Shadow Star Narutaru Vol. 4
Synopsis
Her greatest enemy could be her closest friend. Shy Hiroko is tormented by bullies. But everyone has their breaking point, and Hiroko wrestles with inner demons as she is tempted to use her powers to exact a terrifying revenge. Can Shiina save her family from the wrath of her tortured friend?
Review
From the first glance, Shadow Star Narutaru looks like a kiddy anime title, but boy can anyone be more wrong. This title is like a less gory/bloody version of Lucy of Elfen Lied’s childhood, but still packs a strong punch. I have never felt so satisfied from watching an anime in a while and Narutaru just hits the spot. Why did it satisfy me? Well for starters, the show makes you hate some of the characters, and then gives them all a resolution. To put it in simpler terms, this volume of Shadow Star Narutaru is a killing spree. Hiroko, an average girl whom is also very intelligent becomes the target of a group of bullies consisted of girls in her school. These bullies do all sorts of mean things to her, yet no one does anything about it even with the knowledge of her being tortured by these girls. And with the added pressures from her parents wanting her to be a hundred percent student in all her classes, it gets kind of tiring for Hiroko. She feels hopeless, there is not anyone she can turn to except her one friend, Shiina.
Shiina has a cheery personality. She is one of those people who could be friends with anyone she wants to. And as the only friend of both Hiroko and another girl Sakura, who plays a small role in this volume, she tries to be the only brightness in the darkness filled world. Shiina is like the light bulb of their lives. There would not be anyone for Hiroko and Sakura if Shiina was not there. Can you blame it on their personalities? Their shy and afraid to stand up for themselves personalities? In part they have to take a bit of the responsibility, but the ones who are really at fault are the bullies that they each have to face at school.
Anyways, when you corner a dog, you are only asking to get bitten, and this is what happens with Hiroko. When the bullies went too far with their despicable acts and her father’s call to Shiina’s father to tell him to tell Shiina to get away from Hiroko… she finally snaps. Upon snapping comes her dragon child. This is where I said, “Oh yeah, get them *ahem*.” Maybe I got some issues, but I felt so good to know that these hateful people will get what they deserve. Now as for if they deserved what they got in the show, that is for you to decipher, but again as I have stated, I was satisfied with what each of them got in return for the crap that they made her go through.
Shadow Star Narutaru is drama packed. The plot is one of the most intriguing and entertaining I have ever seen. I really loved the way this volume played itself out. Even though not everyone survives, but it is okay, I received the message that the staff of Narutaru was trying to deliver, which was to question your surrounds. Just because Hiroko did not say anything, it does not make it fine to leave her be. If someone would have consulted her about her problems then we would not be talking about this now.
The Breakdown
I do not condone killing, and just because I said they deserved it, does not mean I would have said the same thing if it was real life. So let us separate the anime world and the real world and enjoy Narutaru, for it is a superb work of art.