Takopi, makhluk dari Planet Happy, turun ke bumi untuk menyebarkan kebahagiaan. Takopi berusaha agar Shizuka kembali berbahagia, namun Takopi terseret ke dalam lingkungan Shizuka yang sangat emosional dan tidak terbayangkan sebelumnya oleh Takopi yang naif. Takopi hanya ingin Shizuka kembali tersenyum. Lalu dosa seperti apa yang dilakukan Takopi…!?
Takopi's Original Sin is about Takopi, a cute little octopus-looking alien whose mission is to make someone happy. He comes to Earth and meets a girl named Shizuka. Shizuka is constantly looked down on by her classmates, bullied by one named Marina. One day, after constantly failing to make her smile, Takopi sees Shizuka come to him dirty and bruised, and her dog missing. She leaves him and he goes to find her. He finds her dead by suicide. Heartbroken and determined to make Shizuka smile, Takopi goes back to the past and tries everything he can to get Shizuka to smile. However, things get worse when Takopi does something horrible to Marina. Soon, another classmate named Azuma is pulled in and things splinter off and get worse.
This isn't a horror manga, though there are some dark and edgy moments. Despite the somber synopsis, it is ultimately a story with a happy and tearful ending. You feel for Shizuka, Marina, and Azuma and all the horrible stuff they have had to go through. Takopi is so innocent and kind and he tries everything to make them feel better. He learns hard and tough lessons, but he does it all for Shizuka's sake.
The ultimate message of Takopi's Original Sin is that we need to understand each other. Talking to each other, not at each other, can alleviate our pain and help us find support and new friends and loved ones. The ending is a bit rushed, but completes its goal.
The human mentality is examined in Takopii no Genzai, also known as Takopii's Original Sin, through the eyes of unadulterated innocence and naivete. How can you describe pain, grief, emotional, psychological, and physical abuse to someone who has never experienced any form of suffering? As a cute little alien named Takopii works tirelessly to help and understand humans in the only way he can, without realising how his well-intentioned philanthropy can be distorted and exploited, this comic delves into some very dark territory.
Takopi’s original sin starts when a squid like creature from ‘happy planet’ meets a middle schooler Shizuka as she feeds him while he’s hiding from other inhabitants of earth. Feeling indebted, Takopi (the squid like creature named by shizuka) makes it his mission to make shizuka smile ! …Which is easier said than done as there’s no end to the bullying suffered by shizuka at her school.
Now, first thing first…this manga is pretty dark and can catch you by surprise.
I personally think it’s better to go in blind but here are some trigger warnings (some spoilers !)
Now, the most intriguing part of this manga is it’s fascinating portrayal of human nature all through the eyes of an optimistic and positive alien who doesn’t understand humans. For Takopi, happiness and positivity is the ultimate solutions to all problems as he focuses on making shizuka smile. However, Takopi’s optimism and positivity oftentimes fails to succeed over the complexities of human mind and relationships.
The plot is filled with twists and turns as Takopi navigates through all the ways to make shizuka happy. Interestingly, his POV offers a completely different perspective than that of a normal narrator. However, there are some instances in the plot which seems over the top or simply out of place. Not to mention, some plot holes and questions which aren’t answered. But I personally believe that can be ignored by suspending your beliefs.
The ending was different than I expected but still managed to tie up everything neatly at the end. I personally feel like it’s perfect.
Overall, 4/5.. A really good exploration of characters and their trauma through a fresh new perceptive. Also a nice, dark and interesting narrative on some serious topics.
PS - ‘Original sin’ has nothing to do with Christian original sin as I originally thought. It kinda has to do with something plot-related
Qué premisa tan buena, dios. El asunto de un extraterrestre feliz que viene a alegrar la vida de una niña suena a algo superadorable y conmovedor, y sin embargo es tratado con crudeza porque no todo el mundo tiene una infancia feliz. Lo cual me lleva a pensar que Takopi personifica esta idea de que ser positivo te sacará de todo apuro no importa la situación aun cuando tu entorno se empeña en dañarte.
Acá tenemos tres niños que prueban que no: Shizuka, una niña víctima de bullying derivado de la situación de abandono en la que su madre la tiene; Marina, cuya vida está más ligada a la de Shizuka de lo que quiere admitir, pues también sufre de abuso por parte de su madre, y Azuma, quien vive a la sombra de su hermano prodigio y una exigente madre. Estos tres se ven involucrados cuando uno de los objetos de Takopi termina como el arma homicida de uno de ellos.
This manga caught me completely off guard. I went in expecting something cute, lighthearted, maybe whimsical—only to be hit with an emotional sledgehammer in the first chapter. “Takopi’s Original Sin” lures you in with its deceptively soft art style and quirky alien mascot premise, only to immediately plunge into a raw, unsettling narrative about bullying, neglect, and the ripple effects of adult failures on children.
