Violet Evergarden Movie

Several years have passed since the end of The Great War. As the radio tower in Leidenschaftlich continues to be built, telephones will soon become more relevant, leading to a decline in demand for "Auto Memory Dolls." Even so, Violet Evergarden continues to rise in fame after her constant success with writing letters. However, sometimes the one thing you long for is the one thing that does not appear.

Violet Evergarden Movie follows Violet as she continues to comprehend the concept of emotion and the meaning of love. At the same time, she pursues a glimmer of hope that the man who once told her, "I love you," may still be alive even after the many years that have passed.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Evergarden, Violet Main

Ishikawa, Yui Japanese

Bougainvillea, Gilbert Main

Namikawa, Daisuke Japanese

Blue, Benedict Supporting

Uchiyama, Kouki Japanese

Baudelaire, Cattleya Supporting

Endou, Aya Japanese

Hodgins, Claudia Supporting

Koyasu, Takehito Japanese

Bougainvillea, Dietfried Supporting

Kiuchi, Hidenobu Japanese

Cannary, Iris Supporting

Tomatsu, Haruka Japanese

Brown, Erica Supporting

Chihara, Minori Japanese

Magnolia, Clara Supporting

Kawasumi, Ayako Japanese

Yuris Supporting

Mizuhashi, Kaori Japanese

Nakamura, Shinichi Producer

Saitou, Shigeru Producer

Umeda, Kazusa Producer

Suzuki, Megumi Producer

Reviews

Sep 20, 2020

TCTriangle

Recommended

I have to personally give this film a 7/10. It's still far better than average, but the ending misses the mark entirely for me. I will state my reasons below, first in a spoiler-free section and then in a spoiler section.

Before I begin, full disclaimer that I have NOT read the novel, and so the source of my complaint is not "it is different from the original so it sux0rZ!!1!". I am simply giving my thoughts on the story progression and why I was so let down.

Spoiler-free section:
First, let me start off by saying that I loved a lot about this movie. The voice-acting was ... on-point, not just from Violet's actress, but also her boss Hodgins, and even side characters they introduce as one-offs in the movie. No complaints whatsoever about any of the performances. The animation was the usual golden standard from Kyoto Animation - breathtaking at parts, and exactly what we've come to expect over the years. The soundtrack is no slouch, either. The orchestra works well as it has done in the TV series and previous "Gaiden" movie, and the ending song from True fits very well within the film's atmosphere and emotions.

So, if all those elements were perfect or near-perfect, what kept the movie from the perfect 10/10, or even a 9 or 8 for me? 2 words: "the ending" - arguably the most important part of any story that seeks to be emotionally satisfying. The last 20 minutes of the film were extremely underwhelming for me, try as the film did to make me emotionally satisfied with the conclusion to Violet's story. Now I can't go into the details without spoilers, but suffice it to say that, speaking for myself, I saw it as a disappointing end to Violet's character arc. Not only was it wholly predictable, leaning on some of the most cliche tropes used in media, but it also (in my personal opinion) betrayed a lot of the character development and buildup for Violet throughout the anime series. I found myself thinking, "oh god, they're not going in that direction, are they?" right before the climax of the film, but lo and behold, they went in that direction.

Well, now that I've outlined my big complaint without spoilers, I'll get into the meat of it.





---SPOILERS SECTION---
Throughout the anime series, Violet learns through her chosen profession what it means to be independent, what it means to feel, what it means to love. Violet started out as a robotic, emotionally damaged literal doll who could not function without orders from a superior officer. Throughout her encounters across the land writing letters for various clients, each with their own story arc, and interacting with the supporting cast at her workplace, Violets learns to think for herself, to act on her own desires, and, slowly but surely, understand what it means to feel "love."

Now, some people may argue that this was all leading up to Violet reuniting with Gilbert, telling him "I love you," and living happily ever after with her former commanding officer-turned-lover. And those people will find this fairy tale ending perfectly satisfying - the ship is complete. Nothing more to say.

But thinking back on the TV series, I can't help but question, "Really, is that all it was this whole time? A long, roundabout romance story?" Because if that's all this was, then I must say that I've given more credit to the emotional maturity of this series than I should have. Forgive me if I sound harsh, but I think I've spend way too much time with Violet on her journey, looking on as if I was growing and maturing with an old friend, to simply be given an "and they lived happily ever after" ending, with no strings attached, complete with the "dash to the port/airport" cliche and the "jump off the boat to rush to shore and embrace lover" cliche.

