Review: STAR WARS: VISIONS - THE NINTH JEDI Is Pure Star Wars Magic Through an Anime Lens

I've been a big fan of Star Wars: Visions ever since it premiered. One of the things I've loved most about it is that it gives talented anime creators the freedom to take this universe and do something completely different with it. Some of those stories have been great!

One of my favorites has always been The Ninth Jedi. So when I found out that story wasn't ending as a single short and was instead getting expanded into a full eight-episode anime series titled Star Wars: Visions — The Ninth Jedi, I was all in.

That original episode left me wanting so much more from Lah Kara, her father, and this fascinating version of the Jedi mythos. Thankfully, the series delivers exactly what I was hoping for.

It's exciting, emotional, visually gorgeous, and packed with fresh ideas that remind me just how much creative potential Star Wars still has when people are allowed to swing for the fences.

This isn't just another Disney+ series trying to connect dots in the larger saga. It feels like its own thing, and that's exactly why it works.

One of my favorite things about The Ninth Jedi is that it doesn't feel restricted by decades of continuity. Instead, it takes familiar pieces of Star Wars and asks, "What else can we do with this?" The answer is... a lot.

The series introduces some genuinely fascinating ideas surrounding lightsabers, kyber crystals, and the mythology of the Jedi. The concept of lightsabers changing and evolving based on the person wielding them was already one of the coolest ideas introduced in the original short, and the series continues building on that in really satisfying ways.

It's the kind of concept that feels perfectly at home in Star Wars, yet somehow nobody has explored it quite like this before.

That's what I appreciate most about Visions as a whole. It isn't interested in repeating what we've already seen. It wants to expand the galaxy with new concepts and ideas. I wish Lucasfilm took more chances like this.

The story follows Lah Kara as she continues her Jedi training under Margrave Juro while searching for her kidnapped father, Lah Zhima, the last legendary lightsaber craftsman in the galaxy.

Of course, things get much bigger than a simple rescue mission as dark forces close in, hidden secrets begin to surface, and Kara slowly discovers just how connected her family's past is to everything unfolding around her.

Sure, there are familiar elements. There's an intimidating villain. Ancient mysteries. Big galaxy-shaping stakes. Family secrets. A dangerous superweapon lurking on the edge of the galaxy. You can definitely spot echoes of the original trilogy here.

But the series doesn't simply recycle those ideas. It twists them through the lens of anime storytelling, giving everything a different flavor. The emotional beats hit differently. Character relationships are more expressive. The action embraces that wonderfully over-the-top anime energy without losing the heart that makes Star Wars special.

That's where director Kenji Kamiyama absolutely crushes it. He already proved with the original short that he understood what made this story special.

Now, with eight episodes to work with, he gets room to really let these characters breathe. The larger canvas gives him the opportunity to build this corner of the galaxy into something that feels rich, lived-in, and surprisingly emotional.

The animation style and art is fantastic throughout. If you're already an anime fan, you're probably going to eat this up.

The visual style is gorgeous, the action choreography is slick, and the lightsaber fight scenes are flat-out awesome. I loved watch the Jedi combat, it’s the kind of stuff we just wouldn't see happen in live-action. That's part of the fun!

Animation removes so many creative limitations. The creators simply dream something up and make it happen. The result is a version of Star Wars that feels wonderfully unrestricted. Honestly, that's where this series shines brightest.

The characters are another big reason the show works so well. Lah Kara is an easy protagonist to root for. She's determined, compassionate, occasionally reckless, and continues growing throughout the series without feeling forced. Watching her become more confident as both a Jedi and a leader makes for a satisfying journey.

Margrave Juro remains a compelling mentor, while the supporting cast keeps things fun. Gramps is exactly the kind of sarcastic droid I can never get enough of, constantly bringing some welcome humor into heavier moments, while 99-99 adds plenty of goofy charm that helps balance the story's more serious themes.

The villains also hold their own. Nawaam is a threatening force, and Gennoh provides another interesting obstacle as the conflict escalates.

The voice cast deserves a lot of credit, too. Kimiko Glenn absolutely carries the series with an energetic performance as Kara. She brings warmth, confidence, vulnerability, and excitement to the character, making her instantly likable.

Simu Liu is excellent as Lah Zhima, giving Kara's father a quiet emotional weight that becomes increasingly important as the story unfolds. Young Mazino also brings plenty of presence to Nawaam, creating a villain who's intimidating without becoming one-dimensional. Everyone feels invested, and that energy comes through in every episode.

What I also really appreciated is how unapologetically anime this series is. It doesn't water itself down trying to appeal to everyone. It embraces the anime style of storytelling, performances, character reactions, pacing, and emotion.

If you're someone who already loves anime, that's going to be a huge plus. If anime has never clicked with you, this series probably isn't going to suddenly convert you. And that's perfectly fine. Everything doesn't have to appeal to everybody.

The Ninth Jedi knows exactly what kind of show it wants to be, and it fully commits to it. That confidence makes the series even stronger.

If I have one complaint, it's that a few story beats occasionally lean a little too close to familiar Star Wars territory. I found myself predicting certain reveals because they echoed moments we've seen before. The good news is that the series usually finds interesting ways to spin those ideas in new directions before they become overly familiar.

It's a small issue in an otherwise incredibly entertaining ride. What I really walked away thinking was, "I want more of this." More standalone stories, more anime, and more creators taking risks in the Star Wars universe. I’m a fan of these filmmakers who aren't afraid to reinterpret Star Wars through completely different artistic lenses.

That's exactly what Visions has represented from the beginning, and The Ninth Jedi might be the strongest argument yet for why Lucasfilm should keep investing in these kinds of projects.

The series tells a fun, heartfelt, visually spectacular Star Wars story filled with memorable characters, exciting action, creative world-building, and enough fresh ideas to make this galaxy feel exciting all over again.

If you're already a fan of anime and you've enjoyed Star Wars: Visions, this is an easy recommendation. If you're a Star Wars fan who's open to seeing the franchise interpreted through a different creative lens, I think you're going to have a great time.