The Next Shonen Jump Anime Is An Emotional Ride

A few days ago, a Takopi’s Original Sin anime adaptation was officially confirmed. No further information was revealed, but it’s likely going to be a movie, since the story is short. Despite being serialized under the Shonen Jump imprint, this is not your average shounen series.

Takopi’s Original Sin could be, in some ways, compared to Chainsaw Man creator Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Look Back. These are very different stories, but they are touching and tragic stories, with characters that might sometimes be too real. Fujimoto’s story is a bit happier, though. Takopi does not spare the reader from not only dealing with horrible situations and with characters that we are supposed to love and hate at the same time.

Takopi’s Original Sin Premise and Serialization

First, we need to answer the question: what exactly is Takopi’s Original Sin about? It’s a bit complicated to answer, as the story, despite being short, is full of plot twists. It would not be possible to talk about it without giving the first major one, so let’s say it starts with Takopi, an alien from a “happy planet” who wants to make people happy, meeting Shizuka Kuze, a girl from a poor family having a hard life. Takopi is not exactly able to comprehend all the sadness around and inside Shizuka, but after she suicides (in chapter 1), he goes back in time to try to prevent her from doing it.

It was serialized from 2020 to 2021 on Shonen Jump+ app, and later compiled into two volumes. It was written and illustrated by Taizan 5 (pen name), who would later create The Ichinose Family’s Deadly Sins manga (and apparently someone who likes to talk about drama and sins).

Characters Are Maybe Too Real

One of the manga’s highlights is the three main characters, who are deep despite the short plot. Shizuka lives only with her mom, who works either as an escort or a prostitute (or both) and her family is poor. They have a dog, who is important to the plot. Her dad divorced her mom years prior.

She is constantly bullied at school by Marina. At first, we are supposed to hate how horrible Marina is with Shizuka, but we soon discover that Marina’s life is also not easy, and she is a constant victim of domestic violence. Her tragedy is related to Shizuka, and she wrongfully blames the girl for that, while Shizuka seems to be mostly unaware of the harm she might cause Marina.

But we later find out that Shizuka is not as “innocent” as she might look, and she can be cold and horrible too. The beginning of the story is not the only occasion Takopi travels through time, so we see these characters in different timelines, but tragedy seems to follow them in any case.

There’s also a boy called Azuma, who at first seems to be the bright hero of the story. Turns out, of course, it’s not exactly like that. Although he indeed lives in a better condition compared to the two girls, it’s not a bed of roses. He is the class representative and tries to help Shizuka, only to end up involved in a big crime.

What’s interesting here is that no one is actually “innocent” (except Takopi, maybe). Everyone can be horrible despite, or maybe exactly because of, the abuses they go through. It might be easy to forget these characters are children in vulnerable situations, who should be protected no matter how badly they react to their environments. In this sense, this story feels too real sometimes (and this is a compliment).

Despite the heavy settings, the story is able to balance sadness and happiness. The painful moments are mixed with comic ones, turning the story a little (just a little) lighter. Takopi is usually the comic relief, as his ability to misinterpret and to understand sadness and negative feelings/reactions are usually cute and funny. It also serves as a warning that a living being who is too happy might also be too innocent. He is brave in his own ways, but he also shows that negative feelings are not only important, but a part of what makes us human.

What Do We Know About the Anime Adaptation

Not much information was shared about the anime adaptation. It’s likely a movie, but it might be either released in theaters, on streaming or as a physical OVA. Since it’s a Shonen Jump series, more information might be revealed at Jump Festa 2025 later this month. Production only shared a teaser trailer and a key visual.

What Can We Expect From It?

It’s hard to know what to expect without staff information, but the series has huge potential. Not only might it attract the public who like dramas (and Look Back showed us that Shonen Jump dramas can be fantastic), but the staff could be very creative in adapting the story. Despite time-travels and plot twists, the manga tells the story in a straightforward way, but an animation could be more bold in how to tell the narratives from different timelines. Anyway, this is a series to look forward to!