Violet Evergarden the Movie (2020) review

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After watching Violet Evergarden the Movie five times, and going to watch it a sixth time tomorrow, I decided to write my own review of this movie. This review is filled with spoilers, so please do not read if you don't want to know how the story turns out. I will keep updating this review as I watch it (as of December 31, 2021, I have watched it 14 times in the theaters and several other times since the Blu-ray was released, including three times for the audio commentaries). Links to other posts on the movie can be found at the end of the post.

November 14, 2020: Updated after watching the movie for the sixth time.

December 4, 2020: Updated after watching the movie for the seventh time.

February 12, 2020: Updated after watching the movie for the twelfth time. 

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Violet Evergarden the Movie (2020) is about Violet Evergarden, an orphaned girl with superb fighting skills who was used as a weapon by the army during the war. The war is now over, and Violet is working as an Auto Memory Doll, a ghostwriter who writes letters on behalf of others using a typewriter, as she seeks to learn what the words "I love you"--told to her by her superior officer, Major Gilbert Bougainvillea at their final battle--means. The anime series was 13 episodes with an OVA episode, followed by a feature-length side story film. This movie continues the story of Violet Evergarden, who has since learnt human emotions and what "I love you" means.

 

Before going any further, a reminder to watch the movie until the end of the credits. There is a final cut after the credits finish rolling.

 

Here's the Hong Kong trailer, which has Chinese and English subtitles.

 

 

First, visually, the movie is stunning. You can see the waves moving, the slight sway of trees, how the hair of the characters move. How the camera angle moves, the blurring of the camera lens depending on the focus, these are all the small little details that add so much realism to the movie. You can feel the painstaking work put in by the animators at Kyoto Animation. It is really amazing. For example, in a rain scene, you can see the blades of grass in the foreground moving very slightly as they get hit by the rain drops. Wow! Even the reference books used by Violet were carefully drawn and the words clearly printed, even if it was only a passing shot. Most animation studios would just use gibberish, but you can clearly see that the text was properly written in Nunkish (the name given by fans to the language used on the Tellsis continent).

Visuals: 10/10

 

The sound was masterfully blended into the movie too. One very memorably scene that moved me to tears was during Violet's final letter to Gilbert. She said Gilbert's words were her michishirube (signpost), and after that, the song Michishirube (used during the anime series) came on. There are quite a few scenes at sea, and I am truly amaze (being from the navy) that they even managed to throw in sound effects for the sound of ropes being tensioned by the waves when onboard a ship tied alongside. Wow! There are also many sound effects of the surroundings which may be difficult to catch without a good sound system. This really made watching the movie at a Dolby Cinema worth it. The creaking of wooden floors as people go about their lives on them... amazing!

Audio: 10/10

As an animation work, this audio-visual blend makes this the best anime of the year, if not the decade. Maybe of all time. Just this alone makes me recommend this movie to everyone. Whether you like anime or not, go watch this. It is a movie that has transcended the realm of anime.

Animation value: 10/10

For the story, it is a continuation of Violet's growth and her search for Gilbert. We all know that Gilbert is alive; that much is know just from watching the trailers. And we all know there will be a happy ending, that much was hinted at. Yet Kyoto Animation has managed to come up with a story that continues to bring me to tears even though I knew full well how the story was going to end. That, I think, is the amazing part. To be able to take the expected, and portray it in such a way that it still becomes highly emotional and touching. However, the story can be a bit slow at times, and on close scrutiny, I am sure there are parts which can be left out so that this movie is closer to 2 hours (instead of its 2 hours and 20 minutes).

Still, this is a movie that will move you to tears. Again and again. Many times throughout the movie, and many times when you rewatch the movie.

Next, I am going to go into more details about the movie, which is going to contain lots of spoilers.

The movie opens several decades after the anime series, with the daughter and granddaughter (Daisy) of Ann Magnolia (the little girl whose mother wrote her letters for 50 years in Episode 10 of the series). The progress of the movie is through Daisy, who wanted to find out more about Violet Evergarden, the person who wrote all those moving letters that her grandmother (Ann) treasured. At one of the related events, it was mentioned that Daisy's story takes place 60 years after the events in Violet's story featured in this movie.

This opening scene itself was a wonderful tribute to the most touching episode of the anime series. Fan will immediately recognise the Magnolia house, with its glass-paned room. The letters used in Episode 10 were again read out during the movie, and that is sure to move anyone to tears. Three minutes into the movie, I was already crying. When the letters were read (around minute 7), it was more tears. Kyoto Animation has released the first 10 minutes of the movie, you can see for yourself.

