review: kotaro lives alone (2022)

ahhhh i just finished this anime at the suggestion of a friend, and wow. it's been a while since an anime has honestly truly managed to make me cry like a baby, but here we are. if you're into found family, situational comedy, and having your heart torn straight out of your chest, this is the anime for you! lots of trigger warnings, however, for domestic abuse, child abuse, death, etc. if you have a complicated family history/trauma of any sort this may be a difficult show to get through, so be careful.

i was scouring for a translation of the manga, and was shocked to find out that it has no official english translation (that i could locate, at least)!! that's insane to me, if the anime is anything like the manga then i really want to read it :> if anybody knows any good translations please lmk :]

going forward i'll be reviewing with a little more detail, so if you want to avoid spoilers stop reading!!

i didn't come into this show with any expectations, honestly. i had heard it was good from a friend but we never really discussed it in depth -- i just saw it on netflix one night and decided to have a go at it. one of the best/worst decisions of my life lol, as i was reduced from human being to puddle of tears within the first episode, and it only got sadder from there.

when it comes to child characters in anime, it's usually a hit or miss (mostly miss) for me, since they can either be the most annoying part, or a cute, enjoyable part of a show. kotaro as a character was neither -- he was a masterclass in how to portray a child (ESPECIALLY one with trauma) in media. from the use of feudal era japanese to his issues with bathing to the way he interacts and communicates with the adults around him, not once is there an off-note or overly dramatic trope. i believed every second of his character and i loved it, too. he's a perfect portrayal of someone forced to grow up too quickly yet still grappling with the fallacious, black-and-white thinking of a confused, lonely, and traumatized child.  AHH i just can't get over it.

and of course, the adult characters. while they can be a bit over-the-top, it's nothing you wouldn't expect from an anime, and for me it didn't break the immersion at all, only added to the comedic elements. they are all extremely complex characters and, this is rare for an anime, they are genuinely good people. it's not that they're without fault -- karino is lazy, unmotivated, and can be selfish, mizuki is misguided and suffers from trauma herself, and isamu has led a troubled past that keeps him from being a good father to his own child around kotaro's age. but despite this, despite the awful things that occur in this universe, the three of them come together to take care of kotaro (and each other) even when they have no obligation to, and even when kotaro may take it the wrong way or misunderstand their intentions.  they know that they can't exactly give kotaro everything he needs -- they can't fix his past, they can't undo the damage that's been done, and karino even admits that they have no control over what his future may be. but they all strive to give him whatever love and support they can offer now, even if it's just for a little bit, so kotaro can begin to heal and have a happier childhood.

i think that's exemplified by karino's choice to lie about the death of kotaro's mother. it's definitely a difficult choice -- it took a lot of work to get kotaro to trust him, to trust in anybody, and here he is, choosing to break it just to give kotaro the chance to hope for just a bit longer. but it's a choice made out of sheer, unadulterated love. ahh i could just gush about it for days on end. what a brilliant choice in writing for two brilliant characters.

if i go on any longer i think i'll start crying again, so i'll end it here. i'll recommend this anime til the day i die, and i can only hope that any future seasons live up to the mastery and emotional depth of this first one. if ur still reading, thanks, and pls watch it!! :>