An all-night screening of the TV anime " Orb: On the Movements of the Earth (Chi: Chikyu no Undo ni Tsuite), " based on the manga by Uoto , which was also the subject of much discussion after being selected for the Manga Grand Prize at the 26th Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize, was held at Shinjuku Wald 9 (Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo) on January 18th, with Katsuyuki Konishi Konishi, who plays Okuji, Saya Niimi, who plays Yolenta, Miyuri Shimabukuro, who plays Dulaka, and Satoshi Hino, who plays Schmitt, appearing on stage to greet the audience. They talked about the appeal of their characters and what goes on behind the scenes during the recording.
The event screened all episodes from the first to the latest, and the venue was full. When asked what he paid attention to when playing the character and what his charms were, Konishi, who plays Okuji, reflected, "I originally liked the original manga and read it, so the Okuji element was inside me even before the anime started. When we were recording, Okuji moved on his own and pulled the voice actor Katsuyuki along. There were lines and scenes, but it was like he was just speaking with those feelings on his own. It wasn't like I had a deep feeling that I had to do it a certain way, but rather it was like the role was pulling me along."
Niimi, who plays Yolenta, said, "Because she is a woman, she is not allowed to participate in the research and instead does odd jobs at the library, but she is also the type of girl who is able to do some pretty dangerous things with the attitude of 'Oh well, it's okay,' so I hope viewers will enjoy seeing that she is not just a poor girl."
Shimabukuro, who plays Duraka, the daughter of a nomadic tribe who appears from Chapter 3, said, "She is a girl who believes in making money, but at the same time, there is a part of her that is always feeling restless and anxious. She interprets and takes on the things that the previous characters have woven together, and she has a slightly different way of taking things on than the previous characters, so I hope that you will enjoy that."
Hino, who plays Schmidt, the commander of the Heretic Liberation unit who also appears in Chapter 3, said, "He often behaves in a noble manner and touches his beard a lot. I always kept in mind the look of a beard from the audition onwards." He added, "So, in episode 16, which aired last week, the director told me, 'Your beard looked good,' and I was relieved (laughs)," drawing laughter.
Hitomi said that her character, Yolenta, appeared in Chapter 2, but "I've been visiting the dubbing studio since the first episode to learn more," and "The dubbing I've experienced so far has been split up into separate recordings, so this was the first time we recorded an entire episode together. I could feel everyone's love for the work and how much they read the book." Konishi revealed the inside story, saying, "I asked the sound director, and he said that he had been making offers to Hitomi saying, 'I've got the OK, but I wonder what would happen if I did this.' He cleared those offers so easily that he said, 'He's amazing.'" Hitomi humbly replied, "That's a lie. It's all a lie. I tried my best, but it wasn't easy to clear..." and Konishi asked the audience, "It was really wonderful, wasn't it?", which elicited loud applause.
Regarding the dubbing of Chapter 3, Hino-san recalled, "Uchida Yuya-san, who plays Schmidt's subordinate Fly, and I started talking about stars, then gradually moved on to more difficult topics like quantum mechanics and 'What is the birth of the universe?'" Shimabukuro-san, who was also dubbing with him, said during the break, "There were a lot of long lines, so I was trying to wrap my head around whose words resonated with Duraka, like in a Japanese textbook," and when he heard this conversation, he reacted in his mind, saying, "What an incredible conversation!"
Every time an episode of the series is aired, the famous lines and scenes become a hot topic. When asked about his favorite lines and scenes, Konishi prefaced his question by saying, "It's completely unrelated," and complained, "You know, the voice actors say 'chi' before and after the commercials on the TV anime broadcast? The other cast members around me kept saying 'chi'. But they never let me say it!" Hino, who has already said 'chi' once or twice, said, "It's hard to sum up 'chi'," and asked about his favorite line, "In Schmidt's line, 'Let's move the Earth from now on.' Rafal also said it, right? It links to that, so I thought it was an important word and acted it out." Shimabukuro seemed to be moved by the weighty words, saying, "It's the line of Count Piast, who risked his life to prove the geocentric theory, saying, 'It's the year 2000.'"
Finally, Hino said, "I hope you will enjoy today's broadcast, which will show how Schmidt and Dulaka will take this heliocentric theory that began with Hubert and Rafal, and how it will develop in this new chapter." Shimabukuro called out, "I want you to pay attention to how Dulaka will take on what everyone has been researching and the feelings they have shared, and to where this heliocentric theory and the girls will end up."
Hitomi expressed concern for the audience, saying, "I really want you to look at a lot of different things, but first and foremost, I would ask that you enjoy the film while watching out for your hips and bottom (due to the long screening) (laughs)." Konishi concluded his speech on stage by saying, "I'm happy that you will be able to see on this big screen the footprints and thoughts of all of us characters as we live our lives. I hope you will continue to support the TV broadcast!"
The series was serialized in "Weekly Big Comic Spirits" (Shogakukan) from 2020 to 2022. Set in 15th century Europe, it depicts people risking their lives to study the heretical theory of heliocentrism. The anime is produced by Madhouse, which also produced "Summer Wars." It is currently airing on NHK General TV every Saturday at 11:45 pm. There are 25 episodes in total.
