An “interesting” (for lack of a better word) quirk of humanity is our need to take all that is sweet and innocent and make it terrifying. Just look at the iconic cat character Doraemon, whose cartoonish, big-headed, circles-for-hands design is the definition of “cute.” So, naturally, “Horroremon” drawn with razor-sharp teeth, dripping with blood or inserted into horror scenarios has been a Japanese meme for decades now.

But that’s still nothing compared to what the manga Takopi’s Original Sin, by the artist Taizan 5, did with the character, albeit in a slightly stealthy way. An anime adaptation of Takopi is currently streaming on Netflix and breaking viewing records so… what exactly does it have to do with Doraemon, and how hard should you brace for it? To answer the latter question: very. To answer the former:

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takopi's original sin

Courtesy of Netflix Media Center

Doraemon With the Serial Number Filed Off

Doraemon started out as a simple but creative gag manga by the writer/artist duo known collectively as Fujiko Fujio. It stars the titular robot cat who comes from the future to help improve the life of a slacker named Nobita Nobi using his amazing sci-fi gadgets. These can do anything like allow Nobita to fly, shrink or teleport all while he learns important lessons and grows as a person.

Takopi’s Original Sin isn’t an official adaptation or reinterpretation like, say, Pluto and Astro Boy, but its core is Doraemon in everything but name. Like Doraemon, the titular Takopi is a time traveler, but instead of being a robot cat, they’re an adorable alien octopus from Happy Planet who comes to Earth to spread joy using their so-scientifically-advanced-they-are-indistinguishable-from-magic Happy Gadgets. One of the first people they try to help is a girl called Shizuka, which is the name of Nobita’s crush in Doraemon.

So it’s not like anyone’s really trying to hide the inspiration behind Takopi. That’s just the foundation, though. What Taizan 5 and the Enishiya production company built atop of it is very different from Fujiko Fujio’s creation.

takopi's original sin anime

Courtesy of Netflix Media Center

Not Enough Content Warnings

The first episode of Takopi’s Original Sin opens with a disclaimer that reads like a courtroom defense. It tells audiences that they are about to witness some very upsetting things, but the show is just being faithful to the manga. It’s not the studio’s fault. The disclaimer does encourage viewers to watch all six episodes of Takopi, though, promising that things will get better in the end. But the road there is rough.

The heroine, Shizuka, is a 9-year-old from a broken home who’s severely bullied at school. Dad’s not in the picture and her mom works as an escort, paying her daughter little attention and leaving her alone to deal with the other kids vandalizing her desk or backpack with words like “Die!” and “Idiot.” She also gets beaten up regularly, all of which is extremely upsetting on its own. But combined with the unique character design of Shizuka — whose artwork itself looks as if it’s about to unravel at any time — it hits harder. Then there is Takopi.

Hailing from a planet without pain or suffering, they don’t really get the kind of hell Shizuka is going through, and their attempts to understand human cruelty through a prism of pure innocence makes everything harder to watch. Takopi somehow… highlights and amplifies Shizuka’s suffering by placing it in contrast with their cartoonish existence. About 15 minutes into the first episode (slight spoiler alert), it all culminates in tragedy when Shizuka uses one of Takopi’s gadgets (a special ribbon to help people make up) to hang herself. The anime doesn’t hold back here: The shot stays on Shizuka’s lifeless, swinging body for a long time. Frankly, it’s one of the most disturbing things you’ll probably ever see in an anime.

This gets undone by Takopi, using time travel, but their attempts to fix Shizuka’s life later on result in even more scenes that viewers won’t be able to get out of their heads no matter how hard they try.

Unpleasant? Yes. But Never Gratuitous

There is a point to Takopi. All the suffering and pain in the anime does serve a purpose, and a dual one at that. First, the series is definitely taking a few friendly swings at Doraemon. Bullying, both mental and physical, is a common part of life for Nobita, who gets teased and beaten up a number of times throughout the original manga run and all the Doraemon anime adaptations.

But it’s always played for laughs and doesn’t leave a lasting impact. Nobita and his tormentors always manage to band together and overcome An Adversity. Takopi asks what if Nobita’s bullying was more realistic by taking place in a world where problems don’t get magically fixed by gumption and sci-fi tech.

Japan is currently amidst a child suicide crisis. As the overall number of suicides in Japan declines, deaths among children are rising, and bullying is often cited as one of the main causes. But, ultimately, Takopi’s Original Sin isn’t angry at Doraemon for not addressing one of the darkest topics imaginable in a comedy manga/anime. Rather than being its target, Doraemon serves as a springboard. It uses horrifying and depressing visuals, purposefully based on a beloved pop-culture icon, in order to get the viewers to pay attention and start blaming adults for letting Japanese children suffer and die.

Adults Failing at Adulting

Every bad thing that happens to Shizuka (and other children) in Takopi could have been stopped by adults simply doing their job: spending time with their kids, not dumping their emotional baggage on them or paying attention to what’s happening in their classrooms. Takopi is a series of adult failures hurting children, and while its finale does not revolve around that, the rest of the series does. It’s an interesting coincidence that Takopi is streaming now, right around Grave of the Fireflies’ premiere on Japanese Netflix, because the tragedies in both anime could’ve been avoided if only someone yelled at a bunch of adults for continuously falling asleep behind the wheel.

Go watch Takopi’s Original Sin and Grave of the Fireflies back-to-back (making sure to take cry breaks in between) and see if you agree.

If you’ve been having suicidal thoughts or know someone who has, help is available via the TELL Lifeline.

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Updated On July 25, 2025