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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully-designed 1980s anime with complex backstory, June 25, 2005
This review is from: The Five Star Stories (DVD)
THE FIVE STAR STORIES (1989) is just over an hour long and is so far the only animated OAV volume yet made from Mamoru Nagano's long-running manga about war, politics, ritual and romance amidst the four solar systems of the Joker Galaxy in the year 2988. (The planet on which this volume takes place, Delta Belune, looks and sounds an awful lot like Earth of past centuries.) Those anime fans who are only concerned with how a storyline plays out and how it ends may not be pleased with the way numerous details of the backstory are glimpsed but never fully explained and the way the ending leaves room for sequels which never come. If, however, you're enamored of the look and feel of 1980s anime and you appreciate beautiful artwork, a dreamlike mood and imaginative imagery, then FIVE STAR STORIES just might enthrall you as much as it did me.
There is just enough of a comprehensible storyline to keep one's interest. It has to do with the impending debut of two new "Fatimas," beautiful young female androids who are to choose masters for whom they will pilot giant mecha fighting machines called Mortar Heads. They are expected to choose from among assorted noblemen and a class of fighters called "Headliners." The handful of major characters include the two Fatimas, Clotho and Lachesis; a roving Headliner named Voards Viewlard; and Ladios Sopp, a handsome long-haired young man in the "bishonen" mode who knew Lachesis as a little girl and has plenty of flashbacks to those days. The gluttonous, hard-drinking mini-tyrant Duke Juba has designs on both Fatimas and takes custody of them from their father/creator Dr. Chrome Ballanche. Other characters flit in and out as needed.
There's not much suspense or dramatic tension since the good guys seem to outnumber the bad and have various allies, such as the Mirage Knights, popping up frequently to lend a hand (or chop one off, thanks to their lethal light-sabers). We see some mecha action and occasional bursts of blood-spouting violence as the blades of light slice through opponents' heads, arms and bodies quite effortlessly. But overall, it's a piece that's more character- and dialogue-driven. A lot of thought went into the art direction, the backgrounds and the design of the characters, costumes and mecha. It's a breathtakingly beautiful hour of animation. As long as you can get past the occasional narrative confusion and plot omissions. And the weird names (Voards Viewlard?!).
There are detailed liner notes, including a timeline, accompanying the DVD, although you may want to read them after viewing because of spoilers and then view it again armed with all the extra info you may need to understand it all.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Intro to an Epic Manga, May 13, 2005
This review is from: The Five Star Stories (DVD)
Based on Mamoru Nagano's epic manga "The Five Star Stories" that was serialized in Japan's Newtype magazine, the anime adaptation was released in 1989 as lavish and big-budget motion picture. Based on an early part of the manga, the film was set to become a huge event in Japan but was quickly overshadowed by Katsuhiro Otomo's "AKIRA" which opened in theaters just a few months later. The motion picture had been largely forgotten - so much so that ADV Films couldn't do an english dub for this 2005 US release as many of the original sound tapes have been lost. Thankfully the Japanese soundtrack survives and here many US viewers have the opportunity to see a great piece of classic anime.
Thes story takes place in the Joker system which is filled with countless kingdoms, all vying for dominance. Battles are fought with Mortar heads, large hulking mecha which are piloted by Hedaliners and Fatimas-beautiful android women. The Fatimas are key to the story as they choose their pilot and the two latest Fatimas have secretly been given Free Will.
The story is a great intro to the very epic manga (26+ volumes in the US alone!) and a nice one off story. The animation is surprisingly crisp even compared to todays vivid anime.
Big Robot fans will no doubt want to take a look at Mamoru's Mecha as will most Sci-Fi anime fans. A great release!
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2.0 out of 5 stars
Visually competent, but somewhat lacking in plot, and thrills., February 10, 2010
This review is from: The Five Star Stories (DVD)
This is an anime movie from 1989. There is no English dub.
**Minor spoilers follow**
The plot centers around a very androgynous blond man (his gender is even mistaken in the film) named "Ladios Sopp", and his efforts to free his childhood android love interest "Lachesis" from the clutches of a fat, nasty tyrant who apparently has a thing for synthetic flesh (no rape scenes). You see, she's a "Fatima": made as an essential component in the operation of "mortar heads" (mechs), and all the "headliners" (pilots) want her. It's a simple story, and leaves much to be desired; not to mention that it's really more of a companion piece to the manga series, than a stand alone film.
Our heroes have an incredible strain of good fortune, and in the handful of brief action scenes, unexpected allies eviscerate (quite literally) the bad guys with no effort whatsoever, which I personally feel robs some otherwise nice animation of it's potential excitement value.
Overall, I'm happy to add "The Five Star Stories" to my collection; it's attractive (in that old school way), and somewhat dreamy, but I'd warn those looking for either hard action or heavy plot that "The Five Star Stories" isn't much more than a pretty face.
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