Why Violet Evergarden: The Movie Didn’t Work

[@dauntless0711]

In the 9th episode of the anime, there’s a scene where, after pausing to muse over some violets, the camera cuts to an extreme close-up of Violet stepping forward. From a visual storytelling point of view, it is heavily implied Violet is taking the first step in moving on with her life without the Major, but now it doesn’t mean anything I guess.

[@7svn.]

she never moved away from that, she always had the him on her mind and wasnt going to let it go, she can finally have comfort in knowing he alive and can be together, its not a step backwards as people claim its a step in the right direction to her moving forward.

[@pieterlindeque7798]

My brother in Christ that entire scene was about the major telling her that he knows one day she will grow into that name and be a good person. It wasn't about moving on from the major it was about his words saying he knows she'll become a good woman and be worthy of that name and that's the scene where she fully realises it. There's not a single instance in the entire story where "moving on" was the thematic direction. That's headcanon. Even way after that she says she still believes the major is alive. And he was always going to be because there was no body and the novel literally tells you he is so I knew he would be.

[@dauntless0711]

@@pieterlindeque7798 Wrong. Moving on was a theme from the very first episode. Gilbert told Violet to "live, and be free." Free from what? From servitude to him of course! No, she didn't explicitly state she was moving on in the 9th episode; I read between the lines. To its credit, one thing this anime got right was show don't tell.

[@andreeaalexandru7811]

@@dauntless0711 This is mindblowing. If someone had come and told you "live and be free." would you try to analyze what it meant or take it as it is? I am curious why would you think that Gilbert being alive means she can't move on with her life? You don't think loving someone can be the essence of someone's life?

[@dauntless0711]

​@@andreeaalexandru7811 I really don't think I'm being overly-analytical. I just watched the show, and paid attention to what occurred. My issue is not with Gilbert being alive. You can have a film about them reuniting, hey that's even a _good_ idea. My problem is with Violet acting throughout the film as if she can't live without him, when she already spent the entire show dealing with this issue. Characters shouldn't suddenly revert to their episode 1 state as if they've forgotten everything that happened in the show. Dietfried is a perfect example of this, and his development apparent from the start made him my favorite part of the film.

[@swagstorm9629]

The side plot of the dying boy was really emotional and great, but treating Violet and Gilbert’s relationship like a romance was the worst decision. It should’ve been a “father-daughter” or “mentor-apprentice” relationship like we see in the show. I feel like Violet should have remained on the boat, to say bye to her past and accept the future and present. Personally I don’t like how clingy she becomes in the movie. The entire anime was about moving on from trauma and your past, and now she is reverted back to square one, just like you said. They did the movie so bad, it could’ve been so much better.

[@atharvsharma1866]

isnt that the point? you can never move on from someone you truly loved. as she herself said, gilbert's words worked as guidance in order for her to find herself, and be free. gilbert being alive changes only one thing, that she was finally happy, truly happy, which we all wanted. i dont understand why are people complicating such a beautifully written story. you cant overcome traumas, u cannot do that that concept doesnt exist, u just get used too of being haunted by them. you learn from them but you cant nullify them, you cannot overcome them.

[@letsgobroncos4143]

⁠@@atharvsharma1866yeah fr, people so pressed that she got a happy ending. “I think it would be better if she didn’t get what she wanted in the end and had to go back home without the driving force of her entire life” “she was too clingy” Give me a damn break. I just watched the movie and it was awesome. People need to shut up fr

[@xolospace3765]

@@letsgobroncos4143 with all due respect, I think that you guys are misunderstanding the point. It is not that we do not want a happy ending for Violet, on the contrary we can still have a happy ending withouth undermine all the healing from trauma and grieve on someone beloved death that Gilbert being alive represents. For me it would have be better either to keep Gilbert being dead or for her to have said by to him while being in the boat. Lately we could have been introduced in a new arc presenting a new character that could have been a better match for Violet, someone that has no 15 years of age gap and also nothing to do with her military past, this in my opinion would had showed a more positive message for the audience.

[@BigFry9591]

@@xolospace3765 Nothing was undermined. If so, how? She still has her development. She's learned and grew. Imagine if someone you loved died. You spend years apart from them, and move on. Then you learn that they're alive. Would you say to them "no, I moved on, I don't need you in my life"? NO! You would still love them just as much, if not more. Losing something shows you exactly how much that something meant to you. Her staying with him shows that she learned what love was. Because if she didn't learn, then she wouldn't have stayed. You don't just get rid of love. As for romance, it's never explicitly stated. This could very easily be either a romance, or a father/daughter love. Some say one way, some say the other. But that wasn't the takeaway from all this. What mattered was the fact that they loved each other in the first place.

[@sparky1595]

@@xolospace3765 Totally agree. Whilst I was glad they showed Gilbert to be alive early on rather than pull a "guess what he's alive" 15 minutes from the end, and enjoyed most of the movie, I found it frustrating as think there was a much better potential movie hidden in there if either he remained dead or Violet had found someone else in the meantime. The series ended beautifully with her at last writing a letter to Gilbert and dropping it from the plane, and I then always interpreted the very final scene of her knocking on the door and smiling to be her internally finally being at peace and "finding Gilbert again" after sending the letter. It really felt off how you deal with the consequences of the war and death in multiple episodes, especially episodes 7, 10, 11 and the Special and how people have lost loved ones, that their love for eachother is now only contained within letters on paper, how Violet helps Oscar move on from the death of his daughter, Clara come to terms with her own impending death and to leave something behind for Ann etc. and you felt Violet fit/ resonated with that because of her own personal loss and circumstances... but then it turns out the person she cares about is still alive... because... reasons... it just doesn't quite fit with the tone of everything that came before. I would have much rather Leon return as I feel his character still had lots to offer Violet, and Violet had lots to offer him, and the show in general. There could have been a fantastic journey for them 2 which grows both of their characters as they search for a Starry Sky to document like he mentioned at the end episode 6 as I felt Gilberts characters only grew minimally and Violet regressed back who she was early in the series. Leon just felt like the perfect character to bring to back and show the effect Violet had on him and have him see how Violet had changed.

[@sebb6011]

I think this movie is the perfect example of trying to follow the source material whilst it being WAYYYY too late to add in. In the light novel, Gilbert is alive but it makes much more sense as this happens pretty early on in the plot, everyone expect violet knew he’s alive and violet never though he was actually dead, as well as several other differences. This movie almost tries to move towards the light novel, but it is simply too late to make the plot work. That’s my take, at least. And also, small plug on the light novel, it is quite different but very good

[@saikiranalakunta6017]

Is anime ended with this movie or there is more?

[@sebb6011]

@@saikiranalakunta6017 yes it is the end of the anime. If you read the light novel though, there’s about another seasons worth of content, most of it being really good

[@saikiranalakunta6017]

@@sebb6011 there is light novel after that movie?

[@saikiranalakunta6017]

@@sebb6011 so there is more story after they both met?

[@danupqo6812]

​@@saikiranalakunta6017Sadly no

[@myheartwillstopinjoy8142]

The decision to bring back Gilbert hits me extra hard as a girl who lost her dad at a young age. Before he died, I was scared and thought I'd die too if he died (he was extremely ill so we saw it coming). I couldn't fathom a world without him. Then he died, and I was in shock obviously. For years I was traumatized by the loss. But then I grew and overcame the loss. I had my grief journey and even thought it was painful, I'm glad I had this grief journey, one I could learn from and not be just broken by. The anime did this. It was beautiful. It depicted the process of grief so well. But the movie disrespects all that process. Most people who lost someone to death won't see that person reappear after they have grieved them. My father didn't and won't reappear. When people are gone, they're gone for good. But the people who made the movie act as if it's impossible to survive after someone's death. As if the only possibility of Violet being happy is by removing the very cause of her trauma. How disrespectful is it, to all of us who overcame grief. The worst part is that now fans are spewing the same discourse. "Violet needed Gilbert to have a happy ending". No she didn't. The fact of life is that you don't "need" anyone to stay alive. They die and next day you wake up and realize your body is still working, your heart still beating, your lungs still breathing. You will be sad and grieving and lonely and angry... but you will survive. In short, it pisses me off the carelessness and disrespect grief was treated with. And don't start me on why a father figure becoming romantically involved with the girl he named and raised is sick.

