Kotarou wa Hitorigurashi

Four-year-old Kotaro Sato moves into an apartment and, to everyone's surprise, lives there entirely on his own. He speaks with an seriousness far beyond his age and handles shopping, bathhouse visits, and the rest of daily life without parents or relatives beside him. His new neighbor Shin Karino, a broke manga artist with few responsibilities of his own, is baffled enough to start keeping an eye on the boy. Before long, Karino and the other residents become increasingly involved in Kotaro's life. There are painful reasons behind the child's fierce independence, but the odd little community slowly gives him something close to a family while he quietly changes the adults around him as well.