Violet Evergarden: The Movie

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 careerthat 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.

THIS REVIEW IS SPOILER-FREE As the death-causing waves of COVID-19 continue to encounter all parts of the globe, one may understand how lackluster the world is without theatre movies - one of the most recreational industries of humankind. The fact that no movies were produced, or even recorded, for 5 or 6 months really hits the industry into its core, and casts a big doubt on its survival. Luckily, the debut of several movies during this crisis has just confirmed that the community has its capability to overcome the difficulties. And to be honest, it was much more outstanding than I've ever imagined. The latest movie of DemonSlayer was a good example, a remarkable debut and a truly wonderful cure for the whole community indeed. Everyone is talking about it, everyone is hoping this will act as a catalyst for more to come out. I'm not an exception of this, but to be honest my intention was left on something else, something that may truly helps me gain back my fading interest... Violet Evergarden Movie. I have just finished it with my warming tears hooking on my face all along at the theater. I didn't even remember where was the last time I cried so much like this... Where should I start with... The story was introduced in a quite unfamiliar way, which may distract or confuse viewers a bit thereafter. But from my perspective, it acts as a guide for the whole story to be smoothly displayed and thereby more easily grabs their intention. As the story continues to progress, you'll have the chance to meet both new and appeared characters, each will leave a mark on the story as a whole. What I love most in this plot is that everything was set and done exquisitely, a proper pace we've all seen in this franchise to a decent amount of time separated for each scene to develop and expand the story, and the position flashback scenes which makes viewers cry so bad. Such great works KyoAni have finished, that every words, every expressions and actions matter. Several friends of mine told me that the plot was what they did not found difficult to predict, and surprisingly they were right. It was indeed a drawback of this movie where the actions and conversations at the beginning indicated way too many details, which should have better been revealed in the middle or later of the story. Having said that, when the final phase of the movie was displayed and as your delicate heart were already step-by-step melted, it shattered yours and in the meantime pushed the whole story into a breathtaking finale. The BGM and SFX of this movie is, from my perspective, the most successful and indispensable part of it. Old OSTs were played all along the movie, which really hit me with nostalgia and fill me up with fresh feelings that I've been new to for ages. The sounds of nature, the birds, the river, the waves of the ocean, the sadness in rainy scenes were absolutely incredible. Crucial conversations were remarkably emphasized by wonderful soundtracks at the beginning but then just relied on characters' voice soon after, which makes them more genuine and in a more aesthetic viewpoint. And of course, why should not I mention the appearance of "Michishirube" at the end of the movie, which was somehow sounded way much better than any versions and in any situations in the anime series. And not to forget the visuals, still as outstanding as usual. The characters were beautifully designed, each of whom possessed a unique look as well as a distinguished way of understanding and acting. And how about the landscapes? They are all delicately polished to the smallest details, which gave them a more real and lively look, as to highlight the meaning of each scene taken spot on them. The conclusion of the movie is something I adore so much, but the point is that I've never read the novel so it's not objective to say which one is better. To be honest, a happy ending is all I wanted after being shredded in pieces by the story and my own feelings, and I appreciated that they did not disappoint me... However, the changing of the sky color in the final part was something unrealistic. What I mean by that is, the way they changed the sky color in order to emphasized the contents (as it shifted from day to dawn then dust relatively) was quite unusual and not as successful as they expected it to be. The movie, even though not flawless, is still something real authentic and fresh that may drive our feelings through this crisis. It's not actually the one that marks the return of KyoAni after its 2019 tragedy, but it's believed that Violet Evergarden Movie will set a high standard for any movies coming out after it. So, if you feel life is boring and want something fresh, or you are desperate for more anime after you hyped up with Demon Slayer movie, then this is the one for you. I won't add any further details that may ruin your feelings or your expectations, I'm just here to firmly tell you that the movie is amazing and you should give it a try. Take a deep breath, close your eyes, let the music flow in your mind and take you along until the very end of the journey.

