Star Wars Visions (Season 2)

Like with the MCU, I've been really falling out of love with Star Wars lately. Chalk up to a mix between oversaturation, some disappointing recent shows, nostalgia baiting, and how little I want anything to do with the discourse surrounding the series. However, I was pretty excited to see the next season of Star Wars Visions because of how much I loved the first one. While it may lack that initial novelty of "Star Wars but anime", the wider variety of animation styles should lead to a pretty unique selection of shorts.

Sith: Like with Season 1, we start things off with a pretty straightforward lightsaber duel episode, though Sith starts off a lot more abstractly than The Duel did. The first five minutes don't really explain what's going on, you just see the main character Lola walking around in what looks like a white void accidentally spreading black paint everywhere. But then the sith hunting her show up, and everything clicks. Lola is an ex-sith trying to run from her past, and she's scared of the darkness still within her. It's impressive how well everything in Sith clicks together. The themes, the way the plot unfolds, the animation style, it all paints a complete picture (pun absolutely intended). And speaking of that animation style, it's pretty amazing. The blend of painterly and 3D animation does look a bit Spider Verse-esque, but as I said, Sith takes things in a more abstract direction, almost like the Eko fight from Arcane extended into a whole short. The lightsaber fight itself isn't as long as the one in The Duel but it's weighty, powerful, and very inventively-shot. Overall, pretty good start.

4/5 Stars

Screecher's Reach: I had high hopes for the Cartoon Saloon episode, and man, did they not let me down. From its sketchy artstyle, to the fluid and expressive characters, to holy shit those backgrounds, Screecher's Reach is a treat for the eyes. I love the direction they chose to go in here, telling a horror story about the cyclic nature of the sith and what would make one join them to begin with. It endears you to Dall and her friends so quickly and efficiently before they enter the titular cave and sith hits the fan. That horror sequence with Dall and the old sith was so fresh and intense, the sith have never been more terrifying, their lightsabers have never felt more dangerous, and the twist ending where Dall willingly replaces that sith as apprentice is such a gut-punch. The way she basically resigns herself to death just feels so Madoka, I love it. This was a phenomenal short, so dense it feels like I had watched an entire movie but never rushed, gripping, tense, tragic, and unmistakably irish (the sith is literally a banshee). It's right under The Village Bride as my favorite short so far.

5/5 Stars

In The Stars: In The Stars tries to do a lot, trying to tell a story about two sisters struggling with the Empire's genocide of the rest of their species, with a bit of environmental themes for good measure. It's an ambitious and dark story that's I think was let-down by the first few minutes. In The Stars starts off with a lengthy exposition as Tichina tells her sister Koten about what happened to their mother, something she already knows. And since they go on their water run immediately afterwards, it doesn't feel like the short actually built up their relationship enough for you to fully care about the two. And that's a real shame because I think In The Stars ends really strong, with a tense finale, some great thematic touches, and a haunting final shot. In The Stars also looks pretty stellar too, with a uniquely gritty stop-motion animation that fits the tone of the short really well. Overall, In The Stars was good but I think the script needed a few more passes to really do its story justice.

3/5 Stars

I Am Your Mother: As a massive Wallace & Gromit fan, I was super excited for Aardman's short, and once again, I wasn't let down. I Am Your Mother feels like the Tatooine Rhapsody of this season as how much you enjoy it will depend on how much you're want something a bit more silly and light-hearted, though I personally found it a bit more fun. It's nothing groud-breaking is a fun and heartwarming "embarrasing mom" story with so charming stop-motion animation and fun racing sequences to boot. It also shows a real love for Star Wars as a franchise, and is chock-full of cute easter eggs (my favorite being the Force Awakens bread). The Wedge Antilles jokes alone are worth the price of admission, this one was a blast.

4/5 Stars

Journey To The Dark Head: Made by the Studio Mir, the folks behind Legend Of Korra, this is the closest thing we have to another anime short. Similarly to The Ninth Jedi and Lop & Ocho, it introduces a unique world and fun characters that I'd totally love to see expanded into a full-on series, though unlike those two, it also feels pretty complete as it is. Journey To The Dark Head is just a fun jedi adventure with some fun banter between the two main leads, yet another well-executed "jedi and sith are two sides of the same coin" message, and some pretty stellar action sequences. Definitely one of the more straightforward shorts of the season but that's by no means a bad thing. My only gripe, though, is that voice acting is a bit on the shakier side, especially with Toul.

4/5 Stars

The Spy Dancer: Like The Village Bride, this was the real sleeper hit of the season for me, an incredibly fun and engaging espionage thriller. This is the first thing I've seen from Studio LaChette but these guys are damn good at generating tension and suspense, I was on the edge of my seat for the whole episode. Loi'e's story was well done especially after that stellar twist about her kid near the end, and as a whole, the short takes the usual setting of the Imperial era in a new direction by exploring how it broke apart families. But most of all, the real highlight here was the visuals. Stunning, fluid 2D lineart with jaw-dropping dance scenes, and hands down the best action sequences of the season. Between Loi'e's dance fighting and just how freaking tense it all was, my eyes were glued to the screen for that entire second half. It does however end on the first real sequel hook of the shorts, which only made me want a whole series' worth of this now.

5/5 Stars

The Bandits Of Golak: After a wide range of animation styles and mediums, The Bandits Of Golak goes for a look akin to Clone Wars, and ultimately kinda makes the least amount of impact. 88 Pictures does do a good job at emulating that style while giving it a bit of extra Indian flavor, but I still feel like they played things too safe here, and that applies to the story too. I totally get why a lot of studios would tackle the Imperial era especially if you're from marginalized groups, but it does start to get a bit samey this late in the season. It also feels like it's split into two stories, one in the train and one in the village, neither segment really meshing well with the other. I will say that Rani and Charuk's sibling relationship feels a bit more believable than Tichina and Koten's, but it's brought down by Rani getting herself in way too much trouble. The Bandits Of Golak definitely isn't a bad short by any means, it looks nice and has some good action, but it feels a bit disjointed and doesn't do much to stand out among the other shorts. The music slaps though.

2/5 Stars

The Pit: This is the other anime short of the bunch, but compared to Mir's offering, The Pit doesn't quite do it for me especially in terms of animation. D'Art Shtaijo has done some amazing work, particularly in the Castlevania anime, but The Pit looks choppy and stiff in the same way Trigger's The Elder did last season. It's got a neat concept where the Empire leaves a bunch of slave miners in the mine once they're done with them, but the execution feels a bit strange. There's the very in-your-face repetition of the phrase "follow the light", and the fact that the pit is so close to the city that you could probably see it from a high rise, but really my biggest issue here is the tone. The first two halves of The Pit is incredibly bleak and depressing, almost to the point of not feeling like Star Wars at all, but then the ending is suddenly super hopeful and idealistic. The final shot with the Force in particular felt so out of left field in what has otherwise been such a gritty story makes it feel like the Star Wars theming was tacked on.

2/5 Stars

Aau's Song: Season 2 feels like a polar opposite of the first in a lot of ways. Where that more light-hearted season ended on its bleakest episode, this relatively darker season ended on its most uplifting. In a word, Aau's Song is beautiful. The animation is so stunning, vibrant, and tactile, those backgrounds are jaw-dropping, and there are so many cool filming tricks and hidden details used here. When I realized how they did that driving sequence, I geeked out, this is damn good filmmaking. The story itself is a slow burn and yet another "child is taken in by jedi" story, but the pay-off is absolutely stunning and makes it all feel worth it. While not one of the most interesting on a storytelling level, Aau's Song is a truly magnificent piece of animation, probably the best-looking Visions short in both seasons. Kudos to Triggerfish.

5/5 Stars

Overall, Season 2 is yet another great season of Visions with some stellar shorts and way more variety in its animation styles than the first one. It's got everything from 2D to 3D to stop-motion to Spider Verse, and yet it feels far more consistent in its quality than the first season. However, I think that's kind of this season's biggest issue too, as the generally depressing tone and abundance of similar narratives can lead it to feel a bit samey by the end. Personally, I do still prefer Season 1 for its higher high-points, more varied tone, and just how cleanly Star Wars and anime blend together, but this was still a great time that solidifies Visions as one of the best things Disney has ever done with Star Wars.

4/5 Stars

Here's my ranking:

1. Screecher's Reach
2. The Spy Dancer
3. Aau's Song
4. I Am Your Mother
5. Journey To The Dark Head
6. Sith
7. In The Stars
8. The Bandits Of Golak
9. The Pit

Episode Rankings: Clone Wars (2003)

Remember Genndy Tartakovsky's Clone Wars? No? Well, it was pretty cool. While its short length meant it got eclipsed by its lengthier and much better followup, Star Wars: Clone Wars still boasts some really great 2D animation, visual storytelling, and action scenes that make for a fun 90-or-so minutes. It also probably has the best depiction of Grievous to this day, and that alone makes it worth watching. Here's my ranking of its episodes:

1. Chapter 19
2. Chapter 24
3. Chapter 20
4. Chapter 13
5. Chapter 25
6. Chapter 9
7. Chapter 18
8. Chapter 8
9. Chapter 17
10. Chapter 23
    
11. Chapter 12
12. Chapter 21
13. Chapter 6
14. Chapter 3
15. Chapter 10
16. Chapter 16
17. Chapter 14
18. Chapter 7
19. Chapter 11
20. Chapter 4
21. Chapter 1
22. Chapter 15
23. Chapter 22
24. Chapter 5
25. Chapter 2

Kenobi Live Reactions

I've had a mixed relationship with Star Wars as of late. The Book Of Boba Fett was the first Star Wars thing that I actively hated, not just being a disjointed paper-thin mess of a show on its own merits but by relying so heavily on hollow fanservice, CGI recreations of iconic characters, and a willingness to evolve and experiment. I really wasn't all that excited about Kenobi as a result. The focus on another legacy character, more scenes on Tatooine, another standalone miniseries with only six episodes. But hey, it's Star Wars, I was always going to watch it. And regardless of how it turns out, I don't think you can get much worse than Boba's show.