[@brittanybarkdull9007]

I really loved the series too...and I had closure. It was a great story of overcoming grief and making new connections. Violets growth was a triumph of the human spirit. And she wasn't the only one. The whole world they lived in was healing from war, everyone had lost someone, so learning to accept that and move on was very inspiring to me as a viewer. Gilbert telling Violet he loved her, was never seen as romantic in the series, but more of a human connection, and I'll say it, more of a parental or big brother connection. Bringing them together...as romantic partners in the movie was a problem for me. He felt more like the only family Violet ever knew, she was a child, and he was the adult teaching her how to read, write, and giving her the dignity of having a name. In a bad situation, he brought humanity to her. And telling her he loved her, was the ultimate confirmation that she deserved love too, just like everyone else. Not exactly romantic love, but love for being herself, for existing, and for connecting to at least one person, and he recognized her value when no one else did. And because of that she was able to move on, and learn to connect with others, or to at least try to understand love and letting people in. I was so proud of this character in the series, and if Gilbert did come back somehow, I really wish it would have been to express how proud he was of her...not to take away what she had found. A life. He had wanted her to move on...that was the last thing he gave her. But making her come back to the Island, was a little sad to me. I really think it should have been the other way around, that Gilbert should have processed his own shame and guilt and eventually came back on his own, to do right by Violet. And maybe, by the time he did, he would have found her happy, thriving, and maybe starting a family of her own...and becoming emotional himself that Violet really was worth saving, and being so proud that she had found that within herself too. That he really had made a difference. That could have redeemed him. The ending...just didn't land for me, but it was beautiful fill overall.

[@HakimJamil94]

Ultimately, it all depends on how one views the relationship. If the viewer is on the modernized camp of VioletGilbert's love should only be of familial Storge, practical Pragma and/or altruistic Agape, then that beautiful alternate ending you suggested would definitely be the best ending for them. On the other hand, it would make a whole lot of people in this world who have traditional values spanning millenias be really sad that those two couldn't also have more than those three types of love I mentioned. Reminds me of the song May and December.

[@anitaremenarova6662]

@@HakimJamil94 I really don't care for what p3dos and people who don't understand storytelling think. They can write their own fanfics but this ending was embarrassing.

[@never-live-style8827]

I agree with your opinion partly, because eventhough she has her life more together than in the beginning, I would have doubted that she can truly fall in love with someone other then the major. I mean she seemed to me to be a closed of girl that doesn't let people to far into her heart, so for her to truly fall in love with a new person would be unexplained...... is that understandable?

[@anitaremenarova6662]

@@never-live-style8827 She needs therapy, not marrying her father figure.

[@chaotic__neutral0_08]

​@@never-live-style8827I think maybe she should have been ace bc I think it would have suited her character well. And I definitely agree that their relationship shouldn't have been romantic it's just weird.

[@MyLittlePiranhaFish1]

I always assumed Gilbert and Violet’s relationship was of a father and daughter (albeit an abusive one), since she was 10 when they met and he is estimated to be 25 at that time (14 and 29 respectively during the final battle of the war ). Them being “in love” is creepy as fuck. Note that while some couples can have loving relationships with a large age gap, it doesn’t work here as Gilbert raised her for a large portion of the childhood. Spoiled the main series for me..... yuck.

[@anitaremenarova6662]

Yeah, I can't even comprehend what state of mind someone has to be in to defend this awful shit.

[@Crownless-x7p]

FINALLY SOMEONE UNDERSTANDS ME

[@mentacose]

Oh my word I thought I was the only one being suspicious about the age gap

[@Luna-ii4mx]

Agreed, also Violet had no personality back then, so how did he fall in love with her? 😭 It doesnt make sense

[@M3a4Stuart]

Same like for real the fact that so few is even bringing up this point to begin with is disturbing in its self

[@SwordTune]

Traumatized war veteran marries the child soldier he raised and trained: the Movie.

[@myheartwillstopinjoy8142]

Not only the child soldier he raised, but the child soldier he named, taught to read, write and speak, AND raised.

[@miscreatedmonster2.022]

​@@myheartwillstopinjoy8142so... Raised basically

[@Cluxiee]

What pisses me off is that it has a 8.85 score on mal

[@lmao_meet]

​​​​@@Cluxiee never trust ratings sites lol,people let things get away if they are in their fav shows.

[@AhmadMunif694]

​@@lmao_meetMy anime list in a nutshell.There this show is rated 69

[@ThreeCreeperMondays]

THANK YOU FOR THIS!! i finished the movie yesterday and it really pained me to see how they'd mischaracterize her and go back on the morals they themselves were teaching, all for a cliche "jump off a boat" scene for the guy who's mysteriously been alive all along part of me feels like this movie shouldn't exist, as the yuris plotline has already been done before and the gilbert plotline only serves to give a fairytale "happily ever after" ending to the series, knowing full well that they'd have to throw away their own teachings to do so even if they wanted to show an ending where gilbert's alive, they still could have had a positive ending without completely ruining the rest of the series. Having violet still have that ugly cry and hollow stare in the lighthouse, showing she's happy he's alive but filled with despair at the implications, but ultimately accept that he's somehow more stricken with survivor's guilt than she is, and travel back to leiden, realizing that helping to raise taylor (where even was she in this movie??), lucas' letter, erica's play, hudson's fatherly protectiveness (which btw, they did him SO dirty in this movie), and her own personal mental health, are just as important to her in the long run. she could have left him a letter saying "when you're ready, we'll all be here", and left the ending more open-ended (in the same way that Eternity was) at the end of the day though, having violet abandon all of the themes of found family, grief and survivor's guilt, just so she could live on an island for the rest of her life, it really hurt to see, and i'm so confused as to how people think its a happy ending

[@ilno]

I feel the movie could be much better if Violet just kick down the door and see Gilbert and tell him she love him but then STILL Gilbert can't get over the guilt. Because let's be real, Violet has improve in the series so much she becomes quick to jump in and having deep emotion, but the movie decided that Violet needs to go back to square one

[@saikiranalakunta6017]

​@@ilnodoes this anime ended with this movie?

[@ilno]

@@saikiranalakunta6017 it does, but better just not watch it, the anime is good enough and the other movie

[@haosheng12]

I had an issue with Taylor not having any screentime or even being mentioned at any point other than maybe a photo. In Gaiden, she was still working at at the CH Postal Company, but now she's nowhere to be seen. I can understand Leon and Isabella/Amy not being included but not even mentioning Taylor felt like such a big plot hole.

[@poprocksvids4668]

You actually do see her! At the scene where everyone is in the photo of the crew at the post office she can be seen in it! If it's not her sorry hahaha, I know it's not a *big* mention but she isn't completely written off. The family violet is brought into isn't mentioned either, and Taylor is with them as well.

[@pomi1298]

probably so ppl can understand the 2nd movie without having watched the first.

[@WalieLokie]

I truly disliked this movie and I had many of the same points as you do but I have another one to put on the table. There is absolutely no way a mentally sane adult person would have romantic feelings for a 14 year old. The 14 year old was not even mentally 14 when she was brought to the major she was more like half her age at that point. This just made me so uncomfortable with this movie. I mean come on a 29 (this is canon btw) and 15 year old wouldn’t work. They are both in very different parts of there mental journeys in life. On top of that that’s just morally wrong. With all that being said technically Gilbert is Violet’s dad in a lot of ways he taught her how to read, writing, clothed herself and many other parental roles that you do when you raise a child. So on top of a toxic codependency relationship we have a morally wrong relationship. It makes me sad because the TV show was amazing to depict the different types of love and grieving the loss of a loved one. This show is depicted so well that it helped me with grieving a loss and teach me about opening up to others.

[@powdmizu6379]

Yesss exactly what you said it!! Violet gilbert plot was the biggest turn off imo, the side story was the best from the series + movie, all of them .... i want violet to get another love interest in the half way of the series but they decided to go and make the gilbert ship sail... the age is the biggest thing that bothers me ... and it's not fun when the whole other thing is just perfect

[@WalieLokie]

@@powdmizu6379 agreed I was really hoping for a different romantic interest. Tbh I really wanted Amy Bartlett to be her romantic interest because I thought they really complimented each other extremely well.

[@powdmizu6379]

@@WalieLokie the biggest headache was dealing with people who defend gilbert relationship as it's "true love"., made me so mad and i don't know what the fu*k is up with their mentality

[@brittanybarkdull9007]

yes, exactly! The age gap, the codependency, the father or big brother role he played in her life...really didn't sit well with me either that they ended up lovers. I could understand Violent...being too young and traumatized to fully comprehend her love for Gilbert, but he is a grown adult who should know better. She hadn't even gotten a chance to fall in love with someone her own age yet to see the difference...between family like love and real, romantic love. I just can't see how this was fair to her.

