Courtesy of Crunchyroll
A clip for Episode One "To You in 2016" Credits: Tony Sun Prickett of Anime Feminist
CONTENT WARNING: The program being reviewed contains depictions of child abuse and suicidal behavior that may be disturbing to some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised. If you or someone you know needs help, visit the Crisis Hotline.
This is easily the best show I have watched in the last decade. No joke. This will tear your heart to pieces while giving out some meaningful food-for-thought.
“Takopi’s Original Sin” is a Crunchyroll original anime adapted from the manga of the same name, written and illustrated by artist Taizan 5.
The story follows a Happian named Takopi as he lands on Earth with one objective, spreading happiness. He then meets Shizuka, a lonely fourth grader and promises to bring back her smile. But when things take a left turn, Takopi has to juggle mending events well out of his control, while learning how the human world operates.
Without spoiling anything, I will say that the show gets dark incredibly fast leaving no room for the viewer to breathe. The show tackles themes of child abuse, bullying, suicide and more. Yet it never felt like there was sort of gimmick to try and push the story forward. The writing overall unearths the ins and outs of the characters that we meet and provides enough depth and nuance to flesh out everything in the series’ short runtime.
I thought the themes being explored in the show are scarily relevant in today’s world. Themes like knowing that you can’t fix everything, being present in someone’s life to lend a helping hand and doing your best with the cards you are dealt. These points are needed in an environment where the world is leaning to a more dystopian era. This might have been explored before, but the way this specific show handles everything feels like there is a raw and realistic touch to it that elevates the plot entirely.
The animation is just impressive. The art direction and the overall design of the show is beyond beautiful and it gives off this retro 2000’s look without looking dated. In fact, it is a great blend of modern and classic anime, which weirdly enough has a realistic element to the design of the show.
Additionally, I have to give props to the sound design and voice acting. The sound is handled very well, everything being crisp and clear. More often than not, the intricate sound design brought the scenes to a whole new level. And the cast brought their very best and didn’t waste a single second. Kurumi Mamiya, Reina Ueda, Konomi Kohara and Anna Nagase especially put it all out there and gave stellar performances that I will remember for the rest of my life.
Honestly, the show is perfect in every way and the absolute peak of what animation can do as a whole. I honestly think this is the best anime in the last ten years. I will lump TV shows in here as well. There hasn’t been something this well crafted in this period of time and I don’t think anything will top this in the next decade and beyond. “Takopi’s Original Sin” is an all-timer and will be the bar that many TV Shows and anime will look to surpass.
You have to see this 240 minute rollercoaster ride for yourself. Just remember to bring tissues.