Best tv shows like Shadow Star Narutaru
Last updated March 2024
Looking for tv shows like Shadow Star Narutaru? Offer your knowledge to guide others to tv series and films you've already watched that might appeal to them also. Support expanding the assembly of people recommending videos to one another. We encourage your participation!
Plot Summary:
Shadow Star, known in Japan as Narutaru, which comes from the abbreviation of "Mukuro Naru Hoshi, Tama Taru Ko", is the name of a Japanese manga and of the anime series which was based on the manga. The series was created by Mohiro Kitoh and was originally serialized in the magazine Afternoon. When asked about the manga, Mohiro Kitoh stated that he had about 80% of the entire story planned out from the beginning. When he was asked about the anime series, he stated he was grateful it was made. In the United States, it was licensed by Dark Horse and serialized in Super Manga Blast! The 13-episode anime adaptation was broadcast in 2003 on the Japanese television station Kids Station. The anime was licensed by Central Park Media and released as Shadow Star Narutaru, and has played on Comcast's Anime Selects multiple times. In 2007 it ran on the Illusion on Demand television network. Central Park Media released the title under their "U.S. Manga Corps" line, on 4 DVDs, and later re-released the DVDs in a box set. Central Park Media filed for bankruptcy in 2009, and the DVDs have since been out of print. The protagonist of the series is a twelve-year-old girl named Shiina Tamai. She bonds with a starfish-shaped "dragonchild" whom she calls Hoshimaru. The series is mainly about the interaction between Shiina and other young people who have also bonded with dragons.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 150
Genere: Animation, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: anime, dark
Best tv shows and movies like Shadow Star Narutaru (2003):
Similar in 90%
Lostorage incited WIXOSS (2016)
Plot Summary:
High school student Homura Suzuko has returned to Ikebukuro, the town where she grew up. But when she gets to school, she finds she has trouble fitting in with the rest of the class. One day, she decides that if she learns to play the card game Wixoss, she might be able to make some friends. She buys a deck set, and when she opens it, the girl on one of the cards begins to move, and speak. "Welcome, Selector." Selectors must battle for control of the five coins that hold all their memories. If they can retake all the coins, they win, and can leave the game. But if they lose, as a penalty--.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 49
Genere: Animation, Drama, Fantasy, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, tense, captivating, disturbing, yaoi, yuri
Similar in 85%
Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma (2015)
Plot Summary:
Yukihira Souma's dream is to become a full-time chef in his father's restaurant and surpass his father's culinary skill. But just as Yukihira graduates from middle schools his father, Yukihira Jouichirou, closes down the restaurant to cook in Europe. Although downtrodden, Souma's fighting spirit is rekindled by a challenge from Jouichirou which is to survive in an elite culinary school where only 10% of the students graduate. Can Souma survive?.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Animation, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, captivating, feel good, shounen, ecchi, semi serious, light, manga, emotional, super sentai
Similar in 88%
Corpse Princess: Part Two - Kuro (2009)
Plot Summary:
.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 297
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime
Similar in 86%
Flowers of Evil (2013)
Plot Summary:
Takao worships the class beauty, Nanako, from afar. When he is alone in the classroom one day after school, he notices her bag of gym clothes on the floor. He can't resist picking it up. He plans to return it, but the next day, all the girls are commiserating with Nanako that some pervert has stolen her gym clothes. Worse than that, their classmate Sawa quietly lets him know that she saw him take the clothes and will tell Nanako if he doesn't make a contract with her to do whatever she asks of him and then their strange relationship begins.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 325 min
Plot tags: anime, realistic, psychological, humorous, semi serious, depressing, aesthetic, offbeat, psychological thriller
Similar in 79%
Tokyo Babylon (1992)
Plot Summary:
Subaru Sumeragi, a young Onmyouji sorcerer, investigates a series of unusual murders with the aid of his twin sister and fellow Onmyouji Seishirô.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 317
Genere: Animation, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: anime, detective
Similar in 90%
Happy Sugar Life (2018)
Plot Summary:
Satou Matsuzaka, a girl who has never loved anyone before, falls in love with a girl named Shio Koube. The two girls are drawn to each other, and begin a happy life together. Satou won't let anyone endanger their new life, and would do anything for love, even if it means threatening, confining, or killing someone.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 759
