Thomas Storai 
Violet Evergaden The Movie is an emotional and satisfying ending to the series. Evan Call‘s glorious score accompanies the top-tier animation. It’s truly cinematic!
Violet Evergarden The Movie is the sequel to the series Violet Evergarden. It was originally scheduled to be released in January 2020 but ended up being delayed following the fire at the Kyoto Animation studio. Then, it was scheduled for April 2020 but the pandemic leads to another delay. It was finally released in September 2020 in Japan. Later on, it was also released in several countries.
The movie opened in second place at the Japanese box office, just behind Tenet. It stayed in the top 10 for ten straight weeks. It was subsequently nominated for several awards and won the ‘Excellent Animation of the Year’ at the Japanese Academy Award, the equivalent of the Oscars.
The Story
Unlike Demon Slayer if you want to watch this movie, you should watch the series first. Otherwise, you won’t feel all of the emotional depth that this story carries. Both the series and the first movie are available on Netflix.
This movie is rather long for an anime – 2h20min. Though, I’m always for longer movies as long as the story is there. Here, it’s the case. Reiko Yoshida had a lot of things to say in her script. It’s not just a sequel, it’s also a conclusion. So you need time to close all the different storylines and mostly say goodbye to the characters.
It’s a deeply touching story. And I must insist on the word deeply. Before watching this movie, get a box of tissues next to you … you will cry a lot! An important part of the story focuses on Violet trying to find Major Gilbert, thus there are a lot of poignant scenes. Kyoto Animation surely knows how to hit us right in the feels! They love doing dramatic storylines.
Another storyline focuses on Violet and the Dolls helping a dying kid. It’s as heartbreaking as it gets. However, beyond all the tears from that storyline, there’s also a beautiful message of love.
And the last storyline carries on what happened in one episode of the series. I don’t want to spoil it for you so I’m not giving any details about it. Though, I will say it’s a heart-warming story. The story is an emotional and satisfying ending to the series. Fans of the series will surely appreciate it.
The Visuals
Kyoto Animation has always delivered top-tier animation and Violet Evergaden The Movie follows that trend. The series was already wonderful visually but this movie is one step above. Whether it’s little drops of water on a leaf or background pedestrians, it amazes me to see this incredible level of detail. Everything was meticulously planned.
It’s presented in cinemascope so you get an even better cinematic feel. Throughout the movie, you often have large landscape shots and the 2.35:1 ratio enhances this visual experience.
The Soundtrack
Evan Call once again delivers a glorious score. It adds even more emotional depth to the story. The song ‘Michishirube’ by Minori Chihara used in the series is also featured in the movie. You can hear it during a key moment making this scene simply perfect.
The movie also features two new songs by True – ‘Will’ and ‘Mirai no Hito he.’ They’re beautiful songs in line with what we previously got.
Verdict
Violet Evergaden The Movie is an emotional and satisfying ending to the series. Evan Call’s glorious score accompanies the top-tier animation. It’s truly cinematic!
Violet Evergarden The Movie will release in UK cinemas on July 1st. Netflix will stream the movie in most countries starting November 19.
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Star Wars and Marvel specialist, anime expert
