‘The Duel: Payback,’ ‘The Lost Ones,’ and ‘The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope’ deftly expand upon characters and storylines established in Volume 1, carefully animated in mixed 2D and 3D by anime studios Kamikaze Douga and ANIMA, Production I.G, and Kinema citrus Co.
Even though sequels are very much a key part of the franchise, marks the first time that any of the animated shorts from the anthology series were visited again.In Volume 3, three of the nine episodes expand upon characters and storylines established in Volume 1.
Picking up the sequel mantle were well-known Japanese anime studios Kamikaze Douga and ANIMA, Production I.G, and Kinema citrus Co, which were responsible for , and . Technically, one could argue that the first sequel appeared in 2022 when by Emma Mieko Candon was released.But there was more story to be told about the former Sith known as Ronin, who travels an alternative feudal Japan with his faithful droid R5-D56.To that end, Kamikaze Douga and ANIMA have followed up from Volume 1 with , in which the unhinged Grand Master seeks revenge for the disfigurement he suffered at the hands of the Ronin — injuries so severe that his limbs had to be replaced with mechanical parts.
“In the first work we were developing the visual style from scratch, which required a lot of time in itself,” explains Takanobu Mizuno, Director, . “This work follows on in the same style, but as a co-production with Studio ANIMA, which uses different 3D software and animation techniques to Kamikaze Douga, both sides had to learn each others’ workflows and processes to work out what we would need to adjust in order to move forward.The Kamikaze Douga approach usually uses 3D for character animation but follows traditional cel-style techniques for other elements, while ANIMA, on the other hand, specializes in high-quality 3D techniques.So, it took us a while to get used to each other.
However, since we had the first short as a reference, we always had something to look to as a guide.” Various factors determined what would be animated in 2D or 3D. “We based our decisions for characters on a combination of factors such as how often they appear, how much they move, and overall staffing,” says Mizuno. “For example, we used 3D for the main characters and supporting cast, but 2D for those that only appear in a few shots.That said, if there’s someone who shows up in only a few shots, but they need complicated movements, we used 3D, but we used 2D if someone appears a lot but without much movement.Then for the backgrounds, we used 3D for the layout and as the base for 2D artwork.
When using 3D camerawork or needing part of the background to move in 3D space, we used a simplified 3D model, then applied the detail in 2D background art using a camera map.That’s because I think hand-drawn art makes for more appealing backgrounds than ones made in 3D alone.” The two anime studios utilized different 3D software, which influenced how the work was divided between them.“Kamikaze Douga uses Lightwave for 3D while ANIMA uses Maya, so we had to break the work down into distinct sections.
Since most of the animators available for this project came from ANIMA, Kamikaze Douga handled the flashback sequences, including the new 3D models.ANIMA staff adjusted the 3D models made in Lightwave from the first short so they could be used in Maya.” The story is set on a snowy mountainside in a former AK-BK converted into a gambling hall.“This idea came from Mizusaki Junpei, creative producer and president of Kamikaze Douga, who was also the screenwriter for this project,” reveals Mizuno. “It was inspired by a scene in the comic version of from character designer Okazaki Takashi, which showed an abandoned AK-BK lying fallen in a snowy mountain landscape.” The decommissioned Imperial All Terrain Armored Transport gets flipped on its back, turning the legs into impromptu towers. “This was another idea from creative producer Mizusaki; he has a real fascination with fight scenes on unstable shifting locations, as in the battle on the logs in the first instalment of .
However, that left us puzzling over how the two AK-BK units would be knocked over, and how that would change the battlefield for Ronin and Aneé-san.” Even though the illustrative quality means that black and white imagery dominate the frame, there are flashes of color. “As a rule, only items that emit light get a color; that also includes electrical light sources and natural phenomena, like flames and explosions.We were able to strengthen the emphasis on the meaning behind the colors in this work.” “The AK-BK collapse may have been the biggest technical challenge, but visually, this work is also the first time where we see night-time shots in this work’s unique art style,” observes Mizuno.“Getting the right balance in black and white was difficult.” Viewers will not be disappointed.