[@powdmizu6379]

@@brittanybarkdull9007 completely agree

[@PixieLady45]

I agree with you. As bad as it sounds, I think Gilbert should have stayed dead. The original anime had a great ending. I will pretend the movie doesn't exist.

[@Crownless-x7p]

same

[@ThreadBareHope1234]

Yes. After the anime, I thought it was great that 1) that she was able to see what "I love you" means, 2) that Gilbert helped her feel loved (regardless of the complicated parts of their relationship) and gave his life for her which is one of the most loving things one can do, and 3) that she had a job and friends to move on with. We didn't need him to live

[@corduroytm]

I always wondered if it was just me who felt off about the movie. I was so excited for it to come for years, but when it finally did, it just didn't feel right. The original show and the eternity movie made me absolutely sob and it just felt so perfect. But bringing back Gilbert in this movie felt cheap. I always told myself haha imagine he was still alive wouldn't that be neat. It was something I kinda wanted.When it actually happened though, I was just like, "Huh. Well then." I didn't feel as emotionally connected to that plotline as I was in every other thing related to the show. I almost wish the plot of Gilbert being alive didn't exist. It's nice to see a video really talk about this.

[@brittanybarkdull9007]

I agree, I had so much more closure when he wasn't alive, that bringing him back kinda ruined it for me too. It really didn't feel right.

[@corduroytm]

@@brittanybarkdull9007 exactly.

[@Shubham-hk6yf]

Well they never found his body in the series and he was missing in action so I didn't find it cheap actually I expected violet and Gilbert to be united

[@andreeaalexandru7811]

The more I know about women, the more it is a puzzle to me. Don't think loving someone can be the essence of someone's life? In what way, Gilbert being alive - in a world after the war, where she is more independent and both love each other - is a bad thing? She should be better of by herself?

[@corduroytm]

@@andreeaalexandru7811 Not at all, she deserves love just as much as anyone else. But in my eyes, the show is about Violet learning what love means in it's fullest capacity, moving on from Gilbert while still holding him close to her heart, and experiencing what it's like to be human. Something just doesn't feel right for Gil to just come back after Violet went through a whole journey. Not to mention they're relationship was much more daughter-father like in my eyes, so that's a bit bothersome to me.

[@xbdwru]

Violet and Gilbert’s relationship was so off in the movie. Apparently, it was a romance in the novels. The show always depicted it as a daughter-father relationship, which simply doesn't make sense with how obsessed Violet is with Gilbert. I don't really agree with the video that the movie isn't good because the relationship is unhealthy-exploring unhealthy relationships and characters devolving could be great and interesting if it's well written. The problem is that it's not well written-it's a mess.

[@tetsuc4bra577]

This movie has sadly lowered my opinion on the anime. The series was one of my favorites for a long time because I found Violet's growth as a character inspirational and moving. Having the movie regress her development in order to make their reunion more dramatic left a bad taste in my mouth. I don't know how to feel knowing this is the canonical ending to a masterpiece of a series.

[@idrinkwater1124]

Many people say that the meeting with Gilbert has somehow erased her whole character. But I believe this to be false. Actually, I just know it is false here is why, she had her character development and came to Gilbert, essentially a different person. Knowing finally what "I love you" means, she could never let Gilbert go, but she could at least live without him. She was even ready to leave him, saying that knowing that he was alive was enough for her, if she hadn't had that development she would have never done something like that if you ask me

[@frostonium]

@@idrinkwater1124 that sounds about right. Though I feel it would've been better if the story had a scene where Gilbert was forced to distance himself from Violet and then the audience can see how she always tried to crawl-crawl-crawl back to him despite the obvious obstacles. Such a scene can give contrast to Violet's decision to move on from Gilbert and return to Leiden, even if it didn't happen in the end.

[@ilno]

@@idrinkwater1124 true, but then Violet came running to Gilbert and STAY there, very character developed if you ask me

[@unitron2005]

Even if you somehow could look past the terrible, terrible age thing in their "relationship" (which NOBODY should do), selling them as a "love story" is still beyond belief, effed up. For several reasons. From the major's perspective: How would he love Violet? He knew her during 10 and 14 of age. During this time, she was completely emotionless outwards, and he can't read minds, so he did not know anything about what she thought, who she was. She literally had ZERO personality at this point. Even if she was his age, you can't possibly fall in love with someone like that. This is further evidenced by several instances in the story, where it is clearly shown that the major does NOT understand Violet at all. For example, when he asks her if she hates him. Or when he hides on the island thinking that she blames him for everything. Even though she feels the literal opposite. So yeah, do we need even more proof that the major does not know or understand her at all? The Violet he knew was the Violet between 10 and 14. A seemingly emotionless robot he did not understood. Then he meets her again at the age of 18, but knows nothing about the personality she grew since then and we're supposed to call this "love"? Don't even get me started on how one is to fall IN love with a child you raised yourself... From Violet's perspective: She literally only "loves" him because... He was the first one to be any level of kind to her. The only one to treat her as a person and not an object. That's it. Not a basis for romantic love at all. Watching the series, I always felt that the major's personality or actual feelings towards her weren't that important anyway. What was important was the ROLE he played in her life. He was the one that opened the door of being a human being to her. So the role he had in her life was more important than himself. Her holding him in a fatherly regard or even an angelic regard would make sense. Especially for someone like her. Seeing him as a romantic partner does NOT make a lick of sense, even if they were the same age and she was not raised by him. But of course, this turns out not to be the case and the guy is just a sick f_ck. I liked it much much better when he was just a decent guy in a horrible situation, trying to protect a kid he was protective of, and that protection turned to a fatherly/brotherly love. Now, he's just disgusting. +1 example of the major not understand Violet at all: He sends her to the Evergarden family. And then when he survives, does not look her up. At all. And he thinks that THIS is better for her. I'm sorry, when they sent her to the elderly couple, I knew Violet for what? 5 minutes? And yet, I could already tell that this was not going to work. Meanwhile he, who "loves her", and has been at her side for 4 YEARS at this point, all day, everyday, thinks that this is going to help her more than him being by her side and helping her get the life he seemingly wanted for her. Now consider this. This **** actually thought that someone with Violet's background and extensive trauma, and zero emotional understanding, would be able to magically start to function as a normal person the moment they toss her in with a bunch of strangers. Alone... Stripped from everything and everyone she ever knew, in a completely different environment, with completely different people. Again, this is the guy who romantically "loves" her? Now, some people would defend him by saying "He had no choice. He thought he was going to die, what else could he have done? It was just a last resort". This, however, is invalidated as an argument the moment you realize that when the guy DID survive, he STILL thought, that Violet would be better off in that situation. IF he acutally died, this would be forgivable, because yeah, what else could he do then? But he didn't die. And he still left her to that fate. And of course "It all worked out for her, so why are you complaining?" Well, because the things working out for her as a doll, and otherwise as well, were a one in a million shot. It was all hiiiiiiiiiighly unlikely. Like hitting the lottery. So this can not be used as an excuse for him, at all. He could not have forseen things working out like this. And still he did not care or he did not understand. Either way, he's terrible. And he would still be terrible at this point, even if he wasn't a you know what. This single thing would be enough to completely ruin him. And by extension, Ruin Violet for STILL clinging to a guy like THAT after all the years of growth she supposed to have had since then. What about all the others, her friends who are happy about this? It ruins them too, that's what. Not to mention this ruins the whole ending of the show. "I understand now what I love you means". She understands because of her missions as a doll. And that she needed 13 episoded to understand, tells me that she needed all those missions up to this point to fully comprehend the nature of love. Not romantic love, but love in general. If she meant romantic love, then... How many of her missions were about that? 1 out of 7? And that one was in the beginning. If it's romantic love she needed to understand, then why did she need to do a bunch of non-romantic love letters to finally understand what the major meant? It makes zero sense. It's like me going "I want to know how to write code in PHP", they send me to a 10 month course, I learn how to write PHP in the 2nd month, the rest I spend on learning other programing languages, and yet it takes me the 10th month to finally come to the point of "I know understand, how to code in PHP." Makes zero sense. Also, like I said, even if they did not bring in the creep "love story" aspect, Violet going back to the major makes no sense. Their relationship was not ACTUALLY that personal or important. Just the impact of the relationship. The very fact that he made her understand, that a human being could connect with her, and that he made her realize that she herself could be treated as a human being. That's it. Beyond that, what exactly connects them together? The major simply did not know nor undestand Violet on any level. He was just someone who thought that a child should not be used as a weapon, and weapon only. But guess what, that's at least 99% of people, from what we have seen of the people of their world. So again, what makes HIM so special? Wouldn't any person feel protective of her in his situation? I mean I don't even like kids in the sane sense, but I'm pretty sure that even I would have felt protective of her in that war. What about from Violet's perspective? She clings unto him because he was the ONLY one she knew at that time who was decent to her. But later on, she met hundreds who were like that. So again, why would she go back to him? Gratitide towards him, sure, being a special case for being the fist, sure. But an emotionally developed and recovered Violet, who made ACTUAL progress, like we are to believe after episode 13, why would she at that point want to spend her life with him for the rest of her days? She made other friends. If anything, those friends actually understood her better in many cases, than the major ever did.... So again, why would Violet at 18 years, STILL be obsessed with him, if episode 13 (she's 14, so 4 years prior to the movie) implies that she will start recovering from now on and live a more normal life as time goes on? Even if they kept the sane type of relationship between them, fact is, their relationship just wasn't all that personal. It was important for Violet's development, but it was the catalyst, not the goal of her development.

