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stateofgrace -> RE: I Just Saw... (4/28/2005 8:42:07 AM)
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"The Five Star Stories" One of the most beautiful animes I've ever seen, and unfortunately, one of the most difficult to follow. ADV, the distributor in the US, released this anime with linear notes, in order to help viewers understand the background and importance of characters. Unfortunately, renting from Blockbuster Online meant that I didn't get the linear notes pamplet. In addition, this anime is presented with subtitles, not dubbed (most ADV-relased animes have both dubbed and subbed versions on the same dvd). While I often like to watch anime with subtitles, it's often easier to follow a difficult storyline with the dubbed option. Based on the first volume of a long-running manga series, Five Star Stories tells the tale of a love story between a fatima (a human-like android) named Lachesis, and a pretty-boy mecha mechanic named Ladios Sopp (who is much more then what he seems). Fatimas are created to become the pilots of Mortar Headds, giant fighting robots (what else?) and are paired with Headdliners, humans that command the robots, during a ceremony called a debut. Lachesis, along with her sisters, first met Sopp as a child, and fell in love with him. Most fatimas are subject to mind control, but Lachesis' creator did not subject Lachesis and her sisters to it. It is time for Lachesis' debut, and Soop is agonizing over whether or not to save her, knowing that their destiny is to bring major changes to the Joker Galaxy. Although the story is complex, there are a number of elements derivitive of other sci-fi and anime sources. A knight wearing a long cloak that covers his face and body wields a light-saber like weapon. The creepy duke overseeing the debut, and his two creepy sons, reminds me of an equally creepy baron and his two nephews...from Dune. And, of course, there are the giant robots, found frequently in sci-fi anime. I'd recommend only for the most ardent anime fan. Although the illustration style is beautiful, the story is difficult to follow. Rated TV-14 for voilence (light sabers do slice, after all) and adult themes.
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