Star Wars Visions Anime Production Companies: What You Need to Know

At the Anime Expo 2021 held on July 3rd, Lucasfilm clued us into what to expect from their new anime series Star Wars: Visions. We’ve learned that seven Japanese anime production companies will realize their vision of Star Wars through the lens of anime in nine short films. Not only that, but we also learned a little more about each team’s artists and producers. And who some of the musical composers are. For the breakdown of that announcement, go here.

I have compiled a list of anime films and series that each company has on their resume. I definitely will be checking some of these out, and I hope you do as well. Okay, let’s get to it.

Kamikaze Douga

• Batman Ninja: Batman, along with a number of his allies and adversaries, finds himself transplanted from modern Gotham City to feudal Japan.
• JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: The story of the Joestar family, who are possessed with intense psychic strength, and the adventures each member encounters throughout their lives.
• Doraemon The Movie: Nobita’s New Dinosaur: Nobita accidentally found a fossil dinosaur egg mixed with rocks in the dinosaur fossil exhibition site that he had visited before. He returned it to its original state with the “Time blanket”. The egg hatches a new species of dinosaur that is not named in the Cosmic Encyclopedia and names them Kyu and Myu. Although they want to take care of them secretly, there are dinosaurs in the city still discovered by residents. Nobita and his friends were forced to bring them back 66 million years to the Cretaceous period.

Geno Studios

• Golden Kamuy: In the early 20th century in Hokkaido, Japan, a treasure hunt between various parties takes place for a hidden stash of gold. Golden Kamuy takes place in the aftermath of the Russo-Japanese War, primarily in Hokkaido and the surrounding regions, detailing the era’s real-life political, technological, and cultural developments.
• Kokkoku: Moment by Moment: Juri Yukawa’s dreams of moving out of his parent’s home are dashed after failing 19 job interviews in one day. Stuck living with her working mother Nobuko, her brother Tsubasa, laid-off father Takafumi, and single-parent sister Sanae, the only hope for this family to raise a decent adult is her little cousin Makoto. However, this struggling family’s life takes a turn for the worse when Makoto and Tsubasa are violently kidnapped by a mysterious organization and held for ransom. With only 30 minutes to deliver five million yen to the criminals, Juri’s grandfather reveals a dangerously powerful secret to her and Takafumi.
• Pet: In ancient China, martial artists had developed a psychoactive technique that allows its users to enter the subconsciousness of the human mind by manipulating their enemies’ memories via their “Peak,” where their most treasured memories are visible and their “Valley,” where their most negative memories are suppressed. Later during the 21st century, an organization called “The Company” is tasked with retrieving and securing the descendants of said martial artists by turning them into “Pets,” mindless hitmen against various targets who might pose a threat. Tsukasa and Hiroki, a master/pet duo who goes by the name Tsubushiya follow orders from the company as they slowly begin uncovering its secrets and a plot involving colleague Satoru and his former foster father, Hayashi.

Studio Colorido

• A Whisker Away: Miyo Sasaki is in love with her classmate Kento Hinode and repeatedly tries to get Kento’s attention by transforming into a cat, but at some point, the boundary between herself and the cat becomes ambiguous.
• Typhoon Noruda: The film takes place on a particular isolated island, at a specific middle school, and on the eve of the culture festival. A boy quits baseball after playing his whole life and fights with his best friend. Then, they suddenly meet a mysterious, red-eyed girl named Noruda, and a massive typhoon hits the middle school.

Studio Trigger

Little Witch Academia: Akko Kagari is an ordinary girl who joins the renowned witch academy for witch girls, Luna Nova Academy. When she was younger, she went to Magical Festa, a magic show hosted by a witch named Shiny Chariot. Akko was so mesmerized and inspired by Shiny Chariot’s performance that she dreamed of being a “cool” witch like her someday.

Kill la Kill: A young girl arrives at a school of superhumans to find out the truth behind her father’s murder.

Decorated Japanese anime composer Michiru Oshima, composer, was tapped to compose music for The Twins & The Elder. She has worked on countless projects from anime, films, television series, and video games, so definitely check out some of her work.

Kinema Citrus

• Made in Abyss: A girl and her robot companion search for her mother, who’s lost within a vast chasm.
• Tower of God: Centers around a boy named Twenty-Fifth Bam. It is notable that in Korea, ‘Bam’ can mean ‘Night’ or ‘Chestnut.’ He has spent most of his life trapped beneath a vast and mysterious tower, with only his close friend, Rachel, to keep him company. When Rachel enters the tower, Bam is devastated. Somehow, Bam manages to open the door to the tower. Now, he will go any distance to see Rachel again, even if it means dying. When he enters the tower, he meets allies that will help him up the tower.

Australian anime composer Kevin Penkin was tapped to compose the music for The Village Bride. Check out his work on Eden.

Science Saru

• Night is Short, Walk on Girl: In this comedy about one epic night in Kyoto, a college sophomore goes on a series of surreal encounters with the local nightlife, all the while unaware of the romantic longings of her classmate Senpai.

T0-B1, one of the shorts in Star Wars: Visions produced by Science Saru, will pay homage to the classic art style of Osamu Tezuka, famous for his work on Astro Boy. Tezuka was an innovative manga creator, director, and artist who helped define the look of Japanese animation. He is known as the father of manga. Manga is the Japanese version of a comic book, while Anime is the animated equivalent.

Production I.G

• Ghost in the Shell: A Japanese cyberpunk media franchise based on the seinen manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow.

Composers Nobuko Toda and Kazuma Jinnouchi both worked on the Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Original Soundtrack.

Freedom to Tell Stories

So much unique content to discover! That should hold us over until September 22, 2021, when Star Wars: Visions debuts on Disney +. I appreciate Lucasfilm exploring new ways of telling stories without canon restricting great storytelling. Hopefully, this will lead to more freedom in that respect. Before I sign off I just have one request for Lucasfilm and Marvel; if Star Wars: Visions is ever put in manga format, please have Peach Momoko involved in some way. Please and thank you!

A Little About Me

My name is Eric Onkenhout, I live in Massachusetts, and Star Wars is my jam and has been since I was 6 or 7. Besides Star Wars, I also enjoy Marvel and Game of Thrones. I love to write, whether it’s fiction, reviews, or journalistic articles. I also enjoy long walks on the beach!
As far as movies, books, comic books, or tv shows, I tend to gravitate towards good writing regardless of the genre. I have a Bachelor’s degree in English-Creative Writing; I like sports like hockey, football, and soccer.