Takopi's Original Sin

Plot

In 2016, Nueinukf, an alien from the Happy Planet, crash-lands on Earth on a mission to spread happiness. After evading capture, he meets 9-year-old Shizuka Kuze, a bullied girl who finds solace only with her Border Collie, Chappy. Shizuka, noting his resemblance to an octopus, names him Takopi. Using his Happy Gadgets, Takopi tries to help her, but after seeing her face scratched and bruised as she holds Chappy's leash, Shizuka asks for one of his gadgets and uses it to take her life.

Takopi uses a Happy Camera to travel back in time, hoping to prevent her suicide. In one loop, during a confrontation between Shizuka and her bully Marina Kirarazaka, whose father had an affair with Shizuka's mother, Takopi accidentally hurls the Camera at Marina, breaking it after failing to save Chappy in 101 attempts, killing her and preventing further time travel. To conceal the crime, Takopi, with help from classmate Naoki Azuma, buries Marina's body inside one of his gadgets before assuming her identity.

The ruse unravels: Takopi's imitation is unconvincing, and workers soon stumble upon the hidden corpse. Shizuka exploits Naoki's deteriorating mental state—his paranoia over hiding the crime, frantic attempts to save her dog, and the weight of being compared to older brother Junya. Takopi tries to reason with Shizuka, but she knocks him out with a rock. Unconscious, Takopi recalls erased memories: he initially came to Earth in 2022 to spread joy, first meeting a teenage Marina who lived in an abusive household.

With Takopi's help, Marina's life improves and she dates Naoki. But when Naoki leaves Marina for Shizuka, who survived her suicide attempt, and Marina's mother tries to kill her, Marina kills her in self-defense before committing suicide, regretting not killing Shizuka in fourth grade. This failed timeline leads Takopi to plot killing a 9-year-old Shizuka in the past, causing his memory erasure upon time travel.

Returning to where Marina and Shizuka met, Takopi is consoled by Naoki, who returns his Camera. Months later, Takopi finds Shizuka looking for Chappy, apologizes, and sacrifices himself to reactivate the Camera, rewinding to 2016. Afterward, Shizuka and Marina tearfully reminisce about Takopi; Naoki reconciles with Junya. Six years later in 2022, Shizuka and Marina remain best friends.

Production

Author Taizan 5 stated he originally chose to serialize on Shōnen Jump+ because he had read works such as Spy × Family. His editor encouraged him to draw whatever he liked, so he decided to draw a slightly darker version of Doraemon. Using family issues as the theme, he made it a time loop story to develop the narrative.

When asked about combining real-world darkness with unrealistic alien life forms, Taizan 5 replied, 'I've always liked suspense novels, and I also like children's topics, so I thought it would be interesting to combine the two worldviews.' In an interview with Oricon News, he explained he chose to depict scenarios where the issue of blame was not clear and could not be laid solely on one individual. The anime was produced by studio Enishiya, its first time producing an anime TV series. It is a six-episode series written and directed by Shinya Iino.

Director Iino and producer Kotaro Sudo emphasized maintaining the original themes and emotional core. Iino stressed he strived to present issues like bullying, neglect, and cruelty without diminishing their impact, while accentuating Takopi's expressive personality. Sudo stated that communication is a major theme, and a content warning was released before the anime.

Reception

The manga received limited critical coverage, with generally positive reviews. Jenni Lada of Siliconera praised its complex character development and theme of perspective, noting that the story defied clear-cut heroes or villains. She appreciated how characters were slowly revealed through backstories and the discussion of trauma and relationships. Christopher Farris of Anime News Network rated the manga four out of five stars, commending its balance between dark ideas and a fun premise with dark humor, though noting inconsistency due to its emphasis on suffering.

Another writer, MrAJCosplay, praised the contrast between softly-designed characters and disturbing themes, finding the story intriguing and touching on human cruelty and psychological trauma, though noting convenient plot devices later. The anime adaptation received generally positive reviews for its storytelling, direction, animation, and visual presentation. Marko Jovanovic of Anime Corner described the first episode as gorgeous but devastatingly painful. Melvyn Tan from Anime Trending highlighted the graphics and portrayal of disturbing topics as contributing to an unforgettable experience.