Five Star Stories (1989)
Animation Production: Kadokawa Pictures
Released by: ADV Films
Running Time: 70 Minutes
By Jeffrey Couto

Introduction

Arriving secretly under the cover of the night sky the Japan Hero anime labs' operatives fainted left and right upon seeing what had worked its way to the deep underground lair. Yes, this wasn’t your typical arrival, it was a treasure from the past that shone so brightly it made those unprepared for it collapse easily.

The beautifully produced box that caused all the excitement? ADV Film’s release of The Five Star Stories OVA!

Based on the classic manga series by Mamoru Nagano this release captures the beginning of a great saga that expands many different manga titles. Originally planned as part of multi-part series release this OVA was the only one produced before Nagano pulled the plug on any further anime productions based on his original story. After seeing this you’ll wish he wouldn’t had.

Story

"Within the five star systems known as the Joker System, the struggle for power has spanned centuries. Under the guidance of the Emperor Amaterasu, the brave Headliner knights, along with their Fatima counterparts, pilot powerful battle robots to ensure the safety and stability of the empire. " -- ADV Films

Review

I remember seeing this title many years ago on a sixth or seventh generation VHS copy. You could barely see the drawings’ outlines and everything else seemed like it was underwater, but even so the beauty of the animation came through. Ever since I always wanted to see a good version of it, but I could have never anticipated that it would eventually be licensed and released in the U.S. market on crystal clear DVD! So to say that my anticipation to see this disc was high when I heard about ADV Films’ announcement would be a great understatement.

Based on Mamoru Nagano’ manga this OVA basically tells the beginning of the Five Star Stories. As such it compresses the original and some details are cut off and certain characters don’t get proper introductions, but nothing that makes the story hard to follow. In fact they did an amazing job packaging a lot of Nagano’s work into this seventy minute anime. While some familiarity with the story is a definite plus, especially if you want to understand who’s who and why certain characters act or appear in certain ways, it’s by no means necessary.

The story itself is somewhat complicated and really demands you give it your full attention as explanations are given for how certain things work and what the special terminology and jargon means within the context of this universe. Basically we follow Ladios Sopp as he travels the Republic of Rent to help his old friend Chrome Ballanche out by finding two of the Fatimas he created and didn’t subject to mind control. In addition there are also a number of subplots involving the Republic’s political control and Ladios’ relationship to Fatima Lachesis and his departed wife Litra, who appears to him in spiritual form throughout the story.

Complementing the plot are also some very nice action segments that leave quite an impression thanks to the visual imagery used to convey them and the almost poetic movements and framing used. What comes as a true surprise though is the vast amounts of gore shown, such as decapitations and dismemberment. The mecha battles are just as engaging and leave you wanting more, much more (there’s only a couple of minutes of mecha action near the end of the OVA). The beautifully designed Mortar Headds by Nagano are not what Five Star Stories is about however and their inclusion is limited mostly to that of background pieces.

The animation quality here is several levels above your typical OVA release with production values approximating those of full fledged theatrical animation films. Some scenes really have to be seen to be believed as extremely complex figures make their way across the screen in a rather realistic fashion. The color palette used is quite colorful with some excursions into darkerer areas. Effects are limited mostly to weapons and environmental effects.

The soundtrack is rather appropriate for the concept of The Five Star Stories and features several orchestrated pieces with a decisive classical flavor to them as well as couple of faster and more contemporary numbers. The voice acting was fantastic all across the board. There is not English dubbed track included due to the unavailability of individual sounds and effects tracks that could be used to re-dub this OVA (so I gather from reports I’ve read).

The character designs here are quite unique also and are reminiscent of those by Leiji Matsumoto in that the human characters, especially the female ones, are elongated in their overall construction. The female protagonists also benefit from wearing very extravagant garments that give Five Star Stories a recognizable visual flavor. The mechanical designs used in this story have been some of my favorites since the early 90’s so I could not possibly say enough good things about them if I wanted to. Suffice to say that they are elegant and distinctive.

As if releasing this OVA wasn’t enough ADV Films’ went out of its way to give us a beautiful package to go with this fantastic anime title. The box that contains the disc is completely black with a small cutout in front that reveals the Knight of Gold’s eyes. When you remove the disc box inside you are treated to a fantastic piece of art by Mamoru Nagano in front, and then inside the box is the DVD disc alongside a small booklet. This small book is in my humble opinion a life saver as it includes tons of information on everything we see on the actual DVD, including character information, a Five Star Stories timeline, basic terminology and how it’s used and a small piece on the production of this anime. Extras on the disc included an original Japanese preview for this OVA, production staff info and previews for other ADV Films’ releases.

The video and audio transfers are as perfect as could be hoped for given the age of this anime (around a 16 year vintage I believe). No defects or issues popped up that I could pick up on.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve been into anime since the 80’s you know Five Star Stories, don’t wait any longer and pick it up!

If you’re not familiar with this classic and love something completely different, packaged in some of the best animation you’ll ever see pick up Five Star Stories. This is another one of those releases that showcases the power that is anime when it’s in the hands of real pros.

Jeffrey Couto