Shadow Star Narutaru Review
Narutaru
なるたる ～骸なる星・珠たる子～
Narutaru ~Mukuro naru Hoshi·Tama taru Ko~
Shadow Star

Since the Community Anime Reviews site is up and down of late, I’m republishing some of my OG reviews from there. I have corrected obvious spelling errors though. I will add new notes in parenthesis, labeled “ANB  note.”  😅 I won’t count these as part of the “Back to the Vaults” series as I have not rewatched them.

–> Buy Shadow Star Narutaru Vol 1 DVD on Amazon.com!

Community Anime Review of Shadow Star

(ANB note: This series was originally reviewed on 12-Aug-2004.)

Man, is Shadow Star Narutaru all over the place and most of it are places very jacked up. As such, this title isn’t going to be for a lot of folks. However, should you take the plunge, be prepared for a dark, depressing, and chilling ride.

Plunging Into Darkness

At first, Shadow Star Narutaru appears to be nothing more than the tale of 11-year old Shiina-chan and her star dragon Hoshimaru. As such, the first two episodes aren’t dark nor deep. However, that all changes by episode three. With the introduction of middle school girl Akira-chan, the series quickly turns dark as we see a very depressed and suicidal girl who has also bonded with a star dragon. While she and Shiina become friends, the series continues to get darker as they meet other “dragons” and the people they are bonded with.

After dispatching one “evil” dragon, it seems that the series is gearing up to be one where Shiina has a gift to fight evil. Ah, but that’s where you’d be wrong. You see, as the writers go down this road, Shiina and Akira witness some terrible things where many people die in front of them. Then suddenly, the kids behind those attacks are dropped save for one last appearance by the leader of the group as he attempts to win over Akira.

Did Akira join his group? Did Akira do more, like have sex with him and become pregnant by him? Unknown, yet I got the feeling the answer was yes, especially when one of Akira’s classmates confesses his feelings for her. Since she has no friends in her school, her reaction to the boy’s confession was not what I expected. His reaction to her reaction I did expect though. Unfortunately, that story thread is dropped as well with no resolution.

More Concerns

Another story plot in Shadow Star Narutaru concerns yet another dragon partner and kids who have problems. This time, we learn that Shiina must be special since the dragon princess has taken an interest in her twice. We see the birth of a new dragon as well. Yet this element is dropped as soon as that arc ended.

After dropping the “protect Japan from evil dragons” plot, the series decides to explore another area of kid’s lives. This time, the subject is bullying. If you were bullied to the point where you were physically violated (sexually) by your classmates, what would you do? Would you tell your parents who only care about your being accepted into the best middle school, high school, and then university? Would you tell your best friend? Or would you take your revenge on those who’ve wronged you by doing unto them what they’ve done to you after being granted the power to do so? And what would you say to your only friend then when she learns the truth?

Unfortunately, the landscape of this series is littered with story plots that are not resolved and characters who appear, then disappear with no information as to who or what they are. Even Shiina is a mystery and she’s the main character. She’s witnessed some just awful events and the death of many humans. At that time, she’s affected, but then she just moves on as if not effected. Maybe that’s why she’s so special. While other characters brooded in negativity, Shiina tried to be positive and in the end became a better person.

Bottom Line

Most certainly not for many folks, especially for children as themes of depression, suicide, murder, young teen sex and pregnancy, and bullying are explored. While I enjoyed the look at the horrors of modern Japanese school life, I didn’t like how some characters and storylines were just dropped and forgotten. Had actual resolutions to these stories been made (whether good or ill), the series would have been better.