Lucasfilm’s cultural exchange project gets another fun anthology of adventure and homages in Star Wars: Visions, Volume 3.
Like the previous collections, Volume 3 offers nine shorts, each produced by a different animation houses. They feature original characters—sometimes in familiar settings, sometimes in clearly alternate “timelines” or unburdened by being shackled to the main canon timeline—and explore the central themes of Star Wars from new perspectives.
And like the original volume, the third Star Wars: Visions anthology returns to anime studios in particular, after pivoting to a broader global focus for the sophmore outing. While I enjoyed the second volume as well, this experiment clicks a little better with a focused lens.
While these shorts were initially presented as one-offs, some were particular standouts that warranted more exploration, so thankfully Star Wars: Visions Volume 3 takes us back to the world of The Duel (which has since earned its own spinoff literature), The Ninth Jedi, and The Village Bride. These reprisals were my most anticipated entries going into the new collection, and they did not disappoint.
“Star Wars: Visions wields the lightsaber with a little more discretion this time around.”
Though, at the same time, they didn’t resonate at the exact same frequency for me this time around. All three follow-ups—Kamikaze Douga + ANIMA’s The Duel: Payback, Production I.G.’s The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope, and Kinema citrus Co.’s The Lost Ones—remain standouts amongst the nine new shorts. Yet, though I was happy to see more, and would still love to see these mini-stories evolve further, their impact didn’t leave my jaw hanging open this time.
All three also revolve around the Jedi, a subject that the first volume could not get too far away from, but luckily Star Wars: Visions wields the lightsaber with a little more discretion this time around. Though I love a laser sword as much as any other lifelong Star Wars fan, it was refreshing to see the studios focus harder on other elements of the galaxy far, far away, as Volume 2 achieved.
Of the original crop of shorts, my personal favourite may be The Smuggler from TRIGGER, home of Kill la Kill and Delicious in Dungeon. It executes a simple premise with plenty of charm, and could have felt at home as an episode of any other Star Wars show on Disney+.
WIT STUDIO’s The Bounty Hunters and Kinema citrus’ Yuko’s Treasure strike a similar balance. Each inserts something distinctly “anime” and wraps it in the trappings of Star Wars to make a fun new tale that does tribute to both styles. The latter is one of the more interesting uses of the planet Tatooine in recent memory, oversized bear droid and all.
Like a good portion of anime overall, there are also some more experimental shorts in Star Wars: Visions Volume 3. Polygon Pictures’ The Bird of Paradise revolves around a padawan who must learn to cope without her sight in the wake of a duel gone wrong. With a powerful performance and stunning visualizations of how the Force may guide a blinded Jedi, it’s a beautiful treatise on the larger franchise and its iconic warriors—and, in the process, the mortal experience.
Less impactful, in my eyes, was david production’s BLACK. Just like the first volume, Star Wars: Visions closes out this volume with a disorienting and depressing finale, devoid of the usually hopeful tone of the franchise. Its message is expressed stunningly, as a Stormtrooper’s life of service and trauma essentially flashes before his eyes. It’s also a tad overwhelming, a psychedelic horror show accented by unusual jazz music. It’s a nod to George Lucas’ stances on the horrors of war, but it’s a hell of a way to end a batch of shorts that was otherwise fairly upbeat and exhilarating.
All the while the English voice cast, predominately featuring Asian actors, continues to shine. Steve Buscemi is the notable exception, delivering a terrific villain in Yuko’s Vision, while George Takei as a messenger of the Force in The Bird of Paradise is perfect casting.
All in all, Volume 3 of Star Wars: Visions is another intriguing romp, and if you enjoyed the previous collections, the new batch should be every bit as satisfying. While popcorn fans may not need apply, after three times around, I’m convinced that Star Wars benefits greatly from having its style stretched tastefully in these directions—just as diehard fans can benefit from seeing the usual hijinks from a new perspective once in a while.
