It is no secret that the roots of Star Wars can be traced to the Japanese culture - George Lucas has been very open about how he drew a lot of inspiration from Akira Kurosawa’s “Hidden Fortress” when writing Episode IV: A New Hope. This is why when Disney announced they would be releasing a Star Wars anime TV show, I was beyond excited - the epic space opera would finally be reunited with its origins.
After weeks of barely sleeping because of midterms, I was finally able to watch the 9 episodes of Visions, and I am here to share my thoughts on this revolutionary project. When I first heard that the episodes would be independent from each other, and not part of the Star Wars canon, I was a bit upset - it felt as if Disney was just taking the sacred task of producing new Star Wars content in a very light manner. However, as more trailers started dropping, I understood what Disney wanted to do: Visions aims to allow Japanese animators to unleash their creativity without constraining them with the main Star Wars timeline… it is an opportunity for both the animators and the audience to witness what Star Wars could potentially be.
The episodes where, effectively, very different from each other. Not only in the animation style, but also in the tone and focus. While I would love to talk in detail about each episode, in this entry, I will just rank the episodes from best to worst (in my opinion). Later this month I will post another entry where I discuss some of my favorite (and least favorite) moments in Visions.
With that being said, this is my ranking:
1. The Village Bride
2. The Elder
3. Lop and Ocho
4. The Ninth Jedi
5. The Twins
6. Akakiri
7. The Duel
8. T0-B1
9. Tatooine Rhapsody
I know, for those who have watched Visions, this ranking might be a bit controversial, but I will elaborate in the future my thought process behind this list. I would also like to add that all episodes were amazing - except Tatooine Rhapsody. So overall, I am very satisfied with the show.
If you disagree, feel free to reach out - Star Wars debates are always welcome!
May the force be with you.
K.B.
Image Source: starwars.com