[@justnothing8692]

well said movie is like someone got a gun put to their head given half an hour to watch the anime and then forced to write the script

[@itselena7229]

That's a lot of analysis actually Great work :) I just completed watching the movie and i support you from most of the perspectives.

[@faza210]

bro thank you so much for this comment. you articulated all the same points in my thoughts perfectly

[@youarealwayscorrect]

This comment is long, but it's pure facts through and through. Thank you!

[@jingle1833]

God fck i love you sm for this, the point that you made about Gilbert not being special? PERFECT. That's exactly what's been brewing in ny mind i just couldn't put it into flawless words like you just did and omg am i SO angry that a basic person like him gets treated like this prince charming by the whole fandom like bitch anybody would do the same if we were in the situation that Gilbert was in. So does that mean anybody is suitable for violet? HE DIDN'T EVEN DO ANYTHING. He was just there being a FATHER, that's not basis for romantic love but FAMILIAL love. Those fans love hiding behind the unreasonable explanation that 'violet is canonically in love with glibert and that's that' NO THE FCK IT ISN'T?? Just because the show says it's fine and romantic doesn't mean it's actually fine and romantic oh my god are these people literal children?? But then again, most of them do seem to be people were various prejudiced beliefs against groups of people (homophobia) so that checks out.

[@jjhh320]

You know, for the Victorian-esque, burgeoning industrial, European aristocrat setting this fantasy world relies on, I was oddly okay with the whole young princess x older prince romance...it was just done in a way where it made sense for their world, and the letters and banter were good. But Gilbert x Violet just never sold to me for a second. There was something beautiful about her accepting that he can't see her and moving on with grace, just like there was when she moved on from his "death" in the series. Their deeper, familial love is much more effective on the heartstrings. Would've even been better to show a bit more in the future where she is able to come back to the island when he is ready to see her. It would represent them giving eachother space so the other could grow. But aside from the "female-consented-so-its-now-okay" grooming it became, we barely got to see interactions and development of their current selves together. The emotional impact was when they finally saw each other again, but I think that was a weak writing choice...they should've seen each other earlier if they were to commit to that route. But love doesn't have to be romantic to be meaningful and lead to a happy ending, and Gilbert was perfectly set up for Violet to reunite with family and come full circle, only grown and stronger. Instead, it's forced aside for a romance plot that maybe sorta works I guess to most people.

[@SwordTune]

The age gap is not the primary issue, it's how their relationship was depicted. Their relationship during the war was 100% father-daughter. He adopted her, raised her, taught her to read and write, gave her a name; you don't do that with a romantic partner, you do that with your child.

[@raywcksn]

The problem with your entire (false) understanding about the entire story is, she.never.moved.on.from.Gilbert.death. Why do you think she became doll in the first place? This is why people should read the book

[@angelakun3162]

​@@SwordTune damn right

[@angelakun3162]

​@@raywcksn she never moved on because she accepted it instead!!! Which made her grow and understand ihave no problem with her falling in love it's natural since his the one who treated her like a person but the maib problem is Gilbert should've not felt the same! his feelings should have been more fatherly

[@raywcksn]

@@angelakun3162 false. She never moved on or accepted it. She never believed for a second that Gilbert was ever dead. She became a doll so that she can travel the world to learn about the meaning behind Gilbert last message while looking for him, and she learned about love in the process. She literally was falling in love with Gilbert while Gilbert was not by her side and she didn’t even know if she would ever get the chance meet him again. She knows that he’s alive, but at the same time she didn’t know if she would ever find him before she die. Father and daughter relationship between Gilbert and Violet is literally a head canon. That’s what some people want not the actual plot of the story, like ever. Gilbert was scared of Violet and he once saw her as a monster that needs to be contained and controlled. Violet also explicitly said that she never saw Gilbert as parental figure. If anything their relationship in the beginning is closer to master and slave than father and daughter. People just quick to assign “father and daughter” label when they see two character with close connection but didn’t want said characters to be romantically involved, it’s literally coping mechanism and it’s not a new thing. Gilbert let her go, pretend to be dead, and even almost marrying other women just so he can keep protecting Violet from the shadow. He was prepared to sacrifice his entire existence, love, and happiness to give Violet freedom and the right to live her life however she wants. He only decided to appear in front of Violet again because he knew that her life is in a grave danger and he also realized that Violet won’t ever stop looking for him even if it means she has to die in the process. In the end both get everything they ever wanted. Gilbert gave Violet her freedom, and Violet get to live her life however she wants. That’s why she’s living with Gilbert, the only man and life she ever wanted.

[@interviewswithkermit6013]

I don’t think she was obsessed with Gilbert or struggled to socialize with her peers. She wrote some letters to him, and he crossed her mind every day, and she visited his mother’s grave once a month. This doesn’t seem regressed at all, she still writes letters for people and making an impact on the people she writes letters for. Her compassion is seen when she writes it for the dying kid.

[@patluvsvettes]

The ending scene with the "pinky swear" shows Violet's stuffed dog and her parasol. She went BACK to Leiden one last time to say her goodbyes to everyone! She didn't just abandon them!

[@Kono__]

They said she left at age 18 and never came back...

[@gilgeaschwithkerk2344]

Well that Gilbert is still alive is not a bad plot point but i think Violet should have just told him that she is glad that she is alive and that he showed her the first step to a life. A daughter that sees her father once more and not a lover.

[@mrpoison8770]

Agree and could live seperate lives still be connect

[@teongreen5254]

Not a lover? lol. This show is all about romantic love. Thats the conclusion Violet arrived at the end

[@84bitmercyop58]

Are you fucked up from episode 1 it was about there romantic feeling you shall perish from this world

[@SwordTune]

​@@teongreen5254 Of the people Violet met, one was a son held back by hopes of seeing his mother, one was a father depressed over the loss of a daughter, and another was a daughter dreading the death of her mother. How do you think the show is exclusively about romantic love?

[@missionaccomplished7097]

@@SwordTune did you forget that one the soldier name aiden and his love for maria?

[@mattc5647]

Just finished the anime. Loved it. This seems to walk back her entire story in the anime. I'm not gonna watch the movie, I'll just pretend it doesnt exist. She had a great ending at the end of the anime.

[@BigFry9591]

Watch it. You're missing out not doing that. It never even says anything about romantic interest. "I love you" can be said between family or lovers or even friends. And that's the extent. People here and in this video complaining about things they don't understand. Nothing about her is walked back.

