Interview with Director Shinya Iino of Takopi's Original Sin Sin

The sixth and final episode of the anime "Takopi's Original Sin," based on the manga by Taizan 5 that was serialized on Shueisha's manga app "Shonen Jump+," was released on August 2nd on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Abema, and other video streaming services. The original is a popular work with some stimulating scenes, so some wondered what the anime would be like, but it has faithfully reproduced the original while captivating many fans with its unique anime-like expression. The director is Iino Shinya, known for directing "Dr. Stone" and "Dr. Stone Stone Wars" and as an assistant director on "Made in Abyss." We spoke to Iino, who said he was determined to adapt "Takopi's Original Sin" into an anime, about his thoughts on the work.

◇Make it clear that it is a story of salvation

"Takopi's Original Sin" tells the story of Tacopi, a Happy Alien who comes to Earth and meets Shizuka, a girl who never smiles, and uses the magical Happy Gadgets to bring back her smile. The anime is produced by ENISHIYA, which also produced the planning and animation for "Masara" and the animation for "Raison d'être," and is also attracting attention for its star-studded cast of voice actors, including Reina Ueda Mamiya as Tacopi, Konomi Kohara as Shizuka, Yoshimi Kohara as Marina, and Anna Nagase as Azuma.

The original manga was serialized in Shonen Jump+ from December 2021 to March 2022, and despite its short run, it recorded the highest number of views of any work serialized at the same time. It also attracted attention for its depiction of the harsh realities of elementary school students, including issues at school and at home, and although the manga only has two volumes, the total number of copies published has exceeded 1.45 million. Director Iino said he had been reading the series since the end of the serialization.

"I saw a panel on social media in which Tacopee was being stepped on, and I wondered what kind of story it was, so I started reading the work. Each episode was very compelling, and the ending left me wanting to know what would happen next, so my first impression was that it was a great serialized work. I also felt that the story had a modern structure. The things that happen between children and the relationships between their parents are things that could happen in real life. It's a classic and universal story. The punchline is also unique; it's not a neat resolution, and while the essence of the problem remains the same, something does change. I find the realistic conclusions that change the characters' feelings a little very appealing, and I think this is a characteristic of Taizan 5's work."

He hadn't read it with the intention of turning it into an anime, but he said, "I thought it might be difficult to turn it into an anime. If it's going to be made into a film that will reach a lot of people, it has to have meaning, and you can't just turn it into an anime half-heartedly. I felt that I needed to be prepared," so he approached the anime adaptation with a sense of resolve.

"Some people say it's exhibitionistic, but the more I read the work, the more I realize that there's a solid reason for each scene, and that what Taizan 5 is trying to portray isn't malicious. However, I feel like the public has been so preoccupied with the topic that it hasn't fully conveyed that ' Takopi's Original Sin' is a story of salvation.' With that in mind, I tried to make sure to convey that in the anime."

◇ As a story of Tacopee's hard work

When the series was serialized, some media outlets focused only on the extreme expressions, such as school and family issues. However, the essence of the story is not there. Producer Sudo Kotaro of TBS Television, who produced the anime, also said that it is "a story about mutual understanding and dialogue," and the director shared the same sentiment.

"' Takopi's Original Sin' depicts the intercultural communication between Shizuka and Tacopi, the gap in their feelings, and the importance of mutual understanding, and how dialogue creates happiness. I was aiming to animate the story around the themes of mutual understanding and intercultural communication, but actually, there were some changes during production. Because it was about intercultural communication, I initially wanted to tell the story centered around Shizuka, but color designer Yuki Akimoto said to me, 'I think this story is about Tacopi growing up.' After hearing that, I realized that this was definitely a story about Tacopi working hard. From there, the direction changed, and there were some aspects of the direction that were more consistent."

He was once told that it was "impossible to film," but he thought that "it wasn't that it was difficult to film, but rather that it was difficult to convey the story."

"At its core, it's a story of redemption, not a story of tragic scenes for entertainment. In fact, when we started planning the anime adaptation, we prepared illustrations of Shizuka-chan and Tacopee, but we felt it was important that the illustrations convey a sense of hope at first glance, so we drew colorful flowers around Shizuka-chan and Tacopee. We tried to express ' Takopi's Original Sin' from a bird's-eye view of the world around the children."

◇ Attention to detail in lines and colors

In adapting the work into an anime, we made it a priority to recreate the original as much as possible. We tried to convey a story of salvation using the unique colors and movements of anime, while also recreating the distinctive lines and delicate facial expressions of Taizan 5.

