The TV anime "Orb: On the Movements of the Earth (Chi: Chikyu no Undo ni Tsuite)" is based on a manga by Uoto , which was also selected as the Manga Grand Prize winner of the 26th Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize. The original manga was serialized in Weekly Big Comic Spirits (Shogakukan) from 2020 to 2022, and is set in 15th century Europe, depicting people risking their lives to research the heliocentric theory. The TV anime will start airing on NHK General TV in October 2024, and the lives and deaths of people surrounding the heliocentric theory have shocked many viewers. As the series approaches its climax, we asked author Uoto about the impact that the anime adaptation has had on him.
◇"Chi" with a "sound" added. Music invented in the "Middle Ages"
When I interviewed Uoto before the TV anime aired, he said that it was his dream to have his work animated, and that "professionals are doing professional work, so I feel like my expectations have already been fulfilled." In fact, what does he feel when he watches the anime?
"I'm grateful. I'm happy just to see the characters talking. Also, the action scenes are even more elaborate than in the manga, so I think it's great."
The most memorable scenes were those about Count Piast and Kolbe, Jolenta's senior, who devoted his life to "proving the geocentric theory perfectly."
"In the flashback scenes, Namikawa (Daisuke) played Count Piast, and he was really good. He's a voice actor I like, and I was happy to feel that the character became more three-dimensional than I had imagined. Also, Kolbe was a character I liked even when I was drawing the manga, and Shimazaki (Nobunaga) gave a great performance, making him seem even better, or more real."
Uoto was deeply impressed by the voice actors' performances, and the fact that the anime adaptation added "sound." He said he felt that the soundtrack composed by Kensuke Ushio was "a real gift to the afterlife, and that the production was worth doing just for the fact that this was possible."Uoto was originally a fan of Ushio's music, and the only request he made regarding the anime adaptation was that Ushio be in charge of the music.
"Ushio-san did a fantastic job as always. We had several conversations about the music for 'Chi.' and he told us about a really interesting concept. I would be very happy if 'Chi.' was one of the triggers that made Ushio-san think about such things."
When creating the music for "Chi.", Ushio conducted his own research into the medieval music that is the setting of the story.
"We don't fully understand how to read music scores from that time, and because the music was created in a church, there was the problem that it would not be possible to reproduce the music scores from that time in a modern acoustic space, but Ushio researched this issue on his own. It was a brilliant way of thinking that I had aimed for but was unable to achieve. There is a writer called Umberto Eco who wrote novels set in the Middle Ages, and he said about his own novels, 'I didn't write about the Middle Ages, I wrote them within the Middle Ages.' Ushio did exactly that, and I thought, 'He thought within the Middle Ages.' He really did an incredible production."
◇ The fun of separating yourself from your work: The final chapter is "This is it"
Uoto says that he "thinks of himself as separate" from the works he works on, and that the adaptation of "Chi." into an anime "has strengthened that mindset of mine."
"I no longer have the impression that it's 'my work' like I used to. It's a really strange feeling. With manga, I've always been the type to want to control it myself, and I created it so that 100% of my opinions were reflected in it, but with anime, people other than me are recreating something that is under my control. It's interesting to see how it becomes someone else's business. It becomes someone else's business, but the manga version of 'Chi.' itself isn't mixed with the anime, so I learned a lot from that and thought, 'So this is how the original author feels'. I think it's a valuable experience."
He also says that he finds it "fun" that his work feels increasingly separate from himself.
"I don't really have the sense that either manga or anime are something that concerns me. I've had the opportunity to visit anime production sites, but I wondered what I should say. Anime is the director's work, so I thought it would be strange for me to say 'Thank you' and claim my territory. In the end, I felt that the most appropriate words to express my feelings were 'I'm looking forward to it.' 'Looking forward to it' is something that really concerns other people. It's interesting to see this feeling being strengthened."
Uoto says he feels this way because the anime "perfectly reproduced" the original work.
"If it had been made into something completely different, I would have wondered, 'What does this mean?' I think I've been able to be in this position because they have shown such great respect for the work. I have no complaints, and they have simply surpassed the manga. I'm grateful."
The anime "Chi." is finally reaching its climax. In the first three chapters, the setting was "15th century (early period) P Kingdom," but in the final chapter, the setting will be "1468, urban area of the Kingdom of Poland," a specific year and country.
"When I wrote the development of the final chapter, I thought, 'This is the only way it could be done.' But I hope that viewers will be able to see and feel what the meaning behind it is."
"Chi." has shocked viewers at every turn. I'm looking forward to seeing how the story will end.
