Takopii no Genzai (Takopi’s Original Sin), the emotionally crushing manga by Taizan 5, is officially getting an anime adaptation.
If you’re familiar with this series, you know this isn’t your typical “feel-good” anime. It’s one of the darkest stories to come out of Shonen Jump+. The announcement just dropped, along with a teaser visual and a PV (promo video).
The adaptation is being produced and planned by TBS Television, a notable player in the anime industry. The cast and staff for the series has not been revealed yet but the press release has hinted that more details will be revealed during Jump Festa 2025 on December 22, 2024.
At first glance, Takopi’s Original Sin looks deceptively cute. It’s about Takopi, a naive alien from the “Happy Planet,” whose mission is to spread happiness across the galaxy. He crash-lands on Earth and befriends Shizuka.
Shizuka is a deeply troubled girl who has been named as much ironically as tragically, given that her life is anything but peaceful (Shizuka means “quiet” or “tranquil” in Japanese).
Takopi, armed with his “happiness gadgets,” tries to bring joy to Shizuka’s life, but things spiral out of control almost immediately. This story isn’t a happy adventure; it’s an exploration of trauma, despair, and unintended consequences.
Shizuka’s Life Is a Nightmare: Shizuka is relentlessly bullied at school by classmates, particularly by a girl named Marina. Her home life is equally bleak. Her father is absent, and her mother, wrapped up in her own issues, shows her little love or support.
The one source of joy in her life is her dog, Chappy, but even this comfort is threatened. Takopi’s Naivety Makes Things Worse. Takopi is well-meaning but doesn’t understand the complexities of human emotions or morality.
He uses his gadgets, like time-manipulating devices and wish-granting tools, to “fix” Shizuka’s problems, but his efforts often backfire catastrophically.
One traumatic incident occurs when Marina hurts Chappy to hurt Shizuka. Takopi, horrified, attempts to solve this by erasing the event using his gadgets, but his interference leads to even darker consequences.
The story escalates into a chain of events involving accidental death, guilt, and moral ambiguity. Takopi’s actions—while intended to help—often exacerbate the trauma of the humans around him.
Without spoiling too much, the narrative explores how far someone will go to escape suffering, and whether happiness can truly be forced or “created.”
Takopii no Genzai ran on Shonen Jump+ from December 2021 to March 2022 and was a critical and commercial success. It earned third place in the “This Manga is Amazing! 2023” rankings and has over 1.4 million copies in circulation, which is impressive considering it’s only two volumes long. Despite its short length, it left a lasting impact on readers with its unflinching depiction of trauma and its morally complex story.