Even if it is implied that Violet has grown as a person and changed from the Violet who fought under Gilbert out of dependency to a Violet who chooses to be with Gilbert out of love, it still makes her character completely revolve around one person, and boils her storyline down to "girl reunites with boy after being separated after war."

Gilbert understood that Violet would again dedicate everything to her old master if he returned to her life, and that's why he hid out in the middle of nowhere all this time. So why, after sticking to this decision for years, did he have a change of heart in one moment with just one letter? Was he that fickle? Did he not think things through when he decided to play dead? Was he just horny? It just doesn't make any sense.

And we are led to believe that Violet grew old and died peacefully with the same man who she had supposedly become independent from, who supposedly was no longer the sole thing about which her world revolved? The ending just becomes a more emotionally unsatisfying mess the more I think about it. It's as if the director/writer said, "Look, I know Violet has matured a lot over the years, but she needs a happily-ever-after ending with Gilbert no matter what happened in between. That's what the audiences want and expect, so that's what we'll give them. Oh, and let's throw in a scene of Violet bawling her eyes out while hugging Gilbert in there so the audience will feel happy for her."

I'm going to stop here before it becomes a rant, but needless to say, if the ending had been more nuanced, less cliched, and given Violet (and the audience) more credit, I think the movie could have been a perfect 10/10. But as is, I cannot, because the straightforward ending simply did not live up to the quality of everything that came before. Still a solid movie besides the ending, so 7/10 overall.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Jul 3, 2021

Kingsman117

Mixed Feelings

A visual triumph for the beloved KyoAni team that sees the conclusion of one of my most heavily invested anime since I first discovered it. It's fair to say there was a lot riding on this film, not only to bring a resounding end for the anime's titular character but being the first film to be released after the devastating arson attack caries even more emotional weight for the creators and the eager fans wanting to see it. Regardless of my final opinion on Violet Evergarden: The Movie, I've never been more thankful as an anime fan to see such passion and dedication put in ... by the team who worked on the film, which makes it so much harder for me to act as a critic in this situation.

There is a lot that VE gets right straight out the gates: taking place shortly after the ending of "Violet Evergarden Gaiden: Eien to Jidou Shuki Ningyou" we are quickly brought up to date with previous characters of the show, establishing the critical change in time and technology after the war - a very interesting theme that serves as the main conflict/resolution of the film - and especially showing the character development of Violet up till this point. It's that last part where this film then proceeds on a downward spiral that in my opinion conflicts with everything KyoAni had set up with Violet up till this point. The writers of the show initially made a crucial change from it's respective source material, one that objectively did a much better job at establishing Violet as an independent character who had to face her own struggles separated from the only person she ever cared for.

By the end of the show Violet was in a content place, she'd lived past her previous life as a soldier, as Major Gilbert's weapon and had found resolution with his seeming demise. She had created a life for herself, one that Gilbert would have been happy for her. She'd changed and shaped so many lives around her, from friends to enemies, playwrights and singers, daughters, sisters, and even old commanders. Along the way, she even came to understand what it meant to love, how to cherish it, how to express that feeling on the behalf of others, as well as the pain and heartbreak it causes. Come the ending however, all of that seems to have been wasted on our heroin and results in one of the most cliché confessions I've ever seen, with a complete 180 for multiple characters development. That's the spoiler free version.

One of the major areas this film struggles with is the pacing. I was overjoyed when I first learnt of the 2hr 20min run time, believing it would get the chance to show us in depth the extent of Violet's character as well as some of it's more notable side characters which we haven't had much development from. Instead though this film decides to go on the very slow burn, and while every frame may be beautiful...it also takes forever to go anywhere....and when we finally do get there, I couldn't help but feel disappointed.

*MINOR SPOILERS*

The film essentially has three ongoing plots: The first plot is set during the present time and focusses on Anne's (The daughter from episode 10) granddaughter as she finds out what happened to VE in her final days as an Auto Memories Doll. The second plot focusses on sick boy Yurith who Violet writes letters for as his dying wish. The third plot has Violet discovering that Major Gilbert is in fact still alive. To put it bluntly, none of these plots really have much in common with the others, as the first one has no impact on the main characters, the second one is wasted by Violet's final decision, and the last one is only really focussed on in the second half of the film.

