite the weird ending.

All of this just to give someone an idea? I guess that fits the theme.

I have to be honest, I kind of liked it less towards the end and went from binging the show to forgetting it even airs, which is why I only watched it now.

7/10 for enjoyment though the playfull and artistic way of telling a story and tying it together from start to end makes me want to give it an 8
it will probably be on my mind for a while and Im glad we still get philosophical shows like this
Comander-07Mar 17, 1:38 AM
"This emotion is mine alone.
It is for Madoka alone." - Homura
or how I would descripe Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica.
Mar 17, 2:08 AM
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Feb 2014
4
I will miss this and it's really insightful internal dialogue, slow character build ups and heavy atmosphere.[Only read a few manga chapters so until I catch up to where the season ended or season 2 starts?]
What a wonderful series covering wonder and curiosity of the stars and space.
deadbeatprinceMar 17, 2:35 AM
Mar 17, 3:46 AM

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Mar 2022
325
this is so peak
i already miss this show
the op is so goated
this show is one of my fav shows of all time
Mar 17, 4:51 AM
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Nov 2024
2
Goukenslay said:
but how did rafael grow up murder a man he died young , this is getting confusing. This ending feels kinda just that. Like not super satisfying

that was not rafal. it's quite confusing to explain but. Think of that new rafal as a doppelganger who is an imaginative character. he could have been anyone but the author made his face rafal to give a symbolism. Even though throughout the story we were following the guys who wants to liberate knowledge and we think of them as the "Good" guys at the end even those "Good " guys will do terrible if they couldn't handle their thirst for knowledge. so even though suppression of knowledge is bad extreme form of thirst for knowledge is equally bad
Mar 17, 4:52 AM
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Nov 2024
2
adrianwhy said:
Who is the priest at the confession room? Is that the inquisitor whose partner let Jolenta escape and burnt in the stake?

Was Draka the one that managed to get the book printed?

book never got printed. it was the letter the draka sent
Mar 17, 5:56 AM
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Jan 2016
2
Reply to JustMonaka
This would've been the perfect closure if Rafal 2.0 wasn't forced into the story. Just make him a new character. Nothing would've changed.

The show tried too hard with the subtext that it ended up muddying the main text in the process.
@JustMonaka This 100%.

If 1-23 was not real and 24-25 was real, which I was thinking last week because Rafal was back, itd have taken away from the show, at least for me. It felt weird to suddenly introduce another character and conclude it within 2 episodes. It was a bad idea in my mind but itd have been fine. I could have lived with it, though I hate when authors/developers play the "it was all a dream"-card. But then they received Drakas letter, which proves that 1-23 was real all along. Good, I like that. But the one problem with it is the Rafal 2.0 thing. Thats a flat contradiction and makes no sense whatsoever. Its not even fanservice, it was a very poor decision imo. Everything else is coherent and the fact that the books contents died with Draka, yet the title gets mentioned through the letter which Albert overhears was brilliant. But I cant help but hate the fact that they re-used Rafal because he REALLY shouldnt be there.

Thats just illogical and annoys me greatly. Mind you, I loved Rafal, but not in this nonsensical way.

For me, this definitely stains this otherwise beautiful picture of an anime. I simply cant overlook it because I love this anime a lot. Goes from a 10 to a 9 sadly.
Mar 17, 8:46 AM
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Mar 2021
45
Just perfect. I love that story.
Mar 17, 11:23 AM
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Nov 2024
1
it was perfect ending
Mar 17, 12:02 PM

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Jun 2015
2620
Reply to Mikubi
So, who is "Rafal" in Albert's story? In episode 24, people discussed and theorized that the "Rafal" in Albert's story is different from the Rafal in episodes 1–23 (or an alternate-universe Rafal who chose repentance in episode 3 instead of believing in Heliocentrism in court and stays alive instead of drinking the poison). However, in the end, Albert discovers Draka's book "On the Movements of the Earth" and the message "10% goes to Potocki" (Potocki is Rafał's father-in-law), which means they are still in the same universe.

Still, I don't think they are the same Rafal, because the timeline doesn't make sense.
@Mikubi It's the same timeline, no alternate timelines shenanigans. That Rafal is just a lookalike for symbolic sake.
Mar 17, 2:40 PM
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Nov 2019
12
For those that like the idea that some of the ones thought to be dead survived:

1. Potential Badeni being the priest at the end since they must have covered half his face/head for a reason, and he had the same hair.
2. Jolenta and Badeni were not shows among the dead main characters when their death scenes were shown. This is more hinting at both of them having survived, which I also think is entirely possible considering how crafty and ingenious they were. Cheating death would not surprise me.

