Visions Volume 3 Panel Discussion (Star Wars Celebration)

In what could easily be my most anticipated panel of this entire convention, Visions Volume 3 is returning to being anime-only this year after Volume 2 shifted towards world animation. While it feels strange to revert to anime-only—especially as James Waugh had hyped how Volume 2 showcased different cultural styles and animation techniques—that issue aside, when they announced the studios involved in Volume 3 a few months back, we saw some new and returning faces.

Heading into this panel, I hoped to learn about the titles and key talent involved with these shorts. In a way, it exceeded my expectations, but at the same time, it also felt underwhelming.

I need to address something I feel is important to discuss. Star Wars Celebration truly embarrassed itself in how it handled Japanese talent. In the manga panel I attended, there was no on-stage English translator and no autogenerated Japanese-to-English text, so when the Japanese creators spoke, very few in attendance understood what was being said. This issue partially continued into the Visions Volume 3 panel; however, this time there was autogenerated Japanese-to-English text, yet it was seriously delayed and inaccurate.

For a massive convention, this is really embarrassing and quite disrespectful to the Japanese creators, as only a minority understood what was conveyed. To also address the elephant in the room: since the majority of attendees were not from Japan, the argument that “well, it’s a convention in Japan” does not hold water. If this was not a perfect showcase of how computers cannot replace humans, I don’t know what would be.

This panel was also the only one that was live-streamed to the Celebration Live YouTube feed, and it featured no English subtitles at all. In my opinion, this was nothing short of a disaster and ruined what was easily the best panel at Star Wars Celebration.

So, what did we learn from the panel?

Firstly, we now know the names and studios of each short, which are as follows:

• The Duel: Payback – Directed by Takanobu Mizuno, animated by Kamikaze Douga and Anima

• The Lost Ones – Directed by Hitoshi Haga, animated by Kinema Citrus Co.

• The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope – Directed by Naoyoshi Shiotani, animated by Production I.G

• Yuko’s Treasure – Directed by Masaki Tachibana, animated by Kinema Citrus Co.

• The Smuggler – Directed by Masahiko Otsuka, animated by Studio Trigger

• The Bounty Hunters – Directed by Junichi Yamamoto, animated by Wit Studio

• The Song of Four Wings – Directed by Hiroyasu Kobayashi, animated by Project Studio Q

• The Bird of Paradise – Directed by Tadahiro Yoshihira, animated by Polygon Pictures

• Black – Directed by Shinya Ohira, animated by David Production

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Before analyzing what was shown, I believe it is appropriate to discuss the previous projects the directors and studios have worked on, providing an overview of their pedigree and what can be expected from these shorts.

Takanobu Mizuno directed The Duel, featured in Visions Volume 1, and will be directing the upcoming Ghost of Tsushima: Legends anime. He also served as the animation director for the video game Shin Megami Tensei: Persona. Kamikaze Douga animated The Duel and has also produced films like Batman Ninja and Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League. Anima, collaborating with Kamikaze Douga on The Duel: Payback, has worked on projects such as Sand Land and .hack//The Movie.

Hitoshi Haga directed Origin: Spirits of the Past and an episode of Made in Abyss, as well as The Village Bride in Visions Volume 1. He also contributed as a key animator on Perfect Blue and Millennium Actress. Masaki Tachibana directed Princess Principal and its films, Blue Thermal, and worked on notable titles like Giovanni’s Island and Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance. Kinema Citrus Co. animated Made in Abyss, The Rising of the Shield Hero, and The Village Bride.

Shinya Ohira has worked as a key animator on numerous high-profile projects, including Akira, Porco Rosso, Spirited Away, Tekkonkinkreet, Redline, and the animated segment of Kill Bill Volume 1. David Production is known for series like JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Fire Force, and Cells at Work.

Junichi Yamamoto was an episode director for Summer Time Rendering and directed Armor Shop for Ladies and Gentlemen, while also contributing to Pop Team Epic and Batman Ninja. Wit Studio is renowned for Attack on Titan (seasons 1–3), Spy x Family (co-produced with CloverWorks), and Vinland Saga (season 1).

Tadahiro Yoshihira directed Knights of Sidonia: Love Woven in the Stars and worked as an editor on Knights of Sidonia and a visual compositor on Transformers Prime. Polygon Pictures produced Human Lost, Blame!, and Ajin: Demi-Human.

Hiroyasu Kobayashi served as CGI art director for Mobile Suit Gundam G no Reconguista, Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon A Time, and the previous Evangelion films, as well as working on Darling in the Franxx and Promare. Project Studio Q is relatively new but contributed CGI animation to Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 and 3D graphics for Darling in the Franxx and Mobile Suit Gundam G no Reconguista.

Masahiko Otsuka directed episodes of Gurren Lagann, Kiznaiver, Panty & Stocking, and The Elder (Visions Volume 1), while also writing for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Little Witch Academia, and Harmonie. Studio Trigger produced acclaimed works like Kill la Kill, Promare, and Delicious in Dungeon.

Naoyoshi Shiotani has directed the entire Psycho-Pass franchise and contributed as an animator on Attack on Titan, Blood-C, and Elfen Lied. Production I.G is famous for Ghost in the Shell adaptations, Psycho-Pass, and Haikyuu!!.

But let’s discuss what was covered at the panel to the best of my ability.

The Duel: Payback, The Lost Ones, and The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope are sequels to shorts featured in Volume 1—specifically The Duel, The Village Bride, and The Ninth Jedi, respectively. While it’s great to see studios continue stories from Volume 1, I wish these had been part of the Visions Presents line, which I’ll discuss later. In my opinion, if these stories were strong enough to warrant expansion, they deserve more than just another 30-minute short.

Among the nine studios working on Visions Volume 3, four previously participated in Volume 1: Studio Trigger, Production I.G., Kinema Citrus Co., and Kamikaze Douga. Five are making their debut: David Production, Polygon Pictures, Wit Studio, Project Studio Q, and Anima. Interestingly, four of the participating studios are traditionally known for 3D animation: Polygon Pictures, Kamikaze Douga, Project Studio Q, and Anima.

Kinema Citrus Co. is the only studio producing two shorts this season—a well-deserved honor, given how visually stunning The Village Bride was. Both of their shorts showcased distinct visuals and tones. The Lost Ones continues the aesthetic and serious tone of The Village Bride, while Yuko’s Treasure appears more playful, embracing a child’s sense of adventure, especially with Billy, an adorable bear with a microwave in his stomach.

The remaining new shorts look wildly stylized and unique. Black looks unlike anything I’ve seen before, yet it also evokes the style of Shinya Ohira’s past work, particularly Kill Bill Volume 1, and even hints at Cowboy Bebop with its jazz-infused score. The Bounty Hunters demonstrates why Wit Studio is among the best anime studios today, with incredible character designs, detailed backgrounds, and fluid animation in the action scenes we glimpsed.

Project Studio Q’s project looks truly indescribable. It treats the iconic AT-ATs like threatening mechs, especially in a teaser scene where they burst through ice—a moment that had me hooked. Additionally, witnessing a droid about to form a mech suit around the lead character was pure insanity. The influences from working on Evangelion and with Studio Trigger are evident.

However, not all the shorts appeared captivating. To be honest, the Polygon Pictures short looked rough. They presented The Bird of Paradise concept art and then played a short clip, which left me disappointed due to a noticeable visual downgrade compared to the teased artwork. 3D anime has never really appealed to me visually; even The Duel in Visions Volume 1 felt unappealing in its presentation. Thus, it’s no surprise I found The Duel: Payback to be lacking as well.

During each creator’s presentation about their respective shorts, we saw quick teases, concept art, or character designs. Observing the early stages of each project was truly magical, and you could sense their passion and love through their detailed responses. I only wish I could have understood everything said to fully appreciate the wonderful panel.

To conclude the panel, there were three announcements:

1. The release date for Visions Volume 3 is October 29, 2025, so we don’t have long to wait.

2. We were given a quick showcase of all the shorts. They clarified this was not a trailer but a first look, and it was truly magical how it teased the variety of shorts effectively.

3. A major announcement: a new branch of Visions called Star Wars Visions Presents was introduced. This line will greenlight shorts that deserve further exploration into full TV series. The first entry is The Ninth Jedi, which will receive a limited series in 2026. Kenji Kamiyama, the writer and director of the original Ninth Jedi short, will return to lead the project.

That was the Visions Volume 3 panel. It was an exciting event for both Star Wars and anime fans alike, albeit hindered by poor translation. I am looking forward to Visions Volume 3 and hope to cover it extensively, as I want to showcase the incredible work of these amazing creators.

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