About the Movement of the Earth is a historical manga, a rather underappreciated genre in the medium. But branding it merely as such takes away its allure – despite it being set in 15th Century Poland and exploring a historical finding that is commonplace knowledge now, the appeal of its central theme is both universal and timeless.
The story does not take time in establishing that theme – an authority who is controlling the circulation of information, and heroes who are risking it all to bring the truth to light. The truth here being that Earth is, in fact, moving around the sun and is not
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a stationary object at the centre of universe. The whole series maintains an anti-establishment tone about this discovery and the cost at which it came.
Story: 10/10
It begins with Rafal, a prodigal student, encountering a former heretic who has been placed under the care of his foster father. From him, Rafal inherits the About the Movement of the Earth theory, something he first dismisses as heretical talk, but is soon fascinated with. But Rafal is not the definite protagonist of the manga. A single person didn’t bring the world to change, and it shows a lot of people contributing to the theory in their own capacities to complete it. One can say the Theory is in itself the protagonist here.
The story is rebellious at heart, with its protagonists being both endearing and vulnerable, making us root for their success. It also helps that the story opens with the consequences of being caught by the Orthodox Catholic Church – the antagonist – while investigating this theory: labelled a heretic, brutally tortured, forced to reform, and burned alive if found guilty a second time (to cast off the devil who possesses a body and guide the man to propose such ideas). This is established from the get-go how bloody the history of such a revolutionary idea was.
So, the stakes are really high from the start. But as a character in the story points out, why should anyone risk their entire life to secretly work on a “revolutionary” theory whose validity doesn’t affect anyone? True. Proving that earth moves would negate what Church had been teaching, but a farmer wouldn’t care about it. So why?
The story follows different characters pursuing this theory, with each having a different answer to this – money, curiosity, rebellion, fame, contentment – but one similarity – the thirst for truth to come to light. The manga emphasises over and over that no matter the obstacles in the path, humanity will always seek out the truth. This makes for reckless heroes, but heroes nonetheless.
Characters: 9/10
The characters in the series are fantastically written. All have well developed convictions born from their struggles and surroundings. The author is never in a rush while doing a character background or backstories, and it shows how well-developed all of them are. Even the ones who do not appear for more than 4 chapters leave a lasting impression on the readers.
But with a lack of singular protagonist, the character who stands out the most is the mercenary-turned-inquisitor Novak, the embodiment of the Church and the antagonist of the story. He is a man with a determination of a rock against those who indulge in heretical research. He is not a sadist, but is capable of gruesomely torturing people without giving them a chance to explain themselves. As a result, he is always looming over as a constant threat to the protagonists. But the reason he is such a good antagonist is the parallel development he gets throughout the story. We get to know who he is and why he has so strong convictions. And the reasons behind his convictions change over time, but it is done in a way that looks organic to his character. He also works as reader's viewpoint for all the faction politics going inside the Church, a subplot that was personally very intriguing to me.
The series is unashamedly dialogue heavy. These usually involve the church’s teachings, maths, observational records, or philosophical debates. But the author uses a clever technique to not alienate the readers. For long conversations and debates, he makes one party an intellectual and the other naïve. A little boy who is a diligent student, an uneducated swordsman who fight rich folks’ duels for them, or a gypsy girl who don’t see any point in her identity as a Christian – all provide an easy self-insert for readers so that they don’t get estranged from the long dialogues.
Art: 5/10
One thing holding back this manga severely is the art. To put is easily, it is bland. It is not expressive and sometimes look like amateur doodles. I do not ask for art to be amazing in a series which is 80 per cent talking, but it is not even on par with those expectations.
But credit where it is due, the panelling is very well done which helps a text heavy series like this immensely. It does not get tiresome to read, and panelling makes the emotional moments hit hard despite the mediocre art.
Overall: 9/10
In conclusion, go read this manga if you like historical fictions or people defying a medieval authority who censors the truth.
Or if you just want to experience a good story. Especially if you want to experience a good story.
 Alternative TitlesSynonyms: About the Movement of the Earth Japanese: チ。―地球の運動について― More titlesInformationType: Manga
Volumes: 8
Chapters: 62
Status: Finished
Published: Sep 14, 2020 to Apr 18, 2022
Genre:
Award Winning
Theme:
Historical
Demographic:
Seinen
Serialization:
Big Comic Spirits Authors:
Uoto (Story & Art) Statistics Ranked: #6832 2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #3199
Members: 6,428
Favorites: 71 Available AtResources | Reviews
Filtered Results: 2 / 3
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Jul 29, 2022
About the Movement of the Earth is a historical manga, a rather underappreciated genre in the medium. But branding it merely as such takes away its allure – despite it being set in 15th Century Poland and exploring a historical finding that is commonplace knowledge now, the appeal of its central theme is both universal and timeless.
The story does not take time in establishing that theme – an authority who is controlling the circulation of information, and heroes who are risking it all to bring the truth to light. The truth here being that Earth is, in fact, moving around the sun and is not ... 
Oct 12, 2023
About the Movement of the Earth is a nice story about humanity's purpose told through the struggle for heliocentrism. It goes through the lives of its multiple main characters while they fight for this cause, each having their own personal struggles, covering different themes alongside the main one.
The themes are brought up thoroughly in long dialogue that are tied into the story itself. The characters talk A LOT about philosophical ideas in these blatant lecture-style ramblings (?). It feels more like the characters are having debates in the middle of whatever's happening in the story. But more often than not, it does feel quite natural. ... |
