General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20264 min read

A Star Brighter Than the Sun (太陽よりも眩しい星)

A Star Brighter Than the Sun (太陽よりも眩しい星, Taiyou yori mo Mabushii Hoshi, often abbreviated Tamahoshi) is a Japanese shojo romance manga by Kazune Kawahara, serialized in Shueisha's Bessatsu Margaret magazine since June 2021, and a television anime adaptation that premiered on TBS on October 2, 2025.¹^•² The story follows Sae Iwata, a girl a bit sturdier than average, and Koki Kamishiro, a delicate, fragile boy, whose long-hidden childhood first love stirs again when they are reunited at their final middle school sports festival.³

Key fact	Detail
Original creator	Kazune Kawahara, writer and artist; serialized in Shueisha's Bessatsu Margaret since June 2021¹
Manga recognition	Nominated for the 12th an an Manga Award (2021), won the 14th edition (2023), and ranked 8th for female readers in the 2023 Kono Manga ga Sugoi! guidebook¹
Anime premiere	October 2, 2025, on TBS; 12 episodes of about 24 minutes each²^•³
Production	Studio KAI; directed by Aya Kobayashi; series composition by Yasuhiro Nakanishi⁴
Lead cast	Minori Fujidera as Sae Iwata; Yuki Ono as Koki Kamishiro⁴
Music	Opening theme "Stellar Days" by Motohiro Hata; ending theme "Saishuwa" by Wanuka⁵
Continuation	A second season was announced on December 18, 2025⁵

Spoilers

Story and characters

The premise reverses a familiar romance setup. Sae Iwata, kind and unable to leave someone in trouble, fell in love at first sight with Koki Kamishiro's smile in elementary school. At that time Koki was small and slight; by middle school he had grown into a refreshing, handsome boy and became someone Sae felt was far out of reach, and the two drifted apart when their classes separated.³^•⁶

The turning point comes at their final middle school sports festival, where fate pairs them together and Sae's long-buried feelings begin to move again. In high school the two end up in the same class once more; Sae joins the tennis club, and her nickname is "Iwa-chan."⁶ VIZ Media, which licenses the manga in English, describes the first volume's hook as Sae realizing in high school that she has feelings for Koki, while she is not the only girl who does.¹

The supporting cast includes Hisui Onodera (Hina Youmiya), Yota Ayukawa (Taito Ban), Mio Kagawa (Mutsumi Tamura), Yushin Izawa (Ryota Osaka), and Koki's sibling Subaru Kamishiro (Haruka Shiraishi).⁷

The manga

Kazune Kawahara had already seen several works adapted to other media before this series, including My Love Story!! (with artist Aruko), High School Debut, and Sensei!, and the official materials present A Star Brighter Than the Sun as her latest work.³^•⁶ Ten collected volumes had been released as of November 2024, with volume 11 following in Japan on April 24, 2025.¹

The series earned industry recognition early: a nomination for the 12th an an Manga Award in 2021, a win in the award's 14th edition in 2023, and a rank of 8th among manga for female readers in Takarajimasha's 2023 Kono Manga ga Sugoi! guidebook.¹

The anime adaptation

The anime was announced in February 2025, and a teaser visual, trailer, main staff, and cast followed that April with an October 2025 premiere window.¹ Studio KAI produced the series, with Aya Kobayashi as director and Yasuhiro Nakanishi, known for Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun, as series composer.⁴ The character designer is Zeng Fengfeng, and the music is composed by Natsumi Tabuchi and Miki Sakurai.⁶

The first season ran for 12 episodes from October 2 to December 18, 2025, airing on TBS and its network of 28 stations nationwide.²^•⁸ The opening theme, "Stellar Days" by Motohiro Hata, was described in promotional material as accompanying Sae and Koki's past, present, and future, and the ending theme "Saishuwa" is by Wanuka.⁵ On the day the finale aired, December 18, 2025, a second season was announced, accompanied by a celebratory illustration and comment from Kawahara.⁵

Availability

In Japan the series is available on subscription streaming through Prime Video, ABEMA, DMM TV, FOD, Hulu, U-NEXT, Lemino, TELASA, and other services, with rental options on J:COM STREAM and similar platforms.⁹ AT-X scheduled a marathon rebroadcast of all 12 episodes for September 26, 2026.¹⁰

References

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026