Have you ever tried helping someone but ended up making it worse? You have the right intention, but in the end, all seemed wrong? Well, you’re not alone because I know many of us have once done that. It’s frustrating because you just wanted to do good, but ended up aggravating the whole thing. Speaking of making it worse, the anime I recently finished has a character who had the right intention, but anyway, he ended up making the lives of the people he wanted to help worse. The series of his misguided decisions led him to plunge further into the depths of sinfulness. All he just wanted was to spread happiness, so where could he have gone wrong? Before I share my review, let’s get to know his first sin—the sin that led to the other sins he had done—Takopi’s Original Sin.
About the Anime
Takopi's Original Sin (Takopii no Genzai) is an ONA that first aired this year, June 28, and it just finished this August 2. This 6 episode-long sci-fi drama anime was animated by Enishiya and was based on the shounen manga written and illustrated by Taizan 5. I didn’t expect that this would really get adapted this year, I mean it’s prolly just a couple of years ago when I read this along with Oyasumi Punpun. Usually, the manga I read took more than a couple of years to be adapted, so I didn’t see it coming this year, so I got excited when I heard the announcement of its premiere. The first episode was already promising, and although it’s not totally meant to be enjoyed with enthusiasm, I still got hooked immediately with its animation art style and soundtrack. Anyway, so much for that, let me share with you my personal overview of what this anime is all about.
So it all started with the introduction of a strange octopus-like creature, which left his planet—Happy Planet in order to spread happiness to the other parts of the universe. Unluckily, he landed on our planet where he experienced hostilities, and when he was able to escape the dangers of being held captive, there he met Shizuka—the girl who fed and named him, Takopi. Grateful for what Shizuka had done for him, Takopi vowed that he would do everything and would use all his happy gadgets to make Shizuka happy. However, behind Shizuka’s calm and serious demeanor hides the ugly truth that Takopi couldn’t comprehend. All is well, until Shizuka lost the only creature that made her grounded and what happened after that was the unthinkable.
Determined to change the grim future that awaits Shizuka, Takopi constantly rewinds moments to save her. But in every changed past, the future is also altered until everything becomes a mess. The naïve Takopi finds himself confused about what he has done wrong. Sins keep piling up until Takopi realized something, and it’s the first sin he had committed. The root of them all—the one that sent him to Shizuka. How foolish! How could he forget that? Fate can be cruel indeed.
Compared to the manga, this one is quite lively and less heavy. Maybe because it’s colored and the soundtrack was cute and boppy? Or is it because I’ve read its manga after I finished Oyasumi Punpun? Either way, I still like how it was adapted, and although it wasn’t meant to be enjoyed in a wholesome way, my experience while watching it was something I couldn’t forget. I thought I wouldn’t cry because I already know the story and also how it’ll end, but it definitely hit differently when there are voices and visuals. The moment the last part started, tears suddenly welled up in my eyes and it wasn’t long when I started crying, but mind you—I’m not crying because I felt completely sad. Well, it’s the mix of melancholy and hopefulness, and its impact on me is more felt when I hear those words being said.
Reading manga and watching the anime adaptation felt like a completely different experience to me because in manga, I pay much attention to the words rather than the illustration; however, whenever I watched anime, it’s the visuals that hooked me. I appreciated the expressions—especially Azuma’s, when I get to watch the anime. He’s my favorite character among them because he resonates with me. I’m also quite like him before, I always feel that if I have good grades and a reputation as a student, I would be more valued and loved. Yet it turns out that it doesn’t work that way because, like him, I realized that no matter how hard I tried, I would not surpass those who are born with natural gifts. Also, I can’t please everyone no matter how kind and understanding I would be, because there are people who will really not like me, just like how I don’t like certain people without any rational reason.
Yes, it seems unreasonable to feel that way, but that’s what I am, and fortunately, like him, I also experienced a life-changing Takopi-like moment which snapped out my people-pleasing nature. Of course it won’t fully disappear, but like Azuma, I stopped overstressing the problem of the people who didn’t want my help. I’m really thankful that even if it’s adapted, the message of Takopi’s experience didn’t change, and that’s—we can’t fix everything. There’s a limitation to the extent we can help people because the more you help them, the more you teach them to depend on you, and the plot of this anime creatively conveys the tragedy of that concept.
The varying timelines gave Takopi and me different perspectives, and it’s something that I’m really amazed about. The plot wasn’t that complicated nor superficial; it's just the one that will make you ponder for a while. The first time I encountered its story, I was really surprised by its twist because I’m at a loss for how Takopi will solve Shizuka’s problems. Her life was really a hopeless case, plus Takopi’s apparent ignorance of the depths and complexities of human emotions was quite stressing for me. But thankfully, the creator was able to address those issues well in just 16 chapters and also the anime covered them well in just 6 episodes.
Overall, my experience in watching this anime is a 9.5/10, and contrary to what most comments I read about its anime adaptation, it wasn’t that traumatizing nor totally grim for me; instead, I even felt hopeful after watching it. Its message was nice, and if you haven’t read the manga yet, it would totally go beyond your expectations. The cute art style is a far cry from the story it follows, that’s why if you’re interested in an anime with an adorable art style and unusual story, then you need to try watching this one and figure out for yourself what really is Takopi’s original sin
And before I end this up, I'll share with you its trailer, so—
Have you watched this anime already? Or you still haven't even tried watching it? Well, if you have something to share, then feel free to comment below. And that's all for now, minna-san! I hope you enjoyed reading my review.
Arigatou and tanoshinde ne~
The pictures that didn't have a source were screenshots from the anime.