When Star Wars: Visions was first released in 2021, it offered viewers a fresh take on the Star Wars universe through a new set of eyes. Even though Star Wars has been inspired by Japanese culture and media for decades, it was one of the first times creative rights were handed overseas. With the anime take now complete, it only makes sense then that Star Wars: Visions would also make its way to the other popular Japanese medium.
Star Wars Visions: The Manga Anthology adapts four episodes: “The Elder,” “Lop & Ochō,” “The Ninth Jedi,” and “The Twins.” Seeing these beloved episodes in manga form helps to breathe new life into the work. But with manga being black and white, it also means that some of the colorful impact gets lost in translation.
In this manga anthology, the stories have remained the same from the original anime versions. Therefore, I won’t summarize or comment on the individual stories all that much, unless absolutely pertinent.
Starting with “The Elder,” I think this episode benefits from the manga treatment. With the story being told in black and white, it helps to further emphasize the Kurosawa-like elements, such as the quick strikes and the quiet solitude of the farm environments.
After “The Elder” is the adaptation of the episode “Lop & Ochō.” This episode was my favorite out of the eight original episodes. The original episode, “Lop & Ochō” contained some beautiful light and color moments that made the episode pop. While I do think some of these scenes work better and are more beautiful in the anime, the manga does do the episode justice. What I appreciated most about the manga adaptation is how clean and fluid the art is, capturing all the key-frames of every action sequence so the reader can follow along easily.
“The Ninth Jedi” is the next episode afterward. With this episode, I wondered how the artists would adapt it considering there is an important moment in the story where the characters reveal their lightsaber colors. Would this moment still be in black and white or in color? Unfortunately, the scene in question is still in black and white, and the scene in question loses any of the impact or surprise contained in the original. I think this is an episode that does lose much of its effect in this adapted format.
Lastly, there’s “The Twins.” In the anime, this episode is a frenetic and high-octane episode with over-the-top action and crazy duels. Again, while the manga version does lose the gorgeous pastel colors of the original, I think this adaptation makes up for it with stunning panel work and great ink-work.
For those who are big fans of Star Wars: Visions — like myself — this manga anthology is a fun way to revisit the series via a new medium. It’s also a great study on how different mediums utilize different elements, formats, and techniques to convey the same messages, meaning, and impact. Even though the vibrant colors of the original series aren’t present, the black and white inking and penciling are striking enough to warrant a second pass.
Score: 8/10
Born and raised in Hawaii, Jay Goodearl runs the YouTube Gaming channel “Good Games, Dude” His channel aims to open up video games to beginners and immediate players and help them understand what makes games the art form that it is.
