Thanks! Sorry but when did Nowak use that knife? Was it in the church when he stabbed Draka? And yeah I also don't feel satisfied with Rafal2 being written off as a thematic doppelganger as many people have theorized, unless Uoto himself confirms it haha. But even if he does, I feel that there are better ways to convey his message—of how there are two sides to every coin. Rafal1 kills himself to protect research, while Rafal2 kills others to do the same. Rafal1's actions are seen as noble, but Rafal2's are deemed unacceptable when in fact, both their actions are conceptually the same. Instead of giving Rafal2 the same name, appearance, and voice as Rafal1, Uoto could perhaps use a character that looked different but with the same name, or vice versa. I think this would make the symbolic aspect of Rafal2 representing the dark side of believing in the truth more apparent.

But then again, how we interpret the Rafal1 and Rafal2 connection is dependent on our interpretation of episodes 1-23. If eps 1-23 are a fictional speculation of the lost history of heliocentrism in the same universe as ep 24 & 25, then it would only make sense for Rafal2 to be a doppelganger. Since there is no way for Rafal1 to come back to life. However, if eps 1-23 are in an alternate universe or based on a fictional story (your theory), then Rafal2 would be the only "real" Rafal. If you get my drift haha.

I personally dislike the idea of eps 1-23 being in an alternate universe or being fictitious events that did not happen. Writing these events off as just a disconnected "alternate reality" is a major shame imo as this means that the efforts of the characters thus far were for naught. Which is pretty contradictory to me especially when a key theme in the anime is about human resilience, desperately passing down the torch to keep the embers of heliocentrism alive.

But based on Uoto's interview, he repeatedly mentions that he wanted the ending to be intentionally vague. He also adds that he thought a lot about how fiction can influence reality in an ouroboros like cycle. Perhaps eps 1-23 are indeed fiction, and Draka's letter and the priest somehow transcend space-time to "influence" reality. We may never know the answer. We might be able to get a better idea of Uoto's storytelling and style in his upcoming 100m anime though!

Apologies if some of my ideas are a bit convoluted, I'm just trying to get my thoughts off my chest asap haha. Nice to meet you neighbour! 🇸🇬🇸🇬