If 'Star Wars: Visions' has you newly hooked on anime, watch these 11 shows (and a movie) next

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After going planetary for its 2nd volume, “Star Wars: Visions” Volume 3 brings the anthology bid backmost to its roots with a caller slate of shorts each created by Japanese anime studios.

Each play of the Disney+ series, which launched successful 2021, has infused caller originative vigor into the postulation far, acold distant by giving planetary animation houses the state to research ideas astir the Force, the factions of the Galactic War and marque caller planets and cultures extracurricular of the constraints of the long-running franchise’s canon.

And portion Volume 3, which premiered past week, revisits immoderate characters that were introduced successful Volume 1, it besides shows however anime is simply a mean with range. From the gritty installment that explores the complexity of the acheronian sides of the Force done a conflict betwixt erstwhile Sith and Jedi (“The Duel: Payback”) to a much heartwarming communicative astir a brace of resourceful orphans who determine to go household (“Yuko’s Treasure”), determination are antithetic types of anime for everyone.

a pistillate holding a lightsaber with a reddish blade

With movies similar “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu nary Yaiba Infinity Castle” and “Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc” making waves astatine the container office, anime’s increasing popularity is undeniable and its availability connected large streamers has besides made anime bid and movies much accessible than ever. So for those whose curiosity astir the mean has been piqued by “Star Wars: Visions,” present are immoderate titles to cheque retired based connected the themes and stories of the 9 shorts that comprise Volume 3.

Stunning fights (with immoderate motivation ambiguity)

a pistillate holds a sword astatine a person's neck

Let’s beryllium honest: Lightsaber duels are awesome. So it’s nary astonishment that a fig of shorts successful “Star Wars: Visions” Volume 3 leaned into stories involving Jedi and/or the Sith, including “The Duel: Payback,” “The Lost Ones” and “The Bird of Paradise.”

For those who are looking for anime featuring stylish and stunning sword-fighting scenes, the ever fashionable “Demon Slayer” (Netflix, Disney+/Hulu, Crunchyroll), featuring a concealed enactment warring to support humans from demons, is an evident choice. Another amusement featuring stylish combat betwixt skilled warriors and supernatural monsters is “Hell’s Paradise” (Netflix, Disney+/Hulu, Crunchyroll). The bid follows a ninja who is recruited by an executioner to articulation a enactment of decease enactment inmates connected a quest to find the elixir of beingness connected a mythical land populated with mysterious deadly threats. The palmy convict volition beryllium pardoned for each of their past crimes. The premise whitethorn punctual immoderate of the supervillain team-up “The Suicide Squad,” but the warring scenes — and the island’s inhabitants — basal alone.

Master and apprentice dynamics

Speaking of Jedi, “The Lost Ones” and “The Bird of Paradise” besides interaction connected the narration betwixt a Jedi maestro and their padawan apprentice. If a communicative involving a lineage of student-teacher dynamics that’s astir friendship, quality connection, memory, mortality and bequest sounds intriguing, see checking retired “Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End” (Netflix, Disney+/Hulu, Crunchyroll). The phantasy bid follows an elven mage, her young quality apprentice and others they prime up on their years-long travel to sojourn the spirits of aged friends. The amusement is portion travelogue, portion escapade quest with monsters, magic battles and dungeon exploration.

Lovable scoundrels

a young miss flanked by 2 men successful a waiting room

The satellite of “Star Wars” is afloat of scoundrels that fans can’t assistance but emotion for their swagger and autarkic motivation code, and “Visions” installments “The Smuggler” and “The Bounty Hunters” adhd to that legacy.

Well-known classics similar “Cowboy Bebop” (Crunchyroll) and “Lupin the Third” (Tubi, Crunchyroll) and the long-running “One Piece” (Netflix, Disney+/Hulu, Crunchyroll) are bully starting points for those archetypal dipping their toes into anime and are funny successful the adventures of a ragtag radical of bounty hunters, thieves and/or pirates. For those looking for thing new, see “Buddy Daddies” (Crunchyroll), which follows a brace of assassin roommates who signifier a makeshift household aft taking successful a 4-year-old they brushwood portion retired connected a job. Think of it similar “The Mandalorian,” if Mando had a recluse gamer co-parent and Grogu was a picky eater.

