Kotaro Lives Alone

Kotaro Lives Alone (コタローは1人暮らし) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mami Tsumura. It was serialized in Shogakukan's manga magazine Big Comic Superior from March 2015 to June 2023, with its chapters collected in ten  volumes. A ten-episode television drama was broadcast on TV Asahi in 2021.

A ten-episode original net animation (ONA) series adaptation was produced by Liden Films and premiered in March 2022 on Netflix.

Premise
Kotaro Satо̄, a 4-year-old boy living on his own, moves into the apartment 203, next door to Shin Karino, a manga artist.

Characters

 * Kotaro Satо̄ (さとう コタロー)
 * The eponymous 4-5-year-old protagonist who moves into a ramshackle apartment building and becomes the next-door neighbor of manga artist Shin Karino; he also enrolls himself into a local kindergarten. Forced to take care of himself like an adult, Kotaro is very independent for his age. He carries around a toy sword, and speaks like a samurai, mimicking his favorite cartoon Tonosaman. It is implied that Kotaro was neglected by his parents to the point of starvation. His mother abandoned him and his father, and later died from an unknown cause. Kotaro then left his abusive father and went to live at a foster facility. When his father found him (after seeing a picture of him online from the facility), Kotaro fled and moved into the Shimizu Apartment complex to hide from him. The residents of the Shimizu Apartment complex befriend Kotaro and come to care for him after realizing his situation. His father is actively looking for him despite Kotaro having a restraining order against him. There are implications that Kotaro was born from an unplanned pregnancy. He is financially supported by money he receives every week from a family lawyer who secretly knows about his family situation; Kotaro does not know that the money actually comes from his mother's life insurance, as he is unaware that his mother is dead.
 * Although it is shown he does suspect something about the money despite being told that it is from a benefactor, he has asked a few times where the money "really" comes from.
 * The eponymous 4-5-year-old protagonist who moves into a ramshackle apartment building and becomes the next-door neighbor of manga artist Shin Karino; he also enrolls himself into a local kindergarten. Forced to take care of himself like an adult, Kotaro is very independent for his age. He carries around a toy sword, and speaks like a samurai, mimicking his favorite cartoon Tonosaman. It is implied that Kotaro was neglected by his parents to the point of starvation. His mother abandoned him and his father, and later died from an unknown cause. Kotaro then left his abusive father and went to live at a foster facility. When his father found him (after seeing a picture of him online from the facility), Kotaro fled and moved into the Shimizu Apartment complex to hide from him. The residents of the Shimizu Apartment complex befriend Kotaro and come to care for him after realizing his situation. His father is actively looking for him despite Kotaro having a restraining order against him. There are implications that Kotaro was born from an unplanned pregnancy. He is financially supported by money he receives every week from a family lawyer who secretly knows about his family situation; Kotaro does not know that the money actually comes from his mother's life insurance, as he is unaware that his mother is dead.
 * Although it is shown he does suspect something about the money despite being told that it is from a benefactor, he has asked a few times where the money "really" comes from.


 * Shin Karino (狩野 進)
 * A lazy but kind manga artist who scrapes by. Upon meeting Kotaro, Shin takes it upon himself to look out for the boy and comes to care for him like a father.
 * A lazy but kind manga artist who scrapes by. Upon meeting Kotaro, Shin takes it upon himself to look out for the boy and comes to care for him like a father.
 * A lazy but kind manga artist who scrapes by. Upon meeting Kotaro, Shin takes it upon himself to look out for the boy and comes to care for him like a father.


 * Isamu Tamaru (田丸 勇)
 * A rather loud neighbor of Kotaro's. Isamu is divorced and not on speaking terms with his son, due to his ex-wife keeping him away. Because of this, he tries to be a father figure to Kotaro. It is not known what his job is, but because of how he acts and looks people tend to assume he is a low-level yakuza.
 * A rather loud neighbor of Kotaro's. Isamu is divorced and not on speaking terms with his son, due to his ex-wife keeping him away. Because of this, he tries to be a father figure to Kotaro. It is not known what his job is, but because of how he acts and looks people tend to assume he is a low-level yakuza.
 * A rather loud neighbor of Kotaro's. Isamu is divorced and not on speaking terms with his son, due to his ex-wife keeping him away. Because of this, he tries to be a father figure to Kotaro. It is not known what his job is, but because of how he acts and looks people tend to assume he is a low-level yakuza.


