A Galaxy Far, Far Away, With a Japanese Twist: Exploring the Enthralling World of Star Wars: Visions
Star Wars creator George Lucas has never hidden his admiration for the legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. In the early 1970s, while developing the first Star Wars film, Lucas found inspiration in Kurosawa’s 1958 Edo-era period drama, "The Hidden Fortress". The film’s focus on the perspective of two lowly peasants, the lowest characters in the narrative, mirrored Lucas’ decision to tell the story of Star Wars through the lens of two droids, again, the lowest characters in the Star Wars universe. Furthermore, the Jedi Knights in Star Wars, with their lightsaber wielding prowess, draw a clear parallel to the Ronin, masterless samurai who were a central figure in many of Kurosawa’s films. It’s fitting then, that Star Wars: Visions, premiering on Disney+ and Disney+ Hotstar, marks a return to the source of Lucas’ inspiration.
This new anthology anime series, Star Wars: Visions, hands the reins to the galaxy far, far away to seven talented Japanese animation studios. Nearly all of the nine short films (all of which I’ve watched) explore the dynamics between the Jedi and Sith, culminating in lightsaber duels as their central climax. While the Jedi-Sith narrative becomes somewhat repetitive, given the short runtime of most episodes (averaging 13-18 minutes), leaving little room for deviation before the inevitable showdown, a couple of films stand out from the pack. These films, one rendered entirely in black and white, and another delving into psychological turmoil, manage to distinguish themselves, largely through their powerful soundtracks. The latter utilizes the Tabla, an Indian percussion instrument that I wasn’t expecting and genuinely delighted in, while the former blends western instruments with traditional Japanese instruments like the Tsuzumi hand-drum, Nagado temple drum, Myohachi Buddhist cymbal, Biwa short-necked lute, and Nohkan bamboo flute.
This fresh and utterly new approach to the Star Wars universe is exactly what Star Wars: Visions needed to be. This is also the reason why the lone non-Jedi tale works so brilliantly, even though it features existing Star Wars characters. This episode, unlike anything previously seen in the galaxy, evokes joy and a sense of happiness, feeling more like Ted Lasso than Star Wars emotionally.
What truly sets these films apart is their use of Japanese dialogue, which I found much more fitting than the English dub in many ways. However, it wasn’t always possible to watch with the original audio, as Disney’s preview site for critics didn’t offer English subtitles for every short. Thankfully, viewers on Disney+ and Disney+ Hotstar will not have this issue.
A Musical Journey: "Tatooine Rhapsody"
The most outlandish of the bunch is Star Wars: Visions episode 1, "Tatooine Rhapsody" (from Studio Colorido, directed by Taku Kimura). This episode follows Jay, a lead singer (voiced by Hiroyuki Yoshino/Joseph Gordon-Levitt), whose band is on the verge of collapse after Jabba the Hutt enlists Boba Fett (Akio Kaneda/Temuera Morrison) to apprehend Geezer, a Huttese band member (Kousuke Goto/ Bobby Moynihan). Described as a Star Wars rock opera, “Tatooine Rhapsody” lives up to its billing. It reinforces the notion that music is a universal language capable of captivating hearts across the galaxy. It also expands the Star Wars universe in ways that the films never could.
Jedi Tales: The Duel and Akakiri
Star Wars: Visions episode 2, "The Duel" (from Kamikaze Douga, directed by Takanobu Mizuno) and episode 8, "Akakiri" (from Science Saru, directed by Eunyoung Choi), are the highlights among the Jedi-centric tales. The monochromatic "The Duel" depicts a clash between a Ronin (Masaki Terasoma/ Brian Tee) and a female Sith Dark Lord (Akeno Watanabe/ Lucy Liu) in a village. The fight is animated at a lower frame rate, adding to the film’s unique aesthetic. Notably, "The Duel" is the episode incorporating the blend of Japanese and Western instrumentation in its score.
"Akakiri", meanwhile, follows a Jedi (Yu Miyazaki/ Henry Golding) plagued by visions who makes a deal with the devil to save a loved one (Lynn/ Jamie Chung). The film’s eerie and haunting mood is enhanced by the masterful tabla score from U-zhaan. U-zhaan is a renowned Tabla player who has learned from two of India’s greatest Tabla masters, Zakir Hussain and Anindo Chatterjee, and his expertise is evident in the soundtrack.
