History Manga / TheFiveStarStories

** The series also contains numerous references to ''Franchise/{{Dune}}'', most notably the Fatimas' similarity to mentats, with the blue contact lenses they wear resembling the solid blue eyes of the spice habituate, while the Etrimls resemble the mutated Navigators. Grand Duke Juba, main antagonist of the first story arc and his somewhat longer-lived step-nephew Decors Weissmel are pretty obviously based on Baron Vladimir and Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (unsurprising, considering that Mamoru Nagano also based [[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam Yazan Gable]]'s character design on {{Sting}}'s portrayal of Feyd-Rautha in DavidLynch's movie version). Bosjathfort also bears some resemblance to Baron Harkonnen, being an evil, diseased mutant who later possesses a much younger body. Duke Rogner is partly based on Duncan Idaho, being a master swordsman who repeatedly dies and comes back to life. The Colus family resemble House Atreides, particularly Colus VI to Paul.

** Which runs straight into the WritersCannotDoMath: okay, this is the hyper-advanced tech of some aliens, but the weight of the ''full "TwinTowers" unit'' is just 427 tons. Note that it's a semi-auto artillery piece with double 2004L/100 barrels. The largest ''real'' cannon ever fired in anger, namely [[NazisWithGnarlyWeapons the German]] ''[[NazisWithGnarlyWeapons Schwerer Gustav]]''[[NazisWithGnarlyWeapons , AKA]] ''[[NazisWithGnarlyWeapons Dora]]'', had just one 807 L/40 barrel and weighed 1350 tons, being assembled and serviced by as much as a full ''regiment'', and requiring up to a full two months to set up a firing position, lay the double railway track for its carriage, and assemble the gun itself. Unless Joker works under the entirely different laws of physics, in no way the SquareCubeLaw would allow the 2.5 times larger cannon weigh 3 times ''less''.

** Are you really trying to bring in the square cube law to discuss the atomic railgun cannons of a 40 meter tall bipedal giant robot with a heavily exposed inner frame that stands on stick thin legs? In a setting where the base piece of technology is an indestructible, semi-perpetual "external combustion energy" that's a lone cubic meter in size?

The basics of this epic SpaceOpera are as follows: Somewhere in space there is a region known as "Joker". It is made up of four stars named after the cardinal directions (North, South, East and West) and a 5th called Stant on an orbit that takes it within traveling distance of the other four every 1500 years, hence the title. The main four stars all have one or two habitable planets populated by many different nations and peoples. And, being different nations and peoples, they often find an excuse to go to war.

Mortar Headds are controlled by two operators: a "Headdliner", a SchizoTech KnightInShiningArmor, born with superhuman strength and speed as a result of genes passed down from genetically altered SuperSoldiers in the distant past who are the only ones with the proper reflexes to control the machine's incredibly complex movements and their partner, a "Fatima", an ArtificialHuman, usually female, who controls the mech's other functions and has been programmed to obey the Headdliner completely.

* AllThereInTheManual: Many details about the setting and characters are only made explicit in various supplementary materials, some of which is published, including illustrations in glorious full-colour in the backs of the English issues.

** ''Any'' of the Greens will do. What about Schaft's boss, FEMC GL IIII and one of Amaterasu's numerous cousins, Amaterasu dis Greens OOE Ikaruga, aka Sarion? The one nicknamed LED, after his signatire MH, LED Mirage? The guy [[SelfMadeOrphan made himself an orphan]] just ForTheEvulz, and had his death sentence committed to the life imprisonment by Amaterasu, only to stage a rebellion and try to murder his royal brother in a fit of pique due to some FantasticRacism. But he's still [[KarmaHoudini one of the foremost AKD's knights]], a royal prince (receiving this title ''after'' all that ERM debacle) and even was temporally made an AKD commander-in-chief during one of the Rognar's deaths.

* {{BFS}}: Lots of big swords here. The curious broadsword with the bifurcated tip used by the Jagd Mirage probably takes the cake. Proportionally it's not so much, but the Jagd is over 40 metres tall, making it huge even by MH standards.

* BraidsBeadsAndBuckskins: Allen Bradford, despite the fact that he was born lightyears away from the nearest rez.

* HumansAreWhite: The cast is fairly diverse, but there are only a few Black characters, most hailing from Delta Belune, most notably the aforementioned Paltenon as well as Sir Leibuch, the leader of the God's Knights, the AKD's rank & file MH force, c. JC 3000. Amusingly, after he earns the title of Black Knight, very blonde, germanic-looking Decors Weissmel, in his characteristically tactless way, begins referring to himself as "This Nigger".

