Mamoru Nagano’s celebrated science fantasy manga series, The Five Star Stories, is officially slated for an English-language release starting in March 2026, courtesy of a collaboration between Titan Manga and Newtype. This announcement, made at the Anime Expo, marks a significant return for the influential series to the English market after over a decade.
A Storied History of Galactic Conflict and Iconic Mecha
The Five Star Stories first debuted in Kadokawa’s Newtype magazine in 1986 and has garnered a dedicated following for its intricate world-building, elaborate character designs, and distinctive mecha, known as Mortar Headds (later renamed GothicMades or GTM). The narrative unfolds thousands of years in the future within the Joker Galaxy, a cluster of five star systems, chronicling a protracted war as the god of light Amaterasu endeavors to unify the galaxy under his dominion. The story follows pilots, dubbed Headdliners, who operate these giant mechs and are often accompanied by humanlike computers called Fatimas (later renamed Automatic Flowers or AF).
The manga has been serialized intermittently since its inception, with 18 volumes published to date, the most recent being Volume 18 released in March 2025. The series inspired an anime film adaptation in 1989, directed by Kazuo Yamazaki and produced by Sunrise, which covered the events of the manga’s first arc, “Destiny Three Fates: Lachesis.” ADV Films previously released the 1989 anime film in North America.
Previous English Releases and Future Prospects
While The Five Star Stories has a long history in Japan, its English availability has been limited. Nagano’s own company, Toyspress, Inc., previously published an English version of the manga, covering Japanese volumes 1-10 across 26 translated volumes. However, volumes 11 and beyond have remained untranslated in English until this new initiative. This upcoming release by Titan Manga and Newtype aims to bridge that gap, bringing previously untranslated content to English-speaking audiences.
The series is known for its intricate details and lore, which underwent revisions in 2013 to align with Nagano’s 2012 film Hana no Utame Gothicmade. These revisions included the renaming of Mortar Headds to GothicMades and Fatimas to Automatic Flowers.
Titan Manga’s Expanding Portfolio
Titan Manga has been actively expanding its English manga lineup for 2026, with several other titles announced for release around the same period. Their Spring 2026 lineup includes a diverse range of genres, from dark noir and sci-fi to supernatural horror and heartwarming fantasy stories. Other notable releases from Titan Manga in early 2026 include Unemployed Killers Support Group Vol. 1 (February 2026), Gizmo Riser Vol. 1 (February 2026), and Grendizer U: The Inception (March 2026). The collaboration with Newtype, a long-standing Japanese magazine covering anime and manga, underscores the significance of The Five Star Stories release.