"Character designer Nagahara Keita has created a design that is close to the original, and the anime is made possible by Nagahara's delicate touch. During filming, we added techniques similar to those used in manga, to add strength and weakness to the lines, but Nagahara's drawings are still the most powerful. It's a little unusual, but there are also still images in which the lines of the original drawings are retained exactly as they were. For example, in the first episode, there is a close-up of Shizuka's face in the scene where night turns to morning and she is injured. This is possible thanks to the power of Nagahara's drawings, and since it is a laborious technique, it cannot be mass-produced. After exploring various options, we found that the most nuanced effect comes out when Nagahara draws it himself."

The colors, including the background, are also impressive. It has a manga and anime feel to it, but also a sense of reality.

"At first, I was confused about the colors. When I was struggling, I was saved by an animator named Otani Aiou, who came to me in the role of color scriptwriter. Otani-kun said, ' Too Many Losing Heroines! He's a young animator who has worked on films like "Summertime Render" and "GOTCHA!", and he's extremely skilled at expressing nature, such as summer skies and trees. I thought his characteristics would suit the project, so I asked him to participate in the color script. I asked Otani to come up with the color image, and art director Sagako Itakura brushed up the backgrounds. I asked color designer Akimoto to handle the character colors. Akimoto's colors are truly eye-catching. He's also worked on "Summertime Render" and "GOTCHA!" directed by Rie Matsumoto, and he has a certain "Akimoto color." If the colors were darker to match the story's tension, the entire work would be too dark. I wanted to take a step back and bring more vivid color to the work. For example, Shizuka has black hair, black eyes, and a subdued white outfit, but Akimoto made her pants a vibrant blue. This helped Shizuka's design to come together, and I was delighted with the finished product, which exceeded my expectations."

Many things were possible because the staff thoroughly understood the essence of the work and poured their love into it.

"Shizuka, Marina, and Azuma each have a different family. I had many discussions with art director Itakura about how to set up and color each home. Azuma's house is wealthy, so it's chic, while Shizuka's house is clearly dirty. Marina's family comes from a middle-class family, and her mother probably does needlework, so there are handmade wreaths and photo frames in one corner of her room. I thought about what to do with the sofa and counter space so that the homes appear happy at first glance. I tried to make each family's situation clear with just a little color in the background."

It may be hard to notice unless you look closely, but the attention to detail is undeniable.

"We also put a lot of thought into the stationery. In episode 2, there's a scene where Marina hits Shizuka with her school bag, and for just a moment, all the stationery scatters everywhere. The stationery is colored to match Marina's preferences. We also created different colors for each school bag in the class, incorporating the colors that were popular in 2016. This was possible because the staff read through the original work so thoroughly. They were very enthusiastic about participating in the production. We also had the storyboard directors and directors for each episode participate from the reading stage. Normally, when we make a production, the director, scriptwriter, producers, and original author all read through the script together, but this time, having the storyboard directors participate made me more conscious of the episodes I was in charge of. I was in charge of storyboarding and directing episodes 1 and 6, and since there are only four other people in total for the six episodes. This was also possible because the staff was decided early on."

◇I tried to do everything that was in the original work

He also revealed that he "didn't put on the brakes too much" because it was only being streamed online and not broadcast on television.

"I tried to include everything that's in the original work. I think that's what's necessary when adapting an original work into an anime. Kojima Masayuki, the director of Made in Abyss, is my mentor, and he said, 'I'll include everything that's in the original work,' so I decided from the beginning that I would do the same. Made in Abyss also depicts everything that's in the original work, but it also has a perspective that takes a step back and watches over the main characters. I was moved and thought, this is the ideal! I tried to do what I felt while watching how it was made."

I tried to carefully express the characters' emotions and the passage of time.

"There's a scene in the final episode where Shizuka and Tacopee walk hand in hand. In the original manga, it's depicted on one page, but I thought it would be better to have a moment to experience the passage of time there, so I added pointillism to the anime. I commissioned Yoshiaki Fujisawa to compose the music that plays in that scene to match the visuals. It's a long piece with vocals, and I created a moment where the viewer can absorb the events that have taken place up until that point. After that, the story suddenly changes, but before that, I added a moment where you can feel the calmness of the two after they've reconciled."

When the first episode began streaming on June 28th, social media was flooded with praise, and the show gained support, ranking highly on various streaming services.

"This isn't limited to this work, but I can only see things I need to improve on. I think the moment I felt a little more confident was when I dubbed the final episode. I think I was able to get the music and scenes to fit together a little better. I hope everyone enjoys it."

The anime "Takopi's Original Sin" was completed thanks to the support of the staff and cast. It is an anime filled with "determination" and "love."