Star Wars: Visions
Genre: Sci-fi, Space Opera
Studio: Trigger, Science Saru, Production I.G., Kinema Citrus, Geno Studio, Studio Colorido, Kamizake Douga
Hello my friends, welcome to another entry of my blog.
And… Happy Star Wars Day!!!!
Yeah, I know. It has been two weeks since that celebration, but I really wanted to take my time to see if I was able to give an excellent way to remember one of my most precious childhood memories, also… to redeem myself for… Calling Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker a good story.
I don’t know what was I thinking. I let my inner fan to distract from my hideous, disgusting awfulness that turned to be Episode IX, simply one of the worst Star Wars movies ever existed. Worse than The Attack of the Clones. At least that one made more sense.
Anyway, ready to go back to the Light Side of the Force, with…
But before I start, I must ask all of you my friends, the typical question:
Are you guys ok? Feeling healthy?
If the answer is yes, then I am very happy.
Now, having said that, let’s go with Star Wars: Visions.
PREMISE
As its name points out, Star Wars: Visions is a series of nine anthology shorts of over 10 minutes, each one animated by different anime studios, which basically shows their passion of Star Wars in the form of nine stories setting up in the Galaxy, Far, Far away. The studios include Trigger, Science Saru, Kinema Citrus, Studio Colorido, Geno Studio, Kamikaze Douga and Production I.G. Most of us knew these studios, but, just in case, I will mention that Studio Colorido made films like Penguin Highway, which I personally and dearfully recommend, and Burn the Witch, from Bleach’s Tite Kubo. Yes… I invented the word «dearfully»; while Geno Studio is the one behind Golden Kamuy, which I hope I can review one day.
The name of the shorts are:
- The Duel (Kamikaze Douga)
- Tatooine Rhapsody (Studio Colorido)
- The Twins (Trigger)
- The Village Bride (Kinema Citrus)
- The Ninth Jedi (Production I.G.)
- T0-BI (Science Saru)
- The Elder (Trigger)
- Lop and Ocho (Geno Studio)
- Akakiri (Science Saru)
Obviously none of the shorts are interconnected in any way, aside from taking place in the Galaxy, but all of them have the two sides of the Force fighting each other, Jedi vs. Sith, Light side vs. Dark Side, Balance vs. Emotion, with an amazing display of what we all love about Star Wars; the epic, the lightsabers, the Galactic Empire, heroes who are willing to fight for peace, beautiful special effects and wonderful soundtrack inspired by John Williams.
Just look at this:
Fantastic!!
Finally, not just the shorts, also the soundtrack was a collaboration of many composers, including Kevin Penkin (The Rising of the Shield Hero, Tower of God), Michiru Oshima (Fullmetal Alchemist), Keiji Inai (Danmachi) among others.
Now, normally I would continue giving my opinion of both story and characters. That is my way to make my entry, but, since there are nine short films, I will first talk about how do I feel about Star Wars: Visions, and then I will briefly comment about my personal favourites.
So… May the Force be with me.
HOW DO I FEEL ABOUT STAR WARS VISIONS
Now. I must say that I absolutely loved Star Wars: Visions, as much as I enjoyed The Mandalorian and some episodes of The Book of Boba Fett, and it is a delight to see that, after years of bad taste from the sequel trilogy, and despite I will always have sour memories from The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, it is good to see that many artists still know what Star Wars is about, and how to represent its essence faithfully.
The Force Awakens, despite taking more elements from A New Hope that it should, is still a passable movie.
Nonetheless, I found amazing that many Japanese studios really made these shorts, that is literally the last thing I expected from Star Wars, especially in recent years. I sadly believe that the franchise is a very delicate status right now, mostly because of the awful Sequel Trilogy, but Star Wars: Visions felt like a fresh perspective, full of nostalgia, great special effect and genuine… powerful… emotional moments.
I understand that not everybody loves Star Wars: Visions, in fact an opinion I recently read said it was just done to «pander weeaboos». But I beg to differ. I feel that Star Wars Visions can be enjoyed by both fans and critics of Star Wars, especially for those who grew up with the Original Trilogy and The Revenge of the Sith (Honorable mention to The Phantom Menace and The Attack of the Clones).
So definitely I recommend Star Wars Visions.
And now… my favourite shorts.
THE TWINS
In this short, twins born from Sith Alchemy, Karre and Am attempt to construct a Star Destroyer with a cannon capable of destroying planets. But Karre renounces the dark side and attempts to free his sister too, resulting in a brilliant lightsaber fight with a more epic conclusion.
I loved this story because… It’s freaking Studio Trigger. What else do you expect?
The animation is marvellous, as expected from Trigger, but through the dialogue and the excellent fight scene, as well as the characters, you really get invested and what to know how Karre and Am are gonna end.
But for me, The Twins are a beautiful metaphor of the everlasting conflict between the Force, the dark side and the light.
The Ninth Jedi
Years after of the Empire, Juro, who is apparently a former Jedi, gives a Padawan, Ethan, a lightsaber, while both await others created by blacksmith Lah Zhima, for Ethan’s fellow Jedi. But things go south when Zhima is captured by Inquisitors, so it depends on his daughter, Kara, who is Force-sensitive, to deliver the lightsabers in time.
This short has a concise and engaging story, including a plot twist that adds to the tension (Seriously, not gonna spoil, but it definitely catch me, unlike many other «plot twists»), but in the end, I feel that it reminded me of one of the most important lessons from Star Wars itself – Never lose Hope.
T0-BI
T0-B1, or Tobi, is a droid that dreams to become a Jedi; he is raised by Professor Mitaka, who warns Tobi not to enter his basement, but Tobi disobeys and finds a starship to send a signal to Sith Inquisitors. Then Tobi learns the truth of Mitaka; he is a Jedi himself.
I swear to you guys that, when I watch this short, I thought that it was animated by Tezuka Productions, not by Science Saru. I know someone out there also realised that Tobi bears a resemblance with Astroboy.
For me, T0-B1 is a story of growth, a rite of passage between childhood and adulthood that ends up pretty well.
And finally…
LOP AND OCHO
At planet Tau, during the era of the Galactic Empire, rabbit-like slave Lop is saved by Ocho, the daughter of the planet’s clan leader, Yasaburo, who reluctantly adopts her. But seven years, when the Empire is exploiting Tau, Ocho joins them despite Yasaburo’s protests. Now, Yasaburo gives Lop the family treasure, an ancient lightsaber. Will Lop be able to bring Ocho back now that she realises is Force-sensitive?
The animations is beautiful, and despite sharing a few moments on screen as sisters, Lop and Ocho really give that sense of closeness, which makes her separation even more tragic; add that with a family-centred story that, despite the ending, makes you really the importance of Hope, a recurring theme in Star Wars.
CONCLUSION
Star Wars Visions is one of the best series of Star Wars that came in recent years, perhaps competing with The Mandalorian. Both prove that this franchise still has some good spark, capable of resisting the Dark Side of the Mouse.
Get it?
Like I said, regardless you are a casual moviegoer, or a Star Wars fan, Visions will keep you entertained, and realise why we should never let this franchise fall. So go watch on Disney+, or illegally? and enjoy a fresh perspective from a Galaxy Far, Far away.
And once…
MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!!!!
Jainituos Presents 