Part I: This... was actually a solid premiere. It's pretty slow-paced, lacking in action, and focused on setting the stage for the series ahead, but I honestly don't have too many problems with it. Compared to BoBF's pilot, this episode feels far more focused and simple. No useless flashbacks, the cast is quickly and efficiently introduced, and Kenobi goes through what is essentially the start of a classic Hero's Journey. Given how BoBF as well as most of the MCU shows, despite having the same episode count, try to do too much and have to rush the finales, I really like how simple Kenobi has been so far. Ewan McGregor hasn't quite had the chance to show his stuff yet, Kenobi mostly did a lot of ruminating and introspection so far, but I do really like Vivien Lyra Blair as Young Leia. The fact that she captures Leia's wit pretty much perfectly shows that Disney really should prioritize recasting over digitally recreating its characters. I also like how quickly this show did away with Tatooine. Like 33% of this episode took place in Alderaan, and Kenobi already heads off by the end, it's so refreshing coming after BoBF. Deborah Chow's direction is really solid, especially that great long take at the beginning that shows Disney is somehow still able to make Order 66 feel fresh. She helps sell this show's surprisingly dark and oppressive tone (not just the fake dark of BoBF), so moments like Leia's kidnapping and Nari's death are given the gravity they deserve. I don't have too much else to say here, it's a fine start to Kenobi, but still the opening act. Hopefully, things get more interesting in Part II.

Part II: So... this episode is actually really good? Like leagues better than anything BoBF did including the Mando episode. It's fun and exciting and genuinely creative, and I actually really enjoyed it. The whole episode takes place on a grimy Blade Runner-esque planet called Daiyu, as Kenobi breaks Leia out and tries to evade the Inquisitors. Now that Kenobi is actually in action again, Ewan McGregor's charm is really starting to show again, and his dynamic with Young Leia is immensely entertaining. Look, Grogu's great and all, but you have a much wider range of interactions when the child character can actually speak and banter. Since it's almost entirely a chase scene, Part II is just full of fun and memorable setpieces, all made possible by how cool of a planet Daiyu is. We have a scammer who pretends to be a Jedi, Kenobi sneaking into a chem lab, several fun hand-to-hand fight scenes, a crazy rooftop chase, the Grand Inquisitor dying, and our first shot of Darth Vader. But even with all that, we still get some great slower moments like Kenobi using the force again, telling Leia about Padme, and learning that Anakin is alive (amazing acting from McGregor there). And best of all, with everything that happens in this episode, the storyline remains simple and the pacing remains steady. It just feels like a genuinely fun adventure and I was really missing that from BoBF. I may just be way too burned by most of Disney+'s offerings as of late, but it's just so nice to see Kenobi tell an actually cohesive story with good pacing, let's hope it keeps this up!

Part III: Coming after the pretty crazy Part II, this episode was a bit slower-paced, at least at first. The empire defector Tala is a cool character and a pretty sick idea, but aside from her debut, there wasn't too much to the first two-thirds of Part III. But then Darth Vader came in, and things got pretty interesting. I've become a bit disillusioned towards the infamous "Vader hallway scene" as of late for fanservice reasons, but I do like how his appearance here continued the trend of portraying Vader as a horror villain, lurking in the shadows. He's a real savage here, toying with Kenobi for the whole fight just to make him suffer. As much as I love Vader in the original trilogy, I genuinely really like to see this more sadistic side of him. However, I feel like maybe the show rushed Vader showing up a bit. I was expecting (and kinda hoping for) Vader and Kenobi coming to blows in the finale, with all that build-up paying off in this big emotional confrontation. Not to say this encounter wasn't impactful, but I don't think it was as impactful as it should have. But hey, if it means we get three more episodes of brutal sadist Vader, I'm perfectly fine with this.

Part IV: Yeah, this one couldn't quite live up to Part II either. I feel like, if the MCU shows are any indication, it's just plain hard to pace out a six episode show. Part IV's main storyline was mostly just about Kenobi going on a rescue mission to save Leia, an already pretty common Star Wars trope, but it's not like the show does anything particularly new or interesting with the premise. Hell, it's not even like the location is original, Fortress Inquisitorius was ripped straight out of Jedi: Fallen Order! It all led to an episode that felt mostly by-the-numbers and dull, though still not without its good moments. Reva had the most screentime so far, which was appreciated given that I still hadn't really gotten the time to know her, and her interrogation with Leia was pretty good. Kenobi also had some tense moments when he was sneaking around. Unfortunately, a pretty big part of this episode was the Path, that group that Tala is a part of. The show never really fleshes out anyone there, including Tala herself, so when a member (Wade) dies near the end of the episode, my only reaction was just "Who?". 

Part V: Part V was definitely one of the best episodes so far, but it really solidifed the fact that the Path is hands down the weakest thing about Kenobi. They're as standard of a "rebellion group" as you could get, and the show never gives you a reason to care about them making Vader and Reva's siege on their facility way less of a gut punch than it could have and should have been. Still, this was a pretty fun and fast-paced episode, with some of the strongest action so far, and I especially liked Reva's role in it. Her moments with Kenobi were pretty fantastic, as was her fight (more like curb-stomp) with Vader. It took the base behind Luke's fight in TLJ, in which a character effortlessly dodges lightsaber attacks, and gave it a more sinister spin. I also really liked how Part V finally started to push the plot into high gear, even if most of its "twists" were incredibly obvious. Like of course Reva was one of the children in that Order 66 opening, it couldn't be more predictable. Still, with the Path facility destroyed, several characters either dead or alive, and Reva learning about Luke, I can't say things haven't changed a lot by the end of this one. Oh right, and there were the Anakin flashbacks! Those were just meh to me. I get why they were there and it was nice to see Hayden Christensen acting well for once, but it still mostly felt like hollow fanservice. At least it wasn't as overwhelmingly important to the plot as Luke in Mando was.

Part VI: One thing that the Star Wars shows will always have above the MCU is that they know how to pull off a satisfying and rewarding finale. Part VI wasn't rushed, or underwhelming, or predictable to the point of being entirely unremarkable. Kenobi's final episode was the best one because it paid off pretty much every single one of its plot threads in a manner that felt earned. Obviously, the highlight of the episode was the long-awaited rematch between Kenobi and Vader. I'm one of the rare types that thinks the Disney era has the best lightsaber choreography (prequels are too fast, originals are too stilted), so I thought most of the fight was pretty great, though a bit on the dark side. But even more than the actual action, I love how their character arcs ended. I really like the idea of Vader still needing to get over his anger at Kenobi before he could become the Vader we know and love, and Kenobi coming to peace only to be rewarded with a Qui-Gon cameo was also fantastic. The only gripe I really have is Kenobi leaving Vader alive, I get why from a character perspective but Vader is one of the worst figures in the Empire and I think there's a lot of people that wouldn't have died in the time until A New Hope if Kenobi had killed him. I don't have too much to say outside of the main duo, but I do feel like everyone got a pretty satisfying ending here, particularly Reva and Leia. 

Overall, Kenobi was mostly pretty average. There is a lot to like about it, such as the darker tone, the action, the core arcs of Kenobi and Reva, and its stronger episodes such as Part II and the finale, but I also feel like it wasn't able to explore a lot of its unique ideas, like Reva and Kenobi in a Fugitive-esque cat-and-mouse game, a more sadistic Vader who toys with Kenobi out of spite and anger, and the banter between Kenobi and young Leia. This was probably because of the show's short length (please Disney, stop making six-episode-long seasons!) and the decent amount of fairly generic and predictable elements like the Path, the plot twists in Part V, and pretty much all of Part IV. I still enjoyed Kenobi and it has a lot of treats for those who were fond of the prequels, but I just feel like it could've been better.

3/5 Stars

Book Of Boba Fett (Season 1)

I was really kinda excited for this one. One of my favorite Mandalorian episodes so far was the Boba Fett episode, directed by Robert Rodriguez. I was really excited for the potential of a show with episodes exactly like that one, with Rodriguez being able to do whatever the hell he wanted. What we got, however, is one of the most poorly-plotted and executed shows I've ever seen, and it just kept getting worse...

Book of Boba Fett is a show about the titular character (along with Fennec Shand) taking over for Jabba and becoming the crime lord of his territory in Tatooine. This seems like a really cool premise, as we get to see more of Temeura Morrison's take on Fett as well as more focus on Fennec Shand, one of my favorite new Star Wars characters. However, the series almost immediately fell apart when I realized that half of the first episode was just flashbacks of how Boba Fett escaped the Sarlacc Pit. That's probably my biggest gripe with the series, the first four episodes are composed of like 75% flashbacks and 25% present day story, which makes for a really poorly-paced show. Even worse, those flashbacks just feel unneccessary to me. The Mandalorian did a great job of leaving enough hints that you could infer what happened to Boba Fett between it and Return Of The Jedi, The flashbacks did have some neat scenes like the train chase, the Ratcatcher droid scene, and Fennec blowing up the Sarlacc, but the show spending so much time on things the audience pretty much already knows wastes time from the present day stuff, which ends up having some major problems of its own. I'm not a fan of some of the story directions taken in the flashbacks either, like the entire first episode being spent on Boba Fett being tortured and the tuskan raiders getting abruptly killed off.

Boba and Fennec trying to run Tatooine was a much more compelling storyline than the flashbacks, at least at first. I think Boba and Fennec's dynamic is by far the best thing about the show, their banter is great and gives the series so much energy. However, this storyline suffers from feeling really overstuffed, often writing out characters introduced in previous episodes to make way for new ones. The biggest example was The Twins, who initially seemed like an intimidating antagonist over the show only to leave Tatooine in Episode 3. By the final episode, there was only enough present day stuff (not counting the Mando stuff) to make up a little more than a single episode of the series, which is just awful pacing, no matter how you cut it. I also think the show suffers from Rodriguez's direction in some early episodes, both of which were far and away the worst in the series. They looked oddly cheap, with some bad effects and baffling directoral choices, and ended up having the bulk of my plot issues with the show. They made a bad first impression for Boba, and while every episode not directed by him looked so much better, they still struggled to make up for that rough start.

However, this is only how I'd describe the first four episodes of the show, because the second half of Book Of Boba Fett is an entirely different beast. In Episode 5, we had a perspective shift to see what The Mandalorian was up to, and I kinda liked it. It was a well-directed episode and nice change of pace to tie Mando into this show's storyline, and I expected to return to Boba soon enough. But then we got Episode 6, which not only shafted Boba Fett again, but instead focused on Luke, Grogu, Timothy Olyphant's character, Ahsoka, and Cad Bane all in the course of a single episode. That was the breaking point for me. I can't even begin to explain how much I despised this episode. I was already annoyed with Luke showing up in The Mandalorian, but this is just plain ridiculous! The whole episode was nonstop hollow fanservice and nostalgia baiting, and everything I hated about this generation of Star Wars. I watch Star Wars to see something I've never seen before, there's a whole universe to explore and we get the same ten characters showing up in everything! The least I wanted from Book Of Boba Fett was a look into the politics and underworld of Tatooine, to breath new life into what's become a fairly generic planet, but we couldn't even get that! The finale was actually one of the better episodes, as it brought back the focus to Boba Fett and had some of Rodriguez's best (or least bad) direction, but the fact that there was virtually no show to set it up meant that it felt kind of rushed and hollow. It tries to be a large-scale final battle that brings back all the characters that you know and love, but I don't know and love any of them because they barely got any screentime, depth, or development.

