I’ve been reading Shonen Jump in its many forms for over twenty years, allowing me to steadily expand the scope of what Shueisha’s flagship offers. However, their digital imprint, Shonen Jump+, has introduced numerous hits I enjoyed as an adult, including one especially poignant read that achieved several impressive records, making it a worthwhile experience. Takopi’s Original Sin is certainly too dark for younger readers, but it’s among the most critical, devastating manga experiences I’ve had.

Takopi’s Original Sin began its limited run on December 10, 2021, and ended on March 25, 2022. It is a shonen sci-fi drama centered on a Happian alien named Nueinukf who travels from the Happy Planet to Earth. His adventures bring him to numerous troubled nine-year-olds, and his simple mission is to make them happy.

Adopting the name Takopi based on his octopus-like appearance, given to him by one of Earth’s children, Shizuka, he seems hopeful initially but quickly realizes the depths and root causes of human misery aren’t always easily solved.

Takopi’s Original Sin Achieved Massive Popularity as a Shonen Jump+ Manga

Being a Limited Series Didn’t Stop Taizan 5’s Harrowing Story from Getting High Sales

Readers on Japan’s Shonen Jump+ platform and international fans through Manga Plus rapidly consumed Takopi’s Original Sin to help it achieve 1.2 million copies physically and digitally sold worldwide within five months. According to natalie.mu, Takopi’s Original Sin is the first serialized work on Shonen Jump+ to record more than 2 million views per day digitally. Its readership is massive, and it’s clear why: behind a deceptively cute veneer is a compelling tale of misery akin to Goodnight Punpun, and readers were desperate to see how Taizan 5, the series’ creator, would resolve it.

The art shares expressive and stylistic quirks with other famous contemporary artists like Jeff Lemire, who was an immediate draw for me; I adore Essex County and Animal Man. Despite being marketed under a shonen imprint, the story takes a horrifyingly dark, mature turn, which I can readily appreciate as an adult, and it will leave a lasting impression on past, present, and future readers. But more than anything else, despite featuring a cute octopus-shaped alien from the Happy Planet, Takopi’s Original Sin is partially prevalent because it is relatable.

Takopi’s Original Sin Helps Readers Reflect on Their Childhood

Being Bullied by Former Friends Is Exceedingly Common

While Takopi initially follows Shizuka around, he encounters two other humans, Marina and Naoki, each facing different difficulties between 2016 and 2022. Shizuka is relentlessly bullied by Marina and doesn’t get much solace in her home life; her only comfort is her dog, Chappy.

Marina lives in a broken home with a resentful, abusive mother. Naoki faces pressures at home to excel like the rest of his family and is strung along hopelessly by his feelings for Shizuka. Not everybody is outright sympathetic in Takopi’s Original Sin, but that’s okay: they’re children figuring out life in all its facets.

Anybody can relate to the general problems these kids face and where our darkest moments tempt us to go in those times, with Shizuka’s actions prompting Takopi to resort to drastic intervention. Many people, myself included, felt the same isolation Shizuka felt, cruel words carved into her desk as she’s loudly singled out by somebody who could just as quickly be her friend. But I also relate to being expected by third parties, perhaps not as whimsical as Takopi, to smile away my anguish, a recurring theme in Takopi’s Original Sin.

Toxic Positivity Is Examined in This Hit Shonen Jump Manga

Wanting to Have Others Smile Is Endearing, but Occasionally Misguided

Takopi’s desire to make the Earthlings he befriends happy is not in any way wrong; it’s his execution that’s fatally flawed in a way that spirals out of control. This includes the gadgets he deploys to achieve these means. The Happy Camera reverts time into a sort of cosmic mulligan, allowing Takopi to try and reverse past mistakes to make his targets happier.

The Reconciliation Ribbon is intended to instantly make friends with whomever Shizuka wishes, with the intent being to repair her relationship with Marina, yet this goes wrong and only worsens. Shizuka uses this Ribbon to take her life, something Takopi doesn’t understand. Why would somebody who is given every tool to improve their lives use it for suicide?

This prompts a time loop where Takopi desperately tries over and over to find the root of Shizuka’s misery, only complicating the thread until, in a sinister twist of irony, he winds up using it to end the life of Shizuka’s tormentor. The resulting lies are all done to make Shizuka happy, creating a twisted sense of bliss, which comes tumbling down as a commentary on toxic positivity’s effects in Takopi’s Original Sin.

Takopi’s Original Sin’s Time Setting Will Strike a Nerve

The COVID-19 Pandemic Serves a Perfect Backdrop

What better setting for tales of human misery than during the 2020 pandemic? In Takopi’s Original Sin, the series primarily focuses on the events of 2016 and the years following appear in subsequent moments like chapter #12, with how people react to the continuous stream of news about vaccine trials and more. The series isn’t remotely about the coronavirus but feeds off people’s isolation from that period. In contrast, people sullenly stare at the latest news on their phones, and it’s far from the darkest theme in Takopi’s Original Sin.

2016, meanwhile, is not perhaps as upsetting a time in Japan as it was for many, with its numerous celebrity deaths and many countries worldwide descending into political turmoil. Takopi’s Original Sin offers readers worldwide a vicarious glimpse into fictional lives put into similarly bleak settings, and it’s no wonder the series was both popular and the winner of the Excellence Prize at the 51st Japan Cartoonists Awards. The series resonates with its readers, with Taizan 5 not showing signs of slowing down.

The Manga’s Creator Work Continues in the Present

Takopi’s Original Sin Has a Spiritual Successor

For readers craving more experiences like Takopi’s Original Sin, Taizan 5 also created the surreal masterpiece The Ichinose Family’s Deadly Sins, dealing with similar themes of grief, loss, and acceptance. It enjoyed a similarly concise run, having forty-eight chapters between November 14, 2022, and November 6, 2023, and is available for Western readers via VIZ Media and MANGA Plus. Beyond this, Taizan 5 has no ongoing series but already shows a bright future and has secured an impressive legacy.

Why I Think People Should Read Takopi’s Original Sin

Readers Can Benefit Greatly from This Sensational Manga

Takopi’s Original Sin is only sixteen chapters long, and while it goes to hopelessly grim places, it also builds up to end on a surprisingly high yet sad note. Not everybody has an easy life in this story, and often, they learn far more distressing truths about their upbringing to burst their occasionally blissful, twisted bubbles.

Takopi broke one of the highest commandments of his society, but in the service of making Earth’s people happy, he eventually succeeded. The characters realize that embracing their sadness can be the key, a lesson I’ve learned continuously as a boy, also thanks to manga like this and anime such as Naruto.

This story’s most stunning aspect is how Takopi recognizes his misguided actions and repents tangibly. The writing of the final chapter is utterly perfect, especially for readers going through tough times. Takopi’s Original Sin sends a powerful message of hope and empathy to people who grow up with complicated lives, acknowledging they can’t be fixed instantly with a positive attitude. But the earnest wish for people to grow up and become happy adults without forcing our perceived solutions, while imperfect, is one of the most fundamentally important things we can do for downtrodden friends in our lives.

Source: natalie.mu