I have always been drawn to stories that look cute on the surface yet reveal tough, serious topics underneath. Takopi’s Original Sin (タコピーの原罪) is exactly that kind of series—it may appear whimsical at first glance, but it deals with intense themes like bullying and domestic violence. In this article, I’m going to explore the plot of Takopi’s Original Sin in detail, exposing major spoilers that highlight why this manga (set to be adapted into an anime by 2024) has garnered such attention.
SPOILER ALERT: This article contains major plot points from Takopi’s Original Sin.
Manga Overview and Popularity
- Takopi’s Original Sin is a completed manga spanning 16 chapters in total.
- It is collected into two volumes (Volume 1 and Volume 2)—brief but impactful.
- The artwork and adorable lead character may be deceiving; as the story unfolds, its focus on bullying, neglect, and desperation shocks countless readers.
- A 2024 anime adaptation has been confirmed, generating further buzz for this short yet powerful series.
Key Characters & Relationships
- Takopi: A “Happy Planet” alien, slightly resembling an octopus, who travels to Earth to spread joy. Naïve and good-hearted, Takopi possesses mysterious “Happy Gadgets.”
- Shizuka (also spelled “Shizuka-chan”): A 4th grader suffering from severe bullying at school and neglect at home. Takopi vows to make her smile.
- Marina (or “Marina-chan”): The classmate behind Shizuka’s torment. Her own family is fraught with turmoil, fueling her cruel actions.
- An Undercurrent of Family Drama: Characters struggle with absentee parents and toxic household environments, pushing them into increasingly grim circumstances.
Plot of Takopi’s Original Sin
VOLUME 1
Chapter 1: The Encounter
Shizuka, a lonely fourth-grader bullied at school, crosses paths with a strange alien from the “Happy Planet,” whom she names Takopi. Takopi is determined to spread cheer with his so-called “Happy Gadgets.” However, he quickly realizes that human despair—even in a young girl—is more complex than anything he has witnessed. At first, Takopi only notes Shizuka’s bruises and ragged clothing; he cannot fathom the real cause: relentless bullying by a classmate named Marina.
Chapter 2: The Time Leap
Feeling guilty when Shizuka fails to smile, Takopi offers her various gadgets, ignorant of her deeper pain. A pivotal crisis occurs when Shizuka attempts suicide, pushing Takopi to use a hidden camera function that rewinds time to prevent that tragedy. Yet in returning to a previous day, Takopi finds himself trapped in a cycle, trying to change small causes of Shizuka’s suffering while not fully grasping human cruelty.
Chapter 3: Secrets and Strains
As Takopi follows Shizuka to school, Marina’s hostility becomes alarmingly clear—not just petty teasing but a vicious, ongoing campaign. Though Takopi tries to fix misunderstandings with new gadgets, he unwittingly worsens Shizuka’s social standing. Meanwhile, readers glimpse Shizuka’s rundown household, hinting at a negligent mother and absent father.
Chapter 4: Harsh Realities Revealed
In one of the manga’s most chilling turns, Shizuka’s beloved dog, Chappy, is taken away after biting Marina. Despite Takopi’s repeated attempts to re-loop events with the time-travel camera, he cannot save Chappy or bring Shizuka true relief. Marina’s fury escalates, fueling an undercurrent of rage and sorrow that Takopi—still innocent about human aggression—struggles to comprehend.
Chapter 5: Grim Consequences
Grief consumes Shizuka, who now believes she has nothing left to lose. A panicked Takopi tries once more to “rearrange” events. However, the paths leading to cruelty grow darker: the more Takopi meddles, the more new complications arise. Shizuka reveals flashes of anger and hopelessness as she contemplates extreme remedies to her misery.
Chapter 6: A Shattered Hope
When the time-travel camera malfunctions, Takopi no longer has an easy reset button. Shizuka’s anger at Marina’s brutality reaches a breaking point. Marina, for her part, shows hints of an equally grim home life; her hostility is not simply random meanness but an outlet for her pain. This chapter underscores that no one in this scenario is untouched by suffering.
Chapter 7: The Plan with East (Naoki)
Shizuka unexpectedly turns to East (also called Naoki), a boy from her class who secretly admires her. East is caught between sibling rivalry at home and a desperate craving for acceptance. The pair orchestrates a plan to deal with Marina’s escalating attacks, leading them into an uneasy partnership with Takopi.
