Taishan No. 5of Tacopee’s Original Sin Comics are not for the faint of heart. This one-volume comic series depicts the difficult and often harrowing lives of three different elementary school students. Shizuka was neglected by her mother and bullied mercilessly at school. Marina, her bully, lives on a tightrope at home, the stress of her parents’ failed marriage making her a target for her unstable mother. Finally, there is Dong, a boy who strives to win his mother’s praise by never making mistakes.
Director and Series Composer Shinya Iino Working on the series’ distinct themes in the studio edge stone house. Six episodes in total Tacopee’s Original Sin The animation marks the studio’s first major foray into television animation, having previously produced tie-in commercials Xin Haicheng Film and contract series productions of popular series, e.g. Frozen: Beyond the Journey’s End and Delicious food in the dungeon.
We interviewed Iino and the producer Kotaro Sudo about emotionally difficult developments and what they hope audiences take away from the show.
How do you feel about this amazing reaction? Tacopee’s Original Sin?
Shinya Iino: I was really shocked how many people outside of our broadcast area reacted to this. Of course, the show is set in Japan and takes place in what I would call a very unique Japanese school system environment. So I’m really happy that it resonated with so many people outside of Japan and that they really connected with the show.
Kotaro Sudo: The response not only overseas but also domestically has far exceeded our expectations. So that’s very surprising. But we were very conscious in making this animation to preserve the important themes and strong messages of the original. It makes me so happy to know that it resonated with fans.
What immediately came to your mind after reading the comic? Such as anime adaptation have It has this in it.
Bad: The title certainly touches on a lot of sensitive topics, whether it’s bullying and neglect, or cruelty, but it was very important to us that we didn’t hide it or shy away from it, or even soften it. We just wanted to portray it as realistically as in the comics.
Sudo: For me, I would say, one of the overarching themes of this thing is not the violence, not the negativity, but the fact that what’s so important is communication, and most importantly, not just communication, like – this is the digital age, everyone is texting each other or messaging each other. But as Tacopi says in the series, what really matters is sitting down face-to-face and discussing issues. I want to make sure that happens.
What are you thinking about when you read comics?
Bad: My first reaction was, Takopi is so cute! Whether we’re talking about Tacopee’s action, dialogue, or actions, they’re all pretty entertaining! But from there, talking about the other characters, whether it’s Shizuka or Marina or any of the other characters, they have such heavy stories. On the one hand, I can empathize and sympathize with them, so their emotions hit me hard.
Sudo: This is a title that will be unforgettable for you long after you read it. I don’t think it’s just a fad; It’s not going away in a few years. I hope that even in a year or two there will be a next generation of fans who pick it up. Whether they read it or watch it, I hope it lasts.
What parts of the story did you pay special attention to executing well?
Bad: There are two big things that I definitely want to focus on. The first is maximizing the takopi’s cuteness and appeal. Of course, anime is 3D. Tacopi is very expressive, whether he’s walking or running, and we wanted to emphasize Tacopi’s characteristics through movement, which you can’t learn in a comic. I have to say a big thank you to the character designers, [Keita] Mr. Nagahara truly gave Takopi life.
And then the second part, you’ve already mentioned, about how there are very sensitive topics and sensitive parts. But one of the themes is that we don’t want to cover anything more than the surface. We wanted to delve into it because, at its core, whether it’s Shizuka, Marina, or all of these characters, this is a story of their redemption. So we want to make sure that happens.
Sudo: I want to mention that if you’ve seen the anime, then you know there’s a disclaimer at the beginning, and there’s a trigger warning. This isn’t common in anime, but it’s important to us. As I said, this story really delves into the story of characters facing their fate and trying to achieve happiness. So we want to make sure that viewers know to be prepared and that they can actually watch and benefit from it.
© Taizan 5/Shueisha/”Takobi’s Original Sin” Production Committee
What’s your favorite silly moment? What do you think was your darkest moment?
Bad: Even in the darkest scenes, Tacopi provides a comic foil. Tacopi helps to lighten the mood. It’s not even just watching things, even when we were making it and watching dailies and stuff like that, it was definitely something that made us happy when we saw Tacopi on the screen. Of course, the darkest moment for me was what happened at Shizuka’s house in the first episode. It was very important to us to portray it faithfully, but not overdo it. We all had a lot of internal discussions during production of, “Should we do this? Should we do this?” We wanted to get it right.
