Kotaro Lives Alone is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mami Tsumura. It has been published in Shogakukan’s Big Comic Superior seinen mmagazinne since March 2015. A10-episode live action drama series aired via TV Asahi in 2021, while a 10-episode animated series was adapted by Liden Films and aired via Netflix in March 2022. In this article, we are going to give you a list of the 15 best anime series like Kotaro Lives Alone to enjoy if you liked the show.
1. Maison Ikkoku
Original Run: March 26, 1986 – March 2, 1988
Number of Episodes: 96 (+ 3 OVA)
Yusaku Godai, a young “rōnin” (student who failed his university admission exams), decides one day to leave the boarding house where he lives because his roommates, Mrs. Ichinose, the alcoholic party girl, the shameless Akemi Roppongi and the enigmatic Mr. Yotsuya, loudly party in his room every night, preventing him from revising.
But that same day arrives Kyoko Otonashi, the new janitor. She is a widow at only 20 years old. Yusaku immediately falls in love with her. But he will soon have Shun Mitaka, an attractive tennis teacher, handsome and rich, as his rival. The course of the seven years that this sentimental comedy lasts will be punctuated by series of misunderstandings and repeated gags.
2. Ai Yori Aoshi
Original Run: April 11, 2002 – December 28, 2003
Number of Episodes: 36 (+ 2 OVA)
Betrothed in their childhood by their respective families, influential and traditionalists, Kaoru and Aoi however no longer see each other and have never even seen each other since that time, Kaoru having left for his life as a penniless student in Tōkyō, far from his own family. whom he rejects because of the wrongs she did to him, and not really thinking about Aoi anymore.
She, however, having become a sweet and beautiful young girl eager to conquer the heart of this fiancé whom she has never forgotten, leaves to join him without informing those around her. Kaoru no longer expected to see his alleged fiancée again, whom he found by chance without recognizing each other at the station during their mutual journey to his home.
3. The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior
Original Run: April 3, 2014 – June 19, 2014
Number of Episodes: 12 (+ OVA)
Thanks to the transfer of his parents, Kazunari Usa, a second-year student, can finally live alone at the Kawai complex, a pension that offers room and board to its residents. Ritsu, the senpai he admires, also lives there, along with several other “unique” individuals: his masochistic roommate Shirosaki; the beautiful Mayumi with impressive plastic who has no luck with men; and the deceitful student predator Sayaka. Surrounded by this merry band, Usa never gets bored.
4. Yurumates
Original Run: April 2012 – October 2012
Number of Episodes: 26 (+ 18 OVA)
Yurume Aida has been rejected for the umpteenth time in the university entrance exams, but does not give up and intends to try again. But to succeed she decides to abandon the old condominium in which she lived and find a new accommodation, convinced that the cause of her continuous failures is the bad influence exerted by her neighbors, all of them rejected for university entrance exams.
5. Ooya-san wa Shishunki!
Original Run: January 10, 2016 – March 27, 2016
Number of Episodes: 12
A young man, Maeda, moves into a new apartment, only to find that his new landlady, Chie, is a middle schooler.
6. Princess Jellyfish
Original Run: October 15, 2010 – December 31, 2010
Number of Episodes: 11
Tsukimi Kurashita, a shy young girl, dreams of becoming an illustrator and has settled in Tokyo in a residence populated exclusively by otaku girls (one could translate as groupies). Passionate about jellyfish (kurage in Japanese and jellyfish in English) since her late mother promised her a wedding dress as beautiful as a jellyfish, saying that all little girls grow up to be princesses, she spends her time draw some and visit those of the aquarium in his neighborhood.
However, Tsukimi wonders what went wrong as she herself is nothing like a princess. Indeed, she doesn’t know how to dress, doesn’t wear makeup, is only interested in jellyfish and not shopping or boys. However, the residents, each more crazy than the other, of the Amamizu residence will punctuate Tsukimi’s life. It is then that their lives will be turned upside down by the appearance of a strange humana coquetta, Kuranosuke, who turns out to be in fact the son of a wealthy family of politicians.
