And if you think the way I'm thinking right now, you should be! Star Wars: Clone Wars is one of the most captivating cartoon shows I've seen in recent years, hence gracing the name that George Lucas has conceived almost three decades ago. In fact, I am not really a big fan of SW's Expanded Universe since its purpose is to explore the possibilities beyond the movies (which in turn ruins the rhythm of the saga's overall presentation). Clone Wars, also labeled as an Expanded Universe, otherwise proves the other way round. Due to the fact that this so-called Microseries sticks closer to the next two movies (Episodes II and III) than anything else, fans of the movies will be delighted to know that it remains true to the spirit of the Star Wars mythology despite additional sub-plots and newer characters.<br /><br />Star Wars: Clone Wars chronicles the adventures of Anakin Skywalker, his mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi, the beloved droids Threepio and Artoo and the rest of the characters from the first two films (fortunately for Jar Jar Binks-haters, he is nowhere to be seen) during the events of the Clone Wars: full-scale battles between the mechanical Separatist and the Army of the Republic (clone troopers). In addition to its role as a bridge between Episodes II and III, the Microseries also visually succeeds in enlarging the scope of this universal war only mentioned briefly in Episode IV: A New Hope. Speaking of structure, Clone Wars is divided into two parts: Volume I (takes place some time after the Battle of Geonosis) and Volume II (Chapter 21 ultimately concludes the story arc of Attack of the Clones, the rest takes place some time before the events of Revenge of the Sith). If you (especially newcomers) are completely confused with the chronological storyline, it's best that you watch everything from the original trilogy and the first two episodes of the prequel trilogy before tackling with both the Microseries and the upcoming movie.<br /><br />Anyway, back to the review.<br /><br />For Vol. I, the animation is almost flawless. Most of the characters and background settings are painstakingly caricatured/reproduced from the first two movies despite their radical looks (which in fact giving a comic book feeling to the series, thanks to the truly talented Paul Rudish of Dial M For Monkey fame, the short-lived segment of Dex's Lab that heavily inspires Clone Wars). Perhaps one of Clone Wars' major highlights is the lightsaber duels: they are all beautifully recreated from the movies while being spiced up with the 'Samurai Jack' trademarks that make the original a hit amongst viewers. Also, many fans will take a first glimpse on one of the most dangerous villains in the Star Wars universe: General Grievous. The only drawback of Vol. I is its length; each chapter only runs for 3 minutes, shorter than the usual running time for most conventional cartoon shows. The only way to satisfy your appetite is to watch the one-hour version, which crams 20 chapters altogether (although some may expect that the whole story feels too disjointed).<br /><br />Vol. II, like the first one, is no different, except for its extended running time and some minor changes (Anakin's hair is now longer and he wears an outfit similar to Darth Vader's, the first appearances of Grievous' bodyguards, clone troopers now bear their resemblance to stormtroopers, etc.). While it maintains the quality of the previous 20 chapters, Vol. II feels slightly shorter in terms of its overall length and atmosphere due to the fact that most of the situations only take place in two worlds (one of them serves as a prologue to Revenge of the Sith as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine is kidnapped by Grievous). However, Vol. II succeeds in adding depth to the tragic character Anakin whose path to the Dark Side is almost inevitable. Personally, I really like the 'Ghost Hand' concept, in which Anakin's mechanical right hand can be related to the myth of a mysterious tribe, hence giving much legendary status to the Skywalker legacy.<br /><br />Aside from its authentic license, Clone Wars is accompanied by the classic John William score as well as other additional score that is reminiscent to other cartoon shows you can think of. Perhaps the only thing that bugs me is its artificial synthesized music on certain parts of its entire run. It would have been a much greater experience if the whole score were fully orchestrated instead. The voice acting, while mostly provided by actors from the Star Wars video games (except for Anthony Daniels who reprises his role as Threepio), is pretty well done by any standards. <br /><br />As a true Star Wars fan, I wish to thank the director of this amazingly revolutionary Microseries, Genndy Tartakovsky for proving once again that 2D animation can actually make a huge difference if we are willing to look at one thing in a completely different perspective. Kudos to George Lucas and the entire crews of Clone Wars as well!