Shadow Star Narutaru, Vol. 1

While visiting her grandparents by the sea for a summer holiday, 'tween Shiina almost drowns, but is saved by a colorful starfish-like creature--perhaps an alien, perhaps a magical being. After a night spent dreaming about an alien spacecraft, Shiina meets up with the creature (whom she names Hoshimaru) again, and the latter--conveniently morphing into a backpack--accompanies Shiina back home and then to school, where Shiina discovers that other teens like herself have creatures similar to Hoshimaru, dubbing them “dragon's children.” Unfortunately, these teens are selfish, paranoid, brutal, and border on the sociopathic, and their new creature companions not only mold to their owners' personalities, but are used as weapons. As conflicts arise with these other “chosen” ones, Shiina begins to suspect these “dragon's children” may be driven by motives that are both complex and dangerous. Shiina is an endearing character, free of the inanity of so many schoolgirl types, and her concern over the growing threats in her world is poignantly portrayed. The animation is nicely balanced between the brightness of Hoshimaru and the seascape and the more ominous city corridors and reckless teenagers running amok, and while the story starts off perfectly appropriate for younger audiences, it grows dark after a couple of episodes, making the 16-up rating on this dual-language disc appropriate. Highly recommended. [Note: Shadow Star Narutaru, Vol. 2 is slated for release on June 14.] Aud: P. (R. Brenner)