And the shy Tsukimi, who felt so apart, will suddenly feel her heart beating for new passions, such as creating dresses, but also for Kuranosuke’s brother, Shu. Which doesn’t seem to be to his/her new/new comrade’s taste. Princess Jellyfish recounts the life of Tsukimi and her otaku friends, their incomprehension and uneasiness in the face of a world whose codes they do not master, their true love for the object of their passion, and the injustice of having to comply with conveniences in order to be accepted.
7. Sweetness and Lightning
Original Run: July 4, 2016 – September 19, 2016
Number of Episodes: 12
The young teacher Kōhei Inuzuka lives alone with his daughter Tsumugi since his wife died of an illness. Tsumugi still wishes her mother would come back and make them good food again. Her father regrets that he is not very good at cooking and can only offer his daughter ready meals. When they both meet a student of Inuzuka in the park for Hanami, she invites them both to her mother’s small restaurant.
Arrived there in the evening, the shop is empty and only the student Kotori Iida is there to entertain them as her mother is away. She always stands in for her mother, who is usually on the road as a consultant or cooking expert because she wants to keep the restaurant going. Her father separated from his mother a long time ago. But Kotori can’t cook well either – mainly because she’s afraid of knives.
Together with Tsumugi, who has a lot of fun in the small inn, she convinces Inuzuka that the two of them come over more often to cook together. So each time they try to cook a new dish and – Inuzuka for his daughter and Kotori for the restaurant – to get better at cooking.
8. School Babysitters
Original Run: January 7, 2018 – March 25, 2018
Number of Episodes: 12 (+ OVA)
Following the sudden death of their parents, high school student Ryūichi Kashima and his younger brother, Kotarō (a preschooler), are left orphaned with nowhere to call home.
The president of the prestigious Morinomiya Academy offers to take both boys into her care, along with a new home and free school tuition, on the condition that Ryūichi help with the school’s nursery and work there as a babysitter while also attending classes. during school hours.
9. Kakushigoto: My Dad’s Secret Ambition
Original Run: April 2, 2020 – June 18, 2020
Number of Episodes: 12
Kakushi Gotō is a mangaka with a certain fame: he is known for his titles with indecent content as well as his salacious jokes, and many admirers appreciate him greatly around the world.
However, his life changes when he becomes a father and decides, after a realization, to hide his real job from his darling daughter, Hime. Having to raise the latter alone, for his own good Kakushi tries to arrange his double life and overcome all the obstacles on his way in order to keep his secret in the eyes of his daughter, and make her happy.
10. Barakamon
Original Run: July 6, 2014 – September 23, 2016
Number of Episodes: 24
Despite his young age, Seishu Handa is a professional calligrapher. His life is turned upside down the day when seized with anger, he hits the museum curator who finds his work banal and tasteless. As punishment, his father decides to send him to one of the Gotō Islands, in the depths of the countryside. Japanese. While he thought he would find peace and work, his new neighbors will land in his life.
11. Poco’s Udon World
Original Run: October 9, 2016 – December 25, 2016
Number of Episodes: 12
The 30-year-old son of udon restaurant owner Sota Tawara left his hometown in Kagawa Prefecture, not wanting to work in his father’s restaurant, and moved to Tokyo to work as a web designer. However, after her father’s death, Sota decides to return to the town to settle things, collect her belongings, and close the restaurant.
Visiting Udon Tawara, he finds a mysterious child sleeping in a large cauldron, who turns out to be a were-tanuki. Sota was initially frightened and not happy with his find, but later, without hesitation, decides to postpone work in order to take care of the baby, whom he names Poco.
Living with Poko Sota understands what it’s like to take care of someone and gradually remembers something important for himself in the “country of udon”.
