I like Takopii no Genzai, let’s get that straight up-front. It’s a very good series. I like Taizan 5 generally, too. For me the first 10-15 chapters of Ichinose-ke no Taizai are some of the best any WSJ had had in years. But it’s the ultimate mixed bag with him, for reasons I’ve already talked about these past five weeks. And unfortunately the degree of adoration for this adaptation has reached that level where any criticism of it is taken as sacrilegious in some quarters. It is what is is, but makes said criticism a matter of diminishing returns.

Let’s stipulate to all the stuff I’ve talked about already as regards pacing, excess drama, etc.. That’s something you either agree with or you don’t and there’s no point in litigating it further. As regards Takopii in the broader sense and the ending in specific, the question for me is whether it all makes sense. I kind of think it doesn’t, to be honest. On just about any level, which is actually a testament to Taizan’s talent because it shouldn’t work as well as it does. I’m not even sure we can answer to what the title refers to, though this series certainly wouldn’t be alone in that respect.

Here’s the thing – I don’t think there’s any sort of consensus about any of this. There are as many theories about what Takopii’s original sin actually was and how the timeline worked as there are manga readers, it feels like. Not many seem sure and those who are find themselves broadly contested on their theories. To be blunt Takopii’s Original Sin is a story that works better the less you think about it, in my opinion. Because the more you do think about it the more cracks appear in the logic and character behavior. And that to me is very consistent with Taizan 5’s M.O.. He’s after making you feel something, and less concerned with the means by which he goes about it.

It may sound facetious to muse on whether Taizan himself knows, but I’m actually not convinced he does. I don’t know that the details matter that much even to him, though that’s absolute spitballing on my part and I have zero hard evidence to back it up. What do I think? I have no idea if it was the author’s intention, but I see Takopii’s sin as generally enabling bad behavior and making things worse rather than better. Some argue it’s specifically going back in time to kill Shizuka (which was presumably against his mother’s rules), or “coming home alone”. but that feels neater and cleaner than the reality demands. Also, is intention a sin, really?

As for timeline issues, I mean… It seems to me that if Takopii originally came to Earth in 2022 (and met Marina) and only later went back in time to 2016, Shizuka should have been dead because she was going to kill herself whether or not Takopii got involved. But that doesn’t really fit with the plot. Above and beyond that we got a pretty hard-core Deus ex machina ending, with Takopii suddenly realizing he could use his life force to make the happy camera work one last time, which he does to start yet another timeline, and in the process seemingly plant the seeds for Marina and Shizuka to eventually bond over their suppressed memories of him.

I can’t honestly make the case that any of that was adequately set up by what came before – I think it was just where Taizan wanted things to go, so they went. Takopii sacrificing himself and Marina and Shizuka being friends (Naoki is basically irrelevant in the end) is kind of a having your cake and eating it too conclusion – bittersweet and a bit non-committal. But again, with Taizan the perfect is the enemy of the good. Specifics are not this story’s friend, and the overall picture does have structural integrity. Everybody’s home life is still pretty fucked up and they’re totally aware of it. But they put one foot in front of the other and keep walking, and at least they’re not alone in doing it (even Naoki is implied to have made friends).

If you strip the ending down to just that, it’s actually pretty successful and quite powerful. Life is pain – if you manage not to face it alone, you can find the strength to cope. I absolutely can’t say I like either Shizuka or Marina, and I don’t think they’re blameless for the heinous acts we see both of them commit in this series. But they were completely and utterly failed (as was Naoki) by the people in their lives whose responsibility it was to help them become decent human beings. Maybe there is good and bad in everyone, as Naoki tells Takopii – though I have a hard time seeing any good in his mother. But children are at the mercy of the adults in their lives, and they need more help than a clueless little alien can give them when those adults screw them over.

I’ve said it before, I believe there’s a masterpiece in the pen of Tazian 5, Takopii no Genzai isn’t it, The Ichinose Family’s Deadly Sins isn’t it. But I think it’s in there. He has the ability to do things very few mangaka can. That doesn’t mean it will ever make it to the page, never mind the screen, but we can always hope. As is, this series is the most successful in hie oeuvre because it’s short enough to rein in the worst of his excesses while still giving him the space to make the sort of impact only he can. Enishiya have done a masterful job with this adaptation, allowing the series to reach the level of genuine cultural sensation and giving Taizan more exposure than he’s ever had. Whatever issues I have with Takopii no Genzai, I can’t wait to see what he does with that opportunity.