Reviewed by Hecate
Science fiction meets fantasy and Greek mythology in Mamoru Nagano's fascinating series The Five Star Stories. The main tale is about Amaterasu, the prince of a distant planet and his love, the Fatima Lachesis. Lachesis is unusual among Fatimas in that she has emotions and self-will. She and her sisters Clotho and Atropos are the last creations of the great Ballanchus, a Fatima master. It was he who perfected the science of building artificial life-forms who would be able to control the Mortar-Hedds, a type of giant mecha. They are essential for survival in this world.
The story does not flow as consecutivly as one might like, but a time line is provided, so that the confused reader can orient themself. Also provided for your better understanding is a character chart, which not only helps to distinguish male from female, but also to put a name to a face.
Indeed, the only real drawback to this series is the excess of characters. However, this may become clearer as the story progresses. Over all, The Five Star Stories are engrossing and otherworldly, and really are not to be missed by the manga connaisseur.