Let me just say: Chapter 1 shocked me. That ribbon panel? I gasped. Like literally audibly gasped. From that point on, I knew this wasn’t going to be a sweet story—it was a tragedy dressed in children’s manga aesthetics.
Chapter 2 solidified my rage. The adults in this world? Irresponsible at best, criminally blind at worst. I kept thinking: Where are the teachers? Why isn’t anyone stepping in?
Chapter 3? I blacked out. Marina. That’s all.
Chapter 4–5 began layering complexity, making it clear this isn’t a black-and-white morality tale. The narrative zooms out to reveal how deeply Marina’s actions are shaped by her home life. And even Takopi’s well-meaning interventions raise questions about consent, agency, and morality.
Chapter 6 gave me crime-scene anxiety. Like sir, that’s not a good place to hide a body?? And Chapter 7 just… broke me. Again.
What I admire most is how detailed and expressive the art is, especially when it comes to portraying suffering. You’re not just reading sadness; you’re seeing it—like pain in 4K. It’s unsettling, visceral, and yet, impossible to look away from.
This volume doesn’t offer easy catharsis. It’s uncomfortable, but that’s the point. It forces you to sit with the consequences of generational neglect, trauma, and the limits of what “good intentions” can fix.
Overall: This was emotionally brutal but beautifully constructed. A powerful reminder that sometimes, even hope wears a tragic face. I’m both terrified and compelled to read Volume 2.
Beautiful, often breathtaking art and a very interesting premise; quite a few gut punches already in the first few chapters. On the other hand, it's not well-paced and sometimes leaves an impression of a fever dream rather than a coherent story. Still, I would recommend reading it if you are into misery porn.
Starts as an average "suffering just for the sake of it" story, which then turns into an actually interesting story, which then magically resolves everything with a really bad ending. A better ending would have earned it a rating of three stars.
This is really good! It explores the cycle of trauma in a unique way through the lens of a cute alien with a simple world view. This was an important component for me. I’ve been reading a lot of books that go deep into trauma head on but being forced to slow down to the pace of a character so pure as Takopi, is a really unique experience that helps readers to understand a lot of the complexities of traumatic effects on interpersonal relationships.
There are a lot of shocking scenes and while the art style isn’t something I typically gravitate towards, it fits the surrealist world that balances your daily visceral horror with comedic elements brilliantly.
This series is a lot, but when I look beyond the rough edges (and edginess), I feel like I can see the makings of a future manga auteur. The art is great, some of the most stylish and exciting stuff I've seen in a good while.
A good follow-up series for readers of Inio Asano.
Mi idea era leérmelo antes de que saliera el anime, pero no me dio tiempo y me vi directamente el anime sin leerlo. Ahora que se acaba el verano he decidido q lo leeré para ver si hay alguna diferencia, aunque en este primer tomo no he visto demasiada, incluso he llegado a pensar que el anime es más extenso en cuanto a detalles, un manga no dejan de ser imágenes inmóviles. Dicho esto, al principio de la historia lo primero que ves es como de mal lo pasa Shizuka por su situación familiar y por como la tratan Marina y sus amigas en el instituto. Te da pena y piensas que es injusto. Takopi llega y le intenta hacer feliz sin demasiado éxito, ya que no entiende como funciona el mundo y los sentimientos humanos. Aun así Takopi es un ser entrañable. A partir de aquí SPOILER. Te muestran por qué Marina es como es con Shizuka, empatizas con ella pero sin justificar sus acciones. Sigues pensando que está mal que Shizuka sea maltratada por ella. En el momento en que Takopi mata a Marina sin querer empieza el verdadero dilema moral. Shizuka se alegra, le da las gracias a Takopi y convence a Naoki, que justo estaba allí para esconder el cadaver y fingir que no ha pasado nada. Esto lo hace aprovechando la debilidad que tienen los 2 por ella, lo que me hace pensar que a lo mejor no es tan buena como parece.
Prvním dílem mě autor dostal. Mimozemská chobotnice potká brutálně šikanovanou holčičku, chce ji rozveselit, ale vůbec ničemu nerozumí a celou situaci chápe značně zkresleně. Taizan5 se s tím nemaže, dětské násilí je hodně nepříjemné a i když se tu hraje na city, ty scény fungují a první kapitola je geniální.
Bohužel je toho až moc a třetí rodinné trápeníčko tu být nemuselo.
Aku teracuni buku ini karena temen di bookclubku storytelling betapa dark nya cerita dibalik gambar seorang anak perempuan yg manis lalu berubah menjadi sosok yg hancur. Setelah sekian lama absen membaca komik bergambar, aku lumayan menikmati alur dan juga seni dari penulis ini. 💥👍🏻
Have you ever wondered what it feels like to get punched in the stomach but didn’t want to deal with the physicality of it? Well then, just read this book 🤗