Takashi Okazaki is next up in a new anthology series featuring a different creator on every issue. A visual feast sort of series–just see Peach Momoko’s–Okazaki doesn’t disappoint. This week’s tale is a prequel to the Kamikaze Douga short “The Duel” in Volume I of Star Wars: Visions featuring a samurai-looking Sith slayer known as The Ronin.
There’s a lot to love about this issue, starting with the very first page, which is a nice callback to A New Hope, where we see two droids wandering in the desert. They’re clearly a riff off of C-3PO and R2-D2, right down to the C-3PO robot never shutting up. They add a nice wandering journey vibe before the story moves on to the Ronin Sith slayer, who seeks a duel with a great master. They quickly fight, and it’s quite clear the master is at least a match for The Ronin, if not his better. Just as we see The Ronin at a disadvantage, the story flashes back, detailing how this great Sith lived.
In the flashback, we see that he wasn’t pure evil by any means. He lived in a society, cared for his droid, and was generally peaceful. Okazaki draws plenty of familiar aliens in these scenes and some joyous moments. The liveliness of these scenes reminds us of the vibrancy of the Star Wars universe. Juxtaposed with a Star Destroyer crashed in the bay near this village, one can see the universe’s good and bad.
He moves the lightsaber so fast it’s like a whip!
Credit: Marvel
Overall, the story is a bit simple, but the deeper meaning has a nice sentimental nature. While The Ronin must fight the old man, we also see the old man cares for the droid and may even choose to lose thanks to where he ends up.
The art is gorgeous, rendered mostly in black and white in great detail. The only colors are red for the lightsabers and blue for the droids nobs. The color choices seem symbolic of the story, as the blades are cruel and dangerous while the droid is good-natured and peaceful. In the final moments of the lightsaber battle, Okazaki slows things way down, showing the fast movement of The Ronin over four panels, lining a double-page panel of the killing blow. It adds a lot of dramatic effect to the moment. If you enjoyed the animated short, you’ll adore how Okazaki draws the entire tale here. My only gripe with the art is the hair on the enemy, which may be dreadlocks. It’s hard to tell and looks like horns at times.
Star Wars Visions Takashi Okazaki is a simple story with a heartwarming center. Okazaki draws you into the vast and vibrant world of Star Wars with a great duel at its core. Once finished, readers will find a touching tale of a Sith and a droid’s bond.
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