Overall, I tend to not get burned by Star Wars. I love the sequels and have a lot of nostalgia for the prequels despite their divisive natures. But Book Of Boba Fett felt like the first Star Wars property to not just disappoint me but genuinely anger me. The show was already rough with its abundance of pace-killing flashbacks, wasted characters and plot points, and inconsistent visuals, but even that was better than the show bringing the focus off the main character to bring the audience on soulless nostalgia trips.  By the finale, for the first time ever, I was sick of Star Wars. My favorite franchise ever. 

1/5 Stars

Star Wars Visions

Star Wars Visions is a collection of animated shorts by six Japanese animated studios, some of which I actually recognize from past reviews! With only nine short films, I thought I'd quickly review each of them and give my thoughts:

The Duel: Star Wars had always taken heavy inspiration from Kurosawa films, to the point where multiple TV episodes paid homage to the Seven Samurai (Clone Wars's Bounty Hunters, The Mandalorian's The Jedi). Knowing this, The Duel feels like the perfect short to start the collection, as quintessentially Star Wars as it gets: A mysterious force-wielder defending a small village from the Sith. The animation by Kamikaze Douga (Pop Team Epic) is obviously the most notable aspect here, with a mostly black and white color scheme and a sketchy art direction not unlike Japanese scrolls. It looks fantastic, especially once the titular duel begins. The infamous umbrella lightsaber from the trailers looks just as silly and over the top in action, but it led to some really brutal scenes. Outside of the visuals, the story is simple but pretty effective and satisfying. I like how mysterious the main protagonist, Ronin, is, and how we're never explicitly told why he uses a red lightsaber. The ending where the town initially thinks he's a Sith after seeing his lightsaber was really great. Overall, a strong start. (4/5 Stars)

Tatooine Rhapsody: This one was adorable, and it looked really nice too! In a complete parallel to The Duel, Studio Colorido (Penguin Highway, Pokemon Twilight Wings) went for a much more colorful, cutesy style that really popped. We rarely get these kinds of low stakes stories in Star Wars, and the concept of an intergalactic band is just too cute. Once again, the main story of save a band member from being executed by Jabba is simple, but it ends on a very heartwarming note. There are also a lot of really cute cameos from Star Wars films, like Jabba and Boba Fett. However, I think those cameos are there to hide from the fact that Tatooine Rhapsody isn't quite a Star Wars story. As a matter of fact, I feel like this story could take place completely outside of Star Wars and it would feel exactly the same, which I definitely can't say about some of these other shorts. Still, the optimistic spirit definitely fits in with Star Wars, and a basic plot doesn't stop Tatooine Rhapsody from being easily the most heartwarming short in the pack. (3/5 Stars)

The Twins: I love Studio Trigger so much. The Twins is definitely one of my favorite shorts in the bunch, feeling like a perfect combination of Hiruyoki Imaishi's shows (TTGL, Kill La Kill) with Star Wars, and it works so damn well. The short is about two twins, Karre and Am, born from the dark side. Am doubles down on the darkness, while Karre tries to free himself from the dark side of the force, resulting in a bombastic fight over a Kyber crystal. It's nowhere near as simple of a story as the last two shorts, with Imaishi's usual ridiculous ass pulls and convoluted exposition, but when you boil it down to its core, The Twins is about Star Wars's iconic duality, showing parallels to pairings like Luke/Leia and Rey/Kylo. Karre and Am both have understandable motivations, and I managed to care about both of them by the end of the short, to the point where I would love to see a full-on series about the two. But of course, this is Studio Trigger, so the real highlight was the action. Karre and Am's fight scene was absolutely bonkers, quickly escalating to a Kyber crystal-fueled lightsaber battle atop a star destroyer and ending with Karre slicing a star destroyer in half in a homage to the Holdo maneuever! The animation was just as colorful, dynamic, and expressive as Trigger/Gainax's past work, and the sheer bombast of the entire fight was so much fun to watch. I can imagine if this is too over the top for some Star Wars fans, but for me, this was exactly what I was hoping for from a Trigger short. (5/5 Stars)

The Village Bride: I was expected The Twins to be my favorite, but then this short came in and completely blew me away. Unlike most of the other shorts, this one was a bit of a slow burn, giving the characters a chance to talk with each other and be fleshed out and slowly doling out information throughout the short. The dialogue is minimal and reliant on "showing not telling", but I felt like I learned something new about the characters in every single scene. It all builds up to a phenomenal third arc that brings all the cast together and completing the protagonist F's character arc in an emotionally resonant way. The ending was so satisfying in fact that it legitimately made me tear up, something that could have never happened if there wasn't all that buildup. I loved just how well The Village Bride epitomizes Star Wars. There's the lone warrior defending a village, compelling love story, acts of rebellion, coming of age from a padawan to a jedi, exploration of the force and the connection with nature, it really has everything! The animation was fantastic too. I'm not familiar with Kinema Citrus's work, but they did a good job here. The animation was fluid and colorful, the character designs were fantastic, and music was really good at times. Not to mention, getting to see a lightsaber katana slash in  Star Wars made me absolutely geek. The Village Bride was a fantastic, emotional love letter to Star Wars, not just the best out of all of the shorts but one of the best pieces of Star Wars media I have ever seen. Given that most shows and movies don't make me tear up, I think it says a lot that this twenty-minute-long short managed to do so. (5/5 Stars)

The Ninth Jedi: Out of all of the shorts, this one felt like the most standard Star Wars adventure, not that it's a bad thing. Being the longest short of the bunch, it felt like a full-on Star Wars film, with twists, action scenes, and a plucky protagonist becoming a Jedi. I really liked the worldbuilding in The Ninth Jedi, it creates a fascinating point in the Star Wars timeline that I would genuinely like to see more of. I also like those color-changing lightsabers a lot. They get a lot of great mileage between the big sith reveal and Kara's lightsaber slowly becoming green throughout the short. As a whole, I think this short strikes the perfect balance between old and new. We got speeder chases and lightsaber fights, but the short manages to toss in a ton of fun twists and subversions to make these elements feel fresh again. The animation from Production IG (Psycho Pass) isn't as inventive as in some of the other shorts, but it still looks really good at times. The backgrounds are fantastic, and the action sequences are all a ton of fun. Overall, The Ninth Jedi was as classic of a Star Wars story as it gets, and definitely became to one of my favorites in the collection. (5/5 Stars)

T0-B1: This short reminded me of The Rise Of Skywalker, in that its pacing was the absolute worst. T0-B1 raced through so much plot so quickly, and the cuts between shots and scenes just felt so abrupt. I definitely think the short could have afforded to be longer. It's a shame, because the core premise of "What if Astro Boy became a Jedi?" is actually really cute. It definitely hits all of the notes of what a Star Wars story should be, but it's just so rushed and clumsy in its execution that it doesn't feel as impactful as it should have been. On the other hand, the animation was pretty great. Science SARU made Eizouken, one of my favorite anime of all time, and I could definitely see the similarities. T0-B1 went for a pretty unconventional style that wasn't afraid to shift art directions entirely. Not every shot looked amazing, but the creativity really shows. If T0-B1 let itself breath a bit more, I think it could have been one of the best ones. (2/5 Stars)

The Elder: The second Studio Trigger short definitely didn't feel quite as "Trigger-y" as The Twins, and I also don't think it was nearly as good. This short was slow-paced, with realistic muted animation, and a fairly basic and grounded plot. I'm going to be honest, this one really bored me. The main storyline of a padawan and master fighting a sith felt like the type of thing I've seen over and over again, with no twists or clever story directions making it stand out on its own. The animation was also oddly stiff for Studio Trigger, and the fight was probably one of the weaker ones in the collection. Not to be too negative, the pacing was pretty solid, and the Jedi master does get some great lines in, but The Elder just lacks the fantastic creativity I've seen from all the other shorts. (1/5 Stars)

Lop & Ochō: While there are plenty of shorts that could easily get a continuation (The Twins and The Ninth Jedi, in particular), Lop And Ochō straight-up feels like a pilot short of a TV show. So much ambition went into this particular short, which manages to pack in a backstory for Lop, a moral conflict about the empire, a big final battle, and a fully fleshed-out planet to add to the Star Wars universe. And despite all of this, the pacing is really good. However, I can tell that the people working on this short wanted to do more. Lop & Ochō feels like it should have been a full-length film, and ends on a fairly abrupt and unsatisfying note as a result. On the other hand, the animation is pretty good, especially when it comes to the fight scenes. Seriously, that final battle at the end of the short was absolutely stunning. The character designs were really great too, especially for Lop. I didn't think you could make a Klonoa-esque anthropomorphic rabbit work in Star Wars, but Lop ended up becoming one of my favorite characters in the collection. Overall, Lop & Ochō shows a lot of potential, but I just wish there was more of it. (4/5 Stars)

Akakiri: The second Science SARU short is definitely the better of the two, and a shockingly bleak one at that! There isn't much of a story here, we're really just watching a Jedi lose control of his powers and fall to the dark side. It's something we never quite see in Star Wars outside of Anakin, so this was a really fresh change of pace. However, what I'm really confused about is why this particular short was saved for last? It's the only one with a downer ending, and is also a lot smaller in scale than some of the others. Something like The Village Bride or The Ninth Jedi would have probably fit better. As far as the animation goes, Science SARU once again did a fantastic job. The animation really immerses you in Tsubaki's mental state and there are some really striking shots scattered throughout the episode. Overall, Akakiri was pretty good. It's fairly short and lacking in much story, but as a visual depiction of the fall of a Jedi, it does its job fairly well. (3/5 Stars)

Overall, Star Wars Visions was an incredibly pleasant surprise. While I didn't love every single short and the first half is easily better than the second for me, the sheer variety in this collection is fantastic, and I can tell that everyone involved is truly passionate about the franchise. It has been fascinating to see Star Wars interpreted through the eyes of some truly fantastic anime studios, and some shorts in particularly ended up becoming some of my favorite pieces of Star Wars media since the Siege Of Mandalore. I wouldn't say Visions "rekindled my love for Star Wars" since I never really stopped being a fan, but the creativity on shown and passion in every frame of every short definitely reaffirmed why I love Star Wars so much. I think everyone can find something to love here even if you're not a fan of anime like I am, and it's definitely much more worth watching than Marvel's attempt at an anthology series.

4/5 Stars

My ranking of the Star Wars Visions shorts is:

1. The Village Bride
2. The Twins
3. The Ninth Jedi
4. The Duel
5. Lop & Ochō
6. Akakiri
7. Tatooine Rhapsody
   
8. T0-B1
9. The Elder

Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Season 1)

So since this series was airing weekly on Disney+, I originally wanted to do another live reactions blog like WandaVision and Falcon, but the shorter episodes and slower pace made it seem like there wasn't quite as much to say episode by episode. So, I'm reviewing this first season as a whole, and I have a lot to say about it.

