Made of Stardust
Review
Writer: Kalisami
Artist: Kalisami
Publisher: Webtoon
Format: Webtoon
An intriguing tale with amazing artwork, “Made of Stardust” will take you on a magical journey through a fantastical world full of dragons, knights, and celestial beings.
Made of Stardust
ReviewWriter: Kalisami
Artist: Kalisami
Publisher: Webtoon
Format: Webtoon
An intriguing tale with amazing artwork, “Made of Stardust” will take you on a magical journey through a fantastical world full of dragons, knights, and celestial beings.
Ever come across something so beautiful it simply stops you in your tracks? That’s how it felt when I came across the promotional banner for Kalisami’s webtoon “Made of Stardust.” Just take one look at the webtoon’s artwork. That should give you enough reason to check out this beautifully made series. Since winning first place in the 2021 Webtoon Canvas Challenge on the Spanish platform, “Made of Stardust'' was adapted into the English platform in August 2023, extending its reach to a much wider audience. So, with that said, let’s not waste any more time and dive into my impressions of this fascinating webtoon!
Overview
In a world where stars are hunted down for their power, all Kalisa wants is to return home after getting shot and captured by humans. But with no memory of who she was and an obsessed king hellbent on keeping her for himself, returning proves futile for the fallen star. It takes the help of other stars, a mysterious and cursed dragon from her past, and a few kind humans for Kalisa to find a way back home before she turns into stardust.
Image: WebtoonReview
I’m no art expert, but I cannot stress how gorgeous this webtoon’s art is and how much I adore it. Kalisami’s style is a whole aesthetic and vibe in and of itself. Everything from the fluid line art, the detailed folds in clothing, the curvature of body angles, and even the flow of hair helps create a soft look that’s a pleasure to read. The only noticeable sharp lines and angles I noticed illustrate weapons and armor, objects more closely associated with the story’s villains. Along with all those details, Kalisami crafts backgrounds using a painterly/watercolor style with galaxy-inspired coloring, making the webtoon’s fantasy world look more ethereal. The opening panels were enough to show me how refreshing it is to read a series that uses more traditional-looking art styles to create a unique and vibrant world. These days, because plenty of webtoon creators utilize 3D models in their work to be more efficient, backgrounds and environments often look dull. While I don’t mind the look of 3D models, I realized that I scroll mindlessly through webtoons without paying much attention to the backgrounds. In the case of “Made of Stardust,” however, I find myself always slowing down to analyze and appreciate each panel.
More about the art, Kalisami’s approach to formatting and paneling is also very intriguing. At times, the webtoon’s visual storytelling feels very close to a more traditional comic book because of its artistic approach to negative space. Unlike most webtoons that flow from panel to panel as you scroll, “Made of Stardust” has incredible art filling the spaces between each panel. This makes each episode feel like it’s brimming with life and character, as it highlights Kalisami’s eye-catching art even more. As I said earlier, you can’t help but slowly read through the webtoon because every inch is just that beautiful to look at.
Image: WebtoonNow, moving on to the characters. The webtoon does the beautiful thing of having its main characters be interesting enough to make you want to follow their journey while keeping so much about them a mystery. Kalisa is an adorable protagonist with her share of traumatic experiences, and you’ll want nothing more than to protect her. While she acts timid and unsure of herself, she has moments of unbeatable confidence when faced with danger. Then, there’s Aeron, the dragon who somehow brings that stronger side out of Kalisa through his acts of bravery. While Aeron’s real identity is still unknown, the story often alludes to how deeply connected his and Kalisa’s pasts are. Lastly, there is Erenal, the ruthless king. Handsome and more than a bit delusional, Erenal is obsessed with keeping Kalisa as his. While references to a traumatic childhood point to the root of his disturbing personality, the story is coy on revealing too much about him. By the mid-season finale, the slow-burn approach to character development feels like a very deliberate choice by Kalisami. Because there is still so much to learn about these characters, there is a stimulating effect on our impressions of them and their development throughout the story. While I’d prefer to know more about them just a little bit more, I’m also glad the webtoon doesn’t rely on info-dumping characters' backgrounds and lore for the sake of world-building, which can be unappealing to read.
As I mentioned briefly earlier, one trouble I had while reading “Made of Stardust” was the story’s muddy set up in the beginning. Episode 3 introduces a small time jump, implying that plenty of drastic events had happened within that timeframe. But because those events alluded to lacked enough context, it just made the plot a bit more confusing to take in. It took until around episode 13 for things to piece together as Kalisami carefully revealed more about those mysterious events. Then, after that little adjustment period, it felt like smooth sailing from there as I could focus more on new plot details and character developments. As much as I adore everything about the webtoon’s story, characters, and art now after reading until its mid-season finale, I just wish the time skip could have been handled more smoothly to make the whole reading experience better.
Image: WebtoonFinal Thoughts
“Made of Stardust” is easily one of the most beautifully drawn webtoons I’ve ever read. The occasional chibi forms of the characters to go with humorous scenes are also a lovely point in the art and story. The premise and characters are interesting enough to hold my attention even after a confusing start. Luckily, sticking around is paying off as the story comes together in the later episodes. The webtoon is also a great series to binge, as it is currently on a mid-season break at 26 episodes, which are all relatively short. This opening half of the first season left me very excited to learn more lore about this webtoon’s world, Kalisa, and Aeron.
Why You Should Read Made of Stardust
- Kalisami delivers stunning art with each episode.
- The plot is unique from current popular webtoons.
- It is easily bingeable right now with 26 free episodes.