TV Review: The Ronin Returns In "Star Wars: Visions" Volume 3, Episode 1 - "The Duel: Payback"
Today saw the release of Volume 3 of Lucasfilm’s animated anthology series Star Wars: Visions, and below are my thoughts on the first installment from this third batch of short films, entitled “The Duel: Payback” from Kamikaze Douga and ANIMA.
“The Duel” (which was created solely by Kamikaze Douga) was one of the more memorable entries from the first volume of Star Wars: Visions, and not just because it kicked off the entire concept as the first animated short in the series. With an extremely unique and eye-catching visual style, “The Duel” introduced the character known only as the Ronin– a former Sith who now hunts down other Siths, killing them and collecting the Kyber crystals from their lightsaber blades– who went on to have a full-length novel and two one-shot comic book releases expanding upon his story. And now the Ronin (voiced by Brian Tee in the English dub), along with his faithful droid B5-56, are back in “The Duel: Payback,” which also resurrects that mostly black-and-white (with some splashes of color) visual flair for a new adventure. This time, the Ronin must form an uneasy alliance with a female Twi’lek Sith named Aneé-san (Suzy Nakamura) so they can both go up against a former Jedi referred to as the Grand Master (Will Sharpe).
I think I have a pretty good understanding of why Lucasfilm has chosen to launch Volumes 1 and 3 with episodes of “The Duel”-- it really captures the spirit of the franchise, combining white-knuckle action with humor and pathos in a way that evoked the best moment of the live-action Star Wars movies. There’s a sequence here where B5-56 accidentally activates an AT-AT walker while the Ronin is dueling an enemy atop of it, and eventually the thing tumbles upside-down and the duelists are forced to fight on the underside of its feet. To me that really encapsulates the inventiveness that I love about both Star Wars as a whole and Star Wars: Visions as a spinoff. I also have really enjoyed seeing Kamikaze Douga (and now ANIMA alongside them) dig into the well of alien species from George Lucas’s universe, and in this one they actually throw a tribe of Ewoks into the mix in a key role, which I really got a kick out of. I’m very glad “The Duel” was chosen as one of the sequel entries in Visions Volume 3, and I would love to see the Ronin’s quest continue even further in whatever form Lucasfilm deems appropriate.
Star Wars: Visions Volume 3 is now streaming in its entirety, exclusively via Disney+.