When I heard Star Wars was going to come out, I was pretty excited, but for ordinary fanboy reasons. Star Wars had great anime potential. I was even more pleased when I saw the trailer and found out that it was going to be done by Japanese studios. However, even with my expectations fairly high, I found that Visions somehow managed to blow them out of the water.
The various entries of visions all have very different feels and different anime styles, but all throughout I noticed a common theme between all of them. These companies seemed honoured to be holding a Western IP, and so, wanted to respect the source material, but more than that, they wanted to extol the virtues of their particular culture. It was certainly Star Wars and it was certainly Anime, but more than either, Star Wars Visions is distinctly Japanese.
Star Wars Visions was one of the most Traditionalist things I’ve watched in recent years. Throughout the series, the story stresses the importance of traditional bonds, Brother and Sister, Husband and Wife, Father and Daughter, Family Tradition, Nation and Country, Ancient Tradition, and Industrialism. To this end, the Galactic Republic and the Rebels don’t make any appearance. The Jedi are treated, not as revolutionaries but as heirs to an ancient heritage. The Empire is treated (much like it is in the Mandalorian) as the force of arbitrary progress and harsh innovation.
The episodes certainly play fast and loose with Star Wars continuity, and shouldn’t be viewed as Star Wars in the classic sense. This is Star Wars-themed Anime, rather than anime-themed Star Wars.
That’s about as much as can be said for the series as a whole. What follows is something of a review of each individual episode.
Episode 1: The Duel is digitally animated, rather than 2D. It has a black and white, charcoal style to it, combined with a highly rustic Japanese setting. The only colour in the whole animation comes from artificial lights and lightsabers. The whole thing feels like a homage to Seven Samurai and its plot pretty much acts as a condensed version. It wasn’t particularly deep, character-wise, but as a fight scene, it was thoroughly enjoyable. Comparatively, my least favourite.
Episode 2: Tatooine Rhapsody, follows a Droid, a Three-Headed Alien, A teenage rebel Hutt, and a Padawan who survived Order 66 as they try to make the best band ever. This one has the strongest ‘anime’ feel to it. The whole Anime obsession with ‘idol’ culture makes its way into the scene. I didn’t expect to like this one that much, but I found that the characters wormed their way into my heart.
Episode 3: THE TWINS. Another anime feeling one. Two Twins raised to be weapons for the Galactic Empire get into a fantastic fight scene. This is the second episode that is essentially just an extended fight scene, but this goes far more into the character arc of both. I enjoyed it as solidly as I enjoyed any anime.
Episode 4: The Village Bride. This was the Episode where Star Wars Visions really starts to go above and beyond simply being Star Wars Themed anime. An exiled Jedi and a Bounty Hunter visit a primitive village on a backwater people and watch a young couple get married. Honestly seeing something where a simple marriage between a young man and young woman was treated as the centerpiece was refreshing.
Episode 5: The Ninth Jedi: Just as I was feeling thoroughly impressed with The Village Bride, the Ninth Jedi came and blew my expectations out of the water. A mysterious Margrave on the edge of the galaxy has invited the last remaining Jedi to his mansion to give them lightsabers. Little more can be said without giving spoilers. But its plotting and character development were perfect. There are rumors of a full anime in the works for this. It deserves it.
Episode 6: “T0-B1” The least Star Warsy of the bunch. It felt more like Pinnochio, where Gepetto is an old Jedi Master and his droid ‘son’ is a much better boy (even if he does get into mischief). The animation style is the real selling point, it’s charming and retrograde. A homage to Astro-Boy and 60’s anime as well as having some of that old 1920s Disney Vibe.
Episode 7: “The Elder” The most Star Warsy of the bunch. It could simply be considered part of the main canon and you wouldn’t have to do anything. It takes place during the Old Republic, where a Jedi Master and his Padawan go check a backwater rural world for signs of Sith presence and find an ancient Sith Master. This episode excels in its tension. I genuinely didn’t know how it was going to end or who was going to die.
Episode 8: “Lop & Ocho”. The heaviest when it comes to themes. Both the animation style and the themes feel ‘Miyazaki-esque’ where the Traditions of a Japanese-style world are contrasted with the Industry and Progress that the Empire provides. This story deals with a family torn apart on whether to side with the Empire or whether to hold to their traditions. It’s one of the saddest and also most weighty, as it certainly ties into real-world themes as well.
Episode 9: This episode didn’t hook me in at the start, but it certainly picked up towards the end. This episode really deals with the temptation of the Dark Side and is in many ways a thematic recapitulation of the themes of Revenge of the Sith. But there’s little I can say about it without spoiling the whole thing.
All and all, a complete delight. Both some of the best anime and best Star Wars content I’ve ever seen.