Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Momo and Okarun share a close moment in Dandadan

    Momo And Okarun: The Gold Standard For Shonen Romance

    07/03/2025
    Ironheart Episodes 4 6 But Why Tho 1

    ‘Ironheart’ Explained: Explore MCU’s Bold New Chapter

    07/01/2025
    Buck in 9-1-1

    ‘9-1-1’ Has To Let Buck Say Bisexual

    06/29/2025
    Nintendo Welcome Tour promotional image of the maraca mini-game

    The One “Game” That Justifies The Nintendo Switch 2 Purchase

    06/25/2025
    Destiel Confession in Supernatural - Castiel (Misha Collins) and Dean (Jensen Ackles)

    The Destiel Confession: The Lasting Importance Of Supernatural’s Greatest Ship

    06/22/2025
  • Squid Game
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Switch 2 Games
  • Summer Game Fest
But Why Tho?
Home » TV » REVIEW: ‘Star Wars Visions’ Season 2 Episode 5 — “Journey to the Dark Head”

REVIEW: ‘Star Wars Visions’ Season 2 Episode 5 — “Journey to the Dark Head”

Kate SánchezBy Kate Sánchez05/04/20235 Mins ReadUpdated:05/04/2023
Star Wars Visions Season 2 Episode 5 — But Why Tho
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Star Wars Visions Season 2 Episode 5 — But Why Tho

Star Wars Visions Volume 2 has brought together stories from 10 countries to tell stories from across the Star Wars galaxy. In Star Wars Visions Volume 2 Episode 5, “Journey to the Dark Head,” audiences see the most action-heavy short of the season. They are also shown that light and darkness, despair and hope, all come together regardless of which one we feel is dominating at any given time. The short is directed by Park Hyeong-geun and written by Chung Se-rang.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Animated by South Korean Studio Mir, “Journey to the Dark Head” showcases the studio’s skill in fight animation, use of light, and, ultimately, telling stories. As the longest short of the bunch, Star Wars Visions Volume 2 Episode 5 is also one of the strongest in the anthology series. Able to balance action with thoughtful lessons about life and living, Studio Mir has struck gold. The short follows Ara (Jang Ye-na), a member of a people tasked with recording the stories of fleeting prophetic visions shown in the stones of their home in a hidden temple far in the Outer Rim. When Ara learns about the rising power of the Sith, she wants to warn the Jedi to protect them from the darkness. But as record keepers, her role is to simply record what happens, not change it.

But in their temple, there are two large statues with faces obscured by clouds watching over them. One is light, and one is dark; in an attempt to change the tide of the war, Ara goes to the Jedi Council to plead for a mission to cut off the Dark Head and shatter the mirror of darkness that reflects a calamitous future. To help her in her mission, she meets Toul (Lee Kyung-tae), a young Jedi with a traumatic past. With a power that is untethered by his rage after his master is killed by the Sith named Bichan (Yun Yong-sik), this mission is much about Toul choosing his future as it is to turn the tide of the war.


Read Our Review of Star Wars Visions Volume 2 Here.

Emotionally, Ara and Toul are a pair looking for their own purpose and future. For Ara, she wants to make a difference and change the future she saw, but finds herself at the center of it instead. Toul is terrified of turning to the Dark Side in his rage and grief, but instead being staying afraid, he learns to reconcile the emotions swirling inside of him. While both Ara and Toul are navigating their fears differently, they are navigating them and ultimately learning how to live with them.

Visually, Studio Mir has captured beautiful landscapes, feats of nature, individual characters that have dynamic designs (particularly in Bichan’s Sith armor design), ships fighting, and most importantly some of the best lightsaber action that has ever been shown in Star Wars. Knowing when to use 3D CGI elements in vehicles and landmarks, the 2D characters stand out wonderfully, coming to life in a hyper-stylistic way that fits the sci-fi setting. “Journey to the Dark Head” is visually gorgeous in every single way possible. But that beautiful action is given stellar depth by a rousing score.

Star Wars Visions Volume 2 Episode 5 — But Why Tho

The use of traditional Korean instruments in the climactic battle creates a fascinating and fast-paced sequence that comes to life like nothing that’s been done before. While the choice to make the dialogue all be Korean is one element of highlighting Studio Mir’s Korean background, it’s the music that really highlights the absolute importance of allowing each country to fill their short in this anthology with their culture. You can hear hourglass drums, cymbals, rattle bells, and the taepyeongso in the most dramatic moments, which then  how the music morphs into more the strings we have come to connect with a lightsaber battle brings something beautiful to the “Journey to the Dark Head.” Jang Young-gyu and Lee Byung-hoon’s music in this short completes the immersive story.

