The Joker Cluster is a group of 4 solar systems, inhabited by thousands of countries and millions of people. Amongst the kingdoms, men called Headd Liners pilot mecha known as Mortar Headd, which are also manned by fatima, android women who act as the bridge between the machine and its pilot. Ladios Sopp is a young man on his way to an android auction, where he hopes to retrieve a fatima from his past, Lachesis. But retrieving her will be no easy task, and along the way, he will meet new friends and make new enemies before reaching his goal.
In the ancient time of the gods, a son of the titans was born: Arion, borne of Demeter and Poseidon, the lord of the sea. After being kidnapped to the realm of the Underworld by Hades, Arion is sent on a mission to destroy Zeus, the lord of the heavens, in retribution for causing his mother's blindness. In his quest, he will gain new friends and face the powers of the gods themselves as he struggles to strike down Zeus and save the one he loves from the evil Apollo.
In the distant future, mankind has mastered space and spread empires across the galaxy. While many choose to colonize distant planets, others choose to remain amidst the stars, ultimately giving rise to a new brand of humanity known as the Abh. Both genetically and culturally different from their Earth-dwelling peers, the Abh soon find themselves engaged in a bloody war that rages across hundreds of planets and set out to restore peace by means of conquest. Enter Jinto, a nobleman and ambassador of the recently acquired Hyde system whose duty is to represent his peoples' interests and rule on the Abh's behalf. In order to be officially coronated to this position, a cold-but-beautiful Abh princess named Lafiel arrives at Hyde to escort him back to the empire's capital. When they are suddenly attacked by an anti-Abh liberation front, however, the festivities are cut short, and the two must flee for their lives against all odds.
Hitomi was just a normal high school girl, until she was taken by the mysterious Van Fanel and dropped into a world of romance, magic and giant sword-wielding armor suits! Now Van, pilot of the famed armor suit Escaflowne; and Hitomi, whose hobby of predicting the future just became a frightening reality, must work together and fight the advanced technology of Zaibach: a force who want to shape Gaea to their visions of "peace". Follow Hitomi in her struggles against both these forces who seek to conquer this world, and her own confused heart.
Both anime use a girly tone blended together with sci-fi and fantasy elements, plus a portion of shonen action.
Escaflowne is by far the better of the two as it executes this mix wonderfully throughout its 26-episodes span, while Five Star Stories is a pretty average fantasy which suffers from being generic and perhaps too short to develop into something engaging enough.
However, if you appreciated said blend of genres in one, you might want to check the other out.
In an ancient time of swords and sorcery,the struggle to rule the cursed land of Lodoss rages on, spilling the blood of monsters and men. With the threat of dragons and dark powers hellbent on destroying it, the only hope for Lodoss is a young swordsman named Parn and his comrades. Armed with determinination and sheer strength, the band of friends must join the forces of kings and elves to overcome the dark sorcerer Ashram and his mistress Pirotess, as the ultimate battle of good versus evil begins!
Yohko is nothing but ordinary. Throughout her life she has been considered an outcast, especially with a hair color not native to many in Japan, bright red. Things change for Yohko when a mysterious man named Keiki arrives and claims that she is his empress. Yohko and two friends are then taken through a vortex, and then abandoned.. in a world of demons and magic.