“Of course, we’d love for you to take in all the AK-BK background art in the snowy mountain scenes in the first act. But for the battle scenes on the shrine grounds towards the end of the short, we actually brought in professional fight choreographers to come up with a battle plan and then give us actual performances for animation reference footage.This allowed us to achieve even greater realism in the battle sequences than the first short.” In Volume 1’s , F is initially reluctant to react given the trauma caused when her fellow Jedis were executed by the Galactic Empire under Order 66, and the fear of being discovered and hunted becomes a reality in .“I wanted to show what choices F has to make to overcome her past and move forward,” states Hitoshi Haga, Director, Writer, Storyboard Artist, Concept Designer, .
“That was the story I wanted to do in this short.” The Kinema citrus Co production sees F confronting her former Jedi Master Shad-Rah Varcanella, who has changed his name to Zero and become a deadly instrument of the Galactic Empire. “His character is smart and clever, and in terms of visuals, I wanted to make him look completely opposite from F.” Among the new characters is Ron. “My ideas for Ron's character were either Jason Bourne from or River Phoenix,” reveals Haga. “We went with River Phoenix.The redesign of the droid Lulu was influenced by the retro cars of Messerschmitt and Austin-Healey, which fit within the aesthetic.” The action initially unfolds on a planet decimated by a gas leak at a carbonite mine caused by a series of earthquakes. “The design of Inoli was inspired by Northern Europe, and since this is the aftermath of a disaster, the atmosphere of the planet is somewhat sad,” Haga notes.“The story starts in the daytime, shifts to night and then to the morning.
I wanted to make sure that the lighting shows the passage of the time.” When the floor of a house gives way, F uses the Force to cushion Ron’s fall.“First, we worked on a storyboard and decided what we should show in the frames,” says Haga.“But I didn't want to show too much of the Force in the frames.
So, Mr.Koide [Key Animator] worked on that based on my request.” In order to save a refugee ship from an Imperial Star Destroyer, F agrees to be taken prisoner, accompanied by Ron, who pretends to be responsible for her capture.He then aids in her escape by unleashing the same carbonite gas that destroyed Inoli.
“The carbonite gas has to have impact to destroy the Star Destroyer, so it has to have more power than what was going into a city,” explains Haga. “I wanted to give more movement to the carbonite gas.” He goes on to note one story point became unavoidable.“I don’t like lightsaber battles.The same goes with the previous short.
However, the audience would probably love to see one.I did not avoid a lightsaber battle to convey this story.” The battle in question involves F’s duel with her Jedi Master Shad-Rah.Haga shares, “I wanted to make sure the audience has a feeling that Zero is undefeatable, so F cannot defeat Zero by any means.
However, F has to stop him.That was the concept of the scene.” The pivotal moment takes place in what looks like a virtual reality chamber filled with red flowers. “This was simply for the visuals,” he adds.“I wanted to have a cool lightsaber battle in a beautiful flower field against a dark sky with stars in it.
That’s how I decided.” According to Haga, everything about was difficult.“The most complicated shot was when Shad-Rah and F are fighting. F jumps over Shad-Rah and he cuts her up.” While F loses an arm and her two legs, the calculated action enables her to inject a fatal dose of carbonite into her foe.In addition to directing the episode, Haga also wrote the story as well as did storyboarding and concept design.
“I’ve been in this business for 40 years and I’ve seen so many people work on different processes,” he says.“I’m the one who is having so much fun taking on those roles to make this movie because I am big fan and it actually shows in .” Asked about the idea of revisiting F yet again, Haga would welcome the opportunity, adding, “Maybe not a trilogy, but a series I hope!” Such ambition could potentially be rewarded as is the first short from the anthology to spin off into a long form animated series along with being adapted into manga by Square Enix.In the third Volume 3 sequel, , Lah Kara seeks to channel her ability to use the Force and find her sabersmith father Lah Zhima, who has been abducted by the Jedi Hunters.
