"Five Star Stories"

Author: Mamoru Nagano / Currently serialized in the monthly magazine "New Type" (KADOKAWA)

A full-length SF epic by Mamoru Nagano that began serialization in Kadokawa's anime information magazine Monthly Newtype in 1986. This work, which depicts a grand galactic history, has an unparalleled worldview that combines knowledge of all genres, such as mechanics, politics, religion, language, race, and biology, with constructive imagination.

The central motif is the relationship between the humanoid weapon known as the "Gothic Made (GTM)" and the artificial lifeform "Fatima" that is essential to its operation. Fatima is a beautiful auxiliary brain created through genetic engineering, and is depicted as possessing processing and memory capabilities that exceed those of humans, but also as a being that is conflicted between a strict loyalty program and "emotions."

In this work, the theme of "deviant" artificial intelligence is explored from philosophical and ethical perspectives; in particular, the Fatimas created by a genius engineer named Balanche are designed to continue functioning even after the death of their creator, elevating the concept to one where "the design concept itself survives."

With its meticulous visual design, this work poetically questions the boundaries between humans and non-humans, and is not merely a space opera, but also a response to philosophical questions such as "existence," "will," and "time." This work, which is still ongoing, is one of the most extreme forms of Japanese science fiction expression, and a rare work that shows an intelligent, constructive vision for the future.