This review contains mild spoilers for Star Wars: Visions 520https://starwarsblog.starwars.com/wpcontent/uploads/2021/09/starwarsvisionsisheretallB1.jpg The advent of streaming platforms such as Crunchyroll combined with breakout hits such as My Hero Academiahttps://anilist.co/anime/21459/MyHeroAcademia/ mean that anime is more mainstream now than ever. Youd be forgiven if you couldnt tell however as anime fans can be exclusive. This isnt too surprising you see it in a lot of nerd communities with people wanting to hold onto an identity that they feel is being encroached typically by putting up barriers keeping casuals out and real fans in. Fans of superheroes will usually make a distinction between the movies that make oodles of money and the comics that remain somewhat niche. Gamers will look down on people who play mobile games. Anime fans wanting to pretend that anime merchandise cant be found easily at Hot Topic will usually distinguish between normie anime mostly shounen such as Demon Slayer Jujutsu Kaisen and My Hero Academia and more cultured picks. Beyond this however the biggest distinction one that most anime fans can agree on is being made in Japan. Due to their artstyle a layman might call Avatar: The Last Airbender Code Lyoko or The Boondocks anime to which an anime fan will proceed to foam from their mouths. Thats fine enough anime is an animation made in Japan is a simple metric enough. But then the goalposts move. 2021s Yasukehttps://anilist.co/anime/131930/Yasuke/ was indeed made in Japan by the famous Studio MAPPA no less. Yet many are pretty adamant that its not anime. On this very site it was an uphill battle just to get it added as a page. According to the mods it was a question of how many members of the cast are from and live in Japan. LeSean Thomas worked as a director and executive producer while Flying Lotus composed. Both talents are American. Yasuke was only allowed on the site once it was determined that a majority of its staff were Japanese. This reasoning for people questioning its anime status is annoying to be sure as it feels like splittinghairs for the sake of nebulous purity bear in mind that this is the site that readily lists manwha as well as comics from China and Taiwan but ultimately something thats harmless enough. Whats less harmless is when people openly deride the anime just for having American talent. Less harmless still is when people begin being either openly are subtly racist but if I wanted to get into that Id review Yasuke. What in the galaxy does this have to do with Star Wars: Visions you may ask? Well being of an American property Visions when announced received the same amount of scrutiny. With the credits being entirely Japanese as far as I can tell legitimate arguments against this being considered an anime flew out the window but you still have a few people grumbling. From what I can glean this goes both ways a number Star Wars fans dont accept Visions either hey just because I said anime is more mainstream doesnt mean that I dont acknowledge that many still see anime as nothing but cartoons for weirdoes. Meanwhile I was excited about Visions. I had been an anime fan since 2013 and a Star Wars since 2015. Finally these two passions would meet. While Star Wars has had a few obscure manga adaptions a bonafide Star Wars anime has been a pipe dream relegated to admittedly very welldone Star Wars Anime Opening YouTube videos. But in 2021 the fantasy became reality in the form of a tenepisode anthology. For this review I decided to do something a little different and break away from my usual format. Since this is an anthology featuring wildly different and styles people tend to engage with Visions by ranking the episodes. In the spirit of the anthology Ill be ranking each Visions episode and giving my brief? thoughts on all of them. One thing to keep in mind is that I enjoyed every episode. Sure I liked some more than others but I had a good time with each of them. To drive this point home I wont be doing a tier list. Without further adieu lets take a gander at the Star Wars Visions episodes ranked from least favorite to favorite 9Studio Triggershttps://anilist.co/studio/803/Trigger The Twins 520https://starwarsblog.starwars.com/wpcontent/uploads/2021/09/starwarsvisionsthetwinsampowerup.jpg Coming at dead last we have The Twins perhaps one of the two most polarizing episodes in the collection. Going off of stills this was the episode I was most excited for it looked like the titular twins were plucked straight out of Promarehttps://anilist.co/anime/99425/Promare/ and Trigger has made a name for itself for its fluid animation and breathtaking fight scenes. I was ready to claim The Twins as my favorite so I watched it first. And it was good It has the best spectacle among the shorts. If you liked Holdos maneuver in The Last Jedi if you like the idea of supercharging lightsabers to become meters upon meters tall then The Twins will be a good time. Its an episode that dares you to turn your brain off to sit back and enjoy just how absolutely bonkers things will get. I can see myself watching a movie version of The Twins as a lovable yet ultimately mindless popcorn flick. Even though I liked The Twins I ended up liking every other episode more. While the spectacle is great its ultimately just spectacle without much story or emotional weight to ground it. It doesnt help that Lop and Och feels like a better version of The Twins as it actually does a better job of making me care about feuding siblings. As far as this episodes polarity goes it seems that if you came to Star Wars: Visions as an anime fan youll love it while if you came as a Star Wars fan youll probably just find it a bit too silly. 