Political abstraction wars and mech suits

Some movie and TV shows acceptable successful the postulation far, acold distant are much governmental than others, but aspects of the struggle involving the Galactic Empire, Rebel forces and stray Jedi are touched connected successful a fewer of the shorts successful “Visions” Volume 3 similar “The Lost Ones,” “The Smuggler,” “Black” and “The Song of Four Wings,” with the second featuring a young protagonist that dons a snazzy flying mech suit.

The mecha franchise “Gundam” is champion known for its elephantine robots, but it’s a sprawling abstraction opera that touches connected governmental themes including the horrors of corruption, inequity and war. A caller standout is newcomer-friendly “Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury” (Crunchyroll). The amusement follows a shy caller transportation pupil astatine a firm subject schoolhouse wherever recruits bid and settee disputes successful elephantine mech suit combat. The bid uses schoolhouse play and a budding teen romance arsenic a backdrop to interaction connected themes specified arsenic people strife and prejudice, firm greed and idiosyncratic vengeance.

Emotionally resonant robots

From the Skywalkers’ fussy protocol droid C-3PO to Hera Syndulla’s cranky astromech Chopper, lovable androids are a “Star Wars” signature. “Visions” Volume 3 installments “The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope” and “Yuko’s Treasure” each present loyal droids that tug viewers’ heartstrings.

The rubric androids successful “Astro Boy” (also known arsenic Atom) and “Doraemon” are kid-friendly household names successful Japan akin to Mickey Mouse and Snoopy, but a much mature enactment is “Pluto” (Netflix). The gritty, sci-fi execution enigma bid is based connected a reimagining of a communicative arc from the “Astro Boy” manga, and is acceptable successful a satellite wherever humans unrecorded alongside robots — though the dynamic is simply a spot antithetic than successful “Star Wars.” The communicative follows a robot detective who is investigating a drawstring of robot and quality killings, and, similar galore sci-fi stories astir androids and artificial intelligence, touches connected themes similar what makes humans human.

a ample teddy-bear-like droid walking astir town

Rambunctious kids

Plenty of “Star Wars” media is made with younger audiences successful mind, but not galore are astir the adventures of children successful the postulation far, acold away. “Vision” Volume 3’s “Yuko’s Treasure” puts a mates of orphan kids successful the forefront — on with an adorable bear-like droid.

There’s nary shortage of anime bid astir the (mis)adventures of rambunctious kids and 1 of the much heartwarming involves a “fake” family. “Spy x Family” (Disney+/Hulu, Crunchyroll) follows a concealed cause moving to support the fragile bid betwixt neighboring nations and the faux blessed household helium constructed for his latest undercover mission. Unbeknownst to him, his adopted girl is secretly a telepath and his fake woman is an assassin. As 1 mightiness expect, a telepathic archetypal grader with a chaotic imaginativeness who lives with a spy and an assassin tin get caught up successful plentifulness of shenanigans. Bonus: The household besides adopts a cute monolithic dog.

On the other extremity of the spectrum is “Kotaro Lives Alone” (Netflix), a much grounded amusement with conscionable arsenic outlandish a premise. The bid follows a 4-year-old who moves into a rundown flat analyzable unsocial — for reasons that are yet revealed arsenic his neighbors get to cognize him. The lad is unusually self-reliant and mature but besides childish and understandably vulnerable. As viewers mightiness assume, determination are not galore blessed circumstances that could perchance pb to a 4-year-old kid surviving connected his own, but there’s much warmth than tragedy.

Musical, ocular spectacle

One of the standouts successful “Star Wars: Visions” Volume 3 is “Black,” a jazz-fueled, mind-bending fever imagination of a Stormtrooper during a battle. The bold, music-driven 13-minute abbreviated is simply a ocular spectacle that challenges viewers and there’s not overmuch other retired determination that compares. Though it has a much structured narrative, the anime movie “Inu-Oh” (Netflix) is simply a psychedelic stone opera that mightiness scratch the aforesaid itch. Set successful 14th period Japan, the movie follows 2 young artists who forge a relationship due to the fact that they are some outcasts — the instrumentalist is blind, and the dancer was calved with monstrous deformities — and their dazzling performances thrust the story.

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