Spoilers ahead. Skip to the end for a short, spoiler-free review.
What's yours is mine and what's mine is mine
It's a bit astonishing how universally known Doraemon is, even if one hasn't actually watched or read the series. Certainly, one doesn't need to watch Star Wars to recognize the famous scene but in case of Doraremon, it's been parodied and referenced so much in this medium that one can instantly recognize the Doraemon art-style, gags, even comedically-censored characters. And in lieu of Takopi, it seems quite inspired by the cult series, fashioning the light-hearted story into its own, grimy agenda.
Admittedly, though, Takopi himself is the only resemblance of Doraemon. Carrying the series' lightheartedness and an array of deus ex machina, only to be met with a setting that couldn't be further of a dichotomy from him. Appearance never absent with blood, bruises and dull eyes, Shizuka is the embodiment of grief that negates Takopi's embodiment of optimism and naivety. Spitting out cheerfulness and curiosity, Takopi's first meeting with Shizuka abruptly ends with her suicide via bullying and neglect. And begins reiterations and the exploration of happiness.
The pursuit of happiness
Time manipulation is a homestay trope in works regarding the loss of innocence, and Takopi utilizes it well. Takopi essentially an organic husk with a default nature of extreme optimism, the reiterations of his meetings and rescue of Shizuka give chance to his development. Repeating the same actions for the initial reiterations, Takopi soon questions his and Shizuka's values of happiness. One key point being Marina's murder via deus ex machina. To this point, Shizuka's meek, submissive nature coupled with her kindness to a foreign creature like Takopi suggested a universal kindness to others. However, she's nothing but elated at the fact of her tormenter's death. Even to a naïve Takopi, murder is a taboo, creating an internal conflict situated between his desire to give Shizuka happiness, his repulsion to murder and Shizuka's glee at it. Out of good intent, Takopi opened a Pandora's Box with further ramifications.
Marina's death the turning point in the story, Takopi begins to explore the other cast, further developing the theme of subjective happiness. Marina's characterization follows the pattern of a relentless bully later saturated by a sympathetic background story, unfortunately doing nothing for me besides stifling yawns. However, it's rather how Marina's post-mortem reveal contributes to Takopi's development. A deus ex machina tool allowing him to take Marina's appearance and consequentially filling in for her after her death, Takopi turns from observer to actor, allowing him to experience the queerness and irrationality of human pathos than to continue questioning it.
Parallel to Shizuka, Marina's life is as thorny with family tension, child abuse, psychological trauma, the works. Rather than trying to redeem Marina as another victim, this subplot moreso solidifies Takopi's value of happiness as an exercise in futility. Where Shizuka's reiterated suicides couldn't cure his naivety, it's first-hand experience that lulls him into contemplating and doubting his planet's values of happiness as universal. Joyous pii chants nor deus ex machina proved to be answers to the chaos, leaving Takopi at a loss.
Sheep's skin
Takopi's development aside, Shizuka shares the spotlight with subversive writing. As if her initial meek, kind demeanor hadn't existed to begin with, Shizuka's emotional manipulation and cynicism quickly bubble up with Marina's death as a catalyst. Regard of Takopi and her bespectacled classmate Azuma as friends changes to devices for her own happiness. Seeing Takopi's tools as convenience and Azuma as an easily-manipulated servant, Shizuka has no regard for others in pursuing her happiness; being reunited with her dog at her father's home. I did mention that Marina being redeemed as a victim would be dull, but conversely, Shizuka's transgression was a welcomed surprise. In fact, giving richer flavor to the thematic storytelling. Had she gone down the bullied character's yellow-brick road of selflessly forgiving those who wronged, never wronging others for others; it'd go against the grain of the story. Given how Takopi already fulfilled that role, with his ridiculous character seamlessly fitting the bill of an optimistic moralist, a just-as-extreme juxtaposition was necessitated. Marina perhaps could've fulfilled that role with her initial characterization, but her Stockholm's syndrome with her abusive, mentally-ill mother ruined her chance in the spotlight. Thus, without present family, friends or her dog, Shizuka took up the other end of the spectrum wonderfully.
In the midst of Shizuka's transgression and Takopi's development, though, Azuma shines quietly. Meandering somewhere between the ends of the spectrum defined by Takopi and Shizuka, Azuma's characterization concerning subjective happiness is the most down-to-earth. Chronicling his desperation to earn his doctor mother's approval and bitterness towards his high-achieving, caring older brother, Azuma's backstory, like the others, isn't so much important as it is the presence of others in his life. High off insecurity, Azuma differs from his fellow human cast in how he measures his happiness from the values of others' happiness. Thus, making for easy emotional manipulation pickings for Shizuka, Azuma unknowingly trudges deeper in the mud, too mesmerized by Shizuka's reliance and trust in him. In this way, Azuma parallels Takopi in their endeavors to fulfill their happiness through others, to unhealthy extents.
Who's right?
Takopi's Marina doppelganger stint lasts temporarily, soon giving deep layer to his internal conflict. The second turning-point arrives at the reveal that Takopi originally came from the future where he had befriended an older Marina. Again, I've remarked that Marina's post-mortem characterization would come off as dull had it fully exploited her backstory as tragic, but it functions smoothly at this point in the story. With Shizuka's initial victimization and consequential manipulative behavior explored sufficiently, the second round of Marina's characterization acts parallel, delivering her character more than a faulty bully caricature. Moreso, however, this second stage depicts Marina's distress in light of not her, but Takopi's internal conflict.