The Bad Batch is about the titular team of genetically modified clones trying to find their place in the galaxy now that the Clone Wars are over and the empire has taken over. Meanwhile, they run into a rare enhanced female clone who tags along with them, so now they have to deal with taking care of a child too. Even more, a member of the Bad Batch, Crosshair, seemingly had his inhibitor chip malfunction and has taken the side of the empire. As a whole, I think this storyline is fine, seeing the empire's slow but painful takeover from a normal person's perspective was easily the best and most compelling part of the series. The Omega subplot felt a bit derivative of The Mandalorian, but she ended up being far more capable than Baby Yoda ever was. However, this season of The Bad Batch suffered from feeling really aimless. Aside from the premiere, two-part finale, and a few episodes in the middle, the central team doesn't actually have a concrete goal. Rather, they're really just wandering the galaxy, doing odd jobs for their new boss, and meeting up with random Star Wars characters. By the end of the season, I still struggle to figure out what the Bad Batch was actually trying to achieve, giving the story a serious lack of momentum.

It doesn't help that the main cast is fairly underdeveloped, so I still have difficulty truly coming to care about them. Characters like Wrecker and Tech are still one-dimensional cliches, and potentially interesting characters like Echo barely got any fleshing out. The only main character I found compelling was Crosshair, but we rarely get to see his side of the story. I thought it would have been fascinating to watch Crosshair adjust to his new team in the empire, but that rarely happened. Thankfully, he doesn't fully redeem himself by the season's end so hopefully we'll get more for him in Season 2. I hate to use the term "filler" since it can discredit character development and important set-ups, but with the lack of depth for the cast and the general focus on other Star Wars characters (we got a two-part Hera backstory!), it's hard for me not to feel like the season was padded out a bit. On the other hand, I do really like the animation. I always preferred the Clone Wars artstyle to that of Rebels, and The Bad Batch feels like that style has been perfected. The sheer attention to detail throughout the season is stunning, and the show is overall a treat to look at. Kevin Kiner also returns from Clone Wars and Rebels, and he still does a fantastic job with the score. As a whole, while I can generally admire a first season that focuses on laying the groundwork for a series (Avatar does this excellently), the lack of character development and paper-thin seasonal arc just left me feeling a bit disappointed with this season.

However, there were some episodes I really liked, such as:

Aftermath: I think this premiere gave me unreasonably high expectations for the show, because I thought it was phenomenal. The first fifteen minutes were chilling, seeing the Bad Batch struggle to figure out what the hell Order 66 was. The rest of this 70-minute behemoth of an episode was great too, from Crosshair's betrayal, to Omega's intriguing origins, to the exciting escape from Kamino. I could only wish the rest of the season was this strong.

Reunion: The midpoint of the series, Reunion finally managed to get the plot going a bit. Crosshair trapping the Bad Batch in the wrecked Star Destroyer was incredibly tense, especially when they used the engine to escape, but the real highlight was Cad Bane's shocking appearance when he comes in, shoots Hunter down, and steals Omega.

Return To Kamino: I feel like this episode could have been the season finale, or even the series finale, given how much ground it covers. The titular return to Kamino really does feel like a farewell tour, culminating in that legitimately heartbreaking scene where the iconic city is completely blown to bits. Crosshair got some great material here too, with the reveal that he had his chip removed, meaning he's not excused from any of his awful actions this season. Sadly, the actual finale was more of a denouement episode with no big status quo changes or revelations.

Overall, The Bad Batch was decent. It had some really strong episodes and moments, but the season felt aimless with a minimal plot and a lack of concrete character development. Still, a weak first season is par for the course for Star Wars series. Hopefully, Season 2 will improve.

2/5 Stars

Star Wars Rebels (Season 4)

Star Wars Rebels has a really messy series, with high highs and low lows. So it only seems natural that it gets a final season that works for the series on some levels and feels a bit baffling on other levels.

Unlike the last two seasons, Season 4 is focused on a single storyline, with the main cast of rebels returning to Lothal in an attempt to save it on their own. Despite seeing them spend their time with the larger rebellion these last two seasons, I think it feels right for them to return to where it all began after all of their development and growth, and I actually really liked "The Occupation", which had them adjust to the empire-occupied Lothal. The focused storyline also allows for a season that's even more tightly-knit than the first, while having the much stronger writing and characters of the latter seasons. There were hardly any standalone episodes this time around, resulting in a serialized affair that feels surprisingly like a slow burn storyline. After the first two episodes tie up loose ends from Season 3, the rebels head over to Lothal and spend some time acclimating and planning out their assault. While this does mean the first half is a bit weaker, it also means that all of the plot points set-up in the first half get paid off in the much more dramatic, fast-paced, and exciting second half. And what a second half! The end of Rebels packs in so many hugely important and impactful moments like Kanan's death, Ahsoka's return, and Ezra's plan in the finale that really makes it feel like this is the end.

However, this is Rebels, so I predictably have a few big issues with the season. While I already mentioned that the first half was a bit slow, even in the generally good second half, there are some plot directions that really rubbed me the wrong way, mostly because of contrivances that even I noticed (these types of things usually don't bother me). For example, why didn't Ezra use the Purgil against the empire years ago? And how did Hera and Kanan have a kid in such a short span of time? Or why was Ahsoka so important to save if she didn't do anything in the final battle? But while most of these questions aren't that big of a deal, I need to talk about The World Between Worlds for a second. It's a time travel mechanic set up after an entire season's worth of dull Lothwolf scenes, yet it's only used once to save Ahsoka before never being mentioned again in all of Star Wars. It feels like the writers didn't know how Ahsoka could escape her fight with Vader, so they just invented time travel to save her without realizing the ramifications. I wish this wasn't that big of an issue, but so much of the season is focused on setting-up what ends up feeling like a deus ex machina, ultimately dragging down Season 4 quite a bit for me.

Still, the second half was a solid ending to the series, and it had some generally good episodes:

Jedi Night: Look, Kanan had a ton of death flags this episode, his sacrifice was very much predictable. However, I think Jedi Night was a fantastic sendoff to the character and easily one of the best episodes of the season. Kanan helping Hera escape was a lot of fun, and it gave us plenty of time to see the two of them together, and Kanan's big sacrifice at the end was incredibly impactful. 

DUME: I didn't care much about the Lothwolves stuff, but otherwise, I loved how the entire episode was about the Rebels dealing with the grief over Kanan's death. There were a lot of great individual moments, like Sabine and Zeb realizing that Kanan stopped the TIE Defenders, Chopper comforting Hera, the Ruhk fight, even Ezra being consoled by the giant wolf, I found it all incredibly emotional.   

World Between Worlds: While I have my complaints about the World Between Worlds, I do have to give credit to just how much of an audiovisual treat this episode was. The 2D black-and-white lineart looks fantastically trippy, the Jedi voices heard in the void were peak fanservice, and the big escape from Palpatine was pretty cool. I also liked Sabine's interrogation with the creepy Minister Hydan.

Family Reunion And Farewell: Aside from the Purgill reveal (which was admittedly kinda cool), this was a really great finale that definitely did right by the characters. It was tense, action-packed, and immensely rewarding. The big battle with Thrawn's fleet gave most of the cast something to do (even minor characters like Mulch and Gregor), Palpatine was implemented in a realistic and threatening manner, Ezra's sacrifice was pretty great, and the timeskip at the end was a nice bittersweet farewell to the cast. With all my gripes with the season, I think this was a strong ending for the series.

Overall, this final season of Rebels was a bit messy, with a slow start and plenty of contrivances near its end. However, I think it did the characters right, brought the conflict full circle, and packed in plenty of impactful episodes and moments in its second half.

3/5 Stars

My ranking of the Star Wars Rebels seasons is:

2 > 3 > 4 > 1

My ranking of the Star Wars Rebels finales is:

2 > 4 > 1 > 3

Favorite Episode: Trials Of The Darksaber

And finally, between Clone Wars and Rebels, I think I preferred the former. The anthology structure of Clone Wars meant that the quality of each arc was a bit of a crapshoot, but it also meant we'd get long stretches of amazing episodes, culminating in the amazing Siege Of Mandalore. I also liked the animation style better as well as everything involving the clones. On the other hand, while I preferred the serialized nature of Rebels and liked being able to focus on a small group of characters, the show was still a bit of a flawed mess, managing to be just as uneven as Clone Wars, while also having Ezra hijack nearly every single episode. I enjoyed both series and I could easily call them great, but if I had to choose, Clone Wars wins out.

Star Wars Rebels (Season 3)

Season 2 of Star Wars Rebels was a big improvement on the previous season, fixing most of my issues and making me like most of the characters. Season 3 does a solid job of keeping up the momentum, even if it ends up being a bit messy.

Unlike Season 2, this season has a lot of storylines, all interweaving throughout the season. The main story arc is about the rebels slowly growing their ranks by traveling the galaxy in search of anyone who can join, while planning an assault to take back Lothal. This storyline is fine, though a bit frustrating when the main cast loses all their progress by the finale, but the real highlight is the villain, Thrawn. A carry-over from the decanonized EU, Thrawn is a terrifying antagonist whose manages to prove his intelligence multiple times throughout the season, especially when it comes to his discovery that Kallus has now turncoated. Speaking of which, this season helped me buy Kallus changing sides way more. Meanwhile, Maul wants to use the Holocrons to find and get his revenge on Obi-Wan. I think Maul is also really threatening this season as he becomes really unhinged, and his final showdown with Obi-Wan is an excellent scene. But the biggest highlight of the season is Sabine, who became hands-down my favorite character in the series. Keeping up the trend of amazing storylines about Mandalore, Sabine finding the Darksaber and having to learn to use it, confront her inner demons, return to Mandalore, and reunite with her family isn't just the highlight of the series, it's the highlight of Rebels as a whole and some of the best Star Wars ever made.

However, I think this season might be a bit too overstuffed, as the show still has to balance between all of its story arcs and the many standalone episodes that are still being implemented. As a result, some storylines don't get too much time, even worse considering they are the most interesting of the bunch: Maul only appears in three episodes throughout the season, Sabine's Mandalore arc is just two episodes, and Thrawn doesn't appear nearly as much as I would've wished (thankfully, he's still around for Season 4). I also found that the amount of character-driven episodes this season weren't nearly as much compared to last time, as many of the episodes were more focused on the recruitment storyline. Thankfully, this is more of an issue in the first half of the season. The second half is far more plot-heavy, but even it has its low points (Double Agent Droid, especially). The final issue I had this season, and probably the most frustrating one, is Ezra, who I still don't quite like. His snarky attitude continues to undercut otherwise emotional moments, but what makes him especially bad this season is the fact that he appears everywhere. Trials Of The Darksaber, Through Imperial Eyes, and Twin Suns are fantastic episodes that are focused around a single person (Sabine, Kallus, and Maul respectively), but Ezra has to play a pretty sizable role in all of them. I know it seems like Ezra needs the most screentime since he's technically the protagonist, but it feels like he steals attention from all the other (and better) characters.