Sudo: As far as my favorite goofy moments go, it’s weird because this scene is actually more dramatic than goofy overall. That was episode three. There’s this line: “What is a tassel?” The thing is, we even thought, “What is a tassel?” So, it became an internet meme. So when it came time to adapt this part of the manga into an anime, I was curious – no joke, but still a little excited to see how it would go. Another interesting moment is also at the end. When they are in the store and see this pen with a little bunny head on the top, they think of the Tacopi bunny in the Saturn ballpoint pen. Marina tried to kick Shizuka, but Shizuka just turned around to avoid being kicked. So that was an interesting scene for me as well.
The darkest scene for me was in episode five, when Shizuka goes to see her father. She was so expectant, anticipatory, excited, and sparkling. When he opened the door, she said, “Dad!” and he replied, “Who are you?” You could see her expression suddenly darken. That might be the moment I would choose.
How do you know how to deal with trauma so skillfully? How do you spend these moments?
Bad: For comics, you can have a page turn, which allows you to quickly twist the plot and surprise the reader by placing it on the next page. With anime, you can’t do that. Most of the time it is expressed through time, creating pauses and rhythm. So that’s definitely something I pay special attention to when working with editors. Since we’re not producing a TV series but a streaming project, the flexibility in length gives us an advantage. It gives us the freedom to create pauses and timing within the scene.
Sudo: In terms of rhythm and tempo, this is all due to director Iino’s intention. In Japan, animations shown on television are limited to 24 minutes per episode. Original web animation is indeed a perfect medium because TBSwe are executive producers of this show, but TBS Practically a television broadcasting system – that’s all TBS represent. But we decided to go with streaming because we wanted the best possible format for adapting the original work.
How do you balance your darkest moments? Tacopee’s Original Sin?
Bad: Not being a dark, serious person helps me. My own less dark perspective really helped shape the work so that it wasn’t too dark in the end, and if you look at all the main characters, whether it’s Shizuka, Marina or Azuma, they’re all elementary school students. I was able to distance myself emotionally, to be less involved because they were not my peers, and in fact, almost stood in the shoes of an elder to protect them.
Sudo: We talked about how readers and fans of the original comic felt – we wanted to stay close to their point of view. It’s not that we’re trying to go in a particular direction in a calculated way. Whenever we find ourselves wondering, “Should we do this or should we do that?” we always come back to the same question: “How will fans of the original manga feel when they watch this anime? Will they think it’s good?” That’s where we’re always trying to find the balance.
What do you hope people take away from these characters?
Bad: I hope viewers remember Tacopi always trying to help others. I want the audience to feel that sense of effort and sincerity.
Even if you accidentally kill someone with your camera. [Everyone laughs]
Bad: Tacopi is also a child, just like others like Shizuka and Marina. They don’t understand the difference between good and evil. Tacopie doesn’t even get a chance to learn the difference between good and evil, but as the story unfolds, Tacopie himself realizes, “Oops! Maybe I’m not doing the right thing.” and then turns around and tries something else. But many times, it still oscillates between different options.
Sudo: It was very important to me that at the end of the story, Tacopi made the final decision. You really see how Tacopi has matured. In the first episode, the main question on Takopi’s mind is “Why did Shizuka die? Why did she commit suicide?” However, in just six episodes, Takopi decides not to commit suicide but to sacrifice herself for the betterment of others. I wanted the audience to understand Tacopi’s thought process and how they matured.
And what about Shizuka?
Bad: In the beginning, you see her being bullied, she’s being neglected by her mother, and she’s giving up on humanity and the world. However, as twisted as it is, after Marina is murdered, she actually changes sides and realizes, “I’m actually going to try to make myself happy.” The fact that you go from a completely aloof person to someone who is really eager to change the way she reacts is something I hope the audience understands.
Sudo: Shizuka is a self-destructive and indifferent person. However, in the final episode, she is finally able to let out her innermost cry while hitting Tacopi with a rock. She was actually able to confront him and have a real conversation and actually interact with Tacopi directly instead of being aloof. So I definitely want people to take that away.
What is one message you hope your fans leave with?
Bad: All protagonists want happiness; they just aren’t there yet. We try to portray how they struggle and how they try to be happy. I hope the audience will not give up, continue to fight and strive for their own happiness.
What do you hope people end up with at the end?
Sudo: I hope the audience accepts that we all face challenges, dark moments and bright moments. However, especially when it comes to communication. By communicating, we should all be able to move forward. Always keep this in mind.
