Disney+ has been a great clean slate for Star Wars so far with shows like The Mandalorian, The Clone Wars season 7, and The Bad Batch, and now the franchise is taking a stylish dive into the anime medium. Given the vibrant, rich universe Star Wars has at its disposal, anime seems like an inevitable and welcome experiment that this streaming platform can bolster.
The studios involved are Production I.G, Trigger, Geno Studio, Kinema Citrus, Kamikaze Douga, Studio Colorido, and Science SARU. Between them, they've worked on some great, more niche productions as well as some big-name hits.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 1-3 Openings (Kamikaze Douga)
Though they didn't animate the episodes of the series itself like David Production, Kamikaze Douga did excellent work animating the CGI openings of Phantom Blood through Stardust Crusaders. While a small part of the anime overall, the studio injected plenty of colorful style and personality into the openings, with Battle Tendency arguably being the best of the bunch.
It matches the tone of the series, as JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has become beloved by fans for over-the-top characters and action. With manga creator Hirihiko Araki taking influence from pop culture through the decades, the series follows the Joestar bloodline throughout centuries--and even different timelines--with JoJo's parts one and three starting and ending on DIO, the unforgettable and fan-favorite egomaniacal villain.
Haikyuu!! (Production I.G)
It's perhaps Production I.G's biggest anime--and among the best sports anime--and Haikyuu!! also presents a welcome departure from the world-ending, "chosen one" shonen series. It follows Shoyo Hinata and Tobio Kageyama competing as high school volleyball players for Karasuno High. Its setting is refreshingly smaller in scope and more personal, as a slice-of-life anime/manga should be.
From the main protagonists to the supporting cast, audiences are easily emotionally invested in many of these characters' growth as people and athletes. And as any good sports anime/manga should, it's easily accessible to newcomers to the sport who are still understanding the fundamentals.
Ghost In The Shell (Production I.G)
The same studio that adapted Haikyuu!! into anime is also responsible for having adapted Ghost in the Shell, an acclaimed manga classic, into an anime movie. Anime was much more niche compared to how it's established itself in the last decade or so, which makes it even more impressive that 1995's Ghost in the Shell is frequently cited as one of the best anime movies, and forced global audiences to sit up and take notice.
The gritty neo-noir cyberpunk setting incites memories of other classics like Ridley Scott's Blade Runner and is filled with great visuals and layered philosophical themes. Like the genre tends to touch on, it explores themes of self-identity as a protagonist in a bleak, incredibly technologically advanced world that's taking individuality away from the character.
Made In Abyss (Kinema Citrus)
Kinema Citrus' adaptation of Made in Abyss is regarded as one of the best anime to release in 2017, and also got one of the best anime movies of 2020. It's a series that's praised for doing an excellent job in capturing the essence of the light-hearted, child-like sense of adventure in a massive world that only gets bigger the more the protagonists explore.
The mysterious Abyss that protagonists Riko and Reg dive into discovering helps expand on the series' worldbuilding, and the character dynamic between the two characters is engrossing to watch. However, it's also good at handling elements of maturity in the story by not holding back on emotional gut-punches the story delivers. The animation and art style are clean and smooth, shining further in intense action sequences.
Golden Kamuy (Geno Studio)
The anime TV series adaptation of the Golden Kamuy manga is another seinen/mature-targeted production. Its premise and genre are centered around historical fiction, taking place in the 20th century after the Russo-Japanese War with the narrative backdrop of treasure hunting. Protagonist Saichi Sugimoto seeks to find a massive stash of gold discovered by Ainu miners. One miner murdered the others and escaped, only to be arrested and tortured in an attempt to get the location.
The survivor had tattooed pieces of the map onto fellow prisoners, promising them a cut of the gold. Convicts with pieces of the map escaped and scattered, leading Sugimoto and a team of recruits to hunt it down. With what's at stake, Golden Kamuy also touches on heavy themes like the grueling struggles of active soldiers and deplorable states that war veterans are left in.
Kill La Kill (Trigger)
Trigger's animation is arguably one of the most recognizable given the looks into Star Wars: Visions that fans have seen before release. The bright, neon coloring and stylized character designs are unmistakable for fans of the studio's work, and Kill la Kill is probably the most synonymous anime production associated with Trigger.
This is specifically for "The Twins" short the studio is animating, which is one of the two they've worked on. Kill la Kill takes the rebellious child anime trope, "fanservice," and makes them into wonderfully high-octane action that's still well-paced. It even takes the "fanservice" trope and manages to make it an essential part of the plot that does well in conveying messages of confidence and expressive freedom.
Promare (Trigger)
Another stylish anime out of Trigger is the 2019 movie Promare. It keeps the artistic approach to character design reminiscent of Kill la Kill and--by extension--"The Twins" short for Visions. Promare wears its colorful and visually dazzling action and overall animation on its sleeve, effectively embracing one of the biggest appeals of the medium.
Likewise, it also embraces the influences that made this anime movie possible, like the acclaimed series Gurren Lagann before it with its character designs and use of the mecha-themed setting. Especially so given its director and writer team--Hiroyuki Imaishi and Kazuki Nakashima--were the same duo from Gurren Lagann.
Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex (Production I.G)
After the classic 1995 movie that started it all, Production I.G was also responsible for having expanded on the franchise into other Ghost in the Shell projects. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex was an anime TV series that aired for two seasons, running from October 2002 to January 2005.
However, instead of a direct sequel or remake of the movie and adapting straight from the manga, Stand Alone Complex actually takes place on a separate timeline, using another version of Motoko Kusanagi as the protagonist. Revisiting beloved works like this is a risky proposition, but this series managed to gain a great critical reception.
Penguin Highway (Studio Colorido)
Studio Colorido's anime adaptation of Penguin Highway traces back to a manga and a Japanese novel before that. It's centered around a young boy who is particularly smart for his age, but still has a ways to go in terms of maturity. The young boy Aoyama develops a crush on a woman working at a dental office before a strange appearance of penguins in the suburbs incites a mystery to be solved.
Aoyama and the woman both try to uncover the phenomena, creating a story that's equal parts engaging sci-fi mystery and coming-of-age story. It's a bit of an under-the-radar anime, but one worth the watch thanks to smooth visuals and tasteful handling of its themes.
Ping Pong The Animation (Science SARU)
While not the first sports series to come to some fans' minds with titans like Haikyuu!!, Hajime no Ippo, and Slam Dunk dominating the genre, Ping Pong the Animation is worth taking note of. Science SARU served as a producing studio for the series, with Tatsunoko Production animating. The story focuses on Makoto Tsukimoto, a boy determined to become the world's best ping pong player, but his friend Yutaka Hoshino, whom he's played alongside nearly every day, doesn't show much ambition to achieve similar heights.
Unlike most anime, the artistic approach opts for a grounded, hand-drawn, realistic style to character design. The animation and art are masterfully emphasized to show impact in the heat of a match, but like other sports series, tells an effectively emotional coming-of-age/slice-of-life story, too.