[@Luna-ii4mx]

I dont like how it was pedo 😭 I thought they had a father daughter relationship. It really didnt have to be romantical love. It ruined everything for me

[@PsychoTaker2305]

Its not even pedo at all, she's grown up women, he didnt fall in love with her while she was child

[@incognitogeek3728]

@@PsychoTaker2305yup there is a pretty great reddit explanation for this

[@choadao2912]

Correct me if I'm wrong but my understanding in the anime was that violet became an auto memory doll because she wants to understand what "love" meant which she successfully did but she never believed that the major was dead. Her growth from the anime is a personal growth in my opinion, she never really knew what love meant during that time being an orphan and all but now she had time to learn it on her own For me the movie did not cause for her to revert back to her old self but it actually made her ready to reciprocate whatever feeling she had but never understood

[@noelle1030]

yeah but as a lover? Nah. I was hoping it'd be platonic. Like father and daughter. But no. They made it romantic. It's uncanny because he's 29 and she's 14. There's Leon and the girl from the movie whom she could return her love as romantic but nOPE. she went straight to her father figure 💀

[@DoctorTenma-om9cc]

@@noelle1030bro why’s everyone so clearly dumb especially with the women. First of all at violet Evergarden time there is no age difference or something get it right

[@noelle1030]

@@DoctorTenma-om9cc i get that. but the story route could've been better if he's a father figure because the story was hinted that way. why is it that it have to be romantic all the time? why can't it be familial love?

[@frostonium]

@@noelle1030 I do wonder how the story and the relationship would've worked once Violet and Gilbert reunited.

[@TrungNguyen-uf8cv]

@@noelle1030 you were just imposing father figure. I always saw the dynamic as devotion to someone

[@theloreoffilm2229]

THE MOVIE IS FUCKING PRECIOUS WDYM

[@crowsguard]

I don’t think violet’s character development went backwards in the movie… she still learned how to move on to life without the major in the anime, and although the major came back in the movie, in the end violet still already learned how to deal with loss, and fulfilled what she wanted to do in the first place: find the meaning of the words ‘i love you’. she definitely deserved the happy ending with the major, and i guess the ending was still a bit weird but i still really liked everything. anyway, sometimes over-analysing things isn’t very good, and the most important part is to enjoy

[@powdmizu6379]

It felt disappointing because with series like VE who consistently score masterpiece rating on all the aired episodes and side story movie + production + music to be ended with a more or less let down conclusions.... even without meeting gilbert she had character to set up the support and change gilbert role ... the observatory guy being the potential love interest and claudia being the father figure... everything has been laid out but not being used to is a turn off because the other side story was pleasing and interesting, but the most important MC storyline just had to be the weakest with holes ... leaving the story to not had the 10/10 rating as a whole it should've deserved

[@powdmizu6379]

I'm sorry if i may be viewed attacking you, but i'm not in any way had that intention, the series is gold and because of that i'm super dissatisfied and had to vent out some of my thought...

[@crowsguard]

@@powdmizu6379 yeah it’s alright, again, most important part is to enjoy the series, the fantastic music and gorgeous illustrations and smooth animation :)

[@powdmizu6379]

@@crowsguard yeah ... i just can't handle the people who support the relationship under the "as long as it's true love" umbrella

[@raherimanantsoanomenafahen7922]

je suis le seul à trouver le côté malsain de la relation entre Violet et le major je veux dire le mec l'a élevé comme sa fille et je rappelle que la meuf elle a entre 16 17 ans le "je t'aime" du mec à la fin sonne vraiment bizarre contrairement à son "je t'aime" dans la série

[@arycogito]

just finished the show and the movie. absolutely agree. the show did an amazing ending and it was a fantastic journey about grief, loss , empathy and love, the movie kinda... undid some of these lessons imo ngl

[@aeboistudio4368]

If someone read this hear me out. I can't believe in the end they married like wtf. Maybe i was wrong hating their relationship but all this time i thought the word "i love you" meant likes love between FATHER and DAUGHTER 🗿. THE ENDING IS KILLING ME, Don't ever trust your friend suggestions

[@7svn.]

bad take.

[@anitaremenarova6662]

@@7svn. Found the p3do

[@7svn.]

@@anitaremenarova6662 ?

[@ClanDarkassasins]

You realize this anime takes place in the early 1900s correct? Times were very different around the world then. I don't know how you ever got Father/Daughter vibes from these two lol. You must not be able to read emotions well, she was clearly inlove with him and didn't fully understand it herself as everyone who watched the anime should have. He loved her too but I feel the trauma of him seeing her nearly die to save him was too much for him and that's the reason why he choose the path he did.

[@unitron2005]

@@ClanDarkassasins No it wasn't normal. A 29 year old telling a 14 year old they raised themself what he told her? An emotionally scared one at that? Nope. Not okay in 1900s pseudo-Europe, sorry. But let's pretend that it would have been okay. It wasn't, but for argument's sake, let's pretend. I have a question then to those who defend like this. If if was okay for 1900s, why are YOU seeing this as an okay thing, let alone a beautiful love story? You're NOT from the 1900s, right? Because I can only think of one specific type of person that would be okay with this TODAY. And all of us are from today. Sooooooooooooo... +1 thing: In the show, almost everyone she meets as a 14 year old, reacts to her with "Oh, she's just a kid!" Which tells me VERY CLEARELY, than even within their fictional world, a 14 year old is NOT seen as an adult woman, but as a kid.

[@Brutalcel]

theres only one flaw to this whole exposition... in the ANIME AND MOVIES, even after the ending it was never clear what sort of love violet had for gilbert (i know that in the light novel they got married) but in the cinematic works they have a sort of father and daughter relationship... gilbert was left multilated and traumatized after the war, and it was not going to be that easy for him to reconnect with violet again after the guilt he felt for "destroying " her life in the process, i felt that this whole grooming stuff is an exageration at best and a misinterpretation of the series meaning... its all about violets humanity and feelings, not some unresolved romance.

[@adamalif8954]

I find it hard to agree with you. This movie is very emotional for me and relate able.

[@jingle1833]

That's not a thing to be proud of tbh.

[@underwater_tigerlilies3446]

This is why i refuse to watch the movie. i have been avoiding it like a plague. New title: Child soldier loses her commanding officer to a rock and wishes upon a star he comes back. (What this movie tells me is if you believe hard enough your dead love, one will magically come back to life. It's a big fu to people who actually have experienced loss.)

[@toastttyy]

You perfectly explained how i felt watching the movie. I liked the movie but it didn't feel like the ending the show was heading to.

[@andreeaalexandru7811]

Did you try to watch the anime before you watched the movie?

[@toastttyy]

Yea, i rewatched the whole thing

[@katerinakollia3836]

As a fan of Violet Evergarden I disliked the fact that Gilbert was back. He basically abanoded Violet, didn't ever contacted her,when he actually loved her and at the end when he found her again he made her stay with him in the island and eventually quit her job. Altough he was Violet's everything I find it a really shelfish action. The series were amazing, an emotional masterpiece and I think it should have ended there with Violet continuing her job and helping people.I personally think that it was also a pretty emotional movie but it somehow "ruined" the season.

[@andreeaalexandru7811]

He abandoned Violet because he loved her. It is really self-explanatory. Why do you think he made her stay with him and is not Violet's choice? There is an ideology for more than 150 years that is called Marxism and if you get brainwashed into that you can see the world as patriarchal and it would make sense what you wrote but there was nothing about these things in the anime or in the movie. Is a normal movie about love.

[@teongreen5254]

"He basically abanoded Violet, didn't ever contacted" You clearly didnt understand his reason. maybe you should watch again...

[@ilno]

I agree with you and this is also one of the problem of the movie. If he do have guilt but also love her why not show it like the series used to do? make him remembering the time of war and when using Violet as a weapon and how he BELIEVE that it's for the better that they are separated instead of waiting until the very end for the big reveal. and also make Violet too remembering more time when Gilbert was kind to her and she BELIEVED that them meeting could heal everything. so yeah the movie decided to have the screentime used for the sideplot (which is good) and the uninteresting Granddaugther from eps 10

[@alexlyster3459]

I just fully headcannon that it's a familial love they feel fpr each other. Like, they technically never really state anything explicitly romantic. Other than the I love you, but that can be famial usage as well. There's no kiss, just hugging, after the credits, they're just pinky promising. In my brain I choose to believe that she goes to live with him like he's her father. The idea of it being romantic is just... too ick, even though I think the major is probably less older than her than it seems probably no more than 18 himself when he took her in. He still raised her, so romance is denied please and thank you!

[@jingle1833]

Lmao they married at the end. So disappointing..

[@farel6406]

​@@jingle1833nah dont tell me that, its disgusting asf. Where you get the source?

[@jingle1833]

@@farel6406 just google it bruh, they get married and live on that stupid island. Imo violet should've ran away with that amy girl. at least they had chemistry..

[@VoxTurbula]

I completely agree with you, and if i remember, at some degree, the director of the series and that movie also agree. My memory could be wrong but i remember an interview where he said he didn't want to adapt that part of the light novel because violet evergarden the show wasn't a romance, but still agreed and tried to reduce as much as he could the romance theme part and create a continuity (the boy who die and daisy part i assume).

