Five Star Stories

[Father Jack]

I was thinking of collecting this series but I had a few questions that hopefully some of you could answer. I heard that this series was discontinued is that true? If so does anybody know if it will be re released (For instance in larger volumes).

Also is it complete? I know it is up to like 26 volumes so it seems like it would be, but I also know that it is a very long story.

If anybody knows anything let me know.

Thanks.

[glane21]

I hope the manga is better than the anime movie I watched, which sucked some serious ass.

[Dendrobius]

- The series is not discontinued, Book XI was released August 2004, continual clips have been released in Newtype (the Japanese one, of course), Book XII is due out soon.

- The movie was basically Book I on speed...and just reading Book I won't get you much idea of what's going on. Five Star Stories is truly ambitious in that Mamoru Nagano's set down something like seven THOUSAND year's worth of history already (and can be read in the back of every Book) but the current storyline is set somewhere in 2989 IIRC

Go here

http://www.gearsonline.net/fss/

for best info

[Phyrox]

1) I don't know anything about discontinued. The author takes his time between volumes, and FSS could be considered to be on hiatus at the moment.

2) The american/translated versions should be pretty easy to come by on ebay and on-line shops (that's where I got all mine). The japanese versions are broken into several american volumes, so the 10 or so japanese manga issues have resulted in 26 american issues.

3) The story isn't finished, but it isn't really linear anyhow. The entire timeline is already layed out (at the back of each volume), but the manga is more about the characters and the details of the epic events than the "meta-story." The manga jumps around from era to era, place to place, and character to chracter (even dimension to dimension at times), so I wouldn't expect the story to ever really get "finished" in a traditional sense.

[Gui]

Can someone give me a good online shop where to get these books please? It's a real pain in the ass to import them in Europe...

[Radd]

I heard that the author, Mamoru Nagano, didn't like the movie version at all. Heard this from a friend of mine that's also a big fan of the manga, back in the tape trading days.

I'm happy that a local comic book store sells a ton of Five Star Stories books. I'm slowly picking them all up. I was pretty "meh" on the OVA, but I adore the manga.

[Father Jack]

Thanks for the info guys.

Oh and it is the english version that I heard is discontinued (At least book one is according to best prices.com, but who knows.)

Seemed strange though since I think volume 26 came out just recently in the US.

[JELEINEN]

I heard that the author, Mamoru Nagano, didn't like the movie version at all. Heard this from a friend of mine that's also a big fan of the manga, back in the tape trading days.

I'm happy that a local comic book store sells a ton of Five Star Stories books. I'm slowly picking them all up. I was pretty "meh" on the OVA, but I adore the manga.

311485[/snapback]

Nagano definitely didn't like the movie. Apparently some people were expecting icecicles to start growing in Hell when they anounced a DVD release of it. The film follows the first book fairly accurately, but for me anyway, it lacked any sort of soul. It was just kind of blah.

I really need to plug the holes in my manga collection sometime. The local comic book shop always got confused by the multiple issues having the same covers and so I wouldn't always get all of them held for me.

[Phyrox]

Can someone give me a good online shop where to get these books please? It's a real pain in the ass to import them in Europe... 

311476[/snapback]

well, I got several of mine from this place:

http://www.akadotretail.com/shop/shop_showbook.php?id=fssset

but you might be able to find a better deal on some at ebay.

I got great deals on abebooks or bookfinder (can't remember which), but since the sellers don't have photos and very limited descriptions, I had to search using the ISBN numbers, which was very time consuming.

you shouldn't have any trouble getting all 26 using these three sources though.

good luck.

[Gui]

Thanks

[captain america]

For what it's worth, there are grumblings suggesting that Diamond is either about to drop, or HAS dropped FSS from its catalogue; presumably as a result of less-than-stellar sales. I was wondering if anyone could confirm or deny this officially?

[cobywan]

I know nothing about that. But I do know that Nagano started a new company and has transfered FSS ownership from Toyspress to the new company.

[yellowlightman]

I know nothing about that.  But I do know that Nagano started a new company and has transfered FSS ownership from Toyspress to the new company.

311929[/snapback]

Wasn't Toyspress Nagano's own company?

[JELEINEN]

I know nothing about that.  But I do know that Nagano started a new company and has transfered FSS ownership from Toyspress to the new company.

311929[/snapback]

Wasn't Toyspress Nagano's own company?

311938[/snapback]

It is/was. I wonder if cobywan can provide a source for his info.

[Jinnai]

Toyspress was Nagano's own company, yes.

He dissolved Toyspress and created EDIT.

http://www.automaticflowers.ne.jp

EDIT also doubles as an anime studio.. who knows where that'll go with Nagano himself, and his famous seiyuu wife, Maria Kawamura.

FSS will only die when Nagano himself dies.