Gazing at the Star Next Door
Japanese manga series
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gazing at the Star Next Door (Japanese: 隣のステラ, Hepburn: Tonari no Sutera), also known as Stella Next to Me, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ammitsu. It began serialization in Kodansha's shōjo manga magazine Bessatsu Friend in January 2022. A live-action film adaptation premiered in Japanese theaters in August 2025.
| Gazing at the Star Next Door | |
First tankōbon volume cover | |
| 隣のステラ (Tonari no Sutera) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Romance[1] |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Ammitsu |
| Published by | Kodansha |
| English publisher | |
| Imprint | Kodansha Comics Betsufure |
| Magazine | Bessatsu Friend |
| Original run | January 13, 2022 – present |
| Volumes | 9 |
| Live-action film | |
| Directed by | Hana Matsumoto |
| Written by | Sawako Kawamitsu |
| Studio | Toho |
| Released | August 22, 2025 |
| Runtime | 109 minutes |
Synopsis
Chiaki Amano has long held romantic feelings for her childhood friend Subaru Hiiragi. Her problem is that Subaru has gotten into acting, and is becoming progressively famous, making her want to abandon said feelings. However, due to how close they often are she still clings on to these feelings for Subaru.
Characters
- Chiaki Amano (天野千明, Amano Chiaki)
- Portrayed by: Riko Fukumoto[2]
- Subaru Hiiragi (柊木昴, Hiiragi Subaru)
- Portrayed by: Yusei Yagi[2]
- Yūdai Takahashi (高橋雄大, Takahashi Yūdai)
- Portrayed by: Yuki Kura[3]
- Hazuki Shinohara (篠原葉月, Shinohara Hazuki)
- Portrayed by: Mayuu Yokota[3]
- Rio Shindō (新堂理生, Shindō Rio)
- Portrayed by: Sho Nishigaki[3]
- Haruna Kondō (近藤はるな, Kondō Haruna)
- Portrayed by: Ririka Tanabe[3]
- Chie Amano (天野千絵, Amano Chie)
- Portrayed by: Misa Shimizu[4]
- Mitsuhiro Amano (天野光博, Amano Mitsuhiro)
- Portrayed by: Tomu Miyazaki[4]
- Tōko Hiiragi (柊木透子, Hiiragi Tōko)
- Portrayed by: Mahiru Konno[4]
- Ritsuko Koyanagi (小柳律子, Koyanagi Ritsuko)
- Portrayed by: Maho Nonami[4]
- Hiroshi Tanase (棚瀬浩, Koyanagi Ritsuko)
- Portrayed by: Kenta Hamano[4]
Media
Manga
Written and illustrated by Ammitsu, Gazing at the Star Next Door began serialization in Kodansha's shōjo manga magazine Bessatsu Friend on January 13, 2022.[5] Its chapters have been compiled into nine tankōbon volumes as of December 2025.[6]
During their panel at Anime Expo 2023, Kodansha USA announced that they had licensed the series for English publication.[7]
| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | North American release date | North American ISBN | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 13, 2022[8] | 978-4-06-527833-8 | February 6, 2024[9] | 979-8-88877-182-2 | ||
| ||||||
| 2 | October 13, 2022[10] | 978-4-06-529361-4 | May 14, 2024[11] | 979-8-88877-183-9 | ||
| ||||||
| 3 | March 13, 2023[12] | 978-4-06-530948-3 | August 13, 2024[13] | 979-8-88877-184-6 | ||
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| 4 | August 10, 2023[14] | 978-4-06-532080-8 | January 28, 2025[15] | 979-8-88877-207-2 | ||
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| 5 | February 13, 2024[16] | 978-4-06-534467-5 | March 25, 2025[17] | 979-8-88877-332-1 | ||
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| 6 | July 11, 2024[18] | 978-4-06-536186-3 | July 15, 2025[19] | 979-8-88877-470-0 | ||
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| 7 | December 13, 2024[20] | 978-4-06-537801-4 | November 18, 2025[21] | 979-8-88877-576-9 | ||
| ||||||
| 8 | July 11, 2025[22] | 978-4-06-540052-4 | May 12, 2026[23] | 979-8-88877-809-8 | ||
| 9 | December 12, 2025[6] | 978-4-06-541718-8 | November 24, 2026[24] | 979-8-88877-989-7 | ||
Live-action film
A live-action film adaptation was announced on December 12, 2024. The film was directed by Hana Matsumoto from a screenplay by Sawako Kawamitsu.[2] It premiered in Japanese theaters on August 22, 2025.[25] The film's theme song is "Itsumo Tonari de" (Always By My Side) performed by Fantastics from Exile Tribe.[4]
Reception
The series was nominated for the 49th Kodansha Manga Award in the shōjo category in 2025.[26] It has also been nominated for the 50th edition in 2026 in the same category.[27]