Studio Mir isn’t a studio without notoriety, having worked with Netflix on titles like Voltron, Kipo and the Wonderbeasts, and DOTA: Dragon’s Blood. The studio is also behind the iconic The Legend of Korra series. That said, to see the series produce a short in Korean and featuring Korean instruments feels like an accomplishment that centers their culture in animation.

The reason it feels so important? Because outside of Lookism, most of their catalog animates English-speaking properties. Beyond that, much of the outsourced animation for many Netflix animated projects and anime goes to the talented folks at Korean animation studios. Still, Korean studios rarely get the recognition they deserve. But here, in Star Wars Visions Volume 2, they get the chance to thrive at the center of the story and to do it in their language with Episode 5.

“Journey to the Dark Head” is the longest of the shorts in the Star Wars Visions 2 anthology, but as episode 5 and the halfway point, I wanted to stay in it. I could take a whole series, a whole film, I want to see more of what Studio Mir can do in the franchise. Studio Mir has crafted an 18-minute story that builds emotion and action in equal measure, capturing the beauty and heart in an intense action sequence.

Star Wars Visions Volume 2 Episode 5 is streaming now on Disney+ with the rest of the anthology. 

Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 Review

Star Wars: Visions is an animated anthology series featuring celebratory expressions of Star Wars storytelling. Seven Japanese anime studios brought their unique talents and perspective to “Star Wars: Visions – Volume 1.” Launching in 2023, Volume 2 will feature stories from creative teams from Chile, France, Japan, India, Ireland, Spain, South Africa, South Korea, the U.K., and the U.S.

Star Wars Visions Season 2 Episode 5 — "Journey to the Dark Head"
  • 10/10
    Rating - 10/10
10/10

TL;DR

Studio Mir has crafted an 18-minute story that builds emotion and action in equal measure, capturing the beauty and heart in an intense action sequence.

  • Watch Now With Our Affiliate Link

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘Star Wars Visions’ Volume 2 Episode 3 — “In the Stars”
Next Article REVIEW: ‘Star Wars: Visions’ Volume 2 Episode 6 — “The Spy Dancer”
Kate Sánchez
  • Website
  • X (Twitter)
  • Instagram

Kate Sánchez is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of But Why Tho? A Geek Community. There, she coordinates film, television, anime, and manga coverage. Kate is also a freelance journalist writing features on video games, anime, and film. Her focus as a critic is championing animation and international films and television series for inclusion in awards cycles. Find her on Bluesky @ohmymithrandir.bsky.social

Related Posts

Taecyeon and Seohyun in The First Night With The Duke Episodes 7-8
7.5

REVIEW: ‘The First Night With The Duke’ Episodes 7-8

07/03/2025
Anthony Ramos in Ironheart Episodes 4-6

REVIEW: ‘Ironheart’ Episodes 4-6

07/01/2025
The Bear Season 4 But Why Tho 3
7.0

REVIEW: ‘The Bear’ Season 4 Tries to Bounce Back

06/30/2025
Squid Game Season 3
9.5

REVIEW: ‘Squid Game’ Season 3 Delivers An Emotion-Filled Finale

06/27/2025
Taecyeon in The First Night With The Duke Episodes 5-6
7.5

REVIEW: ‘The First Night With The Duke’ Episodes 5-6

06/26/2025
Cho Yi-hyun in Head Over Heels Episodes 1-2
8.0

REVIEW: ‘Head Over Heels’ Episodes 1-2

06/24/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Taecyeon and Seohyun in The First Night With The Duke Episodes 7-8
7.5
TV

REVIEW: ‘The First Night With The Duke’ Episodes 7-8

By Sarah Musnicky07/03/2025

The First Night With The Duke Episodes 7-8 spends welcome time in pre-domestic bliss before new developments stir up trouble.

The Terminal List: Dark Wolf trailer First Look Image From Prime Video News

Prime Video Unleashes Teaser for Prequel Series The Terminal List: Dark Wolf

By Kate Sánchez07/04/2025

The first Terminal List: Dark Wolf trailer was released today by Prime Video. The series…

Together (2025) still from Sundance
8.0
Film

REVIEW: Have A Grossly Good Time ‘Together’

By Kate Sánchez01/27/2025Updated:07/04/2025

Dave Franco and Alison Brie’s Together (2025) is disgustingly funny, genuinely ugly, and just a good time at the movies.

Black Women Anime — But Why Tho (9) BWT Recommends

10 Black Women in Anime That Made Me Feel Seen

By LaNeysha Campbell11/11/2023Updated:12/03/2024

Black women are some of anime’s most iconic characters, and that has a big impact on Black anime fans. Here are some of our favorites.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here