[@ilno]

holy crap, this just makes the fandom is the creep one than the maker D: eye opening

[@-blaise]

Thank you for this, I thought I was going insane when almost all of my friends said that this movie was the best ending for the series and I absolutely felt disappointed after watching it. I agree with all of your points especially with violet sacrificing all of the connections she made for the sake of being with the major. For me that was the last straw, it signifies that she regressed back to her former self where she was only devoted to the major.

[@brittanybarkdull9007]

You are not alone!

[@andreeaalexandru7811]

I hope there aren't many you think the same ... for the sake of humanity.

[@-blaise]

@@andreeaalexandru7811 I don't know what you're implying but my disappointment in this movie is not a deep statement on humanity.

[@faza210]

that last sentence... massive W

[@Violet_1986]

And also this ugly Island…. Common 😓

[@randomperson58925]

Yea, I finally watched it and I liked 2/3 story arcs. Finding where violet went and the poor child. Guess it's just being an uncle, the forced romance between Gilbert and violet creeps me out. Gilbert clearly was more of a father than a husband. I don't know why we needed a romance ending, I could possibly see the brothers and violet setting sail on their boat and leaving the ending open to interpretation. Overall I still like the movie. But it won't come close to to 10 in my watch order. Though episode 11 will always get me as someone that has freinds going infantry.

[@andreeaalexandru7811]

Forced romance in Violet Evergarden? What?

[@randomperson58925]

@andreeaalexandru7811 I'm just stating that she had so much character development and "getting over" that the ending really made the ending feel a little mediocre. It's like crafting an excellent story only to end it with a high school romance trope.

[@andreeaalexandru7811]

@@randomperson58925 But that was all the franchise was about. It could have not happened true, but the fact that love happened can't be a bad thing. She has all the time to use her skills of "getting over" and other ones she learned during her lifetime and on the losses and hurts she will acquire. I don't see how ending up with her loved one is any downgrade in her life.

[@tomgu2285]

@@andreeaalexandru7811 bro he is literally a pedo sorry but... How did it not ruin it???

[@EspeonMistress00]

​@andreeaalexandru7811 Nobody has any problem that she ended up with a loved one. We have a problem that she ended up with a man who raised her and told her "I love you" romantically when she was 14.

[@imenmouloudj4133]

I see nothing weird with violet keep staying attached to Gilbert's memories and not moving on from them. Violet was fine and learnt how to find luv n comfort with ppl around her until she heard That HE'S ALIVE , THAT'S WHY SHE WAS ACTING AS IF SHE'S AT THE 0 POINT AGAIN, NOT BECOS THERE'S NO CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. The charm of this anime is that it shows how ppl can have complicated emotions that they can't get over for a life time if could, coz in reality, not everyone can get over their past and become happy as it is always promoted for in other animes and shows. Violet evergarden is so realistic when it comes to human mental sufferance and the existance of weak hearted ppl in this world, if u don't like it , it's due to ur skill issues with understanding others.

[@jingle1833]

"Skill issues" i mean the brain rot language really checks out with your opinions. Violet did not just become 'sad' she actually lost all progress she had made during all those years. Yes, people do that sometimes. That's why triggers exist. but is now magically alright for people to never heal from that and stay at point 0 forever? Because Violet did. Say I self harm. if something happens that's triggering, i start self harm again even though i had stopped years ago and healed. Old wounds re open and i feel better after cutting. Now even though it makes me happy, even though it gives me satisfaction would i still stay in that mindset or get help? Any sane person would say i should get help. Same with taking drugs. Gilbert is like drugs to violet. Gives a good feeling but is actively harming her and stunting her growth in the process and even harming her. She wasn't just 'acting' she was back there again. She can't go back to her new self now since she's devoted herself to the very first person who showed her the bare minimum of human decency. That's Fucked up. No Matter how much you suger coat it. That's not love, that's obsession. Gilbert loving violet is just...god idek why i have to explain this it's simply f'ed up man. Anyway it's not skill issue in understanding others, it's actually the most logical thing ever. This Show ain't a biography, many decisions could have been avoided to make the movie less problematic but the fact that the writers thought making them actually a thing is a good idea is the problem. Why pair them together at all? It's not realistic when it's the only choice you've been given. If you think beyond what happened and what could've been, you'll see just how much this show fumbled.

[@ERiN_OPPEL]

I'm glad I found your review, I think you're only the second youtuber I've seen that wasn't completely satisfied with this movie and I agree with you on so many points. The strange thing is, before seeing the movie I actually was rooting for Violet and Gilbert to reunite and get together romantically. But the narrative and weird choices in character (un)development left me feeling cheated. In fact, I found the relationship between Violet and Dietfried to be more interesting than Violet and Gilbert. Dietfried really is the best character, aside from Papa Hodgins. And I also thought Gilbert's choice of a "fake name" was hilariously stupid. Anyway thanks for sharing your honest thoughts.

[@EspeonMistress00]

Who was the other YTber

[@ERiN_OPPEL]

@@EspeonMistress00 I'm sure there are others by now, but the one I'm thinking of is Totoellini.

[@EspeonMistress00]

@@ERiN_OPPEL Cant seem to find their channel

[@ERiN_OPPEL]

@@EspeonMistress00 It's @To-To but it looks like his Violet Evergarden review got deleted.

[@EspeonMistress00]

@@ERiN_OPPEL It seems like their whole channel got deleted ToT

[@GGonop]

Finally someone has the courage to say this I don't think I disagree with anything in this video. I think it's dumb and very unrealistic that he survived the explosion, but it happens, BUT what i especially found frustrating is how she left her whole life behind just to live with him. Great Video :D

[@anitaremenarova6662]

Yep, the way more fitting ending would've been her saying she won't stay with him since she has moved on while he hasn't.

[@BigFry9591]

Bro, if your dead relatives came back, would you say "sorry, lol, I moved on. I don't love you anymore"? She loved him more than anything. Of course she's going to stay with him. She didn't leave her life behind. She started a new life. This was a decision she made on her own. She could have very easily stayed and took orders from others. But she made her own choice.

[@michaelschmit591]

Great that someone has the same opinion as me. When Gilbert said, in the war, that he love Violet I thought he meant it on a father daughter way. He was like 25-30 years old and she was 14. So it’s very phedophilic for me, and even if he meant it on a father way, later he had romantic feelings. And this is strange too. Imagine you adopt a child, and when the child is 18-20 you have romantic feeling for the child. It has them a incest „taste“. And in the Serie and the first movie, Violet learned to life with this trauma and builded her own life, and her friends became her new family, and she gave all off them up, just to life on the Island. And she gave up her career too. In my opinion it would be better when the Major was dead, and if Violet finds a letter on a boat where the Major wrote, how he love Violet as a daughter and that stuff. It woulded be great too if Violet had taken Gilbert to Leiden, and show him how she builded her own life, and she could help then her „father“ to life again. For me, this movie didn’t exists….. I’m angry and sad at the same time, that a great anime ended like this. By the way great vid❤

[@benadrylcabbagepatch2527]

This movie felt like a watered-down and “somewhat passable” version of usagi drop’s ending

[@ES21SENA1412]

i also felt the same as Hodgins when Gilbert dont want to see Violet...

[@milicamilic7433]

you are not the only person. I very much feel this way

[@unitron2005]

10:10 10. Violet was 10 years old, when she was forced into the military and into Gilbert's way. This sick f_ck met her as a 10 year old CHILD and at the latest, was IN LOVE with her when she was 14. How people weren't throwing up globally when this movie came out, and instead decided it to give it high scores like 8,2 or 99%, is beyond sanity. I literally can't get over the fact that I actually live in a world where THIS is not only normal now for most people, but is actually heartwarming.

[@tryagain9098]

When it comes to anime... i tend to block out the odd/weird/creepy stuff. Unless its constantly at the forefront of the story in which you can't ignore it. To enjoy violet evergarden, i have to forget about their age difference and the whole dog scenario.

