Star Wars: Visions is one of my favourite things to come from Star Wars in the past decade (Andor and Rogue One being up there as well). I adored the unique art styles and stories that are given a chance to shine in the Star Wars galaxy through this anthology series. Volume 1 had some of my favourite Star Wars shorts of all time, thanks in part to the Japanese animation studios that worked on it. And while I enjoyed Volume 2 with the inclusion of animation studios from around the world, it wasn't the Star Wars anime that I had fallen in love with during Volume 1. So I was extremely happy when Volume 3 was announced, and it was revealed that they’d once again be returning to Japan with nine new animated shorts from big animation studios. Do these new shorts stack up to Volume 1, or does lightning not strike twice?
The Duel was many people's favourite short from Volume 1, and it was easy to see why. The striking art style, inspired by Kurosawa films, and excellent action made it a perfect short to start Volume 1. So it should come as no surprise that “The Duel: Payback” is just as amazing, if not more. Once again following The Ronin on his Sith-hunting escapades, this continuation had more of what we loved from the original and started to expand this version of Star Wars even more. We got a look at the underworld, more info on the Sith, and even the introduction of the Crusaders, who are the Jedi. These new additions, combined with the iconic animation style, phenomenal fights, and cute Ewoks doing cute Ewok things, make this the perfect start to Volume 3.
Soup Rating: 10/10
I didn’t know what to expect heading into “The Song of Four Wings”. Project Studio Q’s previous works have mostly been mecha anime, so having a short about a girl, her droid, and a cute little alien had me curious. I was mighty surprised when this ended up being one of my favourite shorts from the entirety of Visions. The tale of Princess Crane on a scouting mission is both endearing and bat-shit insane, wrapped together in gorgeous animation. The climactic battle that had a full-on magical girl transformation caught me off guard, but I loved every second of it. Also, Woopas is best Star Wars kid, and I will not be convinced otherwise (eat shit Grogu).
Soup Rating: 10/10
Out of all the shorts in Volume 1, “The Ninth Jedi” was the one that felt the most like a pilot episode. There was so much world-building and set-up that it was just screaming to be turned into a full season. While it is confirmed that there will be a limited series next year, we did get the next chapter of the story in Volume 3, which kept the momentum going, for better and worse. Not to say that this short is bad, far from it in fact, but it’s one that feels the most like part of a bigger story and not a self-contained short. I understand why, as the aforementioned limited series will be picking up where this short left off, but in the context of Volume 3, it felt a little flat. I still enjoyed most everything this short had to offer, especially the lil droid Teto. Hopefully, once the series is out, my issue with this short will no longer exist.
Soup Rating: 9/10
I’m a big WIT Studio fan, and I nearly died of excitement when I heard they would be contributing to Volume 3. And then, at Star Wars Celebration earlier in the year, it was revealed that their short would be about bounty hunters?! My heart couldn’t take it, and now that I’ve watched the short, I was not disappointed. I loved everything about “The Bounty Hunters” from the super detailed environments, the characters, the music, and even the story (which was very compelling for its short runtime). I also really like Anna Sawai’s performance as Sevn; she crushed it, and I want her to do more voice acting in the future. Overall, I was enthralled by this short, and I would be very much excited if this also got the same treatment as “The Ninth Jedi” later down the line.
Soup Rating: 10/10
Oh look, a Star Wars short that almost made me a crumpled mess of depression on the floor. Did I expect that I would feel this way after watching Yuko’s Treasure? Absolutely not, as I was expecting a fun lil adventure with Yuko and her cuddly bear droid BILY. But Kinema Citrus just wanted to make me feel all of the pain, and they succeeded in that mission. Complaining about being sad aside, this is a mostly fun and whimsical adventure that will hit you in the feels right at the end, and I loved every second. Bonus points for this episode also having Steve Buscemi as the antagonist (nothing else, I just think he’s neat).
Soup Rating: 9/10
“The Village Bride” was my favourite short from Volume 1, and while I desperately wanted a continuation of F’s story, I had resigned myself to not getting just that. This made the announcement of “The Lost Ones” all the more exciting. While not as action-packed as other shorts, the animation, characters, and overall vibe are what make it my favourite short from Volume 3. There aren’t enough words in this article to allow me to effectively convey how much I adore both “The Village Bride” and “The Lost Ones”. If we only got one more limited series from Visions, I would choose this story, without question.
Soup Rating: 10/10
TRIGGER have made some of my favourite anime of all time, and they delivered two banger shorts in Volume 1. I had high hopes for “The Smuggler”, but I was slightly disappointed. I still had fun with this short, but it just didn’t live up to the expectations I had. My biggest issue is that out of all of Volume 3, this one felt the most like a pilot episode, and I don’t think it did enough to warrant a continuation. The animation is still outstanding, but the story was a bit lacklustre, and I just didn’t vibe with Emma Myers as Chita. She did fine, but it was obvious that this was her first voice-over role, as her performance was a bit flat. I still enjoyed the short (that ending reveal was sick), but I just expected more from TRIGGER.
Soup Rating: 8/10
When I first saw a snippet of “The Bird of Paradise” at Star Wars Celebration this year, I was intrigued by the gorgeous visuals and the story of a recently blinded Jedi. I thought the short had promise, and when I started watching it, I was excited. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would. The visuals are still great, and the fight at the beginning is well done, but I just did not like the main character, Nakime, at all. She came across as whiny, self-centred, and not pleasant to watch. I get that was the point, and she goes on her spiritual journey to confront those faults, but none of that felt earned. It all felt very rushed, and I didn't end up getting invested in her story. It’s a shame because it is one of the more visually distinct shorts in all of Visions, but it just missed the mark for me.
Soup Rating: 6/10
When they were announcing which studios would be working on Volume 3, I never expected David Productions to be on the list. Not because they’re a bad studio, far from it. I didn’t think it would be their vibe, but I was nonetheless excited that they were taking a stab at Star Wars. The opening of “BLACK” was very stylised, and with a lot of fire, which, as a huge fan of Fire Force (one of their other works), made me very keen. And while “BLACK” ended up being the most artsy short of Volume 3, I don’t think I quite grasped the plot or meaning behind it. This is probably more to do with me than the short itself, but watching “BLACK” was like a fever dream, as colourful, abstract visuals are blasted at you for the 19-minute runtime. I think this is one of those shorts that you need to watch multiple times to understand what the director was going for, but I don’t think I’m smart enough for that. Still, really pretty though.
Soup Rating: 7/10
Star Wars: Visions Volume 3 is another banger collection of animated shorts. While there are a few that I didn’t fully vibe with, for the most part, I had an absolute blast. I hope they continue to make more Volumes of Visions, as they have consistently been some of the best Star Wars media over the past several years.
Have you watched Star Wars: Visions Volume 3? What was your favourite short? How would you rank them? Let us know in the comments below where we can all agree that Woopas is adorable.
