The new Netflix anime series Kotaro Lives Alone features Kotaro (Cherami Leigh), a 4-year-old boy who lives alone in a Japanese apartment building. Kotaro is a lonely boy who doesn’t have his parents to help him. He makes friends with his neighbors, including Karino Shin (Michael Sinterniklaas), a manga artist.

It’s common for children in Japanese anime to live independently. But Kotaro is an adult living in a child’s body. He cooks grand meals and speaks with formalities that no four-year-old would ever understand. What happens in the season 1 Kotaro Lives Alone finale?

Kotaro Lives Alone Episode 1: Review

Kotaro Sato is independent, self-sufficient, and headstrong. He’s still a preschooler. He is receptive, diligent, and attracts people with his assertive charms. He bonds with Shin Karino, a manga artist neighbor, who is the exact opposite of Kotaro. Karino is a lackluster energy person who lives in isolation. However, he has the awareness to care for Kotaro.

Other residents include hostess Mizuki and mobster-like Izamu Tamaru. There are also a few other characters from Kotaro’s past that appear throughout the season. It provides a window into different perspectives, relationships, and mindsets. It is fascinating to see how episodic stories and dynamic relationships can be used to help us relate in everyday situations. As the story seamlessly switches between them, it puts you in Kotaro’s shoes.

Kotaro embarks on an adventure that will tug at your heartstrings. Kotaro has grown to be a mature, intelligent, self-aware child and can now live independently of his preschool peers.

What is Kotaro Lives Alone all about?

Kotaro Lives Alone begins as an odd-looking anime. It isn’t visually striking but it fits the genre of comedy anime. The anime introduces us to Kotaro who has moved into a new apartment. He also introduced himself to his neighbors. The twist is that this four-year-old boy talks so formally that it makes him look like a feudal lord. Karino, a struggling manga artist, was shocked by his behavior.

The series continues to reveal more about Kotaro’s history and the reasons he speaks the way he does. He was raised by parents who neglected him. His father was abusive and he was not allowed to visit him. His mother left him at home often without food or supervision. Kotaro’s past allowed him to become independent and cook his own meals. He even takes care of the apartment. He talks in the same way that he used to. His learning of how to talk was aided by watching a cartoon about a Samurai.

Later in the series, it was revealed that Kotaro actually gave tissues to his neighbors because he was hungry. His mother had not given him food. To some extent, Kotaro’s gesture of giving tissues to his neighbor was symbolic of his desire to provide food for his neighbors whenever they were hungry. The neglect that his parents caused Kotaro to live a life of independence as a four-year-old boy was the root of his problems. Karino became more protective of Kotaro and even walked him to school every morning.

How did Kotaro Lives Alone End?

The final episode of the anime shows Karino getting a new job, which makes his life more difficult. It makes it harder for Karino to care for Kotaro because his schedule isn’t always flexible.

Akane, Karino’s ex, is staying with him for a time. She noticed how Karino’s busy schedule and his responsibility to Kotaro seemed overwhelming. Akane tells the boy that Karino is too busy with his own life and doesn’t have any time for him. She was actually keeping Karino away from Kotaro to allow him to focus on his career and be the manga artist he wanted.

Karino loves and cares about the boy like he was his own child. That was when he told Kotaro Akane was wrong. He actually told Kotaro that Kotaro had inspired him to be a better artist. As the last episode progressed Kotaro asked Karino if he could take him to a nearby place. It turned out that this was a cemetery where his mother had taken him. Karino was taken by Kotaro to visit the graves of his grandparents. Karino noticed that one of the headstones bore the name of Kotaro’s mother.

In essence, Kotaro knew that his mother had died and was buried in one of the graves. Kotaro doesn’t know she’s dead.

Karino told the boy that he and he should go back to the cemetery together, if he so desired. Karino didn’t want him to know that his mother had already died. The series ends with us seeing the fine line between comedy and drama that Kotaro Lives Alone has successfully crossed. This anime was full of laughter, but it also gave us the opportunity to feel many gut punches as we learned more about Kotaro’s past.

Kotaro declares that Karino is now his loyal subject. He remained true to his original nature of speaking like a medieval Japanese feudal ruler.

How Kotaro Lives Alone Season 1 is Set Up for Season 2

Kotaro Lives Alone’s ending shows us that there was a growing foster father-son relationship between Karino (the older man) and Kotaro (the younger man). The older man saw that he was everything the boy needed and wanted in this world. Kotaro realized that he had a “loyal subject” in Karino who was willing to do anything to care for the boy.

If season 2 of Kotaro Lives Alone is ever produced, it’s possible that we will see more of the same dynamic between these main characters, but with them acting more like a father and son duo.

The thing about Kotaro Lives Alone though is that it looks like it will be a short series. Although we cannot confirm or deny that there may be a second season of Kotaro Lives Alone, it seems like season 1 is all we get because the last episode of the anime seems like it will be the series finale.

We are saying this because the ending was not intended to be clear. It is up to us to imagine how Kotaro or Karino will progress from this point in their lives, and how they can be a better couple.

Kotaro’s life appears to have come full circle after he realized that he doesn’t have the ability to do everything by himself when he has someone like Karino to help him. We can only imagine what he will become as a young man.

The fact that both main characters have completed their development arcs will complicate things when giving the anime another season. As mentioned, Kotaro learned that he doesn’t have to depend on himself constantly. Karino was aware that he had a hole in his heart and needed to be there for a young boy.

A second season is still not in the works. Kotaro is still just four years old. The next season could focus on him learning more about his environment and the people he will encounter in his life. He could learn more about life and make new friends.

It will be fascinating to see how Karino’s life changes from season 1. He still has many personal goals to achieve. There’s also the possibility that Kotaro might close the chapter on his father and we may end up seeing him again down the road.

Netflix has the option of rerunning the series for another season. There are many possibilities. If it doesn’t receive a second season then the satisfying conclusion to season 1 seems like an option.

The Ending

Kotaro gradually improves after Karino is appointed as his guardian. As the series progresses Kotaro eventually pouts and cries like any other child. His innocence and curiosity regain their zest while he accepts Karino into his family. Karino takes care of Kotaro and tries his best to help him in any way that he can. He makes Kotaro’s life easier and protects him from further harm.

Kotaro is excited when his favorite series, Tonosaman becomes a movie. Karino offers to take Kotaro to see the show. Kotaro is excited and tells his friends. This makes them want to tag along. Karino watches the children and listens to their whims. So that Kotaro can’t be teased by the other kids and claim he’s a cheapskate, he also buys popcorn for them. Kotaro reveals that he is jealous after the movie ends and all the kids have gone home. Karino is furious that Karino didn’t pay attention to him. He laughs, and offers Tonosaman to go see the movie by himself. He believes that Kotaro has become a part of his family.

Karino is tolerant of all the antics of Kotaro and will go the extra mile to support him. He is responsible for his safety and often accompanies him. He attends all functions in the kindergarten as well as parent-teacher meetings. Karino is always there to cheer on Kotaro when he can. Kotaro is sad when Karino forgets the Kindergarten showcase. He loses his enthusiasm to perform and muffles the lines. But, Kotaro is energized when Karino arrives and begins singing with renewed energy.

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Only in front of Karino, Kotaro acts like a child his age. He learns to love himself, be angry at him and feel jealous. Kotaro is afraid of becoming a burden for Karino. Karino does his best to take care of Kotaro, but also ensures that his fears do not become a reality. Kotaro finally felt at home with Karino after so many years of being neglected. Karino is now the support Kotaro needs in his small life.