The Hungry Little Boy Had to Eat Tissue

Tagged as lighthearted slice of life feels like a complete mislabel to me. It’s a tear-jerker, plain and simple.

I watch anime but I can’t seem to write a proper review. My attempts often go off the plot, exploring my own emotional responses and the deeper meanings I glean, which isn’t what a standard review typically offers.

Kotaro’s silent struggle.

He’s that little boy, Kotaro, who moves into an apartment building all on his own and unexpectedly befriends the broke manga artist living next door.

That anime Kotaro Lives Alone, tagged as lighthearted slice of life feels like a complete mislabel to me. It’s a tear-jerker, plain and simple.

In fact, I shouldn’t even say it was — it is a tear-jerker. I’m still watching it on repeat, and each time, it takes me on an emotional roller coaster, swinging from laughter to outright crying, sometimes within a single episode.

I definitely need plenty of tissues for those emotional moments, though, mercifully, not to eat.

Kotaro’s story immediately brought to mind a real-life account I read from Sora News.

Before her big breaks in the mid-2000s, a famous anime voice actress, Hirano, was struggling to scrape together enough paying gigs just to cover her grocery bills.