It’s not a great series. It has its problems. But Kotaro Lives Alone is intriguing.

We have all seen dozens of anime series where kids live alone without their parents. But a 4 or 5 year old? (Kotaro has a birthday in one of the episodes.) Where’s Child Welfare? Apparently they are not needed thanks to Kotaro’s concerned neighbors, especially the struggling would-be manga artist Karino. So when Kotaro moves into an apartment by himself, one can expect all sorts of adventures.

However, the series almost lost me early on. The episodes contain several stories, but they all move very slowly. But as we learn that Kotaro has some dark secrets in his life, our interest is piqued. Had each story been done simply for laughs, I would not have watched all five episodes as it would have become redundant. But there are some sad stories in there as well. Kotaro is not the only lonely child we meet. One of his friends gets beaten by an old boyfriend. One story deals with homeless children.

But Kotaro, observant and mature beyond his years, perseveres.

There seems to have been a live action version of this show from a year ago. I do not know how different the live action is from the anime. The anime did hold my interest, but I had to make an effort.

The art and animation are average. Most of the effort seems to have been put to use in story development. I can’t give Kotaro Lives Alone my top recommendation, but give it a look anyway. There are some interesting moments.