Holy shit. Coming to Japan in order to watch this movie was one of my best decisions this year. Mere month after I've seen final Fate/stay night Heaven's Feel movie I come back this time to Kyoto. Is it better than super hit from ufotable? It doesn't matter actually, I'm speechless. And in love. TV series has few flaws, plot pretty bland and predictable, simplified to the border. But I still loved it, because all these things weren't actually problematic as Violet Evergarden never pretended to be something else than beautiful story about understanding what love is. And it was damn beautiful. And this movietook it whole level up. STORY: 8 So how this 140 minutes long movie looks compared to its prequel? Well, much, much better. It went full melodrama mode. Movie pick up the story basically where 2018 TV show left. Violet is unable to forget about Gilbert and don't want to believe he's gone forever. Even everyone told her to move on. The MAL synopsis doesn't give much justice to the actual movie plot, but on the other hand... it's somewhat perfect. This nearly two-and-a-half hour long movie throws us pretty fast in the story and it's damn hard to avoid spoilers at this point. Enough tho say, that Violet herself is at her limit and anything can broke her faith and feelings she just learned to understand. As for romantic melodrama pacing is damn fast and story and directing doesn't give much time to process the story. But it ain't flaw, actually it's better for the plot and it's heartbreaking twists. Trust me, even with no spoilers, you'll need napkins. This movie doesn't take prisoners, you'll cry. Especially changes towards Light Novel went even deeper than in TV series. And I'm happy of that, especially when it comes to the finale. Trust me, you can expect suprises, even tho it's still bit predictable. But it was to be expected. It's Violet Evergarden at her finest. ART: 10 Honestly, this movie is fucking breathtaking. KyoAni did another masterwork, quality of animation is just speechless. Such a beauty, starting from flawless and even more enhanced character designs, throught amazingly animated action and dynamic scenes, finishing on backgrounds and planning. Animation is flawless, smooth and better than ever. Colours, quality, shadows, all location and character designs is just top of the top notch. If it comes to animation this year, no one can stand next to this masterfully crafted work, except ufotable of course. And even that, it's extremely hard to compare this animation to anything I've ever seen. Work of pure art, such a beauty that leaves you literally speechless. KyoAni outdone themselves. SOUND: 10 It's KyoAni, sound quality is over the top. Perfectly synced, beautifully fitting every second of this movie. All-star seiyuu squad did work of the year, next to final F/sn movie, can't actually decide which is better. Voicing is perfect, leaves no doubt that it's real piece of art. There's soul and love in every dialogue, feelings and power is everywhere, it's a work full of dedication and understanding. Both, for characters and audience. Then we have beautifully crafted atmosphere, world is full of life and ambient sounds are just perfect. And finally we have soundtrack. Evan Call outshine himself once again, music is beautiful, very soft, but at the same moment powerful. It's extremely well fit the melodramatic atmosphere and works both, as perfect piece of work that hit you straight into heart and separate album, will get it asap. CHARACTER: 9 As before, this movie stands mostly on characters. But this time psychological portraits are deeper and much more detailed. Violet struggling with herself, her feelings, beliefs and past even more than before. It can be truly heartbreaking at one point. This time Dietfried, Gilbert's brother received much more screen time and his character is much deeper and more clarity than before. Finally we can completely understand him, his pain and he went throught. In the past and now. Fortunately rest of the supporting characters got just enough time and plot to actually, unlike the TV series, be much more important to both, Violet and audiences. I mean that this time every important character, starting from Claudia finishing on Cattleya have important task and deepened characteristics and psychological portrait. It's a huge step forward comparing to the prequel and deserves praise. This time characters are on the first plane, including the most important one next to Violet. ENJOYMENT: 9 The movie heavily plays on the feelings, even more that TV series. But taking whole melodrama to another level it was pretty predictable. Enjoyment is top notch, but can be literally painful at some point. Before you visit your nearest cinema, ensure you have enough tissues on you. I'll not spoil anything, but it's Violet Evergarden, so trust me, you'll need them. Enjoyment overall is great, you'll sit on the edge of your seats, you'll feel, laugh and cry with the characters. And you'll love Violet even more than before. Such a powerful chatacter. Once again she's having literally whole production on her shoulders, but this time, there's no flaws. Enjoyment, even hurtful sometimes is outstanding. It's a perfect entertainment. And perfect sequel, without a doubt it's the best return for KyoAni after the tragedy. Beautiful. OVERALL: 10 It's 10. Second best anine movie I've seen this year. Extremely poignant, beautifully crafted, with beautiful, bit predictable, but still satisfying plot. It's an perfect example of closing a story and hitting deep into soul of its viewer. This anime movie is not only the best closure for the story, but actually is better in everything than its prequel TV series. It's deep, touching and full of extremely different feels. Will leave you speechless, shocked and ultimately satisfied, even if you didn't like prequel. KyoAni managed to achieve something very rare, they delivered satisfying, amazingly crafted epilogue to this story that's actually better than ever before. 140 minutes long runtime gives perfect amount of time to answer all unanswered questions, to deliver beautiful romance and extremely touching story. It's a masterpiece on its own rights. And beautiful tribute to all these people that died in this awful fire. Is it better than final Fate movie? Probably not, but it manages to stand next to it like equal. Terrible year for humanity, but great year for anime. This is how you craft masterpieces, even if you don't agree. Beauty. Long live Kyoto Animation. And get bloody tissues, you'll need them.

