“Star Wars” is the most well-known space opera series that science fiction and fantasy fans can think of. With its vast universe, lovable characters and unique concept, it is no surprise that Lucasfilm, the creator of the series, has created such an escape from the realities of life.
When Lucasfilm moved many of the “Star Wars” works onto the streaming service Disney+, the animation department of Lucasfilm announced that they would be creating an anime-inspired television series entitled “Star Wars: Visions.” The idea of the series was to have seven anime studios take one short film and make it their own. The entire first season dropped on Disney+ on Sept. 22, 2021.
The first season is nine short films long and each short film lasts approximately 13 to 22 minutes. Each short film has a Japanese-style feel to them, and each has a different story that is loosely tied into the canonical timeline of “Star Wars.” The main theme is all about the Jedi Order combating the Sith Order with epic lightsaber duels and epic results.
Personally, I was not into “Star Wars: Visions.” I had so many problems with this show, because there were just some inconsistencies with each little short film that many of these anime studios created. One big issue I had with “Star Wars: Visions” was that there were too many anime studios involved in the making of the show. If there was only one anime studio in charge of all nine short films, I would have been very content with the final product. But with different anime studios involved, there was a mixture of styles going on in the show that really made it so convoluted for me to watch.
Another problem I had while watching it is that the show is not canonically related to the original source material. I understand that these anime studios want to tell their own original story that is related to the “Star Wars” universe, but I expected there to be some sort of tie-in with original “Star Wars” characters. The only one I saw was Jabba the Hutt in the series’ second short film “Tatooine Rhapsody.” I did not see any other canon characters in the rest of the series, so I felt a little defeated when it came to wanting to see lovable characters. If anybody is going to make any version of an original work, they should at least attempt to make an effort and add some of the characters from the original source material.
Besides all the negative aspects, I will say that there were some parts of the show that I at least enjoyed. One of these is that these short films were very creative in the story. I especially liked the third short film “The Twins.” It brought up the idea of sorcery creating humans who could bring evil to the galaxy in the “Star Wars” universe. It was a little ambiguous with what was going on, but that is the beauty of the show. It leaves you asking for more when you have no idea what was going on.
Overall, I do not think this show is worthy of the “Star Wars” name, though. It had a lot of inconsistencies that needed some polishing. If anyone wants to watch the show, I won’t stop you. But be forewarned: The show will leave you asking for more than what you were given.
Title: “Star Wars: Visions”
Streaming On: Disney+
Starring: Brian Tee, Lucy Liu, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
If you like: “Star Wars”
Shamrocks: 2.5 out of 5