12. Higehiro: After Being Rejected, I Shaved and Took in a High School Runaway
Original Run: April 5, 2021 – June 28, 2021
Number of Episodes: 13
The story begins with Yoshida, a 26-year-old male office worker specializing in information technology, who was rejected by his colleague Airi Gotou, who he always loved for 5 years. Despite getting a date with her, her confession is rejected by her. Depressed and drunk, Yoshida saw Sayu Ogiwara, a wandering joshi kōsei (JK, high school girl) sitting in front of his door.
Sayu had been away from home for 6 months and decided to have sex with several men to stay at her house. Sayu initially asked Yoshida to let her stay the night in exchange for her making love to him, but Yoshida only agreed to house her without the need for such an exchange.
After asking Sayu about her background, Yoshida decided to invite her to live in her house until she found out what she was worth to her and she became more mature. Sayu agreed and started working part-time at a store near Yoshida’s house. And so, that’s how this story of a relationship between a heartbroken adult and a runaway high school student begins.
13. Stars Align
Original Run: October 10, 2019 – December 26, 2019
Number of Episodes: 12
With his mother’s move, Maki Katsuragi is entering a new high school. There he meets Tōma Shinjō, a friend from elementary school, who immediately tries to persuade him to join the boys’ soft tennis club. Because this is threatened with closure by the student council because, unlike the soft tennis girls, it has been unsuccessful for many years.
With the very sporty Maki, Tōma hopes to finally win a tournament. Maki finally agrees when the desperate Tōma even offers him payment for his time at the club. Maki doesn’t really have time because he helps his single mother a lot with the house. But he also wants to be able to contribute money to the household. On the same evening, Maki’s father, from whom the mother had separated, surprisingly gains access to the apartment, beats Maki and steals the money he has saved.
14. Usagi Drop
Original Run: July 7, 2011 – September 15, 2011
Number of Episodes: 11
When 30-year-old Daikichi returns to his grandfather’s house for his funeral, he discovers the existence of Rin, the six-year-old illegitimate daughter of his grandfather and unknown mother. This girl causes the embarrassment of her whole family and is treated like an outcast. Annoyed by their attitude, Daikichi decides to take care of Rin himself, even though he lives alone and has never raised a child.
Rin then becomes part of his life and Daikichi experiences the difficulties of a single parent. He befriends the single mother of Kouki Nitani, a friend whom Rin meets in kindergarten, and who gives him advice on raising Rin. A year later, Daikichi finds that his sacrifices for Rin were worth it. The first half of the series focuses on Daikichi’s point of view and his difficulties in raising Rin.
Ten years later, Rin is a high school student, and the rest of the series focuses on her, how she tries to come to terms with her feelings for Kouki, and her choice of career.
15. Baby & Me
Original Run: July 11, 1996 – March 26, 1997
Number of Episodes: 35
After the death of his mother, it is little Toshio, despite his young age, who is the “second mother” of his younger brother Midori, helping his father as much as possible in this difficult task.
The two siblings are very close and even if at times Toshio realizes that the task of raising a two-year-old is not at all easy for him who is still a child after all, he tries in every way to keep the promise he had made to his mother to take care of his little brother in every situation.
Toshio, despite the events of his life having forced him to grow up quickly, is still a lively and cheerful child, who likes to play with his best friends Gon and Akihiro, who in turn have two younger sisters (Nako and Ichika) and to whom he asks for advice in moments of despair. Often the three friends meet in the park or out of kindergarten and discuss their little-big problems related to their respective younger siblings.
Life goes on, therefore, quite calm and happy even after the death of the mother. Toshio and Ataru take turns in accompanying and picking up Midori in kindergarten, in taking care of the housework and, above all, in trying to raise Midori in the best possible way.
Sometimes they get help from neighbors, who gladly offer to look after Midori in case Toshio or Ataru have other commitments. In the worst moments, however, it will be the memory of the mother to help Ataru and Toshio, giving them the strength to go on.