Thus far, Takopi's internal conflict was defined by growing self-doubt of his values conflicting with the whiplashing realities of Shizuka's suicides and Marina's abuse. His Shizuka rescue mission seemed less of a moralist one, rather moreso a pursuit to satiate his befuddlement at Shizuka's actions denying his beliefs. His goodwill is certainly intact, yet Takopi's actions lacked clear consciousness until his first-hand experience as Marina's doppelganger stirred regret and despair over her death. The reiteration of Marina's characterization solidifies this foundational development, as Takopi remembers that his nonchalant promise to Marina to kill Shizuka. Upon this realization, Takopi internalizes a new conflict that perhaps best defines the overarching narrative.
You can't make everybody happy.
Happily ever after
With grasp on the dismaying ramifications of his actions, Takopi refuses to help Shizuka's cynicism, both now at a loss at what course of action to take. Though, his once naïve reassurance turns to wistful hope, as Takopi uses one, final reverse time-leap deus ex machina at the cost of his own existence. This final reiteration sees its narrative to its end. True to Takopi's internal conflict and character, it plays out veristic and hopeful. I felt an irk in Azuma's previous monologue entailing his resolve and wish to help Takopi and Shizuka, yet the Azuma in this last reiteration never takes initiative in helping the still bullied Shizuka. Of course, memories of their time together aren't intact, but it'd be thematically sound and true to Azuma's development had something different happened. Perhaps Taizan intended to portray the potential futility-in-exercise had Azuma interacted with Shizuka, reiterating Takopi's internal conflict and overarching theme of one's inability to satiate everyone's happiness. Going by the latter, then Azuma was a brilliant thematic vehicle.
Compared to Azuma's melancholic thematic contribution, Shizuka and Marina's felt more sincere. While Takopi's bouncy naivety may have been irksome to many in the course of the story, it dissipates to feelings of hope. In the end, the two's sour relationship finally mellows out due to his guaranteed, one-hit-kill method to resolving bad blood; talking. About the blobby octopus himself, of course. Perhaps their ending is naïve and callow, but it's sincere in blatantly going against the grain from the rest of the story. While everyone thus far found themselves lost in their pursuit of happiness, the most elementary, trivial things may pave the road to it.
Fragile as glass
Often, story and art needn't be in conjunction to bring out a series' appeal, but Taizan 5's art-style superbly fleshes out every aspect of the series. Masquerading the grim undertones with chibi designs with massive eyes, Taizan surprisingly works in detail to their rather blobby, moe characters. Speaking mostly of the eyes and fragile appearances, reminiscent of Mengo Yokoyari and Natsujikei Miyazaki. 90% of internal thoughts and emotions are conveyed through the detailed eye shading and supplemental background effects. Of course, the bruises often present on the characters are the most transparent conveyors but Taizan utilizes facial expressions, sometimes a lack of them rather, with commendable skill in the oft traumatic, dark scenes and dialogue.
Designs aside, Taizan additionally executes dark scenes well. While gore isn't a prevalent element in the art, the suicide and abuse scenes are whiplashing in effect. Perhaps my favorite aspect in this regard is Taizan's employment of untainted, white backgrounds in some of these chilling scenes, rather than opting for an easy heavily-shaded black. The series in general meanders between feelsgood, goofy moments complementing its young cast and grimy undertones elevated by the contrast with its young cast, and these particular panels feel like a bitter reminder of their lost innocence, with the white backgrounds almost ironic against the swirling abyss they find themselves in. A simple artistic choice, yet effective. Taizan works with not the most diverse set of artistic repertoire but knows how to skillfully exploit all of their cards to bring the full potential out of the story and characters.
Conclusion
Takopi masquerades its dim story with bouncy character designs, but it offers much more than the novelty of its subversive bit. 16 chapters short, the series serves a wealth of fleshed-out characterization, character and plot development, all generously contributing to the thematic ceiling of subjective happiness. Depicting heavy-handed topics including child abuse, psychological trauma and murder, scenes frequent with them are far from novel shock-factor and keep the audience engrossed in the abyss the characters find themselves deeper in and darkening plot. Where some points of the plot are easy-to-step-in trope sinkholes, Taizan 5 tactfully keeps writing fresh and sensible. Don't allow the bully tag to deter you away, as the mangaka executes such a redundantly dull narrative in an engaging manner.
Despite its young cast of characters, Takopi is sincere and genuine in its themes. Thanks to the range and well-done exploration of internal conflicts imposed on its cast of 4 characters, the same overarching theme is explored and contemplated in 4 different lights. With a carefully-written tone that complements the tragedy of the story yet abstains from delving into blatant edge, the themes live up to their potential.
Writing-aside, Taizan 5's art is perhaps the connector of all these writing elements. Narrative and nuance can be greatly reinforced by mindful art. The dichotomy of the blobby moe and giant eyes of the designs, and dark writing never ceases to feel jarring to the audience, never failing to garner their attention at their actions and dialogue. Fragility and tension are common traits among its characters, best portrayed by the attention-to-detail in their eyes. For such a character-driven narrative, Taizan 5 plays their artistic cards right with simple art supplemented by subtle detail.
You know, more oft than not, these depressing, coming-of-age stories including Oyasumi Punpun, The Horizon and Neon Genesis Evangelion convey more hope and optimism than a 4-koma slice-of-life comedy. The depressing course of events only underline the final message of potential hope. Rather than complying with the somber, depressive tone it's been built up on, Takopi leaves off a small trace of hope.