15 Best Anime Of 2022 (So Far)

This show lures you in by asking the amusing question, "wouldn't it be cute if a five-year-old tried to live on his own like an adult?". But then, it slaps you with the truth that, no, it wouldn't because that's a horrifying thought.

Shin Karino is a manga artist who is struggling to find success. He lives in an apartment building and minds his own business but soon gets drawn into the role of a caregiver after finding out that his neighbour is a five-year-old boy. As he spends more time with this kid, he learns more about his troubled past and starts to care for him like a surrogate father.

Each episode delivers a funny set-up (like Kotaro buying balloons or eating tissues) before throwing some emotionally harrowing reasons for the young boy's eccentricities, making each chapter equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking.

If this duality between comedy and tragedy is the butter of this show, then the bread is Kotaro himself. This loveable little kid goes through so much but remains charming and sweet, so it's impossible not to root for him.

While the show turned some heads, it's still a bit of an underground hit and deserves way more attention.