Genere: Animation, Crime, Drama, Family, Horror, Romance, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, bleak, suspenseful, romantic, captivating, tense, psychological, psychological thriller, shounen
Similar in 75%
Spiral: Bond of Reasoning (2002)
Plot Summary:
Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning is a fifteen-volume shōnen mystery manga series written by Kyou Shirodaira and illustrated by Eita Mizuno. It was published by Enix and then Square Enix in Monthly Shōnen Gangan from February 2000 to October 2005 and collected in 15 bound volumes. The series focuses on Ayumu Narumi and his efforts to solve the mystery of the Blade Children, cursed geniuses with cat-like eyes lacking a seventh rib bone. A prequel series by Shirodaira and Mizuno, called Spiral: Alive, was published in Gangan Wing and Monthly Shōnen Gangan from April 2004 to June 2008 and collected in five bound volumes. Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning was originally licensed for an English language release in North America by Tokyopop, however the company dropped the series. Yen Press acquired the license for Northern American release, and published the first volume in October 2007. The series was adapted as a twenty-five episode anime television series broadcast on TV Tokyo from October 1, 2002 until March 25, 2003. The anime is licensed in Region 1 by FUNimation, who released it on DVD and broadcast it on the FUNimation Channel programming block on CoLours TV in 2006. The series was also adapted as four light novels and a series of CD dramas.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 272
Genere: Animation, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: anime, mysterious, enigmatic, captivating, detective, smart, mystical, clever
Similar in 75%
Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V (2014)
Plot Summary:
Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V is the fourth main spin-off of the Yu-Gi-Oh! series. Yuya Sakaki is a student who is learning to become an entertainment duelist at the You Show Duel School. He gains access to a new power during an exhibition match against the current champion but that is only the beginning of the mysteries in store for him and his friends.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 784
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Fantasy
Country: Japan, Canada
Duration: 20 min
Plot tags: anime, shounen, 2d animation
Similar in 78%
Mermaid's Forest (2003)
Plot Summary:
According to an ancient Japanese legend, mermaid flesh may grant immortality if eaten. However, there is a much greater chance that consumption will lead to death or transformation into a damned creature known as a Lost Soul. Mermaid Saga tells the tale of Yuta, an immortal who has been alive for five hundred years. Throughout the series, he wanders across Japan searching for a cure and meets others whose lives have also been ruined by mermaid flesh.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 176
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Country: Japan
Duration: 22 min
Plot tags: anime
Similar in 79%
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure (1993)
Plot Summary:
Based on the long-running manga by Hirohiko Araki, the first OVA series follows Josef Joestar and his 17-year-old grandson Jotaro as they attempt to finish the family blood feud against the immortal vampire Dio. Josef and Jotaro have gathered several mystical warriors each with powers representing one card from The Stand (a variation of Tarot cards), with Jotaro having powers over the strongest Stand - the Star Platinum. Dio himself has gathered Stand warriors and together they face off for the sake of Jotaro's mother Holly and domination of the world.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: anime, cult classic, shounen, campy
Similar in 75%
Vampire Princess Miyu (1988)
Plot Summary:
Its central characters are a vampire girl named Miyu and her demonic companion Larva. Miyu is the daughter of both a human and a shinma (demon) and as such she was awakened as the guardian whose destiny is to hunt down all stray shinma and send them back to the darkness.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 628
Genere: Animation, Fantasy, Horror
Country: Japan
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: anime, manga, gothic
Similar in 80%
Corpse Princess (2008)
Plot Summary:
Corpse Princess is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshiichi Akahito. Premiering in Monthly Shōnen Gangan on April 12, 2005, the series centers around the "Corpse Princess" Makina Hoshimura, an undead girl who is hunting down 108 undead corpses in order to gain entry into heaven with the help of a secret society of anti-corpse Buddhist monks. Feel and Gainax partnered together to adapt the series into a thirteen episode anime series. The first season, Aka, premiered on AT-X on October 2, 2008. A second season, Kuro, aired between January and March 2009. The anime is licensed for North American distribution and release by Funimation Entertainment, which has already started releasing the episodes in subtitled form as Shikabane Hime through various online distribution companies and through its own website. The series made its North American television debut on the FUNimation Channel on November 15, 2010.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 469
