I’m not an anime guy. I have nothing against it, as I know it’s a powerhouse medium in pop culture that many of my friends fervently participate in. It just hasn’t been for me aesthetically and tonally. But I’ve been coming around to it in recent years, mostly thanks to Star Wars: Visions: a non-canon creative experiment where Lucasfilm partners with Japan’s top anime studios to tell creative and original Star Wars tales. I have grown to see the value in the medium as it makes clear the Star Wars galaxy is a perfect world for these stories to reside.
As with the first two seasons, there are bangers and duds. Season 3, however, has more bangers. Including a couple that are simply jaw-dropping art (see the top 3 in my episode ranking below if you want to watch bangers only). They continue to use imaginative ways to harness the power of Star Wars lore elements (The Force, Sith, Jedi, Lightsabers, blasters, droids), but flip them on their heads or innovate the concept to be even more cool and compelling than previously thought.
Take episode 1, The Duel: Payback, for example (a sequel to season 1’s The Duel). The antagonist, Aneé-san, has jaw-dropping Lightsaber weaponry that is so unique and incredible it makes me upset I haven’t seen these concepts in proper canon. This is the type of stuff that fans fantasize about seeing on screen and come up with their own fan fiction for. I wish Lucasfilm would take note on the untapped creative opportunities. It feels like they still haven’t even scratched the surface on what’s possible conceptually.
Then you have episode 9, Black. Which is legitimately an acid trip fever dream of a painting, the genesis of which is the agony of a Stormtrooper. It features perhaps some of the most brave and breathtaking animation I’ve ever seen. Think Fantasia level of imagination….on steroids. Throughout the entirety of the 13 minutes of Black, I sat up in my chair, mouth agape at the stunning visual chaos that was unfolding on screen. This is what art is. This is what Star Wars can be. And it’s something that AI could never achieve.
As mentioned, Visions season 3 is not perfect. There are a couple duds that were clearly not in the same galaxy of quality as their elite counterparts. But that’s what you get with an array of unique visions from unique artists. I’m just glad that Lucasfilm has invested in this creative endeavor and I hope it never ends.
Star Wars: Visions Season 3 Episode Ranking
- Episode 1, The Duel: Payback
- Episode 9, Black
- Episode 2, The Song on Four Wings
- Episode 6, The Lost Ones
- Episode 4, The Bounty Hunters
- Episode 5, Yuko’s Treasure
- Episode 8, The Bird of Paradise
- Episode 3, The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope
- Episode 7, The Smuggler
