By Dan Skip Allen

“Star Wars: Visions” is an animated series of “Star Wars” shorts. It has had three seasons thus far and has now had its first spinoff series called “Star Wars: Visions – Presents – The  Ninth Jedi” and the third season episode “The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope”. The story revolves around a young padawan and her master and their adventures together with a rag-tag crew fighting against Sith Lords and other nefarious characters in a galaxy far, far away. This was a nice addition to the two original shorts. Fans of Star Wars will surely love this new anime series based on the characters that have already been established in the previous shows.

This new show, based on the same characters, is produced by Production I.G. which is the same animation studio that made the shorts. The animation style is pretty good. It doesn’t go crazy with animation like some television shows do. It’s just enough to make it fine. I’m a fan of Studio Ghibli and G-Kids, but some other styles of animation take the genre too far. The color palette of the show and the voice-over work are solid. This series won’t blow your mind with its style of animation, but the story is where the series shines. This is an extension of the “Star War” we know and love, but it stands on its own as a solid addition to the “Star Wars” mythos. 

The story follows Lah Kara’s continued journey to train as a Jedi and save her father; there are surprise Jedi and Sith hiding around every corner of this new world. Without spoiling anything for viewers who are excited to watch the series. All the things fans love about “Star Wars” are here. Lightsaber duels, political intrigue, new characters, secret plot points, death, war, and so many other things. As a fan of “Star Wars” I loved all of the things this show brought to the table. The character development from the two previous shorts was terrific. This is how you build on something that has already been established. 

Kenji Kamiyama (show-runner) and Shunsuke Tada (director) have broadened the “Star Wars” Universe with this show. New characters, planets, combined with old themes, make for a fantastic series. The main protagonists are fun to follow along with. Their plan to bring back the Jedi in the face of evil Sith trying to rid their galaxy of their kind is a fight fans have seen before, but it’s done in an exceptionally well-done way. I, as a long-time fan of “Star Wars”, was thoroughly entertained by what I watched. This is the kind of thing I want more from Lucasfilm and Disney+ regarding “Star Wars”. New creators with new “Visions” if you will bring their ideas to the table and make them come to life.

The show also has an amazing soaring score. The score is so good. The music reminds me of the classic John Williams score but has its own unique sound to it.  The series also has cool  story montages, flashbacks, and voice-over narration that brings other story elements to the show. I like it when writers bring aspects of storytelling to a show that is the same old thing viewers of said show have seen before. Same old same old isn’t what viewers want to see. I, for one, want different kinds of stories in my “Star Wars” viewership. And I’m not the only one, I’m sure.

“Star Wars: Visions – Presents The Ninth Jedi” is a very enjoyable addition to what has come before it, regarding the shorts. The characters are very good, and the story is fantastic. The technical aspects of the series, including the animation, the score, and everything else, are well done. I think fans of “Star Wars” will love this series because it adds something new to what has already been established.  I was glued to the screen watching this story go. I was happy and shocked at times while watching it. It’s that good of a show. I highly recommend it to any “Star Wars” young or old. This is the kind of fresh new direction this franchise needs to go in. The creative juices were definitely flowing with this idea and characters. “Star Wars” is in good hands with the animation division. 

🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 stars