Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 8, 2026

Shadow Star

Shadow Star, known in Japan as Narutaru , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mohiro Kitoh, originally serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Monthly Afternoon from March 1998 to October 2003. The Japanese name is an abbreviation of Mukuro Naru Hoshi, Tama Taru Ko . An anime television series adaptation produced by Planet Entertainment was broadcast from July to September 2003.

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Jun 8, 2026
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Shadow Star
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Hoshimaru (left) and Shiina Tamai (right)
なるたる
(Narutaru)
Genre
Manga
Written byMohiro Kitoh
Published byKodansha
English publisher
ImprintAfternoon KC
MagazineMonthly Afternoon
English magazine
Original runMarch 25, 1998 – October 25, 2003
Volumes12
Anime television series
Directed byToshiaki Iino
Written byChiaki J. Konaka
Music bySusumu Ueda
StudioPlanet Entertainmenta
Licensed by
Original networkKids Station, TBS
Original run July 8, 2003 – September 30, 2003
Episodes13

Shadow Star, known in Japan as Narutaru (Japanese: なるたる), is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mohiro Kitoh, originally serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Monthly Afternoon from March 1998 to October 2003. The Japanese name is an abbreviation of Mukuro Naru Hoshi, Tama Taru Ko (骸なる星 珠たる子; lit. 'Corpse of a Star; A Precious Child'). An anime television series adaptation produced by Planet Entertainment was broadcast from July to September 2003.

Plot

The protagonist of the series is a twelve-year-old girl named Shiina Tamai. She bonds with a starfish-shaped "dragonchild" (baby "shadow dragon") whom she calls Hoshimaru. The series is mainly about the interaction between Shiina and other young people who have also bonded with dragons.

Media

Manga

Shadow Star, written and illustrated by Mohiro Kitoh, was serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Monthly Afternoon from March 1998,b to October 2003.c Kodansha collected its chapters in twelve tankōbon volumes, released from August 19, 1998, to December 22, 2003.65

In North America, the manga was licensed for English release by Dark Horse Comics and serialized in their Super Manga Blast! manga magazine.7 The series ran in the magazine from March 29, 2000,8 to February 1, 2006,9 when the magazine ceased its publication.10 Dark Horse Comics collected the chapters in seven volumes, which were released from September 5, 2001, to December 21, 2005.1112

Anime

A 13-episode anime adaptation, produced by Planet Entertainment,a was broadcast on Kids Station from July 8 to September 30, 2003.13d The anime adapted the storyline of the first six volumes (seven volumes of the American release) of the manga.

The anime was licensed by Central Park Media for North America in 2004, under the title Shadow Star Narutaru.15 It was featured on Comcast's Anime Selects, alongside other Central Park Media titles.1617 In October 2007, it was part of the initial lineup of 21 titles run on the Illusion on-Demand television network.1819 Central Park Media released the series under their "U.S. Manga Corps" line in 2005 on four DVDs, and later re-released the DVDs in a box set in July 2006.2021 Central Park Media filed for bankruptcy in 2009, and the DVDs have since been out of print.22

Reception

Tasha Robinson of the Sci Fi Channel described the anime series as "transformed" from "fascinatingly quirky" to "slow but expressive".23

Notes

Notes

  1. Production assistance (制作協力) for all episodes provided by Studio Kuma.
  2. Debuted in the magazine's May 1998 issue,3 released on March 25, 1998.4
  3. Finished in the magazine's December 2003 issue.5
  4. Shadow Star aired on Kids Station on Monday 24:00, effectively Tuesday at 12:00 a.m. JST.14
References

References

  1. King, Patrick. "Shadow Star Vol.3: Shadows of the Past". animefringe. Archived from the original on June 29, 2003. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  2. Santos, Carlo (September 20, 2005). "Shadow Star Narutaru DVD 2 - Review". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 12, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  3. 新装版　なるたる（１） (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on March 2, 2026. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  4. "Contents". Monthly Afternoon (in Japanese). No. March 1998 issue. Kodansha. Table of contents. Archived from the original on March 2, 2026. Retrieved March 2, 2026. […] アフタヌーン5 […] 号(3月25日発売)誌上にて。
  5. なるたる（１２） (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  6. なるたる（１） (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  7. "U.S. Manga News Briefs". Anime News Network. October 23, 1999. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  8. "Super Manga Blast! #1". Dark Horse Comics. Archived from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  9. "Super Manga Blast! #59". Dark Horse Comics. Archived from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  10. Alexander, Isaac (November 24, 2005). "Super Manga Blast Discontinued". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  11. "Shadow Star Vol. 1 TPB". Dark Horse Comics. Archived from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  12. "Shadow Star Vol. 7: Victim's Eyes, Assailant's Hands TPB". Dark Horse Comics. Archived from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  13. なるたる (in Japanese). Planet Entertainment. Archived from the original on August 30, 2005. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  14. 少年少女の成長と自立を描く近未来ＳＦファンタジー「なるたる」放送スタート！ (in Japanese). Kids Station. Archived from the original on June 21, 2003. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  15. Macdonald, Christopher (November 29, 2004). "New CPM Licenses". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  16. Macdonald, Christopher (December 7, 2004). "The Anime Network on Comcast Details". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 20, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  17. Martin, Theron (January 11, 2006). "Anime - 2005 Year in Review". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 26, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2026. [...] Anime Selects has more recently gotten into the game with a catalog of CPM titles.
  18. "Illusion On-Demand Launches". Anime News Network. October 2, 2007. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  19. Loo, Egan (October 3, 2007). "1st Sci-Fi/Fantasy Video-On-Demand Channel Shows Anime". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 31, 2025. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  20. Macdonald, Christopher (July 17, 2005). "Upcoming CPM Releases". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on November 5, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  21. ""Shadow Star Narutaru DVD Collection" To Be Released July 25th". Central Park Media. May 16, 2006. Archived from the original on June 14, 2006. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  22. "Syndicated Comics". www.comicsbeat.com. 30 April 2009. Archived from the original on 2021-02-28. Retrieved 2019-11-30.
  23. Robinson, Tasha. "Shadow Star Narutaru." Sci Fi Channel. May 21, 2008. Retrieved on December 26, 2010.
External links