Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Kotaro Lives Alone’ on Netflix, A Refreshingly Honest and Endearing Anime Series

In the anime world, it’s common to see young children and teenagers living alone in their own apartments. In fact, it’s so common that it’s something of a trope now, as you wonder any time a student leaves their apartment and heads off to school where their parents are, and how they’re affording such a posh little apartment right in the heart of Tokyo. Kotaro Lives Alone is an even more extreme version of that storyline, where the main character is a small boy of just 4 years old who’s perfectly fine and seemingly well-equipped to live in his apartment alone, indefinitely. It could have stopped there, with a few jokes and gags peppered throughout. Luckily, it went much further and proved that it’s still funny, but there’s also more lying just below the surface that will undoubtedly keep you watching long after the first episode.

KOTARO LIVES ALONE: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: Kotaro arrives at an empty apartment complex in a red parka and striped scarf with a suitcase, looking up at the building, reciting a math problem: “Six minus one equals five.” He soon heads off to a department store, with all the confidence of an adult doing a bit of shopping for their new home.

The Gist: Kotaro Lives Alone follows Kotaro Sato (Cherami Leigh), a four-year-old boy who seemingly has no parents. He comes to live in an apartment complex on his own, renting out a room right next to a young manga artist named Karino Shin (Michael Sinterniklaas). Though he’s a tiny boy that you wouldn’t assume knows the way of the world who speaks like a Japanese feudal lord, he knows enough to buy gifts and introduce himself to all his neighbors. He’s polite and kind, but still a bit guarded.

He doesn’t want to share everything about himself, and it’s unclear why his parents are no longer in the picture. But it’s clear, despite the fact that he can seemingly do everything he needs to do for himself, he’s still that four-year-old boy deep down who needs help. Neighbor Karino finds it in himself to be less of a recluse while lazing around in his apartment and occasionally working on his manga, going so far as to help take Kotaro places he needs to go and checking up on him when needed.

Kotaro interacts with other residents of his building as well, like Mizuki Akitomo (Stephanie Sheh), who clearly has her own troubles going on, and Isamu Tamaru (Kayleigh McKee), a seemingly rough around the edges character whose son doesn’t want anything to do with him anymore. Through these meetings and getting to know everyone who lives in the same building, we see different sides of Kotaro, and even occasionally how he’d behave if he was a “regular” young boy. It’s heartwarming in the best way, and constantly pulling out curveballs either to make you laugh or to make you want to know more about little Kotaro and the rest of the residents in his building.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of?: For anyone well-versed in anime, Kotaro Lives Alone will draw comparisons to Aishiteruze Baby, which finds a young man suddenly taking on the responsibility of raising a young girl. There aren’t real parents involved, and the parent figure is a kind, caring person who was in no way expecting to have a little human to care about — even though it’s not his by blood. That’s the immediate vibe Kotaro Lives Alone channels.

Our Take: Kotaro Lives Alone is clearly meant to be a comedy at heart, but there’s something refreshingly sincere about watching the most polite and mature four-year-old boy in the world make an attempt to live in an apartment on his own. Of course, it’s the sort of thing that would literally never fly in real life, but this is an anime child, not a real one. He touches everyone he meets, especially Karino, who’s immediately touched by the fact that this little kid had the audacity to not only strike out on his own, but wants to go to the store and the bath house on his own. Kotaro has a habit of bringing out the best in people, going so far as to get Karino to stop lazing around in his apartment sleeping all day to help shampoo his hair at the bath house and even follow Kotaro around to make sure he’s taken care of. It’s easy to laugh at the situation, but it’s so pleasant to see everyone change just a little bit, even in the first episode, to accommodate a young boy who clearly has a more intricate story than he’s letting on.

Sex and Skin: None, as the focus is mostly on Kotaro (a four-year-old boy!) and his day-to-day life.

Parting Shot: Kotaro kicks his legs while sitting in a seat in his apartment, singing the Tonosaman anime theme song, the same character Karino drew on one of his bandaged knees earlier in the day. It’s one of the only moments we’ve seen him behaving like an actual child throughout the entire episode.

Sleeper Star: Kayleigh McKee does a fantastic job as Isamu Tamaru, another neighbor to Kotaro and Karino. Though Tamaru is a tough-looking customer who resembles a member of the yakuza, Kayleigh infuses him with effervescence and fun, as you can feel how much Tamaru wants his son around, and sees Kotaro as something of a surrogate. Tamaru may be a small player in the overall story, but Kayleigh makes him extremely memorable.

Most Pilot-y Line: An incredulous Karino meets Kotaro for the first time, and asks if the apartment complex he lives in even allows tenants with young kids. Kotaro slyly responds “I shall be the only tenant of the room next door.” That sets the stage quite well, and there’s no question: Kotaro is going to be Karino’s roommate, weirdly enough.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Anime series that rely on children being quirky or mature beyond their years often devolve into gimmickry far too often. Kotaro Lives Alone is a refreshingly honest and endearing take on similar premises that can barely carry on for an entire episode. This series has kind-hearted humor, sarcasm, and heartwarming moments wrapped up into one, and it doesn’t ever feel disingenuous. Even if you don’t like kids (like me), there’s plenty to like about Kotaro Lives Alone, especially since you’ll undoubtedly wonder where the story will end up going next.

Brittany Vincent has been covering video games and tech for over a decade for publications like G4, Popular Science, Playboy, Variety, IGN, GamesRadar, Polygon, Kotaku, Maxim, GameSpot, and more. When she’s not writing or gaming, she’s collecting retro consoles and tech. Follow her on Twitter: @MolotovCupcake.