At its best, Season 3 had some phenomenal episodes, especially in its second half:

The Last Battle: This episode was just plain cute. It's a heartwarming resolution to the Clone Wars that has the remaining clones and droids finally make amends and realize they're on the same side. It's a love letter to the series that came before Rebels, and was just such a pleasant watch.

Trials Of The Darksaber: What a perfect episode. Right from the get-go, I knew something was different with this one. The music was somber, the pace was slow, and we got a beautifully animated (yeah, I said it) shadow play detailing the history of the Darksaber. The main storyline is just about Kanan teaching Sabine how to wield the Darksaber, with no subplots or fluff. There's an uncomfortable buildup as she continues to bury the reason she left her family from Kanan, the viewers, and herself, all culminating in that phenomenal final fight where Sabine finally lets loose. It's a powerful moment of catharsis, Tiya Sircar's voice acting is amazing, the score is beautiful, and even Ezra shuts up for a bit. Easily the best episode of the series and rivaling The Phantom Apprentice as one of the best Star Wars TV episodes.

Legacy Of Mandalore: While it doesn't quite live up to Trials Of The Darksaber, this was another strong Mandalore-centric episode that ends up feeling as emotional as it is because of what we learned about Sabine. Seeing her reunite with her family is a really compelling storyline since the empire put both sides in a really difficult situation, and the final fight with Saxon was excellent, from Sabine wielding Ezra's lightsaber, to her mom shooting Saxon for her. I also really liked that Sabine doesn't think she deserves the Darksaber, so she decides to stay behind and give it to someone who does.

Twin Suns: The final seven-or-so minutes of this episode was excellent. It was great to see Obi-Wan Kenobi again, the final scene with Luke was fantastic, and that lightsaber fight! It's such a gutsy move, a fight that ends in only three strikes, but I wouldn't call it anti-climactic. It's packed with symbolism and call backs, references to Star Wars's inspirations, loaded dialogue, and watching Obi-Wan and Darth Maul switch poses to plan for the fight is as tense as any actual lightsaber fight. That ending was so good it makes you forget how much of the episode was just Ezra bumbling around in the desert. 

Zero Hour: While it doesn't feel as grand and climactic as the prior two season finales,  Zero Hour feels ambitious in its own way, depicting a pretty large scale space battle filled with strategy. If anything, it's one of the most war-like entries in the Star Wars franchise. There are also a lot of great individual moments like Sato's sacrifice, Kallus escaping Thrawn, and Sabine coming in with the Mandalorians to save the day.

Overall, the third season of Star Wars Rebels is a bit more of a mess than the previous season, with high highs and low lows, but it has a strong second half and some of the best episodes in the series.

3/5 Stars

Star Wars Rebels (Season 2)

I didn't like the first season of Star Wars Rebels. Between the writing, characters, and general tone, it all just felt off to the point where I had difficulty truly caring. Season 2, on the other hand, was not just an improvement. It was a genuinely strong season that fixed nearly all of my issues with the show.

Season 2 of Star Wars Rebels starts with a massive change to the series. The Rebels are now working with Ahsoka and the rest of the Rebellion, Darth Vader (who Ahsoka now knows is Anakin) has summoned two more Inquisitors after them, the Empire has tightened its grip on Lothal so much that the Rebels can't stay there anymore, and Captain Rex has joined the team. It's a lot of changes in only a few episodes, but it helps to widen the scope of the series by putting the main characters into a conflict far greater than themselves. However, outside of this big status quo shift, this season doesn't have quite as much of a tightly-woven plot as the first, as it's mostly a build towards Ahsoka's confrontation with Vader. The two new Inquisitors are cool with neat designs, but even they don't appear too often. However, most of the standalone episodes that comprise this season were actually really enjoyable, as nearly all of them focus on the characters and progress their individual arcs, while also giving screentime to unlikely pairings within the cast (Rex and Kanan, Kanan and Sabine, Zeb and Kallus). Don't get me wrong, I think there were a bunch of episodes that felt like padding and the season must have been hell to watch live, but I found storylines like Zeb meeting other Lasats, Hera reuniting with her father, Sabine meeting an old bounty hunter friend, and Ezra learning the truth about his parents to be nearly as compelling as the main cast.

Right from the first episode, it felt like Season 2 of Rebels fixed some of my greatest issues with the character dynamics by just increasing the stakes. There was no time to mess around on Lothal and get into petty arguments, the main team not only got a chance to explore more planets and meet more characters, but they were put in danger far more regularly and got the chance to really show how much they care about each other. Even more, thanks to the aforementioned unlikely pairings, the main cast feels more tightly-knit, and dare I say it, like a family. It helps that they don't bicker nearly as much as last season, and it all leads to me buying their chemistry so much more. I've also started to like a lot of the individual characters better as well. I still found Ezra's cocky attitude a bit annoying, but the plot thread about his flirting with the dark side adds an interesting element to his character. Zeb was a surprising highlight, as his constantly being out of his league with the Jedi and Sith made him oddly endearing. Hera finally got some episodes to herself, Kanan bonding with Rex led to some great character development, and Sabine continues to be pretty badass. And the returning characters were awesome too, seeing Ahsoka, Rex, and Darth Maul again was welcome without feeling too fanservice-y.

Unlike last season, there are far more episodes than the finale that I'd consider highlights:

Siege Of Lothal: This jam-packed and shocking season premiere set the tone and stakes for the season, as the promises of Season 1's finale are immediately fulfilled with Darth Vader's harrowing fight with the Rebels, Minister Tua's surprisingly heartrending death, the devastating fate of Lothal and the Phoenix Squadron, and biggest of all, the scene where Ahsoka learns who Vader really is.

Always Two There Are: The two Inquisitors made one hell of a first appearance in this horror-inspired episode that forces Ezra, Sabine, and Zeb to fend against them in an abandoned hospital. It's suspenseful, exciting, and it was the episode to make me really like Zeb, as his rescue attempt at the end of the episode showed a surprising amount of resourcefulness.

The Future Of The Force: This isn't the only episode where the cast has to save some force-sensitive babies (Clone Wars did the same thing), and it's not the only episode where they're on the run from Inquisitors, but I think this is the best-executed instance of both storylines. It's a tense, action-packed chase that constantly puts Ezra, Kanan, and Zeb at a disadvantage, only for Ahsoka to appear and turn the tables at the end in very spectacular fashion.

The Honorable Ones: This episode was a weird one, trapping Zeb and Kallas on an ice planet together and forcing them to team up and escape. Their dynamic was entertaining and fun, seeing them work together at the end was great, and I like how they ended up gaining a respect for each other. I'm not quite sure how I feel about Kallus turning against the empire since I don't think he deserves a redemption arc, but on its own merits, I really liked this one. 

Shroud Of Darkness: Odd designs of Anakin and Yoda aside, this was a fantastic episode and a strong set-up for the finale. The trip to the Jedi Temple led to a ton of massive revelations, like the fact that the Jedi Council was plagued by the dark side, that Ezra has to go to Malachor, and that the Grand Inquisitor was a Jedi knight (and so is Kanan now). And now that the empire knows of the Lothal Jedi temple, it seems the Rebels may never be allowed to go back.

Twilight Of The Apprentice: Easily the most iconic episode of the series, this is a phenomenal finale that rivals some of the best Clone Wars episodes. Ezra teaming up with Darth Maul was such a cool concept and a genius way to get him closer to the dark side, Ahsoka's battle with Darth Vader was as fun as it was emotionally-charged, and the insane ending serves as one hell of a cliffhanger. But that's not to discredit the rest of the episode, which is dark, intense, ambitious, and shocking.

Overall, Season 2 of Star Wars Rebels is great. It widens the scope, increases the stakes, fleshes out the characters and their dynamics, and despite its fairly minimal plot, ends on a fantastic note.

4/5 Stars

Star Wars Rebels (Season 1)

Given how much I like Clone Wars and Star Wars as a whole, it's surprising that I haven't seen Star Wars Rebels yet. With Bad Batch airing with multiple episodes focused on characters from the series, it's about time I finally give it a watch.

Star Wars Rebels is a sequel series to Clone Wars about a tag team of rebels during the rise of the empire. The team is composed of Twi'lek pilot Hera, secret Jedi Kanan, brawny Lasat Zeb, artsy Mandalorian Sabine, faulty droid Chopper, and newly-joined Padawan Ezra. This season has the rebels try to gain minor victories against the empire while evading the Jedi-killing Inquisitor. On its own merits, I think this really works as a storyline for this first season. The Inquisitor is a terrifying force whenever he's on screen, and there's a surprisingly tight sense of continuity this season, with plot points from earlier episodes like the Gall Treyvus transmissions, FULCRUM, and Vizago paying off in the final few episodes. Having only 14 episodes this season definitely helped compared to other Star Wars series, the pacing is pretty much perfect this season. The final few episodes are a particular highlight, with the arrival of Tarkin signaling the point that I really started to enjoy the series. However, there's a big problem with Star Wars Rebels that's preventing me from loving it right now, and that's the fact that I just don't like most of the cast.

For starters, this season is almost entirely focused on the protagonist Ezra despite being based around an entire ensemble cast. While the backstory about his parents is interesting enough, I think he's too much of a jerk to the rest of the cast for me to really care about him. I feel like that applies to the cast as a whole, though, they're bickering and fighting so often throughout the season that it's hard for me to buy into the fact that they're the "family" they say they are. And while characters like Zeb, Hera, and Sabine have a lot of potential with their interesting pasts that are hinted at throughout the season, they barely get any screentime. I'm also not a big fan of the art style, especially in comparison to Clone Wars. While I'm all for exaggerated and cartoonish movement (I loved the art of Tartakovsky's Clone Wars), it's oddly distracting in Rebels. It's probably because of how the characters are always moving, constantly, even when they're talking to each other. I also don't love how simplistic the character designs are, especially when it comes to returning cast members like Obi-Wan and Ahsoka in the finale. On the other hand, I loved the score. Kevin Kiner returns from Clone Wars, and while the music doesn't have quite as many memorable individual pieces as that series, the background music as a whole perfectly evokes the vibe of the original trilogy. 

