“Star Wars Visions” Review: Every Episode is One Word… Visionary!

Eight different anime studios have created the most unique animated Star Wars series in history and most episodes are “visionary“.

Many of us have been waiting for an anime series set in the Star Wars galaxy, and while Visions is not a continuing series, you shouldn’t dismiss them. Each short delivers an original story with new characters and settings that fit right into Star Wars lore – whether they be canon or not.

Same Galaxy. New Stories

Star Wars Visions is difficult to discuss because each episode is so different.

Many of the episodes feature multiple shots that are beautiful to look at, and I have a sense that fans will post many of them online, so I do suggest you binge the entire series when you can so you avoid spoilers.

READ: McGregor: Obi-Wan “Will Not Disappoint”

It’s safe to say that no episode in the series is terrible, but a few don’t land as well as others. As for the ones that do land – they are amazing.

My personal favourite episodes were Kamikaze Douga’s The Duel and Production IG’s The Ninth Jedi.

The Duel takes the concept of Jedi and Sith and adds a Japanese twist unlike any alternate version of Star Wars we’ve ever had. And the main character, Ronin, is possibly the best character introduced in the entire anthology.

READ: Star Wars: Visions – Heroes and Villians

The Ninth Jedi is the closest to a classic entry in the Star Wars franchise, so much so that Lucasfilm could easily add it to the canon. Production IG takes a very cinematic approach with their contribution by using editing and cinematography found in previous Star Wars media.

I’m unsure if some (if any) of these episodes are canon. Still, some of the included elements make it seem like they are not.

READ: New Trailer for ‘Star Wars: Hunters’ Has Us Intrigued

And some of those elements may bother some hardcore Star Wars fans, particularly Tatooine Rhapsody, which contains many… choices.

Those choices that Studio Colorido makes aren’t world-destroying, but die-hard fans may be taken aback by its different approach, as it’s something we’ve never seen in the Star Wars series before (at least on-screen). Despite this, it is just as visionary as the other episodes.

Voices of Visions

I watched the English dub of the series, and I was pleasantly surprised by how good it is. The English dub includes an ensemble cast of celebrity talent including, Alison Brie, Jamie Chung, Jordan Fisher, Neil Patrick Harris, David Harbour, Lucy Liu, and former ILM artist Masi Oka.

To many Anime fans watching the English dub is blasphemy, but I promise you that Lucasfilm has done a terrific job casting the series.

And surprisingly, my favourite actor was Alison Brie who co-stars alongside Neil Patrick Harris in Trigger’s The Twins.

READ: The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art on Track for 2023 Opening

Brie delivered such an astounding performance, unlike any role I’ve seen her in before, and if they were to bring back any other actor for future Visions episodes, then she would be my top choice.

I did plan to watch the series again in Japanese with English subtitles. Unfortunately, due to some technical issues, I was unable to do that, so I cannot comment on any of the original voice work of the series.

But from the brief snippets I did manage to watch, I can say that the Japanese voice work is as good as it usually is.

I Have A Good Feeling About This

You’ve reached the end!

Yes, it was a short review, but it would be incredibly easy for me to dish out the spoilers, so I think it best to leave you here.

But Star Wars Visions is a good jumping-off point for future Japanese productions of Disney IP’s. And I hope we not only get a season two of Star Wars Visions but a continuing series from a Japanese anime studio.

Star Wars Visions is a great piece of art as it is an addition to Star Wars.

About Post Author