Kotaro Lives Alone TV Review (2024)

Common Sense Media Review

By Ty'Kira Smalls , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 13+

Sweet but somber anime follows a neglected 4-year-old.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 13+?

Any Positive Content?

  • Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

    some

    Some scenes where a character is passed out drunk, occasional social drinking.

    Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

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  • Sex, Romance & Nudity

    a little

    Partial nonsexual nudity from time to time, when bathing.

    Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

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  • Violence & Scariness

    very little

    Kotaro carries around a little sword to protect himself from his "enemies." He will sometimes threaten people with it out of self-defense.

    Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

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  • Positive Messages

    a lot

    Themes of compassion, empathy, teamwork, and friendship.

  • Positive Role Models

    a lot

    Kotaro tries to be independent even though he's 4 years old. This sometimes leaves him lonely and stressed. But his adult neighbors always do their best to anticipate his needs and help him out. Kotaro also idolizes Tonosaman, who's "super strong and kind," and shapes his whole personality and beliefs around the character.

  • Parents Need to Know

    Parents need to know that Kotaro Lives Alone is a drama anime show from Japan (available dubbed or subtitled) about a 4-year-old boy living on his own. Themes of compassion, empathy, friendship, and teamwork are explored. Kotaro carries around a plastic sword and will threaten people with it from time to time. There's occasional partial nudity in the context of bathing. In some scenes characters socially drink and are seen intoxicated.

Where to Watch

Videos and Photos

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Kotaro Lives Alone

Parent and Kid Reviews

See all

  • Parents say (2)
  • Kids say (3)

age 7+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Linn M. Parent of 8, 12, 13 and 16-year-old

August 3, 2022

age 8+

Read this DONT listen to common sense.

First up ages: 8-11+ of course, but if your kid can handle shows like Spy X Family then easily they can watch this kids show,Story: around this time there are a ton of kidnappings and a kid lives alone. No spoilers here.Rating: great writing love it and I cried.Story of my experience: one of my sons was very grumpy (age 8) until he watched this masterpiece. He participated more in our family (maybe cus he felt bad for the kid) and didn’t argue except after the first episode he wanted to watch more. IDEA: say if you don’t whine you can watch 2 episodes tommorow but then no more. GENIUS.

Kol S. Parent of 14-year-old

March 16, 2024

age 6+

It's Pretty amazing

It is a great show and I love it but it does include the A word but it still is a very good show and helps kids learn to be independent

See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

KOTARO LIVES ALONE, even though he's only 4 years old. There are no parents to be seen, and he claims he's a feudal lord based on a character from his favorite cartoon. When he moves into a new apartment building, Kotaro (Rie Kugimiya) takes to his manga artist neighbor, Shin Karino (Toshiki Masuda). Other adults in the building, including escort Mizuki (Saori Hayami) and rejected father Isamu (Jun'ichi Suwabe), eventually join in to support Kotaro and answer his questions. But one question no one seems to be able to answer is: Why is Kotaro alone?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:

Parents say (2):

Kids say (3):

It's a unique premise, and Kotaro, an independent 4-year-old living on his own, is such a unique character. Kotaro Lives Alone is heartwarming and funny one moment, and then extremely sad and bittersweet the next. Kotaro is written so headstrong that it's surprising and heartbreaking when he has moments of vulnerability (which is actually him simply acting like a 4-year-old should). This is a heartwarming, sometimes melancholic watch.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about coping with feelings of loneliness or sadness, like the characters in Kotaro Lives Alone experience. Have you ever dealt with issues like these? How does confiding in someone help? Who can you talk to when you need a sympathetic ear?

  • How do characters demonstrate compassion, empathy, and teamwork? Why are these important character strengths?

TV Details

  • Premiere date: March 10, 2022
  • Cast: Rie Kugimiya, Saori Hayami, Jun'ichi Suwabe, Toshiki Masuda
  • Network: Netflix
  • Genre: Anime
  • Character Strengths: Compassion, Empathy, Teamwork
  • TV rating: TV-14
  • Last updated: August 2, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by

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