Despite my many gripes with the season, the final few episodes were pretty great:

Vision Of Hope: For the first time in Rebels, I feel like I genuinely get the sense that fighting the empire can feel genuinely hopeless. Gall Treyvus was a sign of hope from the start of the season, so the reveal that he's an empire plant is really effective and crushing. It's a low point for the cast this season that solidifies how alone they are.

Call To Action: Tarkin's arrival to Star Wars Rebels was such a great idea to finally establish the stakes. He's such a no-nonsense character and he makes it clear from his very first scene. Aside from his appearance, though, Call To Action has the main cast make their very first large-scale impact on the galaxy with their transmission message, along with Kanan's capture setting up for the season to end.

Fire Across The Galaxy: This was a pretty great finale. The final lightsaber fight with the Grand Inquisitor was great, most of the cast had some moment to shine, and the last few minutes were excellent. The reveal of the Rebellion widens the scale for the series, and the appearances of Ahsoka and Darth Vader left me (and I'm sure many other fans) very excited for Season 2.

Overall, the first season of Star Wars Rebels is well-paced enough and has a strong ending, but the generally unlikable and thin cast and off-putting animation prevents me from truly loving the series, at least right now.

2/5 Stars

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Season 7)

Rebooting or reviving a TV show is a difficult task, but the belated final season of Clone Wars made it feel like the show never left. This season ended with easily the best arc in the series and one of the best stretches of episodes in TV history, but the road there was a bit more uneven.

The Bad Batch Arc: So I never actually saw this arc prior to watching The Bad Batch series, so it's nice that I finally get to see their introduction, and it's pretty good, if a bit standard. I think the highlight of this arc is that it shows us where Rex is prior to the Siege Of Mandalore, along with introducing the titular batch, of course. Clone Force 99 is generally pretty close to their characterizations in their spinoff series, but I can still see the problem where certain characters (Wrecker and Tech) seem a bit stereotypical. The Bad Batch (the episode) is a fine introduction to the team, which means it has a lot of exposition in it, but I can only imagine how shocking it must have been to learn Echo was alive. A Distant Echo is an improvement, as Rex's motivation to rescue Echo adds a compelling hook to the arc, and the rescue mission throughout the episode is super tense and exciting. On The Wings Of Keeradaks had a tense opening where the cast narrowly escapes the base, but the main storyline about saving a village was pretty dull. Unfinished Business, on the other hand, was a massively bombastic end to the arc with tons of amazing action. The ending where Echo joins Clone Force 99 is also an incredibly sweet moment of set-up for the spinoffs series itself. Overall, the Bad Batch arc has a solid emotional hook and does a solid job of introducing the titular team, but as a whole, I think it's a pretty standard arc.

3/5 Stars

Ahsoka's Journey Arc: So I've heard stories about how "bad" this arc is (it has the lowest scores on IMDb), but I honestly think the hate's a bit overblown. It's definitely slow-paced and probably didn't need to be four episodes long, but it's nowhere near the worst arc of the show. What about the Gungan General? Senate Spy? The D-Squad? There are some good ideas in this arc, I like that Ahsoka spends time with people who don't like the Jedi to get a different perspective, but it definitely could've been a bit shorter. Gone With A Trace is pretty low-key as Ahsoka meets the Martez sisters. Nothing really happens here, but there's a cute slice of life vibe to it as there aren't too many conflicts in this one. Deal No Deal was easily the weakest of the arc as while I found Gone With A Trace to be kinda cute, this episode didn't quite have anything good happening until the final few seconds (though I did like the Anakin scene). Dangerous Debt was a tiny bit better, as we finally learn the Martez sisters' backstories (seriously, why did it take three episodes?!) and we finally got some action and excitement even if nothing really changed by the episode's end. Together Alone was the only truly great episode of the arc, with a pretty great final battle and the long-awaited scene of Ahsoka revealing she was a Jedi. The real highlight, though was the set up for the Siege Of Mandalore with Maul and Bo-Katan, which was really great stuff. Overall, this arc was fine. It was way too drawn out and didn't really get good until the final episode, but it was a cute reintroduction to Ahsoka that does a solid job of setting up for the much better final arc. Not quite the travesty the internet claims it is, but not all that amazing either.

2/5 Stars

Siege Of Mandalore Arc: Where do I even begin with this arc? This is hands down the best arc in the series, it's some of the best television I've ever seen, and probably the second best Star Wars content outside of Empire Strikes Back. It's action-packed, dramatic, and a damn near perfect ending to the series. Even with how hit and miss The Clone Wars, even with its weak plot, rough start, and repetitive storylines, there aren't many series that have ended as pitch perfectly as this, so I'm going to go through every single episode of the arc in detail, there's just too much to say.

Old Friends Not Forgotten is the weakest episode of the story arc due to mostly being set-up, but in another arc, it would probably be one of the best, if not the best, episodes. The opening is a great reintroduction to Anakin and Obi-Wan, and the episode does a good job of bringing together Rex and Ahsoka for the big final arc. That's what I really like about this season's structure, it tightens the focus to the two major characters who were introduced in the movie that started it all. This is also just a really emotional start to the arc as we get a lot of the major goodbyes prior to Revenge Of The Sith. This is the last time Ahsoka will see Anakin and Obi-Wan in person even if she might not know that, and that makes her final conversations with them all the more heartwrenching and poignant.

The Phantom Apprentice is easily my favorite episode of the series. It's the climax of the titular siege and is pretty much just one action scene after the next, all of which are great. Bo-Katan gets a pretty badass jetpack fight in an elevator shaft, the Clones get a massive outdoor war, and best of all, Ahsoka gets a lightsaber fight with Darth Maul. This fight is just amazing, the use of motion capture makes it feel so natural and weighty, the choreography is intricate, and the fight manages to evolve throughout and rise in stakes. The Phantom Apprentice is just pure, unbridled Star Wars fun and it absolutely made me feel like a kid again the first time I saw it. I'm sure that if I saw it as a kid, I'd think this episode was the coolest thing ever.

Shattered is tense as hell, showing what exactly happens to Ahsoka and Rex once Order 66 begins. There's this feeling of dread building throughout the arc as the events of Revenge Of The Sith seem to happen in the background, slowly building towards the infamous order. It makes the first half of this episode feel incredibly nail-biting, until we get to the now iconic scene where Rex turns on Ahsoka. The rest of the episode isn't as compelling as the first half, but it ends on a great note as Ahsoka manages to get Rex's inhibitor chip removed. 

Victory And Death is a great finale for the series, both action-packed and somber in equal measures. On one hand, we get a fun pseudo teamup between Ahsoka and Maul, a massive final battle in a crumbling ship, some final goofy droid hijinks to end off the series, and even a hallway sequence where Maul gets to pretty much destroy a ton of Clones in his path. On the other hand, the aforementioned droids and a lot of the Clones end up dying, Rex is forced to reckon with killing his own brothers, and it ends on a very sad note as Darth Vader is left thinking Ahsoka died. I love how the series ends with re-exploring the themes that were established in the very first episode about the Clones' free will, and the emotional moments throughout the episode just hit so hard. As a whole, this Siege Of Mandalore arc is phenomenal, it juggles everything I love about the series and Star Wars as a whole. The fight scenes are great, the drama is impactful, and it ends this enjoyable but imperfect series on a perfect note.

5/5 Stars

Overall, this season was uneven for sure, but it was also deliberate. By focusing it around Ahsoka and Rex, this final season's slow start also worked as a buildup to the best arc in the show's history. Thus, it's an excellent final season to the series, if anything because of how good the Siege Of Mandalore is.

4/5 Stars

My ranking of the Clone Wars seasons is:

4 > 5 > 7 > 2 > 3 > 6 > 1

My ranking of the Clone Wars finales is:

7 > 4 > 5 > 6 > 2 > 1 > 3

Favorite Episode: The Phantom Apprentice

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Season 6)

Season 6 of The Clone Wars was an interesting one for me because I never actually finished it as a kid. I watched up to The Disappeared but I kinda just gave up since I didn't wanna watch a two-parter about Jar Jar Binks. Now, I want to give this season a full chance. Is it going to be better than I remembered? And was I being too harsh on that Jar Jar Binks episode?

Clone Protocol 99 Arc: This arc was a pretty strong start to the season. It's another clone focused storyline, but this time it's about Order 66. The Unknown starts the arc with a pretty genius premise: What if Order 66 activated early and resulted in a Jedi's death. The first few minutes are a dark and intriguing examination into a clone's psyche after Order 66 is activated, but otherwise, this is a lot of set-up. Conspiracy ended on a pretty shocking note by killing off the presumed main character Tup halfway through the arc, making Fives the actual protagonist. Shaak Ti also appears for the first time since early Season 3. It's probably my second favorite episode of the arc, though I felt the medical droid AZI-3 was a bit annoying. Fugitive was fun and all, but it felt kind of annoying to get another "fugitive" episode so soon after the last one (the final arc of Season 5 had a similar storyline). However, it's still an action-packed episode that ends with Fives learning about the inhibitor chips and telling Shaak Ti. Orders is a strong and heartbreaking ending to the arc, with Fives unable to reveal Order 66 and ultimately being the last of the Domino Squad to (supposedly) die. It was a bit frustrating to see things end so badly, but I know that was the point of the episode. Overall, this was a really solid arc for its set-up of Order 66, heartbreaking ending, and dark tone, even if it boasted a lot of similarities with Season 5's fugitive arc.

4/5 Stars

Rush Clovis Arc: Senate Spy was one of the few episodes/arcs of the series that I gave a 1/5 stars. I hated Clovis, but more importantly, I hated Anakin's jealousy attitude towards Clovis. So I was not excited to get a three-episode-long arc about exactly that, though it didn't reach the lows that Senate Spy did. An Old Friend was easily my favorite of the arc entirely because of Embo, a cool bounty hunter who finally got an episode to himself. The rest of the episode (and most of the arc) was pretty standard Early Season 3 fare, but that final chase in the snow was just so good. The Rise Of Clovis, on the other hand, was pretty much built entirely around the rivalry between Anakin and Clovis, and they both suck! By the halfway point where Clovis tries to kiss Padme and Anakin starts beating him up, I just completely checked out. It just felt so melodramatic, and while I get how the show wants to show Anakin and Padme falling apart as he goes closer to the dark side, their relationship isn't all that strained at the start of RoTS, so it feels kinda forced. Crisis At The Heart at least ends the arc with a more action-packed episode that mostly wraps up the story and gives Clovis a solid exit, and it doesn't have any scenes as bad as that fight in the previous episode. Overall, I didn't like this arc all that much. The Embo episode gives it an extra star, but otherwise, it feels like these episodes were ripped right out of early Season 3. It was either focused around dull economic discussions or a frustrating rivalry that I just couldn't get into. 