A Glimpse of Other Tales
While the remaining six Star Wars: Visions shorts may not reach the same level of brilliance as "The Duel" and "Akakiri," they nonetheless offer compelling moments and intriguing ideas.
Episode 4, "The Village Bride" (from Kinema Citrus, directed by Hitoshi Haga), introduces a wandering masked Jedi (Asami Seto/ Karen Fukuhara) who visits a village under the oppressive rule of the Separatists. The episode explores themes of harmony with nature, but could have benefited from deeper development. The masked Jedi’s powered boots are a cool design element worth noting.
Episode 9, "The Ninth Jedi" (from Production IG, written and directed by Kenji Kamiyama), centers on the daughter of a lightsaber smith (Chinatsu Akasaki/ Kimiko Glenn) who must aid surviving Jedis in a time when the Jedi Order and lightsabers have been lost. But, "The Ninth Jedi" feels rushed and underutilizes the talent of Simu Liu, star of "Shang-Chi", in a minor role.
Episode 3, "The Twins" (from Trigger, directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi), takes a unique spin on the Skywalker origin story by exploring the hypothetical scenario of Force-sensitive twins being raised by the Dark Side. Like Luke and Leia, they have their own versions of R2-D2 (R-DUO) and C-3PO (B-2ON), providing them with support, with one supporting the brother Karre (Junya Enoki/ Neil Patrick Harris) and the other supporting the sister Am (Ryoko Shiraishi/ Alison Brie). Unlike the Skywalkers, however, they possess their own Death Star: two Star Destroyers connected by a massive cannon. "The Twins" features lightsaber action sequences that would be impossible to achieve in live-action. The episode also draws inspiration from Star Wars: The Last Jedi in two key moments and showcases how R-DUO echoes the design of BB-8, while offering its own distinctive flair in Am’s spider-like tentacle lightsaber.
Episode 7, "Lop & Ochō" (from Geno Studio, directed by Yuki Igarashi), focuses on a bunny-eared orphan named Lop (Seiran Kobayashi/ Anna Cathcart) caught between her rebel patriarch foster father, Yasaburo (Tadahisa Fujimura/ Paul Nakauchi), and his Empire-sympathizing daughter, Ochō (Risa Shimizu/ Hiromi Dames). "Lop & Ochō" feels incomplete and leaves the audience hanging. Furthermore, the English dialogue’s tendency towards shouting diminishes the impact of this Star Wars: Visions episode.
Episode 6, "The Elder" (from Trigger, written and directed by Masahiko Otsuka), follows a Jedi (Takaya Hashi/ David Harbour) and his Padawan (Yuichi Nakamura/ Jordan Fisher) as they land on a remote planet in the Outer Rim after sensing a powerful disturbance in the Force. The episode introduces the Padawan as reckless and eager for action, but ultimately fails to develop this storyline, despite setting the stage perfectly. "The Elder" resolves into just a couple of lightsaber duels with nothing substantial to offer.
Lastly, episode 5, "T0-B1" (from Science Saru, directed by Abel Gongora) centers on a cybernetic boy (Masako Nozawa/ Jaden Waldman) who dreams of becoming a Jedi. T0-B1 uncovers a hidden secret from his armless master, Mitaka (Tsutomu Isobe/ Kyle Chandler), and must then prove himself in battle. The duel does offer a couple of unique moments due to the boy’s cybernetic nature, but otherwise, it feels overly straightforward and lacks depth. "T0-B1" attempts to delve into the essential role of a Jedi, but ultimately falls short of exploring this idea fully.
Missed Opportunities: A Common Thread
The common thread running through many of the Star Wars: Visions shorts is that they possess ideas worth exploring, yet fail to delve deeper into those concepts. Whenever Star Wars: Visions takes risks, it truly shines.
I’m thrilled that Lucasfilm conceived of Visions as it has sparked a desire for a full-fledged anime series or even an anime feature film. Maybe this is the larger vision, using these short films as auditions to assess the potential of various studios, to determine their suitability for developing a full-fledged Star Wars anime. I sincerely hope that this project leads to something substantial and doesn’t end up merely as a fleeting experiment.
After all, what better way for Star Wars to broaden its horizons than by returning to its roots and placing trust in the next generation of filmmakers from the very origins of its inspiration? It’s the circle of life, reflected in the journey of George Lucas’ creative path.
Star Wars: Visions is available to watch now on Disney+ and Disney+ Hotstar.