Chapter 8: The Breaking Point (Marina’s Demise)
In a forested area, Marina—provoked and enraged—pushes Shizuka too far. Acting on impulse, Takopi uses a gadget to subdue Marina, resulting in Marina’s death. The camera that might have rewound time again is now destroyed. The chapter ends with Shizuka expressing grim relief, viewing Takopi’s act as a dark “solution.” Volume 1 closes on a tense note: a classmate is dead, and both Shizuka and Takopi are involved with no more resets in sight.
VOLUME 2
Chapter 9: The Aftermath of Death
With Marina gone, Shizuka appears strangely composed, even thankful the problem is “resolved.” She enlists East to hide any evidence of the incident. Takopi, meanwhile, is horrified by the reality of killing someone—even unintentionally—and fights guilt with confusion. The chapter establishes a grim alliance: they must conceal Marina’s fate while wondering if such a partnership damns them all.
Chapter 10: Cover-Ups and Collisions
As the murder cover-up deepens, East becomes consumed by his own troubles at home. He fails an important test, unleashing his mother’s frustration—energy that demands results but offers no emotional support. Shizuka focuses on traveling to Tokyo to see her father, clinging to the delusion that Chappy is alive and with him.
Chapter 11: The Desperate Route
Unable to rely on East any longer, Shizuka sets out for Tokyo with Takopi, dogged by illusions that she might reclaim happier times. Once there, she meets relatives who treat her like a stranger—her father has moved on, started a new family, and seems appalled by her sudden appearance. Shizuka’s mental state worsens when she finds no trace of Chappy.
Chapter 12: Lost Memories and Future Hints
Shizuka attacks Takopi in rage, demanding a gadget that can “restrain” people so she can see if they hurt Chappy. The trauma jogs Takopi’s dormant memories: he vaguely recalls meeting Marina in a future timeline, where her life was even bleaker. Pieces of a time paradox emerge, hinting Takopi originally came to 2016 with a twisted goal related to Marina’s fate.
Chapter 13: Glimpse of an Alternate Future
A flash-forward reveals older Marina living in a toxic household. She once encountered Takopi, hoping to be free from her mother’s abuse. It was there that Takopi mysteriously decided to kill Shizuka in the past, believing it would spare Marina from her suffering. This confrontation led to Takopi’s memory being purged by his mother on the Happy Planet.
Chapter 14: Confronting East
Back in 2016, Takopi regains enough memory to realize how monstrous his earlier plan was. He meets East once more, who now stands at a moral crossroads about confessing to the police. East thanks Takopi for being a strange but consistent friend, even if everything spiraled out of control.
Chapter 15: Today’s Sacrifice
Shizuka returns home, borderline unhinged. She contemplates more violence to “avenge” Chappy, but Takopi blocks her, apologizing for leaving her alone in previous loops. Takopi sees that the only true resolution is to use what remains of his “Happy Power” to reset everything one final time, though it will cost him his existence.
Chapter 16: A Final Reset and a Different Dawn
In a last act of self-sacrifice, Takopi activates the ruined camera, warping time back to a pivotal morning. He disappears; Shizuka and Marina regain consciousness of their ordinary school lives. While their family issues remain unresolved, the worst tragedies never happen, thanks to an indescribable lingering sense that stops them from crossing lethal lines. The final pages show Shizuka and Marina as teens who have found a fragile friendship. All trace of Takopi fades from memory, leaving only faint scribbles of a round-headed creature.
Conclusion. Takopi’s Original Sin ends on both a tragic and uplifting note; Takopi vanishes to rescue Shizuka (and possibly Marina) from the darkest timelines. The 2024 anime adaptation has the potential to follow these events closely or tweak elements to refine pacing and mood. Either way, fans await whether the animation will preserve the manga’s jarring mix of innocence and despair—a combination that’s made this short series unforgettable.
Takopi’s Original Sin stands out because it merges an innocent style with severe themes—proving that short manga can deliver lasting impact. From the time-travel devices to the damaged lives of its characters, every chapter reveals how compassion and open conversation can mend (or fail to mend) deep emotional wounds. Personally, I believe this story challenges us to look beyond appearances and empathize with individual struggles lurking beneath.
