Kotarou wa Hitorigurashi
Episodes : 10
Genre : Comedy, Slice of Life
Airing Date : March 2022
Producers : LIDENFILMS
Kotarou wa Hitorigurashi (Kotaro Lives Alone) Introduction and Story (No Spoilers)
A small apartment building is about to welcome a new resident, but this one will be very different from the others. Meet Kotaro Sato, a four-year-old who acts more intelligent than the adults around him and speaks like he’s from another era. Kotaro, unfortunately, has no parental supervision of any kind and lives alone. Fortunately for our little smart Kotaro, a few of the apartment dwellers have chosen to take care of him even though it occasionally seems as though Kotaro helps them more! Can Kotaro, who is so young and unsupervised, survive as an adult?
Have you been hankering after a slice-of-life anime that exceeds your expectations? Please take a seat, readers; we need to talk to you about an anime. Because Kotaro Lives Alone was released on Netflix all at once, it may not have caught everyone’s attention, but this needs to change. You will go through a range of emotions that are uncommonly witnessed in one single anime while watching this anime, which centres on a little kid and people who have become his “family”. Although we don’t want to spoil our opinions about Kotaro Lives Alone, the following is the truth. We will persuade you that Kotaro Lives Alone is a fantastic anime in our detailed review!
The Cutest Anime Main Character Ever?
It doesn’t matter that our 4-year-old Kotaro Sato speaks weirdly and appears to be far smarter than any child we have ever seen in an anime or in the real world. Kotaro is without a doubt one of the cutest anime main characters we’ve ever seen! We were never as intelligent as this stoic child, not even when Kotaro was that little. Kotaro is quite an adult in his behaviour because he is able to go grocery shopping alone, to school alone, and to the bathhouse alone—though he does get company from his neighbour Shin Karino. The show frequently emphasises how much smarter and more well-rounded Kotaro is than people around him. Kotaro is such a bundle of cuteness that it’s unlikely that any other anime kids can ever surpass him in that department.
The Dark Theme of Hochigo
As watchers of anime, we’ve become accustomed to the Japanese social norm of teenagers and children living alone with parents who are either working a lot or “doing business overseas.” We’re about to reveal one of the many depressing realities contained in Kotaro Lives Alone. Many kids live with the grim reality of what Japan has nicknamed “hochigo,” or children left alone. Many children are left to fend for themselves and survive as best they can alone and unsupervised due to parents’ insane work schedules and desperate need to make ends meet. What’s worse is that, unlike in anime, kids don’t have superpowers or enormous mecha to save them when things become rough. Kotaro Lives Alone achieves something rather unique with the hochigo concept: it makes it visible but in a more palatable way.
Knowing that our little Kotaro has no real family to rely on prevents Kotaro Lives Alone from ever being too gloomy or depressing. Instead, it serves as a reminder of how crucial guardians are for children, whether they are blood relatives or not. It can be difficult to understand that Kotaro’s plight is shared by many people not just in Japan but also in other parts of the world, but Kotaro Lives Alone does so in a humorous way rather than overburdening the viewer. Maybe this show will enlighten some of the viewers who are seeing Hochigo in real life.
Several Adventures Per Episode
You could think that Kotaro Lives Alone, with only 10 episodes, won’t have enough depth and will wrap up quickly in contrast to the typical 12-episode length for most anime. Don’t worry, Kotaro Lives Alone feels nearly like it has more than 24 episodes because each one contains a variety of adventures and stories. Kotaro learning to play dodgeball might be the subject of one episode, and then the next might centre on birthday celebrations. Additionally, not a single episode feels monotonous or missing in any way. Whenever we watched Kotaro Lives Alone, we always felt something, whether it was laughing at how one of Kotaro’s female leads, Mizuki Akitomo, handled Kotaro visiting her “adult” work or crying as we watched Kotaro try to fall asleep but can’t because of nightmares. I’d like to challenge all of you readers. It will be quite challenging to choose only one Kotaro Lives Alone episode as the greatest.
Loveable Cast
When you see the Kotaro Lives Alone cast, we bet you’ll start to make judgments about which member will impress you the most or which will fall short of your expectations. We’ll be honestly shocked if you can pick a favourite character because Kotaro’s guardians and companions are all wonderful in their own special ways! Karino may come across as distant and sluggish, but the way he cares for Kotaro makes him appear almost like a young father. Similar to Isamu Tamaru, who has yakuza-like characteristics, his entire demeanour abruptly transforms when he encounters Kotaro. Particularly if you live in an apartment building like some of us here at Honey’s Anime, the array of eccentric characters that make up Kotaro Lives Alone is stunning and makes this anime so unique and authentic.
Perfect for All Ages
Do you worry about your younger children or parents watching anime with you. Since some people find it to be a bit…much? All ages should enjoy Kotaro Lives Alone, in our opinion. Younger children may learn from Kotaro’s mature characteristics. While older viewers will comprehend the hardships of the different grownups in the series. They do suffer with a lot of issues, as we kind of hinted at before. Kotaro Lives Alone doesn’t pretend to be like other anime and brings back memories of times. When we could watch TV with our families without fear of being judged.
An Important Message Within
Even though some of the busy bees here at Honey’s Anime are parents, not all of us do. We saw a powerful message in Kotaro Lives Alone: no matter. How busy we become, how much our jobs stress us out. How stressful life can be, we must never forget those we care about. In Kotaro Lives Alone, children are the main subject. You’ll quickly see how leaving a child alone for an extended period of time can be harmful to their development. Even if they are extraordinarily bright and intelligent like Kotaro. Even if they seem or seem to be self-sufficient, make sure to set aside some time for your children. Other key people in your life since they might need you right then.
Final Thoughts
Over the years, Netflix has provided us with a variety of anime. But Kotaro Lives Alone is unquestionably one of our faves for a variety of reasons. This 10-episode anime is not only uplifting and emotionally compelling. But we really adored the characters and the absurd situations they found themselves in. Kotaro Lives Alone is one Netflix anime you should dig into; you won’t regret it for sure!
Have any of you fellow otaku seen Kotaro Lives Alone? What about the series did you love? Post a comment below with your ideas! For more reviews and articles about anime, make sure to stay glued to our wonderful hive here at Honey’s Anime!
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