---No spoiler zone--- I'll be quick in this section because a lot of what I blame on the movie is based on elements developed later in the story. So in a word : This movie is a disappointment and even worse, it disavow all of the character development of the series. Don't watch it if you liked the original anime. But let's be fair, the movie still have some qualities : - Even if I feel like the quality is overall a bit worse than the series, the art is still astonishing and some of the shots from the movie are real masterpieces (especially on the last part). - TheOST still is really enjoyable, and have some tracks that I will listen even after my viewing. - And finally I love the way that the world depicted in the series, is evolving. It gives me a great sense of immersion and poses the question of the evolution of work in our society (even if it's brushed off quickly). But let's talk about the elephant in the room in the next section. ---SPOILER--- Story (4/10) The story is pretty bad. I'm kinda lying here, the story if you take it independently isn't that horrible, just painfully average. It's just a love story like you've seen a lot (with the typical "I can't be with you" "I don't deserve you" "blabla" type of shit) but the worst part is that the major is so underdeveloped here that it's just uninteresting. I will add that this doesn't feel natural. The way the events unfolds feels like that part was squished in here because the author found that cool and wanted a traditional ending, but compared to the original it is a HUGE throwback (I will talk about it more in the character part). I just gave four for the story because of the first part with Yuris, which I felt was quite a nice story, not as impactful as I would want it to be, but still "enjoyable". It's quite the shame that the movie didn't put more time and attention on it, because it would have been a better story that what we got. In general, the story is too conflicted to be impactful which, for a movie of 2h30 is incomprehensible. I mean, the movie is supposed to be centered around the reapparition of the major, but we don't see him for the 2/3rd of it. And when he's on screen he is barely developed. These many sidestories, even if I like them (more than the main plot I add) are hindrance to the love story because, they block the movie from developing something that is new compared to the series, not just a scenario of "what would happen if the major was alive OMG". Art (8/10) Not much more from what I said before, really cool. There is some amazing scenes. And overall the art is still one of the best asset of the movie. Sound (7/10) Same here, really cool OST, not a lot much to say. It contributes greatly to the feels in the series, and it hasn't changed here. Character (1/10) And there it is. THE problem I have with this movie. It kills all of the character development of the series. All of the message and originality of the anime, sacrificed for the generic happy ending. So let's start by talking about Gilbert... His development is a disaster. In the original anime, Gilbert is described as someone who deeply cares for Violet and serves as her only parental figure. His final message "I love you" isn't really made explicit as the series let the interpretation of theses word to Violet and thereby to the viewer. Here, the major, is a major (pun unintended) douchebag. He is someone who abandoned everything out of spite and intentionally, to go fuck off on the edge of the world because he felt bad. I summarize, he left a child traumatized and physically injured on a battle field after telling that he loved her and left without even a single thought about her well-being. He didn't even try to contact his family which (we learn) deeply cares about him and wasn't even aware of his mother death. And finally he refuse to see any of his former friends and family, because he feel that he has wrong them and prefer fleeing and ignoring them than try to make up for his mistakes. I won't go further than this, but I will mention that the chronology (which by the way is quite fucked up) make that he was romantically attracted to Violet when she was between 10 to 14 years old. The world depicted is one where this situation may be acceptable, but I'm quite frankly not comfortable with it (but for the sake of the immersion I won't really count that as a major flaw). Overall, this is a detestable character, and his reasoning ruined all of the feel and the aura built around him. It's a shame because all of that made the generic love story feel like a disaster because, what is depicted here isn't love. I can't see that you would hide yourself from the very same person that you love for a reason so selfish. And this kills the very principle around which Violet developed herself in the series. The other character aren't that developed. The movie add nothing particular about them other than the professional reconversion of Erica. Oh and finally... WHERE'S MY BEST GIRL TAYLOR ? Overall (3/10) As I said, this movie was a disappointment. It literally made me angry (which for a movie is quite the accomplishment) because it's viewing, ruined the original anime for me. Violet Evergarden is a beautiful love story. It's about how love and words, can change someone. It's a story about loss and grief. About how the people that we care for help us find a meaning in our lives, even if they're not present anymore. All of the stories depicted during the anime told us how our words, as little as they can be, help other go through hardship and let them live their lives to the fullest. This isn't the case here. All of the message about, finding the deep meaning of love (which as I said precedently is left vague for the different interpretations) is gone. Now it's just the romantic aspect that's left. All of the story, about coping with loss, about passing through grief to find a purpose, to find what's our reason to live beyond a single individual, it's gone. And the final episode, where Violet finally acknowledge that the major is gone, but realize that even if he isn't there anymore, her memories of him and what he made for her will forever accompany her in her new life... have now lost all of their meanings. I'm really sorry, but if your entire series is based around the grief and loss of someone, you can't make him reappear without reason while expecting to keep the meaning of the story intact. I know why people love that ending, because for the character... that's the good ending, and people love that. But in regard to all that has been built up previously, it's an insult to the viewer. And I don't like being insulted. (That was way too long, I'm sorry)