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, tense, captivating, psychological, suspense, scary, serious, suspenseful, stylized
Similar in 87%
Ajin (2016)
Plot Summary:
17 years ago, immortals first appeared on the battlefields of Africa. Later, rare, unknown new immortal lifeforms began appearing among humans, and they became known as "Ajin" (demi-humans). Just before summer vacation, a Japanese high school student is instantly killed in a traffic accident on his way home from school. However, he is revived, and a price is placed on his head. Thus begins a boy's life on the run from all of humankind.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, suspenseful, manga, tense, bleak, super sentai
Similar in 83%
Violence Jack, Part 1, Slum King (1986)
Plot Summary:
Kanto Hell Earthquake has demolished the metropolitan completely. After the earthquake, Slum King is kidnapping girls and sell them as sex slaves. Mari is wandering on the devastated field looking for her lover, Ken. But she is also kidnapped by them. While she is tortured and trained as a sex slave, Ken saves her. Ken has become the member of Slum King. The king offers condition to him; in return for releasing her, he has to kill Violence Jack.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 403
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Horror, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 37 min
Plot tags: anime, manga, bloody
Similar in 85%
Magical Girl Site (2018)
Plot Summary:
Aya Asagiri is a middle school girl who has problems both at school with bullying and at home from physical abuse by her brother. While browsing online, a website pops up on her computer featuring a creepy looking person. This person appears to take pity on her, and announces that she has granted Asagiri magical powers.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 525
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Horror
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, psychological, captivating, suspense, dark fantasy, sincere, mahou shoujo
Similar in 78%
Blue Exorcist (2011)
Plot Summary:
Humans live in the world of Assiah, demons in Gehenna. The two dimensions are not meant to interfere with each other, but demons still possess creatures in Assiah in spite of this. The humans who can fight these demons are known as exorcists. Rin Okumura is a boy who bears the curse of being Satan's illegitimate son. His foster father sacrificed himself to save him from demons. To avenge his foster father's death as well as to prove himself, Rin decides to follow the path of an exorcist.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Country: Japan
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, captivating, suspenseful, tense, serious, manga, shounen, stylized, crying
Similar in 87%
Chainsaw Man (2022)
Plot Summary:
Denji has a simple dream—to live a happy and peaceful life, spending time with a girl he likes. This is a far cry from reality, however, as Denji is forced by the yakuza into killing devils in order to pay off his crushing debts. Using his pet devil Pochita as a weapon, he is ready to do anything for a bit of cash.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 48000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: anime, adult anime, shounen, dark fantasy, brutal, ecchi
Similar in 86%
School Days (2007)
Plot Summary:
A rumor states that if you take a photo of someone you like with your cellphone and keep it hidden, they'll fall for you. Will Makoto win his love by taking a picture of Kotonoha without anyone knowing?.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: anime, tense, psychological, adult animation, adult anime, crying, black comedy, tension, dark comedy, suspense
Similar in 79%
The Promised Neverland (2019)
Plot Summary:
The one adored as the mother is not the real parent. The people living here together are not actual siblings. The Gracefield House is where orphaned children live. An irreplaceable home where 38 siblings and Mom live happy lives, even with no blood relations. However, their everyday life suddenly came to an abrupt end one day.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 45000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 23 min
Plot tags: anime, tense, touching, captivating, suspenseful, dark fantasy, philosophical, emotional, adult animation, twisted
Similar in 77%
Higurashi: When They Cry - NEW (2020)
Plot Summary:
New kid Keiichi Maebara is settling into his new home of peaceful Hinamizawa village. Making quick friends with the girls from his school, he's arrived in time for the big festival of the year. But something about this isolated town seems "off," and his feelings of dread continue to grow. With a gnawing fear that he's right, what dark secrets could this small community be hiding?.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 737
Genere: Animation, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: anime, suspense, tense, captivating, disturbing, psychological thriller, sinister, crying, detective
Similar in 87%
Kakegurui Twin (2022)
Plot Summary:
