Violet Evergarden: The Movie

Promo art featuring an idealized Violet and Major Bougainvillea, from Violet's fantasies

Delayed by the arson attack against Kyoto Animations in 2019 and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the recent release of Violet Evergarden: The Movie sent fans into a frenzy, especially after such a long wait. Kyoto Animations continued the anime phenomenon with a film that carries the emotional heart of the franchise, and continues the brilliant legacy of one of Japan’s most revered studios.

A sequel to the animated series, the film provides a brief recap of the titular heroine’s story, as she explores the slightly fantastical, turn of the century world of Telsis. Following the onset of a continental war resembling our World War One, a young and orphaned Violet Evergarden is groomed as a child soldier, serving in the army of Leidenschaftlich.

In the fires of war, Violet is forged into a living weapon, and quickly gains renown among friends and foes for being Leiden’s deadly “battle maiden.” During this time, only her doting superior officer, Major Gilbert Bougainvillea, treats Violet as more than just a living weapon.

Narrative

Following the war’s traumatic conclusion—in which Violet loses Major Bougainvillea, and both her arms—Violet wakes up in a Leiden hospital. After receiving prosthetic metal hands, Violet is thrust back into normal society, and finds employment with a postal company as an Auto Memories Doll, or ghostwriter. Armed with nothing but a typewriter and parasol, Violet overcomes her trauma and dispassionate demeanor, becoming the most distinguished Doll on the continent.

Writing on behalf of commoners, playwrights, singers, and even nobility. Throughout this journey of self-discovery and atonement, Violet comes to terms with her emotions and individuality with which she struggled, realizing the meaning of Major Gilbert’s last words to her during the war: “I love you.”

A simple phrase that would be cliché in any context other than Violet’s, these three words are the guiding light of the film, as Violet confronts her past and searches for the lost—presumed dead—Major, intent on expressing her own love for the lost soldier.

Her quest is furthered by the film’s touching introduction of Yurith, a terminally-ill boy who pleads with Violet to write letters to his family, that will make them happy after he has passed. It’s this young boy’s confrontation with death that moves Violet, setting her on one last, unforgettable journey to uncover the truth of his disappearance—to say the things we all long to say before death.

Fellow Dolls, Iris and Erica witness a number of Violet's lost letters get released into the world

Aside from the film’s brilliant past/future narrative and ever-charming heroine, the film offers a mature rendering of PTSD, that rivals the more common, domestic traumas of lost love. Often I’ve felt that the anime industry dwells too much in the immaturity of high school drama, or focuses on young characters with little-to-no life experience making tremendous leaps forward in their lives, bypassing years of growth—character development.

Thanks in part to the animated series, Violet has years of personal growth, and doesn’t easily overcome her gruesome past as a child soldier. Often, Violet misinterprets simple words or actions as pretenses to violence and she misses the orderly nature of the military’s “commands,” the only way she knew how to communicate.

She has vicious flashbacks to the night she lost the Major, and her renown among the continent’s soldiery as an unfeeling war machine curbs her personal growth. It’s this situational nuance in the series—and this film—which adds layers of depth to Violet’s character, and allows the studio to pursue a pure, simple love story in a way that feels refreshing and new.

Leiden's bloody battle maid looks expectantly at her superior officer

Visuals

Gushing over the narrative and heroine aside, I want to highlight the incredible detail and stylistic animation of the film. There’s really no getting around it, but Kyoto Animation is the gold standard of modern animation, and Violet’s latest outing is no exception.

The film’s visual brilliance sees it join the pantheon of modern hits like CoMix Wave’s Weathering With You and Garden of Words, all works that are stunning to look at on first glance, but are simultaneously oozing with character and style.

One of the lively central streets of Leiden

Violet’s world is alive with color and motion, from the myriad tropical shades of the ocean waters up into Leiden’s lively streets, filled with hundreds of animated citizens breathing life into the bustling coastal city. The simple landscapes, with their lush greens, and the Victorian-age aesthetic of Telsis meld together to create this fantastically beautiful, but still believable world for Violet’s story.

Speaking of, Violet herself is no slouch in design, with the reflective gaze of her signature emerald brooch, and the stunning detail of her mechanical hands, each finger casting dazzling shadows in the candlelight of her study.

KyoAni flexes on everybody with a wealth of movement packed into just a few frames.

Verdict

Anime fans know that Violet Evergarden is just one of Kyoto Animation’s success stories. They’re partially responsible for the growing wave of anime interest among Western audiences, housing their S-tier productions on more accessible household streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. Being open to these platforms provides a genuine avenue to reach a wider range of viewers, and a level of exposure that niche platforms like Crunchyroll and Funimation simply can’t provide. Such is the power and craze of the global audience, that fans of Violet’s story outside of Japan waited nearly a full year (2020-2021) for the global release, and brought on a second wave of total fandom.

"No letter that could be sent deserves to go undelivered."

Whether you are a fan of Violet Evergarden or a newcomer to her adventures, this movie is an emotional rollercoaster that is sure to bring you to tears. A stunning addition to Violet’s story, this animated film is one I strongly recommend. Newcomers might want to watch the series first however, which is also conveniently found on Netflix.