[@aigaro9736]

To be honest something in this movie doesn't felt right for me

[@Christian-gr3gu]

"Die Gilbert" yeah that's based lol

[@MANOfruit]

Having just watched the movie myself I was infuriated by the way this movie just throws away everything the anime had been working toward. Violets character takes a huge step backward. All of the side characters have no ending to their story. Did Iris become the number one doll in Leiden? Does Benedict become the vice president? Does Hodgins become a father? And what happens to all of them when the post office closed? All things I had questions for but were never answered. I also never sensed any romantic interest in Violets feelings for Gilbert. It felt like a father daughter relationship the whole time. That being said the storyline with sick kid was phenomenal. That part was more of the great writing I was used to from the anime. Overall I still love the series but this was about the worst ending they could have made.

[@nemmeton]

i had the opportunity to watch this at my local cinema and everyone in the room laughing at hodgins’ jokes about his future children was honestly the most wholesome part of that experience but YES thank you for this video!! you put everything into words that felt unfulfilling about this film to me that i couldn’t put my finger on. truly the toy story 4 of anime films

[@0calliestar0]

Lol Toy Story 4 is a surprisingly accurate way to describe the movie, overall enjoyable and entertaining but it changed the protagonist for the worst

[@plantedrabbit3]

overall i really liked the movie, but agree completely with the Gilbert plotline, kind of made it seem like Stockholm syndrome the movie

[@powdmizu6379]

I LOVE YOUR OPNION!! That's exactly what i felt about their relationship and the movie OMG you said EVERYTHING i felt !!!!! I'm So glad at least there's someone who think the same ... such a shame , bcs i thought they were going to be loving as a family type rather than romantic cause of the huge age difference 😢

[@BeefRank]

Thank you so much for making this. You really put into words exactly how I felt about the movie myself. It always felt off and confusing but I never really heard that from anyone else, so I’m glad you decided to share your thoughts

[@0calliestar0]

From what I saw it seemed like most of the positive reviews praised the animation and atmosphere of the movie, which I agree was just as good as the rest of the Violet Evergarden, but I was surprised at how almost no one criticized the bad writing. I’m glad we can support each other tho! :)

[@BigFry9591]

Nothing was undermined. If so, how? She still has her development. She's learned and grew. She made her own choice to stay with Gilbert. And she learned to love thanks to her exploits. That was her entire reason, to learn what love was. And she learned, and is staying with the person she loves the most. Imagine if someone you loved died. You spend years apart from them, and move on. Then you learn that they're alive. Would you say to them "no, I moved on, I don't need you in my life"? NO! You would still love them just as much, if not more. Losing something shows you exactly how much that something meant to you. Her staying with him shows that she learned what love was. Because if she didn't learn, then she wouldn't have stayed. You don't just get rid of love. As for romance, it's never explicitly stated. This could very easily be either a romance, or a father/daughter love. Some say one way, some say the other. But that wasn't the takeaway from all this. What mattered was the fact that they loved each other in the first place. We're just talking about the cinematic work here, since that's what's shown to us.

[@andrewrobertson4240]

I am glad I came across this review as it helped me understand why it was that this movie didn't sit well with me. I think to further add to the criticism I have with this movie is there relationship, it seemed to be more parental and far better suited for the nature of the story as such. The fact it turns into a romantic relationship I feel is a determinant to Violet's character and her overall story as she is only 14, there is still so much of her life ahead of her and stories that could be told. Yet instead she settles at that age with a man who is now 29 or so in age. It's really just a mess I feel with no trajectory at all, let alone any proper respect for the characters and story.

[@0calliestar0]

I must have missed something because I always assumed she was at least 18?! But the fact that she’s still only around 14 years old makes it really messed up lol

[@bestwifman]

@@0calliestar0 She is 18 in the final movie when reunited with Gilbert. I believe she was 14 when he told her “I love you”, when they last saw each other, but I’m not entirely sure if it was romantically implicated at the time.

[@powdmizu6379]

To add salt to injury... gilbert who's 29 doesn't even think it's weird... he should have think violet as a daughter or sibling... ughhh i'm so mad it ends like this for such and amazing series

[@anitaremenarova6662]

@@powdmizu6379 I mean, that's what that originally meant but then the author decided to make it romantic for some reason? Honestly not watching the movie is for the best for anyone who enjoys not seeing excellent storytelling ruined for the sake of a plain and cheap "happy ending" (not to mention it's also extremely creepy which is a shame because I always liked Gilbert in the anime for being a conflicted character while in the movie he's just bad all the way through)

[@powdmizu6379]

@@anitaremenarova6662 yeah what a way to end the show 😔 , it's almost perfect but for sure after watching the last movie i have this denial to rewatch the series... Completed series are very fun to binge watch, shows like code geass, steins gate have them seasons and movie to compliment or wrap them up which i love... violet evergarden almost made it but falls flat on to their face at the end 😔

[@canonmac5429]

Pop offff I totally agree that the movie just completely threw violet back to the beginning of the anime. As you state in the video. Her entire ark in the series was to live freely, thus when I saw spoilers of Gilbert being alive, I knew I would not enjoy the ending before even starting the movie. Honestly I would have been content if violet returned after the storm on Ecarte, but with the fact that in her last scene she can not even speak much for herself, and that being her last portrayal, really shows just how much the movie brings her down.

[@anitaremenarova6662]

Exactly. My thinking was that the reason she couldn't manage to talk to Gilbert in that last scene was because she found it too hard to tell him that she won't stay to his face. Such a perfectly constructed story up to that point just completely ruined.

[@andreeaalexandru7811]

What on earth is happening with humanity? Is it me that is the weird cause of reading thousands of books in my life or is actually that love is an offense to an independent woman? How is she brought down by the end? What have you been watching?

[@andreeaalexandru7811]

@@anitaremenarova6662 She couldn't manage to talk to Gilbert in that last scene ... because... you know... LOVE? Words don't come easy... you know... love? You watched all anime and the movie and you think she wouldn't stay?

[@Nyualum21]

Personally I disagree that Gilbert being alive invalidates Violets growth. I’ve never really understood those types of opinions honestly. Just because we find out he’s alive doesn’t mean Violet didn’t go through all the growth she did when she thought he was dead, those emotions and events didn’t just vanish. I do however agree that it’s weird that they have a love for each other beyond a father/daughter dynamic, and personally I just pretend that they never got romantically involved when I think back on the story 😂

[@keane4464]

of course it didn't work, how is it supposed to "work" when you just shove everything you've built up previously down a cliff with one act it's as if everything she has come to learn and experience just gets thrown into the trash can, i feel like her grieves for gilbert was disrespected i'll just pretend that the entire story ended after "eternity and the auto memory doll" movie lmao

[@maddiek1314]

This movie honestly left such a bad taste in my mouth it destroyed my interest in the entire series. I didn’t even finish the movie, I tapped out and googled the ending and was absolutely FLOORED that they thought it was a good idea to do a ROMANCE arc…makes my skin crawl

[@samuelopolis5479]

I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to say that I still adore the movie - although I am glad that you were willing to give it a chance. I agree with you that Yuris' sideplot was the most engaging and emotionally structured. Specifically when he asked Violet "to remove those 3 emotions from her personality" - which in my opinion was the perfect way to express that it's still okay for her to gush about Gilbert, as long as she doesn't start feeling like she has to carry his burdens for him. You didn't mention this in the analysis, but I really like how the message of change was addressed. Iris and the other Dolls were hard workers before, but once that telephone was invented - their world shook to their very core. They were concerned that their jobs would be obsolete. I admired that clever world-building so much that I had joked about the telephone being the "final boss" of the series, but actually the "horrible device" ended up being a blessing to the dying boy who poured every ounce of his soul into expressing his appreciation towards Lucas. I don't really have much else to say, but I am glad that you still liked the movie and I'm truly sad to see the series go. The series helped me understand that you can't control the Earth, but you can control how you influence it. Violet might have seemed like an obsessive fangirl, but when you really uncover the facade - she truly knows how to set her priorities straight (I mean, she had a strict work schedule that she didn't want to ruin.) I respect your opinion, but I hope that I have been able to at least enlighten you a little. :D

[@0calliestar0]

I didn’t talk about Iris’s subplot for the sake of time, but I agree that it was a nice way to address the change that was going on in the world. At first I thought the message was just going to be “technology bad”, but I liked how Iris saw that there was good in both writing letters and calling people. There were some good moments of Violet’s arc, like the scene where she has flashbacks of Gilbert while writing a letter to him at the beginning or when she makes the tough decision to go back home after Gilbert refused to see her. Still, I think it was just the resolution that bothered me the most about it. Gilbert barely apologized for abandoning Violet for years, leaving her to suffer in horrible grief over his death, and then cut her off from all of the friends that did support her during her depression. Once I think about the context, it just doesn’t feel like a happy ending to me, although I can see how the scene of them reuniting on its own is touching and emotional.

