The Star Wars sequel trilogy has, to put it lightly, received mixed reviews, with fans split either between praising the new additions or criticizing the changes to the older characters. The fiercest criticism condemns the sequel trilogy for unclear story direction, unsatisfying payoffs and underdeveloped characters. While fans were cautiously optimistic with The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi turned off some, and The Rise of Skywalker's attempt to retcon those problems frustrated others. However, Disney could repair that divide and the franchise's reputation through anime.

This isn't surprising if we look back on Star Wars success with the CGI Clone Wars series. Clone Wars filled many of the holes left from the prequel trilogy and made Anakin Skywalker's fall to the Dark Side even more tragic. So it wouldn't be a bad move for Disney to produce an anime for the sequel trilogies.

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Since anime lends itself well to an episodic format, Disney could use the opportunity to tell stories about Rey's upbringing and flesh her character out more. The episodes could show her fighting other scavengers, training with her staff and dealing with being left behind. These would showcase Rey's struggles, her flaws and the work she has put towards surviving such a harsh planet and thus explaining her incredible abilities. An anime could tackle these subjects fully with more nuance than Rey's previous animated role in Star Wars: Forces of Destiny, while also being able to expand on characters such as Poe, Finn and Kylo Ren. A Star Wars anime could give fans more of their backstories and character arcs as the movies have provided templates full of potential.

One thing that the Star Wars sequel trilogy lacked was chemistry between the characters. Rey, Finn and Poe were supposed to be the new trio that replaced Leia, Han and Luke, yet the younger generation failed in this regard. The movies didn't show us enough interactions between the three and much of the trio's screen time was spent arguing. If there were episodes focused on fleshing out the relationships between Rey, Finn and Poe, the three would be a more compelling dynamic. There is already an interesting premise as they're all such different people: a scavenger, a stormtrooper and a Resistance pilot, respectively. An anime could explore how their ideologies complement or clash with each other.

Additionally, while "Reylo" shippers were ecstatic with the kiss at the end of the movie, the tender moment didn't feel earned. Rey and Kylo Ren did have romantic tension on-screen yet much of it, like many other aspects, was not fully realized. Having episodes focus on their growing bond and depicting a tragic romance story with each character's Light and Dark Side battling for dominance would have been amazing and made Ben's death even more tragic.

Star Wars has always been full of rich lore that has inspired countless artists to explore the galaxy's infinite worlds. The sequel trilogy introduced new concepts such as the First Order, the Knights of Ren and "Force Skype calls" and these ideas are perfect fodder for an anime. The sheer scale of the films means there are simply too many stories to tell in a single Star Wars movie - but an anime would provide some much-needed background. There's still a lot to learn about the Knights of Ren, the destruction of Luke's Jedi Order and how the First Order came to be. And there are also stories about other characters in the galaxy - like the slave children on Canto Bight - that would expand the world greatly.

By this point, Star Wars has been adapted into almost every medium. There are American and CGI cartoons, films, live-action shows, comics and LEGO games. The only medium that hasn't been explored is anime, though there is a manga called The Legends of Luke Skywalker. The manga has an art style unique to the Japanese art form and gives Luke's stories a fresh coat of paint.

Anime would both tonally and stylistically help the sequel trilogy stand out from the oversaturated pool of Star Wars content. Just imagine the possibilities of lightsaber battles in the hands of master animators. Creators won't have to limit choreography to spare their actors, and  so the series could feature fully realized fights between Force-augmented Jedi who move in superhuman ways.

The sequel trilogy movies have received backlash but that doesn't mean they weren't any good. Part of the problem is that there were too many concepts and not enough time to properly execute them. Characters didn't have developed personalities, relationships were skipped over and too many plot threads lead nowhere. Therefore, Disney should create a supplementary anime that either explores the worlds and characters before or after the films to give fans a more rounded experience. With its unique art style and flexibility, an anime could salvage Star Wars' reputation and warm fans up to the franchise once more.

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