Irma, the opera singer from the OVA, also made an appearance in the movie as the person chosen to read the tribute poem during a festival celebrating the sea. The staff of CH Postal Company is still there, except Erica who has become an apprentice under Oscar, the writer in Episode 7. The opening shows that people have moved on with their lives after the war, and Violet has grown considerably (to be selected as the one writing the tribute poem shows that she has since gained recognition for her writing skills).

The story of Yuris, a boy who is suffering from a terminal illness, is used to show has Violet has grown. The scene when she tricked Yuris with the special "child discount" after seeing how disappointed Yuris was when told that his meager savings would not pay for the letters. How she could not hold back her tears when listening to Yuris (even though she could in Episode 10, only crying after returning to the postal company). Violet is also shown as a person of her word, as shown by how she was ready to give up meeting Gilbert because she wanted to keep her promise of writing all those letters that Yuris requested. In a way, this is probably a reflection of her military background, about her determination to fulfill any mission given to her. We can also see that Violet has grown by how she understood when Hodgins asked her to wait outside the school, because while she may be ready to see Gilbert, Gilbert may not be ready to see her. She understood that, Gilbert, having lost an arm and eye, may also be facing an inner turmoil.

The story of Gilbert after the war shows that his perfect image during the anime series was viewed through the lens of Violet, who worshipped him. But Gilbert is not a perfect person, and has been living with the guilt of war and the guilt of using Violet, a young girl, as a weapon of war. Causing Violet to lose her arms. Never giving Violet the childhood she deserved, and probably causing her to have to live with the guilt of killing once she realises what that means (which she did, in Episode 9). He ends up living on a remote island, where all the adult men had been sent to war. As an atonement for his actions, he is doing what he can for the people on the island, becoming a teacher for the children as well as helping out in farm work.

 

There is this detail I noticed after watching the movie seven times. I appreciate the length that KyoAni went to make sure there is consistency in the story. A key part of the story depended on Gilbert's handwriting. It was his handwriting on a letter that prompted Hodgins and Diethard to think Gilbert may be alive. But for that to happen, Gilbert's handwriting needs to remain the same before and after the war. Which means he needs to be left-handed, since he lost his right arm in the last battle. If he was right-handed, his handwriting after the war would be different. The letter that prompted Hodgins and Diethard was written by a left-handed person. I should know. I am one. And in a flashback scene, when Gilbert was teaching Violet to read, he was shown writing with his left hand. 🤯 That blew my mind away. They made sure this detail was properly reflected.

(Picture source: 【考察・聖地特定・解読】劇場版ヴァイオレット・エヴァーガーデン【読む追体験】)

The inner conflict of Gilbert is portrayed superbly. Yes, he loves Violet, but at the same time, he feels guilty about what he has done to her, and his guilt is holding him back from meeting Violet. But the words in Violet's final letter to Gilbert allowed him to understand that Violet has grown, that Violet now understands the world better, that she understands what "I love you" means, and in spite of that, she continued to look for him. In a way, she has forgiven him for what he has done to her, and it is time for him to forgive himself and move forward so that both he and Violet can be happy. He knew this from Violet's final letter, where the last line read, "I love you Major." (私は少佐殿を愛しています) It was this line that spurred him to chase after Violet, who was on her way back to the postal company after Gilbert's refusal to see her.

 

(That chase scene is a bit exaggerated, though. I mean, the ship Violet is on has left for quite a while and was a distance off the coast when Gilbert shouted "Violet!" It is highly unlikely that Violet could have heard him. And while Violet possesses superb physical skills, jumping off a moving ship and swimming to shore is not an easy task. Instead of standing in the sea with Gilbert as they finally reunited, she should have been exhausted from the swim. But for the sake of emotional value, I guess artists should be given a bit of leeway. 😅)

And Violet's decision to return to the postal company after failing to meet Gilbert was another sign of her growth. She understood why her existence was causing pain to Gilbert. This is something that she would not have understood before, a war orphan used as a weapon to kill. But she now understands what her actions meant, what Gilbert must be feeling for making her kill people, and the guilt Gilbert has for causing her to lose her childhood and her arms. You know she understands, and she was trying hard to convince herself that she was happy just being able to hear Gilbert's voice.

