Created by 'タイザン5', the short manga 'The Original Sin of the Octopus' has been serialized in Shonen Jump+ since the end of 2021. Although it is just a two-volume short work, it has won fans over with its happy yet horrifying plot. The release of the volume even sparked a purchasing frenzy, and an anime adaptation was announced at the end of last year.
Today (6/28) in the late night slot, the first episode of the anime aired, and its excellent production and the original work's unique sense of strange oppression quickly became a trending keyword on X. Praise was given for the level of restoration in the anime's production and the powerful voice acting.
▼ After airing late at night, it became the top trending topic on X in Japan.
However, although this anime is planned by Japan's TBS and produced by the emerging animation company 'ENISHIYA', and it is available on several streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and ABEMA, it chose not to air on television, opting instead for a premiere on streaming platforms, which has attracted considerable attention. Japanese media MANTANWEB interviewed the producer of 'The Original Sin of the Octopus' anime—TBS's Kotaro Sudo—to discuss the behind-the-scenes story of this adaptation.
Producer Sudo mentioned that when he first read the original work of 'The Original Sin of the Octopus', his initial reaction was, 'How on earth are we going to animate this?!' The manga itself is very complete, and there are many sensitive themes within it, making the balance between stimulating and interesting rather precarious, especially as there was a lot of online discussion at the time, and some scenes even became memes.
However, he believes that what the author truly wants to convey is a story about 'friendship and dialogue', rather than just relying on shocking visuals to attract attention. Producer Sudo pointed out: 'I have always felt that 'The Original Sin of the Octopus' is actually a work that leads people towards positivity and hope. Although it is completely opposite in style to the children's anime 'たべっ子動物' (Tabekko Animal) that I'm producing at the same time, the core of both works is actually about 'moving towards happiness.'
When asked why it isn't airing on television? Sudo candidly admitted that there were internal doubts at TBS, such as 'Can this really be done?' He believes that rather than forcing the story into a 12-episode television format, it is better to present the spirit of the original work faithfully, as not every piece of work is suited to be aired on television.
Thus, he proposed a project centered on 'streaming from the start,' breaking the limitation of a few minutes per episode, allowing for flexible episode lengths without being constrained by formats like 'how many minutes for OP/ED.' For example, this anime's opening song is sung by ano, and the ending song is created by Tele, and none of them were deliberately formatted to match 'the television version length.' He emphasized: 'Our goal is to present this work in the best way possible.'
(In fact, the first episode's length is approximately 37 minutes, which does show a significant difference from the typical length of television anime.)
Producer Sudo also emphasized that the decision to collaborate with the emerging animation company 'ENISHIYA' was not to work with a very famous large unit. However, he confirmed that everyone involved shares a consistent understanding and passion for the work, so he felt very reassured with the production quality. Even if a super talented animator is hired, if they do not understand the meaning of this work, they cannot create something touching.
Of course, this work involves violence and even self-harm scenes, so the very beginning of the airing includes a warning message, which is a rare situation. This surprised many viewers who saw this work for the first time, but fans familiar with the original work should not have been surprised.
If you're interested, you might consider following the anime 'The Original Sin of the Octopus.' The production team has clearly put great effort into restoring the atmosphere and tension of the original work, though the horrifying and shocking plot may not resonate with everyone, so see if it aligns with your preferences!