 * Mizuki Akitomo (秋友 美月)
 * A neighbor of Kotaro's and a hostess at a local nightclub. While she puts on a brave face, especially in front of Kotaro, it is implied that Mizuki is in a domestic abuse relationship, as shown when she returned home one day with a blemish on the side of her face. Halfway near the end of the series, when Kotaro learns about this, he and the other tenants become concerned; when the situation worsens, Kotaro tells her to move out of the complex for her own safety.
 * A neighbor of Kotaro's and a hostess at a local nightclub. While she puts on a brave face, especially in front of Kotaro, it is implied that Mizuki is in a domestic abuse relationship, as shown when she returned home one day with a blemish on the side of her face. Halfway near the end of the series, when Kotaro learns about this, he and the other tenants become concerned; when the situation worsens, Kotaro tells her to move out of the complex for her own safety.
 * A neighbor of Kotaro's and a hostess at a local nightclub. While she puts on a brave face, especially in front of Kotaro, it is implied that Mizuki is in a domestic abuse relationship, as shown when she returned home one day with a blemish on the side of her face. Halfway near the end of the series, when Kotaro learns about this, he and the other tenants become concerned; when the situation worsens, Kotaro tells her to move out of the complex for her own safety.


 * Ayano Kobayashi (小林 綾乃)
 * A newer lawyer at the firm that handled the estate of Kotaro's deceased mother. Ayano regularly visits Kotaro to give him money from Mrs. Sato's life insurance. At the insistence of her boss, Ayano stays to play with him; she is the one of the few people who knows the truth about Kotaro's mother being deceased.
 * A newer lawyer at the firm that handled the estate of Kotaro's deceased mother. Ayano regularly visits Kotaro to give him money from Mrs. Sato's life insurance. At the insistence of her boss, Ayano stays to play with him; she is the one of the few people who knows the truth about Kotaro's mother being deceased.
 * A newer lawyer at the firm that handled the estate of Kotaro's deceased mother. Ayano regularly visits Kotaro to give him money from Mrs. Sato's life insurance. At the insistence of her boss, Ayano stays to play with him; she is the one of the few people who knows the truth about Kotaro's mother being deceased.


 * Aota (青田)
 * A private investigator hired by Kotaro's estranged father to find him and retrieve him. He moved into the building and built a relationship with the boy to ensure it was Kotaro. Despite the words of Shin and Isamu, Aota believed that Kotaro's father is the only one who should take care of him. However, a week after he moved in, Kotaro revealed he knew everything about Aota and Aota decided against filing the report, especially after revealing (through old scars on his upper body) that he too is a victim/survivor of child abuse.
 * A private investigator hired by Kotaro's estranged father to find him and retrieve him. He moved into the building and built a relationship with the boy to ensure it was Kotaro. Despite the words of Shin and Isamu, Aota believed that Kotaro's father is the only one who should take care of him. However, a week after he moved in, Kotaro revealed he knew everything about Aota and Aota decided against filing the report, especially after revealing (through old scars on his upper body) that he too is a victim/survivor of child abuse.


 * Ryōta (亮太)
 * One of the older kids at the foster facility that Kotaro was living at before Kotaro left due to his father finding out about his whereabouts; he and Kotaro have a special friendship as he shares his interests of photography with the young boy. He has a fondness for stargazing and even took Kotaro to go see a meteor shower with him. He is later shown working as a construction worker.
 * One of the older kids at the foster facility that Kotaro was living at before Kotaro left due to his father finding out about his whereabouts; he and Kotaro have a special friendship as he shares his interests of photography with the young boy. He has a fondness for stargazing and even took Kotaro to go see a meteor shower with him. He is later shown working as a construction worker.


 * Tōko Futaba (二葉 透子)
 * Kotaro's kindergarten teacher.
 * Kotaro's kindergarten teacher.
 * Kotaro's kindergarten teacher.


 * Takuya (タクヤ)
 * One of Kotaro's classmates and friends who he meets on his first day of school.
 * One of Kotaro's classmates and friends who he meets on his first day of school.


 * Tonosaman (とのさまん)
 * A cartoon samurai Kotaro loves to watch on TV.
 * A cartoon samurai Kotaro loves to watch on TV.

Manga
Kotarō wa Hitori Gurashi, written and illustrated by Mami Tsumura, was serialized in Shogakukan's manga magazine Big Comic Superior from March 13, 2015, to June 9, 2023. Shogakukan collected its chapters in ten individual volumes, released from December 28, 2015, to August 30, 2023.

Drama
A 10-episode television drama adaptation was broadcast on TV Asahi from April 24 to June 26, 2021.

Anime
In September 2021, an original net animation (ONA) anime adaptation was announced. The series is animated by Liden Films and directed by Tomoe Makino, with story composition by Hiroshi Satо̄, character designs by Tomomi Kimura, and music composed by Yūya Mori. It premiered worldwide on Netflix on March 10, 2022.

Reception
By September 2021, the manga had over 1.4 million copies in circulation; it had over 1.7 million copies in circulation by June 2022. In 2018, Kotarō wa Hitori Gurashi, alongside La La La, won the Electronic Manga Award in the Boys' Category.