Her weapon, like the episode’s other signs of intruding technology, is rendered in discordant, eye-catching color. This time, though, the bandits are accompanied by a stiletto-wearing Sith, who wields whirling red blades in a blurry umbrella that allows her to float from the rooftops like a Mary Poppins of pain. The town, it seems, has hired guards for protection, giving “The Duel” the ingredients of a Seven Samurai homage along the lines of existing episodes of The Clone Wars and The Mandalorian. (Jidaigeki, the Japanese term for period dramas, likely gave the Jedi their name.) The setup is traditional too: A group of ex-Imperial bandits are menacing a small town.

“The Duel” employs a largely black-and-white look complete with the artifacts and flickers of projected film, an aesthetic that situates it within the chanbara and jidaigeki traditions. Visions gets off to a striking start with “The Duel,” the lone contribution by Kamikaze Douga, a studio that specializes in blending a hand-drawn, old-school style with computer-generated imagery. By design, it differs from a standard Star Wars release, and the less one expects it to scratch the same itch as the movies or Mando, the more rewarding it is. Visions invites an illustrious slate of Japanese animators to play in Disney’s Star Wars sandbox, which was inspired by Japanese storytelling and art, from Akira Kurosawa to Lone Wolf and Cub. Visions, a Lucasfilm-produced set of shorts written and directed by Japanese animation studios, represents a kind of cultural exchange: It’s an Eastern take on a Western work, just as Star Wars was (and is) a Western spin on Eastern concepts. These are a few of the fresh sights that grace Star Wars: Visions, the anime anthology series that appeared in its entirety on Disney+ on Wednesday.

An astromech droid that dons a straw hat, and a creaky pilot droid that takes a break from work, boils oil as if it were tea, and lets out a sigh as it sips the scalding liquid through a circular hole in its head.

A Sith warrior who wears high heels to a lightsaber battle. A Hutt with hair, who plays bass in a rock band.

Star wars star destroyer images