2/5 Stars

The Disappeared Arc: I was dreading this two-parter when I was younger, a storyline about Jar Jar Binks and Mace Windu sounded like the worst thing ever, especially since I didn't quite like either characters. Jar Jar was annoying and Mace was a jerk to Ahsoka. However, upon actually seeing this episode, it's... not... the worst? I still think Shadow Warrior was the best Jar Jar episode, but this one had quite a bit going for it. Mace and Jar Jar had a solid dynamic, not unlike Jar Jar and C-3PO in Bombad Jedi, and the concept of an Indiana Jones homage felt perfect for Star Wars. We even got to see what happened to Talzin after she disappeared in Season 4. However, this didn't need to be two parts, especially since the second half was far less enjoyable than the Temple Of Doom-inspired first half. Like all of the Jar Jar arcs, there's only so much of him I can really take, and I absolutely did not need to know about his love life. So was I right to dread this one as a kid? Eh, not really. This wasn't a necessarily good episode, but there were some fun sequences here, and I'd say it was somewhat more entertaining than parts of the Clovis arc. The thing I regret most though is missing out on what comes next...

2/5 Stars

Yoda Arc: What the hell was wrong with me? How did I miss this storyline as a kid, it would have blown my mind! This is an entire arc focused around Yoda, and its goal is to address many of the force-related mysteries the franchise has been holding off on the answer to. There's tons of references, plot twists, cool fights, stunning visuals, and appearances from a large portion of the Jedi Council. Pretty much, if you find force lore fascinating, this arc is for you. The Lost Ones establishes the intriguing mystery about what happened to the enigmatic Jedi Sifo-Dyas. This episode jumps between a bunch of planets as the Jedi question people, even giving Palpatine's predecessor a surprise appearance as well. I also like how the Jedi finally start to learn more about the Separatist plans, along with that slick final battle with Dooku. Voices is where the arc begins proper, kickstarting with Yoda hearing Qui-Gon's voice. We finally get to learn about force ghosts, culminating in Yoda taking a trip to none other than Dagobah. The highlight of this episode is easily the scene where he gets visions in the cave, primarily because we get to see some RoTS scenes in the show's animation style. 

Destiny isn't quite as fanservice-y as Voices and goes for a similar storyline to The Box and Monster, but it makes up with some really trippy visuals (I get a lot of Twilight Princess vibes from this one) and some cool sequences. It's a great examination of Yoda as a character, we learn a lot about him, especially the fact that he has a bit of a dark side. The trial of temptation sequence was also just haunting. Even with the Clone Wars having generally strong finales (2, 4, and 5 all had great endings), Sacrifice might be one of the show's strongest. There are just so many cool scenes here, we get to see the Sith's home planet, Bane makes a brief appearance, and we even get a (good) fight between Yoda and Sidious! The whole vision scene is really cool in the way it foreshadows a lot of Revenge Of The Sith, not unlike Buffy's Restless. But what I especially love is its hopeful ending. Yoda knows and has accepted that the Jedi may lose the Clone Wars, but he also has the hope that they'll win some other way. Overall, it's a shame I didn't see this arc until now because it's really good! The visuals are stunning, the action is fun, the references are numerous, and the force lore is fascinating. Despite its similarities, I might actually like this arc more than Mortis probably because of just how much of a love letter it feels like to Star Wars as a whole. 

5/5 Stars

Overall, Season 6 was definitely a step down from the last two. It had a good start and a great end, but it also had a weak middle section. It was nice to finally get to see the Yoda arc which rose up to become one of my favorites, but otherwise, this season was standard Clone Wars fare.

3/5 Stars

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Season 5)

Season 5 was originally supposed to be the final season of Clone Wars, and was the point at which the show became entirely arc-driven with no standalone storylines. I'm actually split on the long story arcs because of how much they range in quality. If the story arc is good, you get four amazing episodes in rapid succession. If the story arc is weak, you get four bad episodes all in a row, and no season demonstrates this more than the show's fifth.

Onderon Arc: Did they seriously just give Ahsoka a love triangle?! Clone Wars has taken some really big risks for children's media in their depiction of war, yet they end up just falling for the same dull romantic tropes we've seen time and time again with Ahsoka and Lux. But fine, this is a four episode arc, there's a lot more than Ahsoka and Lux in this one. This arc focuses on a rebellion on Onderon, introducing Saw Gerrera who ends up being a very important character in later properties like Rogue One and The Bad Batch (though one I don't find super interesting). Add in more storylines about Anakin turning to the dark side and some interesting themes about rebellion/terrorism and you get an otherwise solid arc, if a bit unmemorable by the end of it. I don't think this one needed to be four episodes, they all ended up blurring together by the end. A War On Two Fronts was easily the weakest episode of the bunch, as it was both set-up and had probably the most annoying love triangle hijinks. Front Runners on the other hand was a pretty fun and action-packed siege with little to no romance whatsoever. The Soft War was pretty standard fare though with a tense storyline about stopping an execution. Tipping Points was easily the strongest episode of the arc, with a surprisingly affecting death scene, a great appearance for Hondo, and more tension between Ahsoka and Anakin. Overall, this arc was fine and had some neat ideas, though it was pretty dull and was held back by Lux once again.

3/5 Stars

Young Jedi Arc: This arc was actually really cool. We got Ahsoka in a pretty big role, Grievous and Hondo as the main villains, and a ton of cool lore about how the Younglings get their lightsabers. Even though the main cast was composed of children, they weren't super annoying and the variety of species (we even got a Wookie Jedi!) was welcome. The Gathering is a neat opening that shows in detail how the Young Jedi get their crystals, and it's jam-packed with interesting lore and stunning visuals. I also really liked Yoda's role in it as well, and the ending where all of the Younglings completely their challenges was pretty sick. This was easily my favorite of the arc. A Test Of Strength was a pretty tense episode about Ahsoka and the younglings getting attacked by Hondo's pirates, and there was some cool lore on how lightsabers are built. Bound For Rescue was the least interesting of the four, a rescue mission plot that the series has done far better than this, but it did have a pretty great subplot about Grievous launching a surprise attack on Obi-Wan. A Necessary Bond was a pretty solid finale to the arc with some fun action scenes with Grievous and an awesome teamup between Ahsoka and Hondo. Overall, I liked this arc, it was pretty cute and had an amazing first episode. 

4/5 Stars

D-Squad Arc: This might be the worst arc in the series, and I have a lot to say about it. This is an entire arc about a team of droids that gets stranded on a planet and has to escape, and it goes on for four episodes. I don't think I need to explain why you can't spend four episodes focusing on droids, right? Because most of them can't speak! The only characters that could speak for most of the arc were WAC and Gascon, who's were both so relentlessly annoying and talkative. Even the droids got annoyed with them by the second episode. I wouldn't be that mad if this was just the first episode Secret Weapons. It was a somewhat fun and goofy heist episode about droids, albeit with a slightly annoying set of protagonists. I didn't love it, but I would've been fine if it was a standalone to break up the pace. However, it didn't end there, and things just got worse from there.

A Sunny Day In The Void is an interesting concept, I tend to love TV episodes about nothing (Fly, The Chinese Restaurant, Restless), and a homage to THX 1138 could have been really cool. I'd love to see an existential episode like this about characters like Ahsoka, Rex, or even Yoda! But instead, it's two of the show's most annoying characters goofing off. It didn't have any interesting insights or anything, it's just filler, and I don't use that term lightly. Even episodes that are generally considered to be filler can have some value in character development or well-executed comedy, but this was a waste of time. It's my least favorite episode of the whole show. Missing In Action improves things a bit by introducing an amnesiac trooper, but he just feels like a poor man's Cut. And Point Of No Return is a fine ending with a dramatic finale, though it more just made me glad this arc came to an end. And just imagine what it must have felt like watching this arc week-in and week-out. Even as a kid, I didn't wanna have to put myself through a whole month of this! Outside of a few interesting ideas, this arc is just droids. It's four episodes of nearly nothing but droids. Let's just get to the good stuff now.

1/5 Stars

Shadow Collective Arc: I mostly like to watch the show in airing order so I can view each season as their intended seasons, but this is an exception. It works way better if you wait until here to watch the premiere Revival, even if you don't get that instant resolution of Season 4's ending. Anyway, as for the arc itself, this is in my Top 3 in the series alongside Umbara and Siege Of Mandalore. It brings together Maul and Mandalore in this shocking, heart wrenching, and action-packed story arc that ends with one of the show's best episodes. On the opposite end of the spectrum as D-Squad, pretty much every episode here is good, resulting in one of the show's best stretches of episodes. Revival was a stellar beginning to the arc, with that phenomenal battle on Florrum. I was surprised at how much carnage there was in this one, from Gallia's death to Savage losing an arm to the pirates being attacked. My only gripe is the continuity issues that come with placing it at the start of the season along with how it doesn't quite seem to address Revenge's cliffhanger about Maul seemingly being prepared for a Jedi attack. Regardless, this is a really great episode and the fact that it's one of the weaker entries in the arc goes to show how amazing it is.

The next three episodes in the arc aired right after the D-Squad arc, and what a leap in quality! Eminence made the genius decision of bringing together Maul and the Death Watch, two of the show's best threads. It gave a bit of extra depth to Bo-Katan and Pre Vizsla, featured the bounty hunters one more time, and managed to span a bunch of planets like Mustafar, Nal Hutta, and Tatooine. However, it's also my least favorite of the arc as it was mostly table-setting for the next two episodes. Shades Of Reason was the episode with the big battle on Mandalore so it was generally pretty action-packed, but it was the final few minutes that was the real highlight. The duel between Maul and Vizsla is one of the best fights of the series, and the ending had Maul taking over Mandalore and Bo-Katan fleeing, signaling the start of her being more of an anti-hero/villain rather than a pure antagonist. And then there's The Lawless which is easily one of the best and most packed episodes in the series. I mean where do I even start with this one? The action's really good, we get a fun speeder chase and plenty of cool shootouts, but the high point is the amazing lightsaber fight between Maul and Savage and none other than Emperor Palpatine himself who actually gets a chance to show how powerful he really is. The Lawless is also very emotional, with heart-wrenching deaths for both Savage and Satine. The latter was especially gutting since I really liked Satine. There's character development for Bo-Katan, a tense confrontation between Obi-Wan and Maul, hilarious references to A New Hope, and more plot than you'd think you would be able to fit in an episode like this. It's exciting, intense, relentless, and action-packed as hell. The arc as a whole is great but The Lawless just solidified its place as one of the best in the series.

