Narutaru was beneficial enough to have been made in an era where deconstruction series was gaining traction. If it were to made now, it'd probably be labeled as edgy without any mention of the actual quality of the story. It's notable that the genre being deconstructing is the Mon( Digimon, pokemon, etc) genre. Unlike magical girl and mecha shows of today, Mon anime are still generally fluffy and childish so a darker take on the genre was definitely in order.

Everything seems to be pretty standard at first. Protagonist Shiina meets a shadow dragon she names hoshimaru and quickly bonds with it. They go flying together and have fun adventures. For about one episode. She meets a boy who wants to use his shadow dragon to kill anyone he deems useless to society to create a better world. His sick grandmother is on the list. Things end badly and Shiina soon loses her innocence.

To give a little backdrop on the creator Morioh Kitoh, he's pretty much a nihilist that rivals gen urubuchi in cruelty. His other works include a giant robot that steals the life force of children to destroy the multiverse and a psychic who mass murders anyone who drives irresponsibly. He's that type of guy.

The manga is definitely a character-driven tale that dwells deep into the psyche of highly disturbed children. You have Akira who has depression and suicidal tendencies, Aki Honda who raped a girl with a test tube and the girl in question who snaps and goes in a killing spree. You could say that all of this bleakness is a bit too much but honestly, it felt refreshing. Mon series are generally really cheesy with bland one more characters and a story that only exists to sell merchandise. Narutaru breaks the mold and presents characters who are multi-faceted and lifelike. Contrary to popular belief, children aren't always innocent and they can be just as cruel as adults.

One major gripe I have with the manga is the art. Morioh sure can write but his art really isn't winning any awards that are for sure. Character designs are bland and minimalist. I admit the military paraphernalia is drawn in extensive detail and the dragons have cool designs but that's about it. There are other manga artists that can do sketchy manga art perfectly but Moriah isn't one of them.

I also wasn't too particularly fond of the second half of the manga. It drops elements of deconstruction and character drama to replace it with military affairs. I understand the writer is a military nut but having chapters littered with walls of text of JSDF members reacting to the shadow dragon was just so tedious. It would've been better if the plot focused solely on the children and how their actions affect their environment.

I highly recommend anyone who's curious to please read the manga. It's dark but not pointlessly dark. It's a thought-provoking social commentary on the nature of humans and how far their cruelty can go. There's an anime adaptation that isn't as good buts still a fun watch. Even if it's unlikely I'd to see the anime get a remake with a bigger budget and completely adapt the manga.For similar works, check out bokurano, devil survivor and selector infected wixoss.