A (Un)Happy Landing
Takopi's unwavering naiveté stands in stark and chilling contrast to the harsh realities of the human world. Hailing from the "Happy Planet," Takopi's fundamental understanding of emotions is entirely different from ours. In his world, there's no conflict; problems are simple and fleeting, and complex emotions like sadness, anger, or despair are virtually nonexistent. This prompts him to believe all issues can be effortlessly solved with special gadgets or simple gestures, when Earth's reality is anything but.
When he first encounters Shizuka, he doesn't truly grasp the depth of her suffering. He attributes her profound sadness to simplistic problems that, while present, aren't the underlying cause of her torment. Takopi's well-meaning attempts to intervene, born from his pure, unblemished view of the world and others, consistently backfire. His "Happy Gadgets," designed for a world without malice, only exacerbate the very suffering he tries to alleviate. He can't comprehend the deep-seated pain and psychological damage that drive some unthinkable human actions, leading his "fixes" to create even greater chaos and tragedy. This fundamental disconnect between Takopi's innocent worldview and the grim reality of human existence is the central, heartbreaking, and at times frustrating engine of the story.
Takopi's Original Sin: Key Characters
Takopi (タコピー):
A naive and optimistic alien from the Happy Planet, sent to Earth to spread joy. His innocent understanding of happiness severely clashes with the harsh reality of the human world, which leads his well-intentioned actions to cause devastating and unforeseen tragedies.
Shizuka Kuze (久世しずか):
A depressed and neglected elementary school girl who is being bullied by another student.
Marina Chako (チャコ):
The main bully and Shizuka's classmate.
Azuma Higashiyama (東山くん):
Another classmate who tries to passively intervene between Marina and Shizuka.
Opinion on Takopi’s Original Sin and Expectations
One of the most striking aspects I immediately noticed while watching this series is the glaring absence of responsible adults. Shizuka and the other children are left to grapple with immense problems that no child should ever have to face. And the few adults who do appear are tragically part of the issue, actively perpetuating behaviors that fuel a devastating cycle of trauma.
I was particularly surprised by the interconnected subplot between Marina and Shizuka. While Marina's destructive behavior hinted at underlying issues at home, I couldn't fathom the true depth of her suffering until it was gradually revealed. This powerfully illustrates how a dysfunctional household inevitably burdens the innocent, those forced to inherit and internalize their parents' unresolved issues, ultimately shaping the children's distorted perception of the world around them.
It's also really interesting, yet dreadful, to witness the relentless desire to "fix" every little imperfection in life by simply erasing or rewriting the past, rather than confronting problems head-on. Sometimes, either option offers no escape whatsoever due to the profound level of trauma these kids are enduring. Each time Takopi turns back the clock, instead of providing a clean slate (before Marina and Shizuka had the opportunity to even meet each other), the temporal resets merely shift the pain, introducing us entirely to new forms of despair. It's a stark portrayal of how, when equipped with neither the abilities nor the knowledge to truly resolve deep-seated issues, every single path can lead to the same devastating end.