8 Studio Triggers The Elder 520https://www.denofgeek.com/wpcontent/uploads/2021/09/starwarsvisionstheelder.jpg?fit=28642C1625 For the most part Star Wars: Visions episodes seem to lean into the fact that theyre anime heavily utilizing anime sensibilities The Twins Tatooine Rhapsody or aesthetics a great number of the locales feature traditional Southeast Asianinspired houses. This isnt a bad thing but its certainly noticeable and it makes The Elder notable in that its one of the two episodes that feel like standard Star Wars. It approaches bogstandard territory even. I still enjoyed it with one of the highlights being the interactions between the collected Jedi and his headstrong Padawan. My enjoyment is tempered however. The Elder certainly handles its various aspects well but theres little excitement to be had compared to every other episode in the anthology. It doesnt help that all the other episodes leave me yearning for more while The Elder is the least openended of the bunch by far. Still I have to give The Elder a spot above The Twins for actually having some substance via the titular Elder and his plight of aging. The takeaway might feel simple but I appreciate it due to its connection to Star Wars. Plus I have to give it points for having the maneuver wherein someone ignites a lightsaber throughhttps://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/TrC3A0kata their opponent. I love that shit. 7 Kamikaze Dougashttps://anilist.co/studio/437/KamikazeDouga The Duel 520https://starwarsblog.starwars.com/wpcontent/uploads/2021/09/starwarsvisionshighlightstheduelronin3963.jpg The still that Disney+ used for this episode was a fucking crime. Swathed in red it does a poor job of representing the episode. In reality the entire episode is in blackandwhite save for a key few objects like the rubyred lightsabers. The grain marks on the image give the episode the feel of an old movie. Furthermore this is one of the best examples of CG that Ive seen in anime which is to be suspected the studio behind The Duel is the one responsible for the amazing CG in the first three animated parts of JoJos Bizarre Adventure perhaps because the aesthetic works well with the models and animation. Earwig and the Witchhttps://anilist.co/review/12505 can eat its heart out. Its the most stylistic episode and its a visual treat. As the title implies were also treated to the best most intricate duel of the anthology. Ultimately beyond the flare theres not much to the episode but its more exciting than The Elder and I found myself more invested in the action here than in the The Twins. Sometimes flare is all you really need. The Duel featured a decent twist and theres an intrigue that makes you want more. Luckily there is more thanks to the Star Wars: Ronin novelhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57499884starwars. Ive picked it up and Im excited to see how it shakes out 6 Production I.Gshttps://anilist.co/studio/10/ProductionIG The Ninth Jedi 520https://s.y.com/uu/api/res/1.2/jW910YvQbE4ZUMQhG77.1AB/Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTI4Nzt3PTY3NTthcHBpZD15dGFjaHlvbg/https://s.y.com/os/creatruploadedimages/202109/d81424001c7611ec9fc67db93704f496.cf.jpg This is the other episode that feels the most like Star Wars. No complaints here because this is where we really start getting into the good stuff. Unlike The Elder this episode is exciting. Almost all of the episodes do a tremendous job of drawing us into their worlds despite a very short runtime and The Ninth Jedi is no exception investing viewers into a thrilling tale of Jedi on the losing side of their eternal war with the Sith forcing a sabsersmith to distribute his creations in secret. The sabers that change color based on the users affinity to the force made for a jawdropping twist and the use of a purple lightsaberhttps://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/FormVII/Legends shows how much the staff cares about the Star Wars universe. The crew behind The Ninth Jedi has apparently expressed a desire to continue their story and Id really like to see it happen. Fingers crossed 5 Science SARUshttps://anilist.co/studio/6145/ScienceSARU T0B1 520https://cdn.voxcdn.com/thumbor/hWbgunRK1QxjXPEBqwnOG9EXbZ8=/0x0:2852x1197/1200x0/filters:focal0x0:2852x1197:noupscale/cdn.voxcdn.com/uploads/chorusasset/file/22879267/tobimitakastarwarsvisions.jpg Part Astro Boy part Star Wars all adorable. Its hard not to love an episode featuring a droid who dreams about being a Jedi. Its a very sweet episode and is poignant for Star Wars fans due to the fact that incannon droids arent forcesensitive and thus cant be Jedi. Beyond the lore its very hard not to love this when T0B1 looks so adorable. Hes not just the famed Tezuka character in role but in aesthetics T0B1 looks like a modern take on the 1960s classic. The cuteness might be easier to swallow for viewers here than in Tatooine Rhapsody as it doesnt step on the toes of canon too much. 4 Science SARUs Akakiri 520https://lumierea.akamaihd.net/v1/images/akakiriivisionstriviainset036e803cea.jpeg?region=02C02C12802C720 Now were in favorite episodes territory. Its really hard to rank the episodes here because theyre all excellent in different ways. What Akakiri brings to the table are my favorite character designs of the anthology. Theyre cartoony and soft for lack of a better word yet they dont feel kiddy. Maybe its because theyre part of the darkest episode of the bunch with the main character making a Deal With the Devil in order to save the one they love. Its a great nod to the series ethos and as Visions last episode its a hell of a note to end on. The darkness is also carried through thanks to the aesthetics with a somber color palette. Combined with the traditional Japaneseinspired warlordcontrolledlocale it reminded me a lot of