** Decors Weissmel actively lampshades this trope, somehow, in every appearance he makes. In the first chapter he gets pissed off at losing to 'another knight with a lolita complex' and is visibly disgusted by duke Juba drooling all over Lachesis, upon first meeting Est he tells her Fatimas 'don't do it for him' and in a much later appearance he gets very annoyed when somebody suggests he's been sleeping with Est. Apparently EvenEvilHasStandards after all.

* JiveTurkey: Fatima Paltenon combines jive with TalkativeLoons. Amusingly, her master, Bugle de Leizer's codename is ''Schaft''. Can you dig it?

The basics of this epic SpaceOpera are as follows:
Somewhere in space there is a region known as "Joker". It is made up of four stars named after the cardinal directions (North, South, East and West) and a 5th called Stant on an orbit that takes it within traveling distance of the other four every 1500 years, hence the title. The main four stars all have one or two habitable planets populated by many different nations and peoples. And, being different nations and peoples, they often find an excuse to go to war.

The manga has been collected into several large-format paperbacks, at least 10 of which are currently available in English (though these are somewhat difficult to find. Also, in English each volume is split up into two or three books, which comes out to about 25 or so released so far, really). It has also spawned an animated OAV film, a fairly faithful adaptation of the first volume which inexplcably changed the colours of some of the Mortar Headds and a few character designs were tweaked to be more animation-friendly. Nagano has even produced a handful of {{Concept Album}}s based on the series with vocals by his wife, the voice actress Creator/MariaKawamura.

* AllThereInTheManual: Many details about the setting and characters are only made explicite in various supplementary materials, some of which is published, including illustrations in glorious full-colour in the backs of the English issues.

* ArtShift: Happens around book 6 or so. They at least give in-story explainations for the costume & mecha design changes, but the fact that everyone's eyes & heads are suddenly twice as big goes unmentioned.

** Also, Jagd qualifies just as of itself, not only its EyeBeams. For all the engineering marvel that it is, it's still fully possible to create a mobile artillery platform capable of carrying the ''Twin Towers'' for a fraction of the mass and cost. After all, both Jagds ever built were used to their full power exactly ''once'', and a couple of much cheaper ''[[OldSchoolDogfight Prowlers]]'' could've argualy do it better -- busters of these caliber being their standard weaponry. It seems that Amaterasu designed and built Jagd Mirages simply because he ''could''... and AKD was able to afford them.

-->"An auxiliary gun also found on the Knight Of Gold and used for precision sighting. It is fired first so the main gunnery can get accurate range and sighting data. This is the same technology used in the coaxial machineguns installed in tanks. (Why they don't use lasers is a mystery, but our guess is that such mundane, obvious methods don't fit the Joker preoccupation with complexity and ostentation.)"

* {{Deconstruction}}: Whether or not it was intentional, Nagano's realistic portrayal of the consequences of the various {{Applied Phlebotinum}}s of the story create a savage mockery of some of anime's favourite tropes:

* GenderBlenderName: Amaterasu is named after the Shinto sun goddess. Then again, he is pretty anrogynous and Amaterasu is actually the name of the royal family. His full title is Amaterasu Dis Grand Grees Eydas IV, also known as Amaterasu no Mikado.

* {{Gorn}}: While violence in FSS is usually portrayed subtly but more or less realistically, there is a very gratuitous sequence in volume 7. To wit: Ladios Sopp is riding a bus through Kastenpo when it's attacked by enemy aricraft. His foot is trapped in the wreckage, so he's forced to perform a field-amputation with his spaad. He actually manages to elude the enemy for some time even on one foot, carrying a child who soon perishes from his wounds, but they eventually get the better of him and blow him up. The next time we see him his horribly mutilated carcass is being scavenged by wild dogs, buzzards and small dinosaurs. ''While he's still conscious!''
* GratuitousEnglish: The street signs in Zanda City are a particularily amusing example.

* ImplausibleFencingPowers: All Headdliners can do this due to their superhuman powers. Infact, they move so fast they can actually do more damage with a sword than a gun. No, really.
* InformedAttractiveness: Fatimas are said to be irresistable, but aside from their GenericCuteness and very long legs, they tend to look kind of bony and unhealthy. Voards Viewlard actually lampshades this in volume IX, where he constantly complains that they make them way too skinny for his tastes (though it doesn't stop him from lusting after noodle-people like Jabo Beat and Ladios Sopp). Then again, it may have something to do with the fact that they're practically immortal and even the ones who do get old still look the same.