While the movie did not touch on the lives of Violet and Gilbert after their reunion, there are lots of hints. The biggest hint is the final scene after the end of the credits, which show Violet and Gilbert sitting on a bed in front of a window, with Violet's bag and stuffed toy dog at one side. They two of them have locked their little fingers (pinkies), which I think symbolises their promise to each other. I think it is KyoAni's way of saying they got married. When Daisy visited the remote island and places linked to Violet, you can see signs of Violet too. Her signature red ribbon could be found tied to the gate of the school and also to a plant outside the post office. The school being a symbol of Gilbert (he was a teacher there) and the post office of Violet (it was said she took over the post office job on the island after moving there). And the guy working at the post office gave a thumbs-up sign, something that Yuris taught Violet, and the colour of his eyes, being grayish green, could well be a sign that he is Violet's and Gilbert's son (blue eyes + emerald eyes). Anyway, Violet is about 10 years older than Anne, so if Anne just passed away at the start of the movie, Violet is likely to have died too. Gilbert, who is about 15 years older than Violet, would probably have been long gone. (A note about age. At the talk event in Kyoto by the production staff, it was revealed that Daisy's part of the story is supposed to be 60 years after Violet's reunion with Gilbert. Given that Violet was 18 years old then, she should be 78 years old when Daisy visited Ekarte Island. Gilbert would be 93 years old if alive.)

劇場版 ヴァイオレット・エヴァーガーデン

ポストカードに使われている劇中のこのシーン、ユーフォ履修済みのフォロワーさんなら一瞬で気付くと思いますが、皆さん気付きましたか？
窓の十字が十字架を模してあります。二人は指切りをして誓い合ったんですね。 pic.twitter.com/hBB9jWXpFj

— Klose🦅 (@Klose_Rinz_) October 18, 2020

Personally, I am amazed at how Kyoto Animation was able to capture a broad range of human emotions in this one movie. We have that family tie between mother and daughter. A mother's love for her daughter, watching over her daughter from heaven. A daughter's estranged relationship with her mother, who was always busy with work. The love-hate relationship between siblings, shown by Diethard and Gilbert as well as between Yuris and his younger brother. About friendship. About a parent who cannot help being overly protective. And loving someone, yet feeling guilty. And loving someone, and forgiving someone. Human emotions are really complex, and words can never fully capture them. So it is really amazing that Kyoto Animation managed to capture them with words, visuals, and music in a medium known as anime.

Kyoto Animation has created a masterpiece.

And that is why we know there will not be any sequel to Violet's story. The story has ended on a bang, and it is time to move on. Just like how Kyoto Animation is moving on from the arson attack. The fireworks in the movie was a celebration of the completion of the radio tower, but it also symbolises the celebration of the completion of this great masterpiece, and a tribute to those lost to the fire. But life goes on after the fireworks, and life will go on at Kyoto Animation. This can also be seen in how Hodgins looked to his left, where Violet would have been, only to see that Violet is not there. A person who should have been there is no longer around (although Violet is not around because she is with Gilbert). The opening and closing scenes of the movie, which shows a dimly lit path, is also KyoAni's way of saying that while the things look bleak and the future cannot be seen, just like Violet walking down that path in the closing scene, step by step, KyoAni will continue to walk forward into the future, one step at a time.

I look forward to their next piece of work.

 

By the way, to find out what happened to Violet and Gilbert after the movie, you can read my unofficial translation of the booklet by author Kana Akatsuki, "Gilbert Bougainvillea and the Fleeting Dream".

Events:

First cast greeting event for Violet Evergarden the Movie

Violet Evergarden the Movie: Cast greeting event to thank fans

Production staff event at screening of Violet Evergarden the Movie

Letter of appreciation from Violet Evergarden's author Akatsuki Kana

Post on Violet Evergarden Orchestra Concert 2021

 

Translations of short stories:

Gilbert Bougainvillea and the Fleeting Dream (unofficial translation of "ギルベルト・ブーゲンビリアと儚い夢")

Violet Evergarden short stories: "Logbook entry" and "Diary entry" (unofficial translation)

The Starry Night and the Lonely Two (unofficial translation of 星降りの夜とさみしいふたり)

Diethard Bougainvillea's If (unofficial translation of ディートフリート・ブーゲンビリアIf) 

The Tailor and the Auto-Memories Doll (unofficial translation of 仕立て屋と自動手記人形)
 

Tellsis (Nunkish) translation:

Decoding the Violet Evergarden postcard

Translating the message card from Violet Evergarden Orchestra Concert 2021

Last line of Violet's final letter to Gilbert

My Tellsis language translator in Flutter that runs on Windows, Linux, and Android

My (old) Python script for translating to and from Tellsis language (Nunkish)

 

Insights on the movie:

Was Ekarte Island based on Folegandros?

Touching scenes in Violet Evergarden the Movie

Violet Evergarden the Movie is a story about guilt

Article about story consistency/inconsistency in Violet Evergarden the Movie

 

Audio commentary notes:

Production staff

Voice actors

Music staff

Violet Evergarden TV anime series

 

All posts related to Violet Evergarden.