Amazing show. I will miss looking forward to a new ep every week. Top ten anime for me.
Mar 17, 3:30 PM

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Nov 2015
681
Rafal twist at the end ..
I loved it actually , I'm glad it happened , it shows a different side of him , that he is truely willing to sacrifice everything for knowledge.

PS : DON'T FORGET TO GIVE POTOCKI HIS DAMN 10%
Mar 17, 3:32 PM

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Nov 2015
681
Reply to MarusaruMaia
One of, if not the most incredible and subtle detail in the opening. Has anyone ever noticed this height difference between the two scenes? lol That being said, should Rafal-sensei be considered a separate character from our lil guy? Man, Orb is fucking awesome. Easily one of the best mangas I've ever read and the anime did an amazing job. AOTY
@MarusaruMaia

Good catch

I just noticed they been foreshading it from start
Mar 17, 9:41 PM
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Mar 2015
13871
A very convoluted background to Copernicus who wrote the treatise which was only published after his death The Polish Inquisition was mainly aimed at the Hussites who took up arms in Bohemia after the execution of Hus
Mar 18, 3:39 AM
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Nov 2019
89
So the name of this show must be based on Copernicus's "De revolutionibus orbium coelestium" (On the revolutions of the heavenly spheres)
Damnm what a show!
Mar 18, 5:02 AM

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May 2017
99
man idk if I'm just dumb, but the last two episodes only confused me and made me like this previously fantastic show much less lol
Mar 18, 6:21 AM
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Aug 2023
26
i wonder who is the priest , i highly thing it is the raffael's father
My Candies :
Mar 18, 6:37 AM

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Jan 2013
6555
Reply to Deago
@Mikubi It's the same timeline, no alternate timelines shenanigans. That Rafal is just a lookalike for symbolic sake.
@Deago I thought this explanation was dumb the first time I heard it, but that was before he straight up murdered Albert's father. lol
If you reply back to me and I never respond, I lost interest and don't care. Sorry about that.
Mar 18, 3:54 PM
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Oct 2017
1
The anime overall was nice, there were many aspects that I wanted to reimagine like Yolenta meeting her father again and his existential descent into acceptance. I didn't really like the ending it was too rushed.
Mar 18, 4:41 PM

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Nov 2023
648
Every season, there's always that one anime that surpasses everyone's expectations, and this season is no different.

Orb is unique, focusing on heliocentrism, with intertwining plotlines throughout. It connects fiction to history, with Albert Brudzewski, the future teacher of Copernicus, being the last "protagonist."

It's truly a masterpiece.
Mar 18, 9:56 PM

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Sep 2022
316
When you have to explain a joke, it means the joke did not land. I see people writing essays trying to explain the ending and that's not good for the plot.
No matter the explanations, for me the ending is ruined. The transition to real world just killed the joy of this anime and investment I had in fictional characters. It reminded me of 'Lost' TV series.
MyetxMar 19, 7:11 AM
Mar 18, 10:20 PM

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Dec 2010
188
Reply to Myetx
When you have to explain a joke, it means the joke did not land. I see people writing essays trying to explain the ending and that's not good for the plot.
No matter the explanations, for me the ending is ruined. The transition to real world just killed the joy of this anime and investment I had in fictional characters. It reminded me of 'Lost' TV series.
@Myetx You are right but I think sometimes it also depends on the person.
For example I like Christopher Nolan Movies even though I have to work out for a while to fully understand. There is action , there is twist and there is mystery in an well written package. Everyone can take what they want. It functions well on its various levels.

If the show worked very well until ep 23 , it means let's give authors vision a chance for the 24 and 25 and try to see in depth in his way of ending it. Maybe author is requesting to wonder and accept endings outside of typical offerings. Therefore, i think it doesn't always mean its a bad literature when you need to find the landing of the plot , specially when everything from start to finish thematically matches plot wise.
Mar 19, 12:27 PM
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Dec 2023
2
In the end we didn't even see what happened, kinda disappointed but other than that the anime was pretty unique and good.
Mar 19, 1:08 PM
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Feb 2025
64
It was very funny to watch how our Rafal the Second, who gathered a huge scientific community in this reality and delivered grand speeches to an applauding crowd, couldn't convince a peasant to simply hand over the recordings if he was so afraid of them. Essentially, it was just a half-empty episode. They intentionally obscured the face of a random priest from the confessional so that fans could come up with theories. Rafal appeared and created a shocking moment that had no meaning for the same reason. I'm cracking up that in the end, both the whole company of fighters in white and the gypsy literally died just to send a meme letter about Pototsky into nowhere. It turned out to be such powerful trolling from Yolenta, get pranked!

