On Sept. 22 Disney+ released their heavily anticipated venture into the world of anime with “Star Wars: Visions,” bringing forth what could be a new era of cosmically interesting projects to redefine the Star Wars franchise canon. Jumping on the short series bandwagon, Lucasfilms collaborated with seven of the best Japanese animation studios to create nine visually and thematically distinct stories that not only give fans extremely captivating new looks at the many stories that can be told within the ever-expanding galaxy of Star Wars, but also essentially give back the influential space opera to the culture from which it was heavily inspired by.
“Star Wars: Visions” starts its wildly beautiful ride through the animated galaxy with Kamikaze Douga’s high stakes battle “The Duel.” Long time anime fans will recognize the studio’s innovative and distinctive use of mixing 3D animation with traditional 2D animation, as they have worked multiple times with the creators of “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” and on “Pop Team Epic.”
The studio takes their creative prowess many steps further when creating “The Duel,” paying homage to the black and white samurai epics of the 1950s, such as Akira Kurosawa’s “The Hidden Fortress” that inspired George Lucas to create the galaxy far, far away that many know and love today. The well-known story beats of a wandering lone warrior with a mysterious past do exactly what they’re set out to do in introducing the subtle yet poignant overarching story that ties “Star Wars: Visions” together, one of a culture taking back and redefining what it is to be a Jedi and setting the stage for the works of art that continue to grace the screens as the episodes go on.
Where “The Duel” is a gritty high-paced battle reminiscent of Kurosawa’s work in film, Studio Colorido’s “Tatooine Rhapsody” takes on a more lighthearted, shonen-esque approach which gives the audience a fun breather to the often dark stories found in the franchise. While “Tatooine Rhapsody” seems a simpler story line and one geared more towards children, it is not without its merits. It introduces fans to a new type of Jedi, one who fights with a mic rather than a lightsaber.
“Star Wars: Visions” continues its flight through hyperspace with the two vastly and stylistically distinct episodes produced by one of the industry’s most captivating animation studios in the industry known as Studio Trigger. The two episodes vary so drastically in style, pacing, and story it’s a brilliant tasting of the wide variety of talents Studio Trigger has to give to fans both new and old, adding yet another powerful flavor to the ever-evolving decadent space cake that is “Star Wars: Visions.”
Episode three, “The Twins,” has some of the most visually gripping and gravity defying fighting sequences that not only rival anything seen in any Star Wars media but is sure to send viewers into orbit. Some things may not make sense if put against the scrutiny of continuity and what certain things may mean in the Star Wars canon, but that is no matter because it’s fun, it’s flashy and you can tell the creators became one with the Force when making it. Studio Trigger shows an entirely different, more down-to-planet side of themselves when put to the task of fighting “The Elder” in episode seven. It’s incredibly different from what most Trigger fans would be used to, as the fighting sequences are a bit more grounded in Star Wars reality and the episode doesn’t feature their well-known affinity for bright, almost pastel-leaning colors. Regardless, it’s one viewers are sure not to forget, just as the series as a whole is bound to leave a lasting impression on all who watch it.
While this is but a glimpse into what “Star Wars: Visions” has to offer, there are more star faring, genre redefining tales that are waiting for audiences just a quick hyperspace jump away.