[@andreeaalexandru7811]

@@0calliestar0 Gilbert didn't need to apologize for abandoning Violet. He did it out of love and that's self-explanatory for whoever read a lot of classical books. That's how men used to sacrifice when they felt they were a bad influence of any sort so that the women stay alive and well and they will forget about them and move on.

[@ArChalypz]

I remember watching the movie when it came out after waiting for it for a while. I was ruined by the anime but after the end of the movie.. i felt nothing. Your critique mostly sums it up. It ruined the message of the series for me. Violets growth to living and accepting grief. >:(

[@zainabmohamazubair6509]

Violet actually accepts living without Gilbert in the movie by writing a last letter to him. Gilbert went after Violet because Violet means a lot to Gilbert and also since Violet has also grown up now(both mentally and physically). Remember that this anime took place wayy back in history and their legacy continued as we saw Ann’s granddaughter exploring a museum

[@SwordTune]

It doesn't take place that long ago. The war and society put them in a post ww1 Era. That's 1920s. That's super modern.

[@jingle1833]

Who cares? Same age rations hips also took place in history but this kind is the one they chose to portray.

[@Teo22294]

I understand the point, but I think it's the more realistic ending. When she saw that Gilbert wanted to stay on the island, she was only going to leave him alone even if she didn't feel completely satisfied with it. But when she saw that Gilbert regretted it, she didn't hesitate to return to him. Considering Violet's life story and the four years she lived with Gilbert, I think it is normal that she is emotionally dependent on him to such a point that she is able to leave everything and everyone behind just to be with him. I'm not saying this ending is better; I'm just saying it's the most realistic.

[@jingle1833]

And that's a very bad realistic ending. Nobody is denying that it's realistic. But why make the decision to bring back golber tin the first place? And that too knowing that realistically, violet would be unhealthily attached to him? But you're talking about the show like it's a biography. It hasn't happened irl. they weren't OBLIGED to make them lovers but they did. and that's a choice that we are criticizing. Even with glibert being alive this show could've ended in many other directions while also being realistic. There's not always only one option. Glibert himself could've had some sense of morality and known that it's problematic to marry someone you treated like a literal child, someone you raised. That's As if amy marrying that orange hair girl after years of being separated (with the dynamic and story being the exact same as Gilbert and Violet's that is.)

[@matthewglenguir7204]

Honestly, the production in this movie is one of the best in anime, I was literally more focused into the cinematography techniques they were using than the story lol

[@thexer0projekt]

Thank you! I felt as if I was the only one who had this opinion on the movie and conclusion to the series as whole. Violet's journey throughout the show being completely thrown to the side for the conclusion we got absolutely knawed at me for years. Glad to see im not alone in this.

[@mrgoose6865]

In my opinion I don’t believe Violet went backwards in her development. The series is about her understanding what these feelings are, what I love means, and her learning to live without Gilbert directing her. In the movie she’s learning to express her own feelings. It’s why we see her struggle to figure out what she’s going to say to Gilbert. Even when he’s there on the other side of the door, she struggles. The letter Gilbert read from Violet, is enough to convince him to see her. Letters is where she shines. It’s why it convinced him. At the end when she’s face to face with him, she finally is able to do it. Express her feelings without the paper. The show is about her learning the feelings, the movie is expressing these feelings without the letter. Now as for her wanting to see Gilbert again. I think it’s perfectly fine. She learned how to live without him directing her, not move on from him completely. If I knew my mother was somehow still alive I would be doing the same thing. So it’s perfectly fine for her to still think about him. I think that goes for everyone. Wanting things that Gilbert used to own is fine. I don’t see the problem with that. Her staying with Gilbert was her choice. All she really wanted to do was see him again. In the end she did stay with him, but again it’s her choice. It’s not like she never left the island unless he did. She returned home to finish her assignments, which probably resulted in taking months away from her going to live with Gilbert. So she it’s not like she couldn’t bare to live without him. She still wrote letters as well. Their romance though? It’s fine I guess. I always saw it as a father daughter relationship, and not a romantic one. It’s like whatever though.

[@mrgoose6865]

I’ll be honest though, I was on your side when I saw the trailer. Gilbert being in the trailer had me thinking they were gonna ruin everything

[@МихаилЖелев-й2х]

I agree with all of your points. Gilbert being alive was probably the dumbest thing they could've done, and Violet marrying him in the end ? It would've made more sense if she married Dietfried. This movie just goes against everything Violate was working for. Like an olympic gymnast delivering the perfect performance and then landing on his face. Cheers to another incredible story having a dumpster fire ending.

[@andreeaalexandru7811]

Did you try to watch the anime before you watched the movie?

[@unromanoarecareanaveragero8275]

Game of Thrones has a much worse ending.

[@An12233]

It's pretty right but not dietfried one*

[@YangTheGoddess]

The Major being alive ruined it for me more because I felt it would've been better if he wasn't. It just kind of makes the story less impact full for me. It's a story of loss and what love is. It's about moving on but loving the time spent. I liked the themes about the war and what grief does to those coming back from it and how some won't get it. But yeah it was still nice to see more violet.

[@DoctorTenma-om9cc]

Bro ofc he would be alive. Violet lost two arm and got in the explosion and still survived. While Gilbert just had a shot and lost arm with bleeding head ig or smt like that violet lost more

[@vanthursday]

I like people complaining about the age gap when there was an episode where Violet let a teenage Princess marry an adult man 😅

[@jingle1833]

And that's problematic too. We just focus on violet because she's the main character. But Tbh we shpuld talk more about the princess shit that went on too cuz wtf..

[@zachgrill1753]

I think the real thing that’s giving people ick vibes is the age gap . If Gilbert was 23 or younger , we all wouldn’t be as put off for there relationship. If they insist on keeping him 35+ then they shouldn’t be getting married like in the LN . It feels weird to me .

[@maximmonov8249]

The movie was good except the ending, i really didn't like it, all she went through was for nothing in the end

[@lucky2516]

Violet seems like an autistic child grown into an awkward young adult with added PTSD from war, of course she's "clingy" to her past and the only person she could connect to during horrible times! Also the movie shows different times when age gap marriages were the norm so I really liked the movie even though I cried the whole time. The ending was great imo and exactly what any war veteran would want for themselves - to reunite with loved ones they believed to be gone forever, this hit home more than I expected 😢 Edit: the only creepy thing was him saying "I've always wanted to do this" while hugging her at the end (implying that he was indeed in love with her when she was 10 to 14?) Idk if that was in the novels or added by Netflix and also maybe I misinterpreted it so 🤷‍♀️

[@farel6406]

I know right, a literally 29 years old Man saying I Love You to a 14 years old kid😂

[@hexcodeff6624]

Why are you giving opinions on a movie you didn't watch? Violet Evergarden (or any project with voice acting in it) without the voice actors isn't Violet Evergarden. You might as well just watch a completely different show.

[@raywcksn]

Another headcanoner 🤦‍♂️ i bet you also thought that Violet Evergarden is Anime & Movie original

[@skay9034]

What is the Music at 9:00 PLEAAAASE

[@Atok1111]

I watched the movie frist because I thought it will be a "recap" of the series. I watched ending like 5 or 6 times, because I thought I was intrigued by it? After I watched the anime I came to the conclusion that I just didn't understand it. Anime is far, far better than movie, which after I watched "orginal" feel like fanfic. And I really can understand why people complain that whole Violet's path was just throwed away... I thought that Violet moved on, that she will still hold Gilbert in her heart, but ya know, in stoic way ... Just like Major's mom do, but no, in movie she is still hopeless... Until she met Major, that is. I don't mind that lad was resurrected just for the plot (overall, movie depicted it far better than anything that happend in novel), but Gilbert is scum lmao. If they gave him more screen time, suggested that maybe he was ashmed of himself, that he isn't capabled to look into Violet's eyes again and that he think he IS a bad person... But no, he just stay on that island because he feels like it. And "romantic" relation between him and Violet? I don't really mind age gape, Gilbert didn't grommed her or anything, but through whole anime it looked more like father/daughter or older brother/younger sister relationship, and yeah, it's weird when person who raised you become your husband. Really, in the movie they just should left Yuris part, maybe show how Violet changed under Major's influance from his grave, and if they still wanted to resurrect Gilbert, he should be the one that was coming to Violet