However, a few minutes were spent pointing finger at the sky, so the fans are satisfied.
OrigamistTooMar 26, 4:39 AM
Mar 20, 5:35 AM
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Jan 2014
38
I really loved this show but really disappointed in the final arc being an alternate timeline. Would've loved if Albert's teacher was not Rafal and he inherited Oczy's book somehow or any kind of relation to everything we went through. Like I get that's not reality but why does the ending suddenly need to be real history when the first 95% was not?
Mar 20, 8:07 AM
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Dec 2014
5
Reply to Blue_Maroon
Yeah I wasn't a fan of this ending. How can yall lap up text on a screen as the big resolution for the show. Plus reviving Rafal was dumb and only made things confusing for no reason. Ending aside, it's a good show though.

Solid 7/10
@Blue_Maroon, 100% this.

If this is the ending they chose, the anime would’ve been better served with an open-ended conclusion at episode 23.

The final arc feels painfully rushed—two episodes simply aren’t enough to develop a character in any meaningful way—and maddeningly confusing. Rafal’s return makes no sense, inviting ambiguity and misinterpretations for no discernible purpose. Worse still, it’s utterly inconsequential to everything that came before. The connections between the last character and those who preceded him are flimsy at best, propped up artificially by cheap tricks like posing him in familiar frames or recycling traits from earlier characters.

Let me be clear: this critique comes from a place of love. I genuinely adored the anime up through episode 23, but the final two episodes fumbled spectacularly. And the worst offender, by far, was that clumsy text dump at the end. It felt like something out of a low-budget ‘80s B-movie—running out of funds and slapping an exposition dump on the screen to wrap things up. What a disappointing way to close out an otherwise stellar anime.


Mar 20, 2:05 PM

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Jun 2019
7096
OceanOfLight said:
And the worst offender, by far, was that clumsy text dump at the end. It felt like something out of a low-budget ‘80s B-movie—running out of funds and slapping an exposition dump on the screen to wrap things up. What a disappointing way to close out an otherwise stellar anime.


I'm, as you and some others have voiced, also not a fan of the type of ambiguous and subject to interpretation manner of ending chosen for a series like this, which, prior to it, was played rather straight as a historical drama throughout the vast majority portion of its runtime, rather than an abstract mindbender.

But in reference to the few screens of text at the end, I'm surprised to hear anyone take issue with this. Or, I guess not literally anyone, but surprised to hear as many people do so and be in as strong and fierce opposition to it as they have been. Haven't you ever watched any historical biopic or "based/inspired on/by true events" type film? They always have these footnotes at the end detailing what happened to any real life people, or the most relevant ones, which the characters are based on, following up with the events portrayed in the film. Like "Garibaldi went on to lead his Redshirts to victory over forces of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies at the Battle of Milazzo in 1860" or "Stalin would later pass away in 1953 with the cause determined as cerebral hemorrhage".

I thought that was pretty standard and non-controversial for any series or film which depicts any real people or events at any point.
Mar 20, 3:16 PM
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Dec 2014
5
Reply to WatchTillTandava
OceanOfLight said:
And the worst offender, by far, was that clumsy text dump at the end. It felt like something out of a low-budget ‘80s B-movie—running out of funds and slapping an exposition dump on the screen to wrap things up. What a disappointing way to close out an otherwise stellar anime.


I'm, as you and some others have voiced, also not a fan of the type of ambiguous and subject to interpretation manner of ending chosen for a series like this, which, prior to it, was played rather straight as a historical drama throughout the vast majority portion of its runtime, rather than an abstract mindbender.

But in reference to the few screens of text at the end, I'm surprised to hear anyone take issue with this. Or, I guess not literally anyone, but surprised to hear as many people do so and be in as strong and fierce opposition to it as they have been. Haven't you ever watched any historical biopic or "based/inspired on/by true events" type film? They always have these footnotes at the end detailing what happened to any real life people, or the most relevant ones, which the characters are based on, following up with the events portrayed in the film. Like "Garibaldi went on to lead his Redshirts to victory over forces of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies at the Battle of Milazzo in 1860" or "Stalin would later pass away in 1953 with the cause determined as cerebral hemorrhage".

