Forum - View topicThis Week in Anime - Kotaro Lives Alone Hides a Tragic Underbelly
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zztop
Posts: 650 |
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Turns out there's also a live-action adaptation of Kotaro as well.
https://mydramalist.com/689327-kotaro-wa-1ri-kurashi |
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merr
Posts: 488 |
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I enjoyed this but found it very weird how the hostess gets written out of the show halfway through. spoiler[Plus the way it happened seemed to affirm Kotaro’s idea that abuse victims are responsible for making their abusers “bad guys.”]
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Duck Du Normandie
 SubscriberPosts: 44 |
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I just finished this last night. (I had to pace this one because it hit a little hard.)
I felt the overall exaggeration was a tool to get home the show's, very good, points. Yes, a 4 year old living on his own and having a preternatural ability to read adult emotions is not realistic. But 4 year old kids basically raising themselves is, unfortunately, not. And kids always know more than adults think they do. They know when adults are angry, sad, and/or scared. They frequently do not have the experience or tools to understand why, or to know that it isn't aimed at, or because of, them. But kids know. And they can often take on the burden of trying to help. They will think it is their fault and/or their responsibility to "fix" it. In Kotoro's case by "becoming strong" and by not "burdening" adults by asking for help when he needs it. This is, unfortunately, very common is cases of child trauma and abuse. I really appreciate that the creators talked about child trauma and abuse, but didn't make it just a plot point for a character to overcome in one arc. (Often just through the power of love by finding their first boyfriend/girlfriend, or by fighting the abuser in a tournament.) As hard as this was to watch sometimes, I really liked this show. What bothers me though is the last part of the last episode. I think Karino's actions (or silence) is in character for him. I do get where he's coming from. But spoiler[not telling Kotaro that his mother is dead]? No. That is wrong on so many levels. Just NO. |
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Neko-sensei
Posts: 286 |
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I really appreciated the show's blend of sincerity, drollery, and pathos. I think it's one of those cases in which people who naturally operate on its wavelength will love it, but it will simply never click for many others. I foresee a future cult favorite.
I further think that 90% of the comedy is sadly lost in translation, since the whole show rides on Rie Kugimiya's bravura performance as Kotaro. Her delivery in the first episode of そうか？まだまだこれからだな (translated as, "Is that so? You still have many years left ahead of you") had me in wheezingly painful stitches for a good five minutes, but Kotaro's whole hilariously old-fashioned formal affect just does not cross the language barrier properly. (I might have tried translating his speech into the style of 19th-century oratory, but that probably would just have come across as annoying. The adorable humor falls flat in English.) |
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chrisb
Subscriber Posts: 649 Location: USA |
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I think it’s about maintaining as much of Kotaro’s innocence as possible. Maybe when he’s older he can process that. Realistically he would be able to work through his trauma with a network of professionals, but this is anime and the systems meant to help troubled kids are usually underfunded. Kotaro has gone through so much and I don’t think he could recover from the truth Karino is hiding. I liked how they portrayed the father in the umbrella episode. It is true that even the worst fathers probably really do love their kids, but like some characters keep pointing out some people aren’t meant to be parents. The dub is fantastic btw. Cherami Leigh is great as Kotaro and the voice of freaking Belle is the gangster dad! Very impressive performance. |
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Duck Du Normandie
Subscriber Posts: 44 |
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I think you're right, it is about maintaining innocence. And it really should be handled with consultation with professionals. I also believe that the manga is still ongoing, or at least there is a lot more material, and they needed a stopping point for the anime. But when I think back on how Kotoro reacted to the drunk lawyer not answering his question about if the money really came from a friendly stranger; and his reaction to the 3 children when the eldest said he was like them because he'd also been abandoned...it makes me think keeping him in the dark will do more harm than good. (Actually, at the time, particularly with the lawyer, I wondered if spoiler[he already suspected his mother was dead].) |
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here-and-faraway
 Posts: 1529 Location: Sunny California |
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Although parts of this show are unrealistic, they nailed so much with regards to child abuse. The subtle signs, the way kids manage to blame themselves for the abuse, how they still love their abusers, etc. I especially appreciate the reason behind WHY Kotaro acts so perfect. Often anime/manga kids are "perfect" just because, but with Kotaro, his behavior stems from fear. Sure, he's a kindhearted boy to begin with, but so much of his behavior is because he is absolutely terrified of being hurt, whether physically or emotionally, if he makes a mistake. I've worked with kids for over 25 years and so much about this show hit home with the things I've seen. Not only is it a pleasure to watch, but it does a solid job shining a light on signs of abuse/neglect and how some victims may behave.
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Sasuke149
Posts: 91 |
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This show was brilliant. Just finished it. I also agree that it should not be binged as the material is actually quite heavy. Not everything Kotaro says or does is correct, obviously, but it's a child we're talking about. They have their own worldview of what is right and wrong. I'm sure with time his will get better. Still, loved the show. It made me laugh and cry within the same minute. The last time this happened was with Gintama ahahaha
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