Is Takopi’s Original Sin worth watching?
Takopi’s Original Sin, written by Taizan 5, is a manga that was recently adapted into an anime, first published by Shueisha on December 10, 2021, and animated and released by Enishiya Studio starting in June 2025. The story follows a bizarre pink octopus alien that is sent to Earth with the mission of helping humanity, who meets a little girl and makes it his mission to make her smile. And to the question of whether Takopi’s Original Sin is worth watching? My verdict is a resounding yes; I would give it 4.5/5 stars and recommend it to most anime or manga enthusiasts.
In times where the number of psychological series being released has declined in recent years, Takopi’s Original Sin does an amazing job at shining light on how humans can respond to trauma and how humans behave while having a darker and realistic tale. The story is a deep emotional rollercoaster that is sure to leave an impact on the viewer, with happy, hopeful moments mixed with incredibly saddening moments.
One of the strongest parts of the series is the characters. Each character has intriguing motivations and has a significant impact on the story. The main characters have so many captivating traits going on with them that you could write a character essay for each one of them. The story brings the characters into compelling, uncomfortable moral decisions and uses them to truly shine a light on trauma, mental illness, and severe personality traits. Takopi’s Original Sin contains powerful character arcs that made me see the characters as one of the most impressive parts of the story, which led me to recommend it.
The plot is also very solid, with a very interesting idea in a very interesting setting; at no point in the series did I ever get bored or feel like looking away. The story subverts your expectations about what the story would be about, dragging itself away from a “making everything better” trope, leading to a pretty pleasant surprise about what is happening. Along with the characters, I believe the story is also what helps make Takopi’s Original Sin a very strong piece of media that is most definitely worth reading or watching.
Although I really enjoy the story, I find myself not really able to give it 5 stars, even though it is very close. The story can sometimes get a little bit too bleak and cynical, which led me to sometimes find myself pondering if the characters are going a little bit too far from reality, despite being normally grounded in reality. This may also make the story feel way too dark and overly edgy. In addition to this, nearing the end, the story has a beat that, if you think a bit too deeply into it, feels like it cannot be explained outside of magical alien stuff, and the story also does not try to explain it either.
Overall, Takopi’s Original Sin contains character depth that is immaculate and a very good story. Takopi’s Original Sin is a worthwhile, incredible read if you are a big fan of anime or the psychological, darker stories.