I thought that was pretty standard and non-controversial for any series or film which depicts any real people or events at any point.
@WatchTillTandava, I completely understand your perspective, but the fact that this trope is commonly used to wrap up documentaries doesn’t mean it’s thematically fitting or functional for this anime. I believe the issue lies in how, up until the final episode, the series didn’t feel like a faithful historical documentary. Instead, it unfolded as a grounded fantasy anime, with occasional nods to real historical figures through quotes. Because of this, concluding the anime with a trope typical of the documentary genre—one that isn’t very entertaining—didn’t quite work for me. It felt like a very anticlimactic way to end an otherwise thrilling piece of art. I would have preferred that this entire final arc had been given more space and time to unfold naturally.
Mar 20, 4:52 PM
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Aug 2013
94
It blew its ending and it turned from a 10/10 to an 8/10 for me. I considered lower but the first 23 eps were so good.

I completely understand why that ending happened. Draka had to die, and the printing press plan had to fail, because that didn't happen in real life. Copernicus was what happened in real life.

So Orb became "historically accurate" at the cost of having one of the most bullshit endings ever. I think most people wanted the miracle fantasy ending where Draka succeeded. If Orb had ended that way, there would've been some criticism about its inaccuracy, but it wouldn't have been as controversial. Orb rejected that because its entire message was about finding truth over believing what feels best.

But let's go with Albert's arc for the sake of its message. It still should've been handled better. Albert's arc should've been a single episode: a few minutes of flashback showing his interest in astronomy, followed by him eavesdropping on the letter's contents, then entering university, then becoming a teacher, and then concluding with the reveal that Copernicus was one of his students. The very last scene of the anime should've been Albert and Copernicus meeting for the first time, with Copernicus saying this as the final line: "My name is Nicolaus Copernicus." That would've been 100% epic and the perfect ending.

Everything else in episodes 24-25, including the stand-in Rafal murder scene, the church confessional, and the philosophical preaching, was completely unnecessary. Episodes 22-23 already had the philosophical talk where the violent suppression of heliocentrism was a poisoned idea from a singular source. It didn't need to be hammered into the viewer's head again. And of course, the wall-of-text conclusion was utterly awful. This show was so close to being perfect, but the author had to complicate the ending instead of finishing it with a simple, masterful stroke.

It reminds me of Great Pretender, which had a swindle of an ending because the entire theme of that show was about swindling. Personally, Orb's defiance to show the truth at the very end didn't sting as much as Great Pretender's swindle. It's just that the execution of Orb's ending was totally botched. So while I gave Great Pretender a 4/10 just because of its ending, Orb doesn't suffer as much of a score drop.
GippyMar 22, 5:53 AM
Mar 21, 3:55 PM
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Jul 2024
1
This anime was truly thought provoking, emotional and all around extremely well done. It explored some of the most interesting themes I have ever seen done in anime. Very human and somewhat relatable themes. The idea of man and God. Who is allowed to truly pass judgement. The guilt that follows those who pass judgement when they are unable to justify their means for passing judgement anymore. The ripple effects one's actions have. One's convictions over one's belief. How far are you willing to go to obtain truth. Absolutely well done. There have been a lot of absolutely amazing anime over 2024 and 2025 but hands down this has to be MY ANIME OF THE YEAR.
Mar 21, 11:14 PM

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Mar 2019
953
Months ago i saw a few trailers and this anime seemed interesting...

Then i knew Netflix was going to stream it, and i just ignored it like most of its commercial trash content.

Weeks passed until this week... and i read some comments about it, and gave it a try.

What a surprise.

A Hidden Gem.

The Gem of the Seaon(s)...

Possibly of the Year.

9/10... because of preferences i cant give a 10/10, but i still consider it a Masterpiece.

Episodes 1-3, slow but good and solid.

Episodes 4-23, Cinema.

Episodes 24 & 25... i reject the idea of beign an alternative universe/time... but still liked it.

Last to say... the Ending Songs were very good... but the OPENING Song, the Music & the Visuals were another level, Emotionally a Masterpiece.
Nyan-Pasu!... [ Ara Ara ] [ Waifus ]
Mar 22, 11:55 AM
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Feb 2022
3
Absolute cinema 🎥
Mar 22, 9:06 PM
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Jul 2021
1
this anime is absolute cinema
Mar 22, 11:31 PM

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May 2012
315
Fantastic show. Only happened across it from seeing the opening visuals. Very moving and thoughtful story.
Mar 23, 8:13 AM
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Mar 2018
550
It's upsetting that a show I accompanied for twenty-five episodes fumbled the bag so close to the finish line, but at least I got an experience out of it.
Mar 23, 12:15 PM
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Jul 2016
39
I'm going to kill myself, damn what a work of art what a beautiful thing I got goosebumps . I am in shock, in crisis, in reflection. Damn, I'm an academic and I'm constantly questioning what knowledge is and its implications, and my friend, if there's one thing this story brought was this, in its rawest and truest way. I'm impacted, I want to indicate this to everyone I know, I want to put posters around about this anime, I'm inspired.
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