5/5 Stars

Rogue Jedi Arc: I'm... split on this arc, as while it's incredibly well-told, dramatic, has a lot of interesting commentary on the Jedi Council, and packs a phenomenal ending, I'm also just not a fan of these Fugitive-esque stories since they can be pretty frustrating to watch, and this one was no exception, especially after a second go. Still, as much as I hate to see Ahsoka go through all that strife, I can't deny this is a very good arc. Sabotage is a great first episode, though. I loved the opening with the buzz droids, the Jedi temple bombing was a surprising twist, and it was a lot of fun to see Anakin and Ahsoka as a sort of detective duo as they investigated the bombing. In The Jedi Who Knew Too Much, it was really hard to watch Ahsoka get framed like that, but we also learn a bit more about the bombing mystery and get a thrilling escape scene at the end. To Catch A Jedi brings back Ventress and has a great lightsaber fight near the end, but what I really liked from this episode is that Plo Koon was doubting if Ahsoka was really guilty. 

The Wrong Jedi was by far the best episode of this storyline for a myriad of reasons. It's tense, action-packed, and emotional, easily working as a potential series finale if the show hadn't gotten renewed. The action is great, we get some great lightsabers fights with Anakin as he tries to find the culprit, and the reveal of her as Barriss was great. But I think most people's favorite part of this one is how Ahsoka starts to realize just how flawed the Jedi Council is. They all pretty much unanimously try to have her killed only to immediately step back once she's revealed to not be the culprit, and justify themselves by claiming the Force willed this to happen. Yeah, I'd leave the Jedi too. And while Ahsoka's goodbye with Anakin was emotional, it also solidified her as my favorite character of the franchise. So while I may not have loved this storyline like many others, I can't deny that it's well-written and packs an amazing ending. 

5/5 Stars

Overall, I still enjoyed Season 5. It suffered a bit from the show's arc-driven structure and the D-Squad held it back a bit, but I enjoyed more arcs than I didn't, and its best storylines were some of the best the show has ever been. It's not as consistent or satisfying as Season 4, but another pretty solid season all things considered.

4/5 Stars

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Season 4)

After the massive jump in quality in Season 3, the rest of the series would end up having some really strong arcs. Season 4 is my favorite overall though, it definitely has some of the best storylines in the series.

The Battle Of Mon Cala Arc: This story arc feels like something out of some of the earlier seasons, though with much better animation. As a result, there isn't too much to unpack here, not much character work or deep themes, it's just a lot of fun and visually impressive underwater action, along with the chance to get to learn more about Admiral Ackbar's planet. All three episodes are pretty much the same. There's some fun action and a pretty standard storyline about a Mon Calamari who has to learn to lead, though I do like how genuinely devastating the ends of the first two episodes are. The Gungans appear in this arc as well, but only halfway through, and they're not too bad. It's weird that I don't have much else to say for a three-episode arc but it left so little of an impression. It's a decently fun set of episodes but nothing more, I think the action and massive amount of characters definitely saved it for more.

3/5 Stars

Shadow Warrior: Well, here's another Jar Jar episode, but wow, this was actually kinda dark? The premise of Jar Jar disguising himself as another person isn't super original (Bombad Jedi did it too), but it's actually kinda tense this time since he has to meet with Grievous. The Separatists are also super cold this episode, killing multiple Gungans, and kidnapping Anakin to use as a bargaining chip. It's really weird for me to say this was a dark episode about Gungans, but it genuinely was, with Tarpals' sacrifice in particular really getting me! If you told me yesterday that I'd feel for a Gungan, I would have laughed, but damn, poor Tarpals! Then again, there's only so much Gungan I can take, so while the story was good, you'd still have to sit through a lot of "meesa"s. Probably the best Jar Jar episode, though still on the weak side. 

2/5 Stars

C-3PO And R2-D2 Arc: Evil Plans wasn't that good so I was worried about these two episodes. Thankfully, I thought they were somewhat enjoyable, if still a bit stupid. Unlike Evil Plans which splits the duo up and mostly stays in the same location, the two episodes in this arc are much larger adventures where C-3PO and R2-D2 stay together. Mercy Mission is definitely the weaker of the two as it takes some time to really get going, but it lets the two droids use their strengths to do something good for the galaxy. Nomad Droids is way more entertaining though, a fast-paced planet-hopping adventure that leaves the two droids close to being wrecked more times than not. I'd even say that I genuinely loved that scene where the two nearly power off, it's oddly sad. But best of all, this is the end of the pretty meh stretch of episodes that starts off the season. From here on out, the quality jumps up pretty dramatically, and stays there.

2/5 Stars

Darkened World Of Umbara Arc: Ah, the famous Umbara arc. Yeah, I don't think I need to tell you that this one's pretty great. The main premise is that Rex and his squad are trying to retake the beautiful planet of Umbara, but they're being commanded by a clone-hating Jedi named Krell whose methods are cruel and brutal. I adore this arc, the visuals are striking, the clones are well-developed, the conflict moves the show into further morally grey territory, and the action is brutal and intense. Just like many of the best episodes in the series, it's an exploration of the major theme of the clones' free will. It's also a rare arc where each episode is better than the last.

Darkness On Umbara is a strong start that establishes an interesting contrast between Anakin and Krell's methods. The tension between Rex and Krell is compelling, the action is intense, and the scene where Krell threatens Fives with a lightsaber is shocking. The General is even better, with some interesting conversations between the Clones, some crazy fights against the Umbaran's badass mechanical weapons, and a dark ending that hammers home how reckless and flawed Krell's lead is. Apparently, this episode has the highest amount of casualties in the series? That makes a lot of sense if it's true.

Plan Of Descent is a bit of a breather compared to The General, with some pretty funny moments and a greater focus on the characters. Once again, the clones have some really interesting arguments, and the cliffhanger about Fives and Jesse getting court-martialed is excellent. And finally, the amazing Carnage Of Krell, an emotional, stunning, and thought-provoking finale. It really brings all of the themes to the forefront, from civil disobedience, to the toll of war. There are also a ton of great scenes, from the tense firing squad sequence to the reveal that the 501st were fighting clones and not Umbarans, to the final battle with Krell, to the somber ending. Also, wow, there are some brutal death scenes in this episode, Krell's brutality genuinely made me wince at some points. This whole arc is just one amazingly told story, one of the show's best.

5/5 Stars

The Slaves Of Zygerria Arc: Oh, I was dreading this one. I'm not a fan of this arc, but I wouldn't say it's bad. I generally like it when Clone Wars gets dark, but this one is just plain depressing, especially once the Jedi are forced to disguise as slavers. There is some really dark content in this arc, made worse by Anakin starting to turn even darker. Kidnapped is a solid first episode with some fun action and an interesting subplot about Anakin dealing with his old past as a slave, actually a really cool concept. Slaves Of The Republic is by far my least favorite, it's borderline torture porn for most of the cast, especially Obi-Wan, though it does have another neat instance of foreshadowing for Revenge Of The Sith. And then there's Escape From Kadavo, which is far more fun and satisfying, while still also having Anakin's haunting attitude while slaughtering the slavers in a similar scene to Attack Of The Clones. Overall, this arc is fine, it's just one I don't like to watch too often.

3/5 Stars

A Friend In Need: I'm not a fan of characters being force-fed love interests, and Lux might be one of the worst instances of this. I didn't complain about this in Heroes On Both Sides because he didn't appear too much, but it was just unavoidable here, I don't like that they made gave Ahsoka a love interest in Lux. They lack any sort of chemistry, and the fact that Ahsoka has managed to be consistently interesting without any romantic storylines just makes it feel unnatural. It's as if the show was just trying to fill a quota to give its protagonist a love interest regardless of whether or not he fit. But what about the episode? Well, Lux was annoying, but everything else was actually pretty cool. Death Watch is back, and Bo-Katan made her first appearance! I also liked how the show finally dealt with the droid stigma with the R2 subplot, given how early it was established, I'm surprised it was never an issue before. I also thought the final act had some great action, with a darksaber fight, a badass quadruple decapitation, and a fun speeder chase against Bo-Katan. I also just like that this episode is another step towards Ahsoka changing her viewpoints on the war. It's a shame, I feel like I could have loved this episode, but Lux's role just did not sit well with me at all.

3/5 Stars

Obi-Wan Undercover Arc: I really liked this arc, it's a lot of fun! It feels like the culmination of all the bounty hunter storylines in the series, from Boba Fett to Cad Bane, and it focuses on Obi-Wan to boot! Well... kinda... it definitely sucks that we don't get to hear Obi-Wan's distinct British voice for most of the arc, but that's just a minor quibble, the rest of it's great! I even like how we get the start of some of Palpatine's manipulations of Anakin. Deception is a pretty standard prison break storyline, but it brings the main cast of bounty hunters together and has a really tense opening. Friends And Enemies was my least favorite of the bunch, but Obi-Wan's plan was fun, and the finale where he had to face off with Anakin and Ahsoka was great. The Box was always one of my favorite episodes, it's similar to Monster but instead of mostly combat encounters, the challenges in this episode were these super fun and creative obstacle courses. I also thought the lineup of bounty hunters was cool (Embo's back!), and they all had great chemistry. Crisis On Naboo is a solid conclusion with a phenomenal Anakin/Dooku fight that sets up RoTS, but I do think it resolves things a bit too easily. Regardless, this is a great arc with a lot of entertaining action, neat characters, and great plot progression.

5/5 Stars

Darth Maul Returns Arc: This is easily one of my favorite arcs of the series. Not only is it big and climactic, but it's also varied, spanning multiple genres, locations, and casts. As a whole, it's everything a strong Clone Wars arc should be. Massacre is dark, like this episode legitimately traumatized me as a kid. The zombies, the Nightsisters being slaughtered, and most of all that voodoo doll sequence, this massive war between Dooku and Talzin was just so intense! There's a great Ventress/Grievous fight and a massive downer ending for Ventress. It hardly even feels like a kid's show at this point and while I might not have liked it back then, I live for this stuff nowadays! In contrast with the grim Massacre, Bounty is insanely fun even if it's probably not quite as good. I loved watching Asaaj Ventress be a bounty hunter and the fights on the train were a ton of fun, this one just wasn't as dramatic though. Brothers finally brings Maul back in spectacular fashion, even if it was mostly set up for the finale. Speaking of which, then there's Revenge, one of my favorite finales in the series. Maul is back at full force, Obi-Wan gets to team up with Ventress, and the sheer amount of potential it adds to Season 5 is just so exciting. I adored this arc, it's so varied and exciting, ending on a strong finale for the season.

5/5 Stars

Overall, this season has its rough bits, but it's definitely my favorite in the series. Between the Umbara arc, the Obi-Wan arc, and the Darth Maul arc, all of which I'd easily give a 5/5, I think this season just has the most good stuff, and even its weaker story arcs aren't nearly as weak as those in other seasons.

5/5 Stars