I never thought about this until the trailer for Star Wars: Visions was released last week. Stunning, colorful, diverse would be the few words to describe it. The combination of Anime with Star Wars leads to a unique vision that we haven’t seen before, pun intended.
This trailer provides a glimpse of the captivating stories of Star Wars Universe told in the traditional, mesmerizing Japanese anime style. Watching the trailer in Japanese was weird at first. But the beautiful yet haunting visuals are more than enough to make up for it.
When will Star-Wars: Visions Release?
This new series will premier on September 22, 2021, on the Disney+ streaming service. It is an anthology series comprising nine original short films in the Star Wars Universe.
“Lucasfilm is partnering with seven of the most talented anime studios in Japan to bring their signature style and unique vision of the Star Wars galaxy to this inspired new series,” said James Waugh, executive producer and Lucasfilm Vice President. “Their stories showcase the full spectrum of bold storytelling found across Japanese animation; each told with a freshness and voice that expands our understanding of what a Star Wars story can be and celebrates a galaxy that has been such an inspiration to so many visionary storytellers,” he added.
In the last few years, Netflix has been diving into anime and found massive success. With Marvel’s What If…? and Star Wars: Visions, Disney has officially followed Netflix’s pursuit and see if it can find the same success. Disney has a vast collection of different blockbuster franchises. If this anime is a success, it is safe to assume that we’ll see more anime taking place in other fantastical worlds owned by Disney.
Sony has also acquired Crunchyroll from AT&T and wants to merge it with Funimation’s anime streaming service. It’s safe to say that future of anime is brighter than ever.
For now, check out the titles and voice cast of each Star Wars: Visions’ shorts below:
1. The Duel
Brian Tee (Ronin), Lucy Liu (Bandit Leader), Jaden Waldman (Village Chief)
2. Lop & Ocho
Anna Cathcart (Lop), Hiromi Dames (Ocho), Paul Nakauchi (Yasaburo), Kyle McCarley (Imperial Officer)
3. Tatooine Rhapsody
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Jay), Bobby Moynihan (Geezer), Temuera Morrison (BobaFett), Shelby Young (K-344), Marc Thompson (Lan)
4. The Twins
Neil Patrick Harris (Karre), Alison Brie (Am), Jonathan Lipow (B-20N)
5. The Elder
David Harbour (Tajin), Jordan Fisher (Dan), James Hong (The Elder)
6. The Village Bride
Karen Fukuhara (F), Nichole Sakura (Haru), Christopher Sean (Asu), Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Valco), Andrew Kishino (Izuma), Stephanie Sheh (Saku)
7. Akakiri
Henry Golding (Tsubaki), Jamie Chung (Misa), George Takei (Senshuu), Keone Young (Kamahachi), Lorraine Toussaint (Masago)
8. T0-B1
Jaden Waldman (T0-B1), Kyle Chandler (Mitaka)
9. The Ninth Jedi (looks like the pun is intended here, too)
Kimiko Glenn (Kara), Andrew Kishino (Juro), Simu Liu (Zhima), Masi Oka (Ethan), Greg Chun (Roden), Neil Kaplan (Narrator), Michael Sinterniklaas (Hen Jin)
Star Wars: Visions will be available in the original Japanese voice cast and the English dub cast. But only time will tell if the dub can live up to the Japanese version.
