Orb: On the Movements of the Earth vols. 5 & 6 Omnibus

When we left Oczy at the end of the previous omnibus, he was resigned to his fate in trying to buy time for Badeni to escape with his knowledge.  This involves fighting Nowak and his comrades as they try to apprehend him in the name of the Church.  What follows is likely going to make for a memorable combat sequence once Madhouse gets around to animating it for the currently airing anime version of this manga.  Yet even if Oczy is able to win against the inquisitor, was his effort actually necessary?  He, Badeni, and Jolenta have the truth on their side and a truth as big as the movement of the Earth in the Solar System is something that won’t stay hidden forever.  Even if it takes another twenty-five years to pass and the involvement of people who see this as an adventure as well as a way to make some money.

This third omnibus continues its thoughtful approach to how people view and fight for the truth against a fictionalized version of the rise of the Heliocentric Theory.  It also marks the transition to the final “act” of this story before it wraps up in the next one.  Mangaka Uoto doesn’t quite manage this as successfully as he did after the first volume, mainly because we’ve had more time to get used to our current protagonists and trying to introduce a whole new cast of characters can’t help but feel awkward.  

Fortunately that doesn’t last and new characters like Draka and Schmidt start to acquit themselves, and you’re rewarded with the return of at least one character from the previous act.  Not the one that I wanted to see, mind you, but I have a feeling the mangaka isn’t done with them yet.  Especially since after seeing them in this omnibus I feel that their arc might wind up being the real heart of the series in spite of all that they’ve done up to this point.