A Review and comparison of “Star Wars Visions”

A Review and comparison of “Star Wars Visions”

Immanuel Jackson, Reporter

Star Wars Visions is being made by Lucasfilm and Disney, and they are partnering with 7 of the top Animation Studios in Japan. Their goal is to bring audiences a new form of Star Wars that gives you the classic Star Wars feel alongside an anime animation Style. This is something that has not been seen before to this extent in terms of Star Wars history, however there are similar shows such as Star Wars the Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, and Star Wars the bad batch. All of these shows have animation as a common theme throughout them. However what makes Star Wars Star Wars Visions truly special in this instance is the fact that it is a true anime (which is an art style mainly used in Japan)  this means that it will have a different take on Star Wars than what has been seen in any of these previous shows, and it will also likely reference in Japanese culture in it as a parallel.

 In the first episode of Star Wars Visions,  the plot is about a wandering stranger with an unknown past that walks into a village (takes place after Episode 6 in the cinematic Star Wars universe.) The remnants of the empire on this unknown planet are seen working together to raid a village that the mysterious Wanderer is currently in. A good amount of suspense is built, and it is reminiscent of the outer rim in Star Wars. This is important to note that even though they are entwined in Japanese culture, they do so while allowing it to be a realistic part of the Star Wars universe. In my opinion, I feel that “Visions” does a good job of making you feel like you are part of the strange Star Wars culture, like so many of Star Wars shows attempt to do. This is definitely a reason to watch if you like feeling immersed into the show you are watching. 

Following the raid, the troopers get in a brief altercation with other characters that could be described as “warriors of the town”. Then proceeding this event, the one leading the Remnant troops disembarks from their ship. The female Sith then begins to quickly dispatch the town’s defenses, however she made one mistake….  She deflected a laser bolt into the wandering protagonist’s droid. For background purposes, droids in Star Wars are often viewed as pets and or companions that people value. So, in this case, she has just awoken the inner John Wick that was inside of the protagonist.  The protagonist proceeds to ask the bartender to repair his Droid if possible, and the suspense builds as he looks on towards the ensuing battle with the remnant troops boss and the town’s warriors. The protagonist then proceeds to engage the antagonist This fight is concluded with the theme of not rushing into things, but rather thinking five steps ahead of your opponent.

 Overall, this episode included a very good mixing of Japanese in Star Wars culture in my opinion, it was immersive and the sound effects for very small details such as lightsaber ignitions were very crisp and clear. The animation style was unique and is what you would look for in a new anime, because it shows that they are creating something new and not ripping off a previously made anime idea. The hero of the story has depth without his past ever being talked about through nonverbal communication and specific attributes that he has about him. My overall opinion of this first episode of Star Wars visions is that it is definitely worth a try at the very least. You can access the episode titled “The Dual” On Disney Plus under the Star Wars Visions section, and there are currently nine other episodes in the series so far.