“We carried over the existing worldbuilding and designs,” states Naoyoshi Shiotani, Director, . “We strove to maintain consistency with the sense of the existing world for this work.Specifically, an important element to incorporate is the sense of ‘, meaning the Japanese traditional concepts of harmony and aesthetics.Kara's enemies from the first short, the Jedi Hunters, who reappear in this work, are clearly examples of such designsHowever, we deliberately avoided such traditional Japanese design elements in the abandoned starship itself in order to convey the idea that it has drifted from a faraway, unfamiliar planet.” Shiotani took over directorial duties from Kenji Kamiyama, who was responsible for the first short. “Personally, I handle the basic animation layout in 3D, deciding the camera positioning for each shot,” remarks Shiotani. “Once the layout is complete, the process splits into the 2D and 3D workflows from there.
That’s my basic approach, and that’s largely how we handled it for this work as well.However, since the theme of is a 3D and a 2D character interacting, the procedures for creating each individual shot have been more complicated than before.Sometimes we might handle the rough 2D animation first; other times we would do the 3D first and do compositing with the 2D afterwards.
Then other times, we would go back again to revise the 3D animation to match the 2D work.Going into finer detail than ever before to refine both sides of the process was a challenge, but also a very enjoyable one with the 2D and 3D animation production sides supporting and invigorating each other.” In the episode, Kara befriends and helps a droid named Teto when she finds herself on a drifting derelict starship while being pursued by Jedi Hunters. “We started by asking the character designer Shinagawa-san to draw Teto with lots of different facial expressions,” notes Shiotani. “Then we set out to replicate them in 3D.The unique and intricate moving parts of his face work together to create his expressions.
Now, which parts should we move to make which expressions? The 3D animators worked that out through a process of trial and error with the original concept art as a guide.For some important shots, we had 2D animators create a rough keyframe pass and used that as the basis for the 3D animation.I drew the rough keyframes for Teto’s final shutdown myself.” Most of the action takes place in one location.
According to Shiotani, “The abandoned ship in this story belonged to Teto’s Master.The interior is designed to resemble the planet where his Master was born and raised.This is why each room and corridor is filled with reminders of the forests and lakesides of his former home; they are decorated with statues of his people, so we get a sense of Teto’s Master and his background through the design even though he does not appear in the story.
Even though Kara finds herself lost in a closed space, the design of the starship gives her a sense closer to wandering an unknown planet.” Reflecting the narrative is the color palette.“For each sequence on Juro’s ship, in the flashbacks, and aboard the abandoned ship, we designed the color palette and lighting schemes to align the visuals with the flow of the narrative,” states Shiotani.“Among these I think the scene at the back of the living quarters where Kara and Teto part ways was particularly evocative.
The subtle shift in the evening light from orange gradually into deep red builds to a sense that their farewell is near, and we can feel their sadness and impending loss.Then, Teto pushes Kara into the escape pod and locks her in as he switches the power on.At that very moment, the color of Teto and Kara’s worlds change.
Teto is in the natural light and Kara in the artificial light.The staging shows their worlds diverging into death and life respectively.The atmosphere in this scene turned out to be very evocative.” “The scenes where a 2D and a 3D character touch, such as when Teto grabs Kara’s hand and starts running with her, required the most complex planning,” Shiotani remarks.
“The lightsaber action scenes were fun, but they sure were challenging.To rise to the challenge, I set out to study what makes lightsaber combat distinct from other types of swordsmanship and tried to work out the mechanics and logics for myself.” The director goes on to note that he added one important visual cue in the action that foreshadows the unfolding drama.“Actually, there’s one thing I haven’t mentioned yet,” he reveals.
“I hid a clue in one shot that allows you to better understand the situation Teto is in.It’s in the shot where we see Teto’s point of view, when he first spots Kara.Amid all the information display and camera functions that appear on screen as motion graphics, there’s some text in Aurebesh flashing at the edge of the screen.
It’s not easy to catch, but it basically reads: ‘Warning: Low Battery.’ Teto knew that he wouldn’t be able to recharge aboard the abandoned ship, and that his system would shut down soon.I think watching his interactions with Kara with that in mind gives a new nuance to Teto’s story.”
Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer best known for composing in-depth filmmaker and movie profiles for , , and .
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