The first plot was certainly interesting if you are a fan of the world in which VE takes place, but really doesn't add to the theme of the film even though it tries. The second plot really feels more like a side story, which is strange considering the show has always been about discovering other people's stories and writing letters to convey their feelings. This is not to say that the film certainly doesn't lack emotion and even though I questioned Yurith's purpose in the film, I still couldn't help but tear up at his conclusion. Yet he doesn't get nearly as much development as other side characters we've come across before, and therefor doesn't carry much weight on the story as a whole.

*SPOILER END*

Most of the time however is focussed on Violet remembering and reminiscing her life with the Major, only to find out that he's been hiding on an Island this whole time which once again brings up the same conflict she had half way through the show. It feels in every essence like the writers were going back on how they initially set up her character. We see some interesting points, like Gilbert wanting to bury his past in order to protect Violet from the pain she suffered. It's also here however that the film seems most conflicted with the message it's trying to convey, as everything the film sets up for these characters completely and suddenly chances by the end, with very little resolution on top. It's hard to tell if this was what the writers always intended from when they gave us that original open ending in the series but I'd definitely take that conclusion over this one.

Another area where I feel like this film falls behind is the music. I love the soundtrack for VE, and even here it's hard not to love the subtle notes than blend beautifully with the gorgeous imagery. However there is nothing here that is unique compared to what we've heard before, no typewriter, no resounding scores, it's mostly the same melancholy tone that doesn't really change throughout the film. Everytime a letter was flying through the air, I just kept being reminded of the opening scene in the series and wished the music would catch up, but it never did. I also couldn't help but feel disappointed by the lack of resolution for the show's side characters: Claudia, Benedict, Cattleya, Luculia, and Iris just to name a few. None of them have any memorable moments, and even though we spend a lot of time with Claudia, I couldn't help but feel like the film missed a great opportunity with his character by the end. After all, he was the closest thing Violet had to a carer after Gilbert's departure.

It's a shame that for every moment this film get's right, it also takes two steps back. If the film had trusted it's audience and been just a bit braver to continue the journey it initially set up, this would have easily been great. It's not the resounding conclusion to Violet's story I was hoping for, but I take comfort in the knowledge that there are many fans who love KyoAni's work and especially love this film. I just wish I could have had that connection with Violet's story one last time.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Apr 23, 2021

Slippery09

Not Recommended

The Violet Evergarden Movie is a huge disappointment in term of what it means for violet as a character. The ending to this movie does a complete 180 on violet journey as a character. Violet regresses back to a lesser form of herself by the end of the movie and it's depressing to see. Too see Violet who are the start of her journey felt incomplete without gilbert and said her life had no meaning beside being his "tool". Too someone by the end of the story who understood what love meant through its form of friendship, partners, and family. While also finding a career ... that fulfilled her, friends she could rely on, a father figure through Hodgins. Too see her literally throw away all she gains just so she can be on some island in the middle of nowhere with gilbert. This just felt like a spit in the face of her journey as she reverts back to square one. The movie makes it clear that gilbert all violet needs to be happy but that shouldn't be all that she deserves. Violet journey sadly by the end of movie meant almost nothing as she reverts to someone that feels like gilbert is her master.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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	The ending is horrible in my opinion ( 1 2 3 ) GRG3 - Sep 3, 2023	117 replies	by Zarutaku »» Dec 21, 4:00 PM
	Poll: Violet Evergarden Movie Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) aku_mado - Sep 18, 2020	328 replies	by bertyboi2006 »» Dec 16, 4:22 AM
	Should I watch the movie or TV show first? Damon_dinh - Aug 9, 2023	33 replies	by lariadario »» Dec 1, 9:39 AM
	Romance between gilbert and violet ( 1 2 ) NaCreamy - May 7, 2021	75 replies	by Arminken »» May 3, 2:42 AM
	Usagi Drop similarities (spoiler) RealNath - Jan 26	14 replies	by veroubri »» Jan 27, 5:36 AM