Determined to climb up the social ladder, Mary Saotome invests everything she has into what her elite high school values most: high stakes gambling.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 870
Genere: Animation, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 78%
When They Cry (2006)
Plot Summary:
After moving into the quiet town of Hinamizawa, Maebara Keiichi spends his days blissfully in school often playing games with his local friends. However, appearances can be deceiving. One fateful day, Keiichi stumbles upon news of a murder that had occurred in Hinamizawa. From this point on, horrific events unfold in front of Keiichi, as he soon learns his close friends may not be all that they seem. Based on the amateur mystery game by 07th Expansion, the story is told in a series of different scenarios.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, psychological, suspenseful, disturbing, sadistic, serious, mind bending, manga, psychological horror, adult animation
Similar in 85%
Shiki (2010)
Plot Summary:
Sotobamura is a small village with around 1300 residents; so small the village isn't even connected to a single highway. An isolated village in which old customs, such as the burial of the dead, are still practiced. One day, the bodies of three people are found dead. Although Ozaki Toshio, the village's lone doctor, feels uncertain, he treats the deaths as a normal occurrence. However, in the days following, the villagers start to die one after the other.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, dark fantasy, scary, offbeat, suspenseful, manga, captivating, suspense, serious, psychological
Similar in 89%
Gantz (2004)
Plot Summary:
Gantz is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiroya Oku. Gantz tells the story of Kei Kurono and his friend Masaru Kato who die in a train accident and become part of a semi-posthumous "game" in which they and several other recently deceased people are forced to hunt down and kill aliens armed with a handful of futuristic items, equipment, and weaponry. Both the manga and anime are noted for their heavy violence and sexual content.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 22 min
Plot tags: anime, adult anime, exciting, serious, suspenseful, stylized, manga, seinen, psychological horror, mind twisting
Similar in 81%
High School of the Dead (2010)
Plot Summary:
When the world is struck by a deadly pandemic that turns humans into zombies, Takashi Komuro and several of his classmates at Fujimi High School try to survive the apocalypse.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Horror, Romance, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, bleak, adult anime, ecchi, exciting, serious, suspenseful, humorous, manga, semi serious
Similar in 85%
X (2001)
Plot Summary:
Kamui Shirou and Fuuma Monou have been best friends ever since they were kids. Fate, however, separates them when Fuuma's mother died under a mysterious circumstances. Fast forward, 6 years later, a 16 year old Kamui has now returned to Tokyo with the intention of facing his 'destiny'. Little does he know that his destiny will collide with that of his best friend's.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Fantasy, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, atmospheric, stylized, apocalyptic, adult anime, bleak, serious, psychological, dark fantasy
Similar in 79%
Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga (2017)
Plot Summary:
After discovering that he's the son of Satan, a young man must join the True Cross Academy in order to master his abilities and defeat Satan himself.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, captivating, suspense, disturbing, contemplative, manga, shounen
Similar in 80%
Mushi-Shi (2005)
Plot Summary:
They are neither plants nor animals. They differ from other forms of life such as the micro-organisms and the fungi. Instead they resemble the primeval body of life and are generally known as "Mushi". Their existence and appearance are unknown to many and only a limited number of humans are aware of them. Ginko is a "Mushi-shi" who travels around to investigate and find out more about the "Mushi". In the process, he also lends a helping hand to people who face problems with supernatural occurances which may be related to the "Mushi".
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: anime, psychological, manga, atmospheric, serious, philosophical, bleak, inspirational, psychedelic, mysterious
Similar in 81%
Tokyo Ghoul: Root A (2015)
Plot Summary:
Tokyo Ghoul: Root A.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, manga, scary, exciting, bloody, captivating, suspense, suspenseful, visually appealing, humorous
Similar in 80%
Berserk (2016)
Plot Summary:
Spurred by the flame raging in his heart, the Black Swordsman Guts continues his seemingly endless quest for revenge. Standing in his path are heinous outlaws, delusional evil spirits, and a devout child of god. Even as it chips away at his life, Guts continues to fight his enemies, who wield repulsive and inhumane power, with nary but his body and sword—his strength as a human.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, manga, adult animation, humorous, seinen, saga, biting, suspenseful, rough