Kotaro Lives Alone

tags: anime series based on manga, Japanese, Netflix streaming 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

10 episodes, 27 minutes

The story is about a lonely four-year-old boy Satо Kotaro who moves in Shimizu Apartments to live by himself hoping to be reunited with his parents. He makes friends with his neighbors including a poor manga artist, a young girl working in a club as a hostess, and a kindhearted thug (yakuza?).

The idea of a four year old boy living alone is absurd but anything is possible in anime. Each episode is funny but also sad and heartbreaking and there is a lesson learned by the adults as well as the children at Kotaro's Kindergarten school.

Kotaro made cute bento with onigiri shaped like his favorite anime character Tonosaman

A 10-episode live action series based on the same manga, Kotaro wa Hitorigurashi (Kotaro Lives Alone), was broadcast in 2021 but I like this current 2022 anime more.