Star Wars: Visions Brings Anime to a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Star Wars: Visions Brings Anime to a Galaxy Far, Far Away
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Star Wars fans have been in the middle of a content slump lately. The Mandalorian season 2 finished up in December 2020 and we’ve still got a few more months before The Book of Boba Fett begins, but in the meantime, we have Star Wars: Visions.

Visions isn’t your typical Star Wars story, in fact, it’s the first time the galaxy far far away has been adapted in this way. Here’s what you need to know about this visionary (pun intended) Star Wars experience.

What is Star Wars: Visions?

Star Wars: Visions is an anthology series of short animated films. Lucasfilm has collaborated with seven anime studios in Japan to bring their unique art style and vision to the Star Wars universe.

The anime studios involved include Kamikaze Douga, Geno Studio (Twin Engine), Studio Colorido (Twin Engine), TRIGGER, Kinema Citrus, Science Saru, and Production I.G. which each bring their own signature style to the table.

Essentially, these act as standalone bites of Star Wars and aren’t incorporated in the official canon. This is actually an advantage as it allows for the franchise to be explored in bold and exciting ways.

You can catch a glimpse at some of the amazing films to look forward to in Star Wars: Visions below.

There are nine short films to look forward to. Here’s the breakdown of the titles for each film and which studio is behind it.

  • Kamikaze Douga – The Duel
  • Geno Studio (Twin Engine) – Lop and Ochō
  • Studio Colorido (Twin Engine) – Tatooine Rhapsody
  • Trigger – The Twins
  • Trigger – The Elder
  • Kinema Citrus – The Village Bride
  • Science Saru – Akakiri
  • Science Saru – T0-B1
  • Production IG – The Ninth Jedi

The shorts will introduce a lot of their own characters and storylines, but some recognisable faces might appear, like the fearsome Inquisitors.

To get a better idea of the story and style of each film, Disney released a special look at Star Wars: Visions which you can see below.

Who is in the cast?

Lucasfilm has pulled in some stellar voice talent for its anthology series.

Take a peek at this list for the English-dubbed cast:

  • The Duel: Brian Tee (Ronin), Lucy Liu (Bandit Leader), Jaden Waldman (Village Chief)
  • Tatooine Rhapsody: Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Jay), Bobby Moynihan (Geezer), Temuera Morrison (BobaFett), Shelby Young (K-344), Marc Thompson (Lan)
  • The Twins: Neil Patrick Harris (Karre), Alison Brie (Am), Jonathan Lipow (B-20N)
  • The Village Bride: Karen Fukuhara (F), Nichole Sakura (Haru), Christopher Sean (Asu), Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Valco), Andrew Kishino (Izuma), Stephanie Sheh (Saku)
  • The Ninth Jedi: Kimiko Glenn (Kara), Andrew Kishino (Juro), Simu Liu (Zhima), Masi Oka (Ethan), Greg Chun (Roden), Neil Kaplan (Narrator), Michael Sinterniklaas (Hen Jin),
  • T0-B1: Jaden Waldman (T0-B1), Kyle Chandler (Mitaka)
  • The Elder: David Harbour (Tajin), Jordan Fisher (Dan), James Hong (The Elder)
  • Lop & Ocho: Anna Cathcart (Lop), Hiromi Dames (Ocho), Paul Nakauchi (Yasaburo), Kyle McCarley (Imperial Officer)
  • Akakiri: Henry Golding (Tsubaki), Jamie Chung (Misa), George Takei (Senshuu), Keone Young (Kamahachi), Lorraine Toussaint (Masago)

The Japanese voice cast for each film also features a wealth of veterans:

  • The Duel: Masaki Terasoma (Ronin), Akeno Watanabe (Bandit Leader), Yūko Sanpei (VillageChief)
  • Tatooine Rhapsody: Hiroyuki Yoshino (Jay), Kōusuke Gotō (Geezer), Akio Kaneda (Boba Fett), MasayoFujita (K-344), Anri Katsu (Lan)
  • The Twins: Junya Enoki (Karre), Ryoko Shiraishi (Am), Tokuyoshi Kawashima (B-20N)
  • The Village Bride: Asami Seto (F), Megumi Han (Haru), Yūma Uchida (Asu), Takaya Kamikawa (Vaan), Yoshimitsu Shimoyama (Izuma), Mariya Ise (Saku)
  • The Ninth Jedi: Chinatsu Akasaki(Kara), Tetsuo Kanao (Juro), Shin-ichiro Miki (Zhima), Hiromu Mineta (Ethan), Kazuya Nakai (Roden), Akio Ōtsuka, (Narrator), Daisuke Hirakawa (Hen Jin)
  • T0-B1: Masako Nozawa (T0-B1), Tsutomu Isobe (Mitaka)
  • The Elder: Takaya Hashi (Tajin), Kenichi Ogata (The Elder), Yuichi Nakamura (Dan)
  • Lop & Ocho: Seiran Kobayashi (Lop), Risa Shimizu (Ocho), Tadahisa Fujimura (Yasaburo),Taisuke Nakano (Imperial Officer)
  • Akakiri: Yū Miyazaki (Tsubaki), Lynn (Misa), Chō (Senshuu), Wataru Takagi (Kamahachi),Yukari Nozawa (Masago)

When and where can you watch it?

star wars visions
Image: Lucasfilm

Given that Disney owns all things Star Wars, it should come as no surprise that Star Wars: Visions will be streaming on Disney+.

All the films will drop collectively on Wednesday, September 22. Each film runs between 12 and 21 minutes so you can easily knock a few off in one sitting.

If you’re a fan of anime and Star Wars then Visions is definitely the series you’ve been looking for.


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At Lifehacker, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.

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