* InvisibilityFlicker: Speciality of both Headdliners and Fatimas, as well as members of the myserious Mimiba people.

* VideoGame/SuperRobotWars: The Mortar Headds Blood Temple and LED Mirage makes a cameo appearance in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars4''. Thing is, they weren't supposed to be there, as the game designers had it confused with a similar mech from ''L-Gaim''. Reportedly, when informed of the mistake, Nagano was livid with rage. He's said he would never consent to FSS being in SRW during his lifetime because he doesn't like the idea of any of the beautiful Mortar Headds he meticulously designed being damaged and possibly defeated by mechs designed by another artist.

* {{Expy}}: Various character and mecha designs, most notably Junchoon and Vatshu the Black Knight and their pilots are based on ones that Nagano created for Tomino's ''HeavyMetalLGaim''. The Colus VI arc is even something of a retelling of L-Gaim's storyline. Also features yet another [[MemeticMutation A]] [[MobileSuitGundam CHAR]] in the character of Vralgo Kentauri.

** It's explicitly stated in prologue that after Lachesis's disappearance with KOG during the destruction of Kallamity Godarce in J.C.3239 she and Amaterasu searched for each other for almost six billion years before finally reuniting and marrying in J.C.7777.

The manga has been collected into several large-format paperbacks, at least 10 of which are currently available in English (though these are somewhat difficult to find. Also, in English each volume is split up into two or three books, which comes out to about 25 or so released so far, really). It has also spawned an animated OAV film, a fairly faithful adaptation of the first volume which inexplcably changed the colours of some of the Mortar Headds and a few character designs were tweaked to be more animation-friendly. Nagano has even produced a handful of {{Concept Album}}s based on the series with vocals by his wife, seiyuu Maria Kawamura.

** The series also contains numerous references to ''{{Dune}}'', most notably the Fatimas' similarity to mentats, with the blue contact lenses they wear resembling the solid blue eyes of the spice habituate, while the Etrimls resemble the mutated Navigators. Grand Duke Juba, main antagonist of the first story arc and his somewhat longer-lived step-nephew Decors Weissmel are pretty obviously based on Baron Vladimir and Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (unsurprising, considering that Mamoru Nagano also based [[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam Yazan Gable]]'s character design on {{Sting}}'s portrayal of Feyd-Rautha in DavidLynch's movie version). Bosjathfort also bears some resemblance to Baron Harkonnen, being an evil, diseased mutant who later possesses a much younger body. Duke Rogner is partly based on Duncan Idaho, being a master swordsman who repeatedly dies and comes back to life. The Colus family resemble House Atreides, particularly Colus VI to Paul.

* HumanAliens[=/=]HumanSubspecies: [[http://www.gearsonline.net/series/fivestarstories/characters/ Humans in the Joker Cluster have numerous differences from modern day humans.]] Some small differences are that they [[WeWillNotHaveAppendixesInTheFuture lack vestigial organs]] such as wisdom teeth and tailbones. The big ones are GoodNewsBadNews; Good, they [[TimeDissonance age three times slower]]. Bad, they're [[AntiIntellectualism about a third less intelligent]].

* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: Amaterasu (still being a cute little kid and all) [[PhysicalGod banishing Bosjathforth]] into the very fires of Hell, [[DisproportionalRetribution for challenging his mother's position]] as a head of the [[PsychicPowers Divers Guild]]. 'Tis but an early glimpse into his [[MagnificentBastard future character]] and one of the first signs of his real BlueAndOrangeMorality.

* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Amaterasu's decisions can seem pretty bizarre for the average person at times, such as the whole affair with Bosjathforth, which basically started with what looked like a [[NiceJobBreakingItHero kid throwing a tantrum]] ([[OmniscientMoralityLicense but probably wasn't), and draggged for a number of centuries and several wars.

Mortar Headds (MH for short) are not like other RealRobot-type mechs. Rather than mass-produced, expendable military vehicles like tanks or fighter planes, an MH is considered a work of art. Each one is an exquisite display of its nation's wealth and craftsmanship that is passed down from pilot to pilot for generations (a setup that may seem familiar to fans of ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' or BattleTech).

* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Emperor Rescue Mission. True, Di Barrow was holding Amaterasu hostage ([[spoiler: and was a vessel for the reborn Bosjathfort]]), but still, unleashing a Jagd Mirage on his forces was a bit too much. Especially with [[AxCrazy Schaft]] piloting... But then, given just [[EarthShatteringKaboom what]] Jagd is fully capable of, arguably, ''any'' appearance of either ''Green Demon'' or ''Orange Dragon'' would count.

* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Emperor Rescue Mission. True, Di Barrow was holding Amaterasu hostage ([[spoiler: and was a vessel for the reborn Bosjathfort]]), but still, unleashing a Jagd Mirage (with its usual escort complement of Rouge Mirage and 2 LED Mirages, a bit overpowered MHs themselves) on his forces was a bit too much. Especially with [[AxCrazy Schaft]] piloting... But then, given just [[EarthShatteringKaboom what]] Jagd is fully capable of, arguably, ''any'' appearance of either ''Green Demon'' or ''Orange Dragon'' would count.

* TheStraightWillAndGrace: Subverted with Decors Weissmel and his Fatima Est. Est is programmed to pair with a knight best suited to pilot her bonded MH Vattshu, who just happens to be [[JerkWithTheHeartOfAJerk Weissmel]], instead of her [[DidNotGetTheGirl would-be boyfriend Jhon Weinzel]]. So she does spend most of her story together with him, but while it is common for a knight and his/her Fatima to have a relationship, in this case both sides are thoroughly indifferent to each other. There isn't even friendship, much less attraction: Est still loves Jhon, while Weissmel... well, he just isn't attracted to Fatimas at all. In fact, he consistently complains about Joker's fashion in Fatimas, who are commonly made small, skinny and somewhat {{Lolicon}ish, [[EvenEvilHasStandards which he finds disgusting]].

* StraitWillAndGrace: Subverted with Decors Weissmel and his Fatima Est. Est is programmed to pair with a knight best suited to pilot her bonded MH Vattshu, who just happens to be [[JerkWithTheHeartOfAJerk Weissmel]], instead of her [[DidNotGetTheGirl would-be boyfriend Jhon Weinzel]]. So she does spend most of her story together with him, but while it is common for a knight and his/her Fatima to have a relationship, in this case both sides are thoroughly indifferent to each other. There isn't even friendship, much less attraction: Est still loves Jhon, while Weissmel... well, he just isn't attracted to Fatimas at all. In fact, he consistently complains about Joker's fashion in Fatimas, who are commonly made small, skinny and somewhat {{Lolicon}ish, [[EvenEvilHasStandards which he finds disgusting]].

* BadExportForYou: Both played straight and averted. For some unfathomable reason, they decided to split each volume in the English edition up into two or three seperate books. On the other hand, not only did they keep the non-standard large format that allows you to see Nagano's art in all its obsessively detailed glory, they also stuck translated sections of the voluminous collection of sourcebooks, complete with full-colour illustrations in the back of each issue. Also, while the translation is beautifully written, the editing could use some serious work, as FSS has one of the highest numbers of spelling and punctuation errors you're likely to find in an English manga outside of a scanslation.

* NoExportForYou: Sadly, the translators seem to have given up around the end of volume 10, probably due to the financial difficulty of putting out a niche manga with high production values amid the ongoing collapse of Western Civilization. There are scanslations of the first third of v.11 (in the style of the official translation, full-colour sourcebook pages and all) and a short gaiden story, but it seems no scanslation groups are planning to do any more at the moment (hint, hint).

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The series was originally conceived as being more of a RealRobot story, in the vein of ''ArmoredTrooperVOTOMS''. Nagano's earliest production sketches for the LED Mirage are even more stripped-down and utilitarian-looking than his designs for ''[[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam Zeta Gundam]]''.

* HumanAliens[=/=]HumanSubspecies[=/=]: [[http://www.gearsonline.net/series/fivestarstories/characters/ Humans in the Joker Cluster have numerous differences from modern day humans.]] Some small differences are that they [[WeWillNotHaveAppendixesInTheFuture lack vestigial organs]] such as wisdom teeth and tailbones. The big ones are GoodNewsBadNews; Good, they [[TimeDissonance age three times slower]]. Bad, they're [[AntiIntellectualism about a third less intelligent]].

A big one is their average intelligence is

* HumanAliens[=/=]HumanSubspecies[=/=]: [[http://www.gearsonline.net/series/fivestarstories/characters/ Humans in the Joker Cluster have numerous differences from modern day humans.]] Some small differences are that they [[WeWillNotHaveAppendixesInTheFuture lack vestigial organs]] such as wisdom teeth and tailbones.

** Decors Weissmel actively lampshades this trope, somehow, in every appearance he makes. In the first chapter he gets pissed off at losing to 'another knight with a lolita complex', upon first meeting Est he tells her Fatimas 'don't do it for him' and in a much later appearance he gets very annoyed when somebody suggests he's been sleeping with Est. Apparently EvenEvilHasStandards after all.