The TV anime "Chi. -About the Earth's Movement-", based on the manga by Uo Yutaka, which was also selected as the Manga Grand Prize of the 26th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize, began airing on NHK General TV in October. The original manga was serialized in "Weekly Big Comic Spirits" (Shogakukan) from 2020 to 2022, and became a hot topic as an unusual manga that depicts people risking their lives to study the heretical theory of heliocentrism in 15th century Europe. We asked the original author Uo Yutaka about why he chose the heliocentrism as his subject, the origin of the unique title "Chi.", and the thoughts he put into the work.
◇Portraying intelligence and violence, also influenced by Yukio Mishima
"Chi. -About the Earth's Movement-" begins with Rafał, a child prodigy who has been allowed to skip grades and enter university, meeting the mysterious scholar Hubert. Hubert, who was tortured and imprisoned for touching on taboos based on heretical thought, was researching a shocking "certain hypothesis" about the universe, the heliocentrism... Author Uo Toyo was born in Tokyo in 1997. In 2018, he made his serial debut with "Hyakuem." (Kodansha), which was about the 100-meter dash in athletics. He said that he wanted to write "Chi." as his second serial after "Hyakuem." because he wanted to write a story about intelligence and violence.
"Since 'Hyakuem.' was a youth sports story, I wanted to write a thrilling story in which someone dies, a story about intelligence and violence. I thought that being able to write such a theme was the best part of creating something, and it was fun, so I wanted to take on the challenge."
Uo Toyo became interested in philosophy after taking an ethics class in high school, and as a student of the philosophy department at university, he said, "I liked Nietzsche, Kant, and German idealism around the 18th century." During his student days, he was also influenced by Yukio Mishima's "Mishima Yukio Sports Theory Collection."
"I was interested in Mishima's life. I think writers want their ideas to have an impact on the world. I think that was effective up until around World War I, but ideas and beliefs gradually disappeared, and everything became a commodity that could be exchanged for money. I think he was someone who couldn't get through this world and wondered, 'What can I write in this emptiness?' I'm a non-political person, but I can understand that kind of sadness. I want to find a reason to be born and a reason to die, and as a writer who is about one in a hundred billion of Mishima, I feel something that concerns me."
The influence of Yukio Mishima is also connected to "Chi." In "Chi," people who risk their lives to research the heliocentric theory appear, and there is a scene where they question the reason for being born and the reason for dying. Uotoyo says, "I wrote it hoping to express the theme of philosophy, life and death, which he is strongly attracted to, with all my might in 'Chi.'" ◇Misunderstandings about the Copernican theory: Persuasive and moving because it is fiction
When Uoyu wanted to depict "intelligence and violence" and was looking for a motif to fit that, he chose the Copernican theory, thinking it would be perfect. "Chi." is set in the P Kingdom, where the C religion holds power, and people believe in the geocentric theory that the Earth is the center of the universe, and those who disagree with this theory are persecuted as heretics. As a historical fact, Galileo Galilei, who advocated the Copernican theory, was found guilty in a religious trial, but there is also a theory that the Copernican theory was not actually persecuted. Uoyu focused on these "misunderstandings" about the Copernican theory and was determined to depict it as fiction.
"I chose the heliocentric theory because I found it interesting that it has never been persecuted. That means it's a misunderstanding. The same can be said about the geocentric theory. Humans misunderstand the world, but nothing can begin without that misunderstanding. There is room for a story in the space between when they weren't persecuted but are thought to have been persecuted. I once read a passage in Yasukuni Sato's essay on Ryusei Kishida that said, "Everything begins with a misunderstanding," and that it all begins with someone becoming obsessed with a certain misunderstanding, feeling its fascination, and going out of control, and that there is no research or history without it. I read that after I wrote "Chi.", and I thought that I was writing with that feeling in mind."
Aside from the truth of the theory that started from a misunderstanding, if you are able to accept it... In "Chi.", there are many scenes in which the characters come into contact with the heliocentric theory and, although they think it is taboo and heretical, they are convinced for various reasons.
"There is information, and when you piece it together, you can make sense of it as a single thread. If it goes in a dangerous direction, it can become a conspiracy theory. However, there is very little difference between drawing manga and conspiracy theories. The only difference is that we start the fight by saying, 'This is fiction.' I'm very interested in what kind of persuasive power and emotion fiction has, so that's exactly what "Chi." is about. Because it's fiction, I feel like I've been deceived, like I've been taken out of my league, but what was that feeling I felt when I read the manga? I thought that the fun of fiction lies in whether or not you can come to terms with that feeling, so I wanted to choose this subject."
◇Three "Chi"s The "." also has an important meaning
After about a year of planning, Uoyuto started serializing "Chi.". He says that there are three meanings contained in the impactful title.
"The 'chi' of the earth, the 'chi' of blood, and the 'chi' of intelligence. I wanted to make a work that blends these three together. I added the period because I like full stops, but it's also a metaphor for the shape of the earth itself, and the period means the end of a sentence. The 'chi' logo has a trajectory in the period, so it's also a metaphor for "something that has stopped moving," so I chose the title 'chi' to include the design aspect."
"Chi." depicts intelligence and violence on the theme of the heliocentric theory. The TV anime, which brings together a luxurious staff and cast, is also a hot topic. Uoyutaka said that it was his dream to have his work made into an anime, and he said, "It was great. It's moving, it's colored, and it's talking. It was amazing." He said, "It's done by professionals, so I feel like my expectations have already been met. I'm looking forward to seeing how the music, voice, and pictures will come together."
