'Lord of the Rings The War of the Rohirrim's Director Gave Us One of the Best Star Wars Stories

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Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is set to revisit the early days of Middle-earth while also marking Peter Jackson's return to the iconic fantasy franchise based on J.R.R. Tolkien's novels (though Jackson is serving in a producer category). In a twist, War of the Rohirrim will be a fully animated feature with Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, 009 Re: Cyborg) handling writing and directing duties. It's not the first time a major film franchise has received an anime installment; this year alone saw the release of Terminator Zero from Netflix. But War of the Rohirrim isn't the first time Kamiyama put an anime spin on a popular film franchise. He directed one of the best installments of Star Wars: Visions, titled "The Ninth Jedi".

‘The Ninth Jedi’ Provides a Unique Take on the Star Wars Universe

'The Ninth Jedi' has a setup that might sound familiar to Star Wars fans of all stripes. Set shortly after the events of Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker, the galaxy is on the brink of war. In order to prevent the Sith from conquering the galaxy, Margrave Juro (Andrew Kishino) has been gathering Kyber crystals to reforge lightsabers and give them to the remaining Jedi. As seven surviving Jedi Knights descend upon Juro's home planet Hy Izlan, lightsaber smith Lah Zhima (Simu Liu) is kidnapped by Sith hunters. Before Zhima is abducted, he charges his daughter Kara (Kimiko Glenn) to take the remaining lightsabers he forged to Hy Izlan.

Kamiyama was able to deliver a new take on Star Wars tropes with "The Ninth Jedi," especially the fact that things aren't always what they seem. The Jedi who arrive at Hy Izlan immediately suspect that Juro is secretly a Sith due to the fact that he wears full body armor and a jet-black cloak. But in a massive twist, it turns out that the Jedi who arrived at Hy Izlan are Sith themselves! This twist lets Kamiyama deliver one of the most intense lightsaber fights ever put on the screen. Characters leap and twist with the kind of grace that other Star Wars projects can only hope to match. He even pays homage to a recent bit of canon by having the secret Sith's lightsabers flare from a variety of colors to blood-red, hinting at their true nature. It looks like War of the Rohirrim will match — or even potentially exceed — that level of action.

‘The Ninth Jedi’ and Other ‘Star Wars Visions’ Shorts Pay Homage To Star Wars’ Cinematic Inspirations

"The Ninth Jedi" also continues a trend that's run through most of Star Wars: Visions' shorts, namely bringing elements of Japanese culture to the forefront. In "The Ninth Jedi", Lah Zhima forges lightsabers similar to how a swordsmith might forge a katana; Juro's armor, much like Darth Vader's, pays homage to a samurai's ceremonial armor. Star Wars has drawn major inspiration from Japanese cinema, particularly the works of Akira Kurosawa, so Visions is bringing things full circle. Kamiyama also told IGN prior to Star Wars: Visions Volume 1 being released that he wanted to pay homage to the original Star Wars trilogy:

“When I first saw Star Wars, I was fascinated by the story of this kid Luke Skywalker who came from nothing and went on a huge adventure, and for me that is the root of Star Wars’ charm...So I wanted to depict a galactic-level adventure with a different character.”

True to Kamiyama's word, Kara does end up bearing more than a few similarities to Luke Skywalker: she grows up in a small village, discovers she has a power unlike any other, and ends up embroiled in the battle between good and evil. Though Kamiyama admits that it was a challenge, he also has a deep love for Lord of the Rings and wanted to make sure War of the Rohirrim was a project worth watching.

Kenji Kamiyama Wants To Continue the Story of ‘The Ninth Jedi’

"The Ninth Jedi" ends with the promise of further adventure, as Juro gathers Kara and other Jedi to free her father from the clutches of the Sith. Kamiyama has expressed his desire to continue that story, saying in an interview: "I’d love to have the chance to make a full length feature out of this. I feel I have a complete story in place." Star Wars: Visions hasn't shown any sign of slowing down, as it's inspired comic adaptations and has a third volume set for release next year, so there's a chance that Kamiyama could eventually get a chance to continue the story he began in "The Ninth Jedi," though, traditionally, the anthology has only brought in new stories not continuing ones. Between his work on "The Ninth Jedi" and War of the Rohirrim, studios should look to Kenji Kamiyama if they want to breath fresh life into their franchises.

Volumes 1 and 2 of Star Wars: Visions are available to stream on Disney+.

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