Calodanhttps://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Calodanfrom The Mandalorian. The finale of the episode is swathed in a sinister absolutely gorgeous sithred. The only thing Akakiri fumbles is its backstory. The Visions vignettes do a pretty good job of working within the format of their short runtimes. Akakiri works well for the most part but at 14 minutes its tied with Tatooine Rhapsody as the shortest episode and given how much the main characters history with one another plays into the ending it would have been more impactful if we got to explore this history a bit more. 3 Kinema Citrushttps://anilist.co/studio/290/KinemaCitrus The Village Bride 520https://starwarsblog.starwars.com/wpcontent/uploads/2021/09/visionsrevisitedthevillagebridehighlightsTALL.jpg With its bright colors and lush setting The Village Bride is the most beautiful episode of Visions. Sure the aesthetics of Akakiri or The Duel might be cooler and grittier they might do a better job of taking your breath away but the visuals of The Village Bride are more consistent and pleasant. You wont find establishing shots more beautiful anywhere else in the anthology. The Village Bride tells a very compelling story of a traditional village doing its best to survive oppression. All the while we have a wandering padawan that must figure out what it means to be a Jedi. Were also treated to a breathtaking final action sequence. There might not be as much spectacle as The Twins but it really goes to show that sometimes less is more. If Akakiris bleak ending wasnt for you The Village Bride might be more up your alley. Its perhaps the only entry thats uplifting while still feeling grounded never at risk of dipping into saccharine territory. 2 Geno Studioshttps://anilist.co/studio/6142/GenoStudio Lop and Och 520https://starwarstime.net/wpcontent/uploads/2021/09/starwarsvisionsat10.59.47AM.jpeg And here we have The Twins but better. Jokes aside it really goes a long way to show the breakdown of a relationship between two people who once saw eyetoeye instead of just being told they were close before proceeding to show them clashing blades. Im in awe that Lop and Och managed to not only pull off a time skip with only 21 minutes to its name but pulled it off excellently making Ochs betrayal all the more heartbreaking. The episodes environmentalist antiimperialist message feels right at home in the Star Wars universe and really helped me care about the conflict. Its parts heartwarming parts heartbreaking and parts jawdropping. In Lop and Och we have the most compelling characters in the entire anthology and thanks to the cliffhanger ending I really really hope the story is continued in some fashion. I also really liked Lops design. Its nice to have a Star Wars protagonist thats not human. Thats the only reason I swear. What do you mean thats suspicious? Why the hell are you looking at me like that? Moving right along 1 Studio Coloridos https://anilist.co/studio/4419/StudioColoridoTatooine Rhapsody 520https://decider.com/wpcontent/uploads/2021/09/starwarsvisionsband.jpg?quality=80strip=allw=1200 While I really love Lop and Och I ultimately had to give it to Tatooine Rhapsody. My experience with Tatooine Rhapsody is essentially the inverse of The Twins. When I was watching it I didnt expect to enjoy something that was so silly so lighthearted in a serious setting but it was hard to dislike it by the end. I couldnt stay stonefaced in the face of such a feelgood episode. On paper Tatooine Rhapsody would be far too silly for its own good but in execution it hits all the right notes. The reason it does so is because it has a lot of heart. It has a real genuineness to it that helps me swallow some of the more outlandish elements. It draws me into the episode. The Power of Friendshiphttps://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThePowerOfFriendship is an anime trope that can be tiring for me but Tatooine Rhapsody has so much charm that it really hits hard here. This is definitely a story that feels more like an anime than something that would happen in Star Wars yet the message of the show feels right at home in the galaxy far far away. The ragtag band of misfits captured my heart which is very impressive given the runtime. It certainly helps that Im a sucker for nonstandard OST and Tatooine Rhapsody gives that in spade with its rock songs. Tatooine Rhapsodys tone makes it polarizing. Jabba and Bib Fortuna are ruthless gangsters and Boba Fett is a coldhearted mercenary. Jabba probably wouldnt be acquiesced by the prospect of sponsoring a rock band or maybe he is Im not sure how much money people launder through the music industry. The three of them probably wouldnt bob their heads nor tap their feet or tail to the beat of the song. It all boils down to your reaction towards this do you find this really cute or really stupid? And there you have it folks. While I was able to rank all the episodes it became harder and harder to do so as I climbed up the list. The bottom line is that these are some really great episodes. While some might hem and haw this is Star Wars and it is anime and a damn good example of both. I think its an example of just how much anime has made it that even as Ghibli exits stage left at the house of mouse a whole score of studios were invited to work on one of the companys most cherished properties. Visions shows just how amazing both anime and Star Wars can be and I hope it can serve as a gateway for both. 200https://i.ur.com/xkgl8UN.png 520https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmgprod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/starwarsvisionsposterenglish1632138998.jpg?crop=1xw:0.675xhcentertopresize=480:
82 /100
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