Visions & Thoughts

DISCLAIMER: I'm not overly familiar with the Star Wars universe beyond the movies (all three trilogies and the Mandalorian TV series), so there may be canon/non-canon information (such as the Expanded Universe/Legends) regarding Sith and lightsabers that I am not knowledgeable of that may be explored in this series. I freely admit this. I try to steer clear of any speculation in this article regarding, choosing to work only with the information presented in the Visions series. Thank you for understanding.

Star Wars: Visions was originally written in Japanese by some of the top anime studios and creators in Japan with each episode varying in length (roughly 13 to 21 minutes), animation style, and point in time in the Star Wars universe history. The common thread tying all the stories together is the central characters who are either Jedi or Sith. That is as much as should be expected though as "canon" seems to have been gently put aside for the sake of entertainment, which in my opinion, made for both some of the best and worst storytelling in the universe. So, for those willing to put aside silly notions of what "must" or "must not" be, a good time awaits.

The Duel

"The Duel" is, by far, my favorite. The strongest in both storytelling and action, it follows a lone samurai ("Ronin" in the English dub) and his faithful B5 unit as they wander a mountainous countryside, venturing into a small village which is attacked soon after.

At its very core, this is a samurai film brought to the Star Wars universe, complete with black and white "retro scratched film" animation, it infuses Japanese culture, motifs, and setting into its story. I want nothing more than a full series or a film starring this protagonist*. There is obviously a much deeper backstory to which the 13 minute segment only alludes to. The perfect story leaves the reader wanting more because it fulfills its obligations -- not because it is lacking in any way.

*Ask and ye shall receive. Wikipedia: "[Visions] received largely positive reviews with a spin-off novel continuation of The Duel, Star Wars Visions: Ronin, set for release on October 12, 2021."

Tatooine Rhapsody

Indie rock band power meets the Star Wars universe in a Leiji Matsumoto inspired SD (super deformed) universe where all the characters are "chibi" versions of themselves. In a departure from the traditional Japanese music stylings of perhaps half of the episodes, "Tatooine Rhapsody" has some excellent guitar and soft rock backgrounds leading to an actual song (in both Japanese and English). It's more about pluck and friendship in the Star Wars universe than the Jedi/Sith conflict as in the other stories in the anthology. Moreover it is the only short to feature recognizable characters from the universe while all the others rely on original characters.

The music and animation were good, and the plot of friendship is strong enough to nudge the constant conflict of the universe aside without "Forcing" it. (Har har har.) An average one-shot episode in my opinion, but I wouldn't go out of my way to road trip with this band via a series.

The Twins

"The Twins" introduces two Sith characters in armor reminiscent of Darth Vader (despite the fact that they don't need it), as well as linked "twin" Star Destroyers with a planet-destroying hyper weapon between them.

This short, my least favorite, followed the more common popular anime tropes, including a raving female protagonist reminiscent of another more popular character from an aged anime I'd rather not mention. Right from the get-go, I could tell where this story was going to go anywhere and I couldn't wait for it to be over. In all honesty, I fast-forwarded it and found absolutely nothing was lost.

Throughout, I kept waiting for some big reveal or something that would endear me to the characters and/or their situation, but alas it never materializes. I honestly felt there was nothing more here than just mindless tropes for mindless tropes sake -- some viewers (especially those fans of the aforementioned nameless anime) will inevitably enjoy that. Your lightyear mileage may vary.

The Village Bride

This episode is one of those feel good humanity-in-harmony-with-nature anime stories made popular by Ghibli. We see the a young betrothed couple work their way up a mountain, arriving at a large monolith where they perform a ritual that shows them and the protagonist (a Jedi in-hiding) the planet's "memories". But to what end? It's never clear. This is where the plot falls short by failing to deliver on the potential promise of endearing the viewers to the situation.

The animation is great, the music is inspiring, but overall, the story was just okay -- neither great nor awful. The Jedi protagonist and her companion have a few moments where they seem to hint at something interesting to the protagonist's story as well as the planet's culture, but they never really seem to get around to it beyond a few visuals. Honestly, I felt like if this story started at a different point centering on both the planet's troubles and the Jedi's past, it could have really been something. Excellent series potential.

The Ninth Jedi

From across the galaxy, seven would-be Jedi have gathered, beckoned to the planet Hy Izlan by its ruler, a mysterious man named Juro. In an age after the art of saber construction has been lost, he is offering newly constructed lightsabers to those who will join him in a crusade to restore order to the galaxy. However, something is amiss as Jedi Hunters attack the sabersmith and his daughter who must now flee or be captured!

An excellent story with great action, characters and an explosive ending. The characters were extremely likeable, the plot was strong, and it introduced the idea of a non-colored transparent blade until the user wielding it shows their true colors. I dug this idea a lot. I don't know if its canon or not, but I think it should be. Lightsabers changing colors could be very cool (or perhaps a bit cheesy if you consider mood rings of the 70s and 80s). Most definitely worthy of a series. Perhaps my second favorite in the anthology.

T0-B1

In a parallel dimension far, far (oh, so very far) away, a little droid T0-B1 lives with his creator Professor Mitaka on a distant planet the scientist is trying to terraform.

This episode is a clear homage to Astro Boy atmosphere in tone as well as animation, and the Japanese language version goes one step further by having by veteran voice actress (and voice extra in the original Astro Boy) Masako Nozawa as the voice of "Tobi" or "To Be One" (an obvious take on Obi-Wan as well as "to become a Jedi").

Cutesy and lighthearted, this is episode strays the furthest from the concepts of Star Wars canon to go with a straight mashup. The animation is great, and without a doubt, this is probably going to a favorite with many, but I found it a bit tedious. I fast-forwarded, and again, like with "The Twins," found I missed very little to nothing.

The Elder

On patrol in the Galactic Rim, Tajin and his Padawan, Dan, investigate a quiet planet when Dan senses something amiss.

The story of a Master and his Padawan this episode starts off seemingly "slow" with its opening exposition, but picks up quickly and really speaks to Star Wars fans with its seeming adherence to canon. The action was perfect, the animation was clean and sharp, the characters were full-fleshed and this is clearly my second favorite in the series along with "The Ninth Jedi". Veteran Japanese voice actors (James Hong and David Harbour in the English version) rounded out an excellent performance. A bit of mystery regarding the Sith added to the universe lore made it enjoyable. This is also an excellent candidate for a series.

Lop and Ochō

Lop, an anthropomorphic alien rabbit, is a slave having escaped her Empire captors when she is caught stealing food to eat by Ochō and her father, Yasaburo. Adopted into the family, she forms a bond with the hot-headed family duo and tries to remind the pair of their love when they clash over the Empire's presence on their planet.

A story of family conflict, this episode is a bit reminiscent of works like Howl's Moving Castle and other fantasy works. Very anime in its storytelling and animation style, it weaves the tale of family conflict so very well tread in popular Japanese media. Carefully infused with love, humor and character growth, Lop and Ochō is a relatable and enjoyable tale. My third favorite in the anthology. Relies heavily on not just anime, but Japanese samurai film tropes. Definitely worth a series.

Akakiri ("Red Fog")

Tsubaki, a Jedi suffering from disturbing visions travels to the planet of his former love, Misa, a princess who has been overthrown by her Sith aunt. This is a grim story, and bookends the series perfectly. Where many of the other stories in the anthology offer everything from serious action to lighthearted fun, "Akakiri" offers a dark view of the Star Wars universe.

The visuals are beautiful beyond compare, the setup is excellent, the characterization is great, and the ending... left my jaw on the floor. Completely unexpected when it really shouldn't be, this is the story that rounds out the series perfectly, in essence bookending everything else along with "The Duel". Another series-worthy story.

That's it. That's the nine episodes. One can only have new hope for the Star Wars universe at large if more of this kind of anthology work in on the table in the future. My only askance of the minds behind it -- longer stories, please. Fill out a full 30 minutes, or take time to do a full series featuring one set of characters. There's so much potential in here that it seems wasted on just under 15 minutes.

On a final note, for those interested in scifi samurai action, "The RuiNin" is a samuraipunk action short set over 1500 years in the future after a natural catastrophe transformed much of Japan's fauna and flora into genetic monsters. Civilization is all but gone and what remains of humanity clings desperately to the thin thread.