In the language of flowers, blue (purple) violet means “love” while white daisy means “innocence.” Although Japanese film doesn’t necessarily adhere to Victorian traditions, I can’t help but think that perhaps there is something in it for the case. anime“>Violet Evergarden: The Movie. Violet and Daisy are the names of the film’s two protagonists, one in the past and the other in the present, both personifications of their flowers. Violet searches for her love, having finally come to understand what that word means, while Daisy is desperate for innocence as she grieves the death of her grandmother, Ann.
These two flower names and their symbolism defined some of the work of this sequel to anime“>Violet Evergarden TV Series. Set after the war as well as in the equivalent of the present day, the story primarily follows Violet as she continues to live her life, even as she grieves what most people believe to be Gilbert’s death. (Violet may remember wanting to believe he’s alive.) She answers a request from a boy named Yoris, who is dying of an unnamed illness, to write letters to be delivered to his parents and younger brother after his death, which remind her of the letters she wrote to be sent to Anne, one each year on her birthday. This is the link for Daisy in the future, who inherits Anne’s letters upon her death and begins a search to find out what happened to the “doll” he wrote, Violet. Although Violet gets the majority of the action, Daisy’s journey overshadows her own, which serves the main theme of the film: those words, precisely the written ones, have an impact long after their author’s departure.
It wouldn’t be hard to pronounce this an ode to the power of correspondence, and in many ways I think it is. They are the letters that bring Violet hope of seeing her lover again, and they are the letters that help Daisy deal with her loss and unresolved feelings. In Yuris’ story (as well as Daisy’s), the idea of letters having the dead’s final sound stands out, reminding viewers that writing is the way the past can address the present.
If that sounds bittersweet, it is; Even when nothing sad is happening on screen, it feels like tears are going to be spilled at any moment. This is a triumph of the way this film has been put together: the visuals, sound design, and writing all come together to create an immersive and emotional experience. Even if this is your first introduction to franchiseIt’s easy to get emotionally involved with the characters and their struggles, and there’s enough backstory provided we can understand the Violet/Gil situation without directly watching it in the TV series. Mostly, though, the art and animation carry this movie. There is a melancholic beauty to the landscape and cityscape that conveys the mood beautifully, whether it’s Daisy staring at a rotary telephone and realizing it killed letter-writing as an industry or the somber glory of the island where Violet goes to find Jill. Seeing the same places in two time periods is also remarkably effective, as it shows us the passage of time without playing into the fact that by Daisy’s time, Violet’s world is either gone or gone from Earth.
Of course, all of this can get very confusing, something the 140-minute runtime didn’t help. While it’s hard to see what would have been cut, this would have worked almost better as two films shorter, because it’s emotionally taxing to spend so long feeling like you’re going to cry, even for a satisfying ending. Violet and Jill’s emotional reactions to the trauma they experienced during the war are well realized, if a little frustrating at times, but a lot to absorb it, and viewers need to be aware of this, although anyone who’s come to her from the TV series already knows this isn’t a suave story.
The limited edition is a nice package. The film includes both BD and HD versions, as well as a set of twelve art cards, deliberately designed to look like oversized postcards. (Presumably, you can mail it in, if you like.) The cards come in their own box, and the tablets may be packaged: the shell is inside a paper sleeve inside a box inside last how much. On the plus side, it’s like opening a special package that comes in the mail. On the downside, there is a lot of wrapping paper. Extras on the disc are limited to TV commercials and trailers.
Since our previous reviews focused on the original Japanese language course, I watched this one in English. the dub Strong overall, though there are moments when it seems a bit stilted. Erika Harlacher And Tony Azolino They both do well as Violet and Gilbert and frankly, the amount of pathos offered by the English voice actors is almost on par with the Japanese, at least in terms of delivering the required bittersweet melancholy.
Although it is somewhat hampered by its long run time, anime“>Violet Evergarden: The Movie Still a beautifully sad experience. Wonderfully rendered and charmingly bittersweet, it’s a must-see movie when you need a good cry, or just a reminder that the world of yesteryear can still be accessed through the words it left behind.
