Immediately set after the events of Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002), this series recounts the events and battles of the Galactic Republic’s last major war, the Clone Wars. Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi leads an assault on the planet Muunilinst, home of the Intergalactic Banking Clan; his Padawan, Anakin Skywalker, is appointed by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine to lead the Republic’s space forces. Meanwhile, Separatist leader and Sith Lord Count Dooku takes in Force-sensitive gladiator Asajj Ventress as his Sith apprentice, and tasks her with eliminating Skywalker. Released between Episode II and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) this animated series was made to fill in the gap of what the raging conflict of the Clone Wars entailed. Despite being made non-canon in the continuity of Star Wars, this show is honestly insane in its creativity and quick-flowing animation style. Every character is way overpowered, being able to accomplish unbelievable feats but that's what makes this series so cool. From large-scale battles to one-on-one duels, there isn't a single dull moment jumping from one conflict to another showing the scale and scope of this war. Throughout the series, two stories are overlapping. On one side there is the story featuring Anakin and Obi-Wan and Sith assassin Ventress. Meanwhile interchanging throughout this story arc are plenty of small snippets of battles on various planets showing how far the conflict of the war has reached. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing so many varied fights over the galaxy with so many iconic Jedi and just how memorable each one felt. Most especially when Mace Windu fends against a seismic tank that creates huge shock waves. Each of these subplot adventures is just as iconic as the rest of the series and despite featuring little to no dialogue, these moments are still memorable. This is best seen with the Arc Trooper episodes, which are the most awesome moments ever from the way they order the other soldiers with their hand signals to their gadgets and weapons. Despite having little dialogue they stand out above all. Of course, the best of this micro-series centres around the more climactic and drawn-out battles like Obi-Wan vs Durge, Anakin vs Ventress and Ki-Adi-Mundi vs General Grievous. Each of these battles introduced new characters who (except Durge) would be brought back later on in canon shows and movies, which is great because both characters are fantastic and easily the highlights of this show. Anakin's confrontation with Ventress is an extremely tense fight that puts him to the test when he is left alone with all his clone reinforcements taken out with ease. As they duel through the jungle, it leads to my favourite moment when it starts raining. Having the rain not only made the battle infinitely cooler but created a phenomenal effect as they both wait as the rain hits the lightsabers causing them to hiss. I get goosebumps every time, especially with Duel of the Fates thrown in. General Grievous is also the most bad-ass character in the show and is easily his best depiction ever but mainly because he is so overpowered. His introduction is magnificent and made him a fan favourite instantly from his ability to take on, and defeat, many Jedi in a single battle. Towards the end of the series, events lead into Episode III with the battle of Coruscant, which gets fleshed out even more with a whole ground assault not seen in the film. Overall, I so enjoyed this 2D animated show and seeing the empty gaps between the Star Wars movies explored. Although some character models look slightly questionable, I appreciate the unique style and how every duel feels so weighted, smooth and flashy, which can be said about the show as a whole. The show was ultimately deemed non-canon with the creation of Star Wars: The Clone Wars (TV Series 2008-2020), which is easily a better show in the aspects of drawn-out stories, more talking and development of the galaxy-wide lore. This show is still watched by fans, however, and its influence only continues to grow even merging into canon in different ways. I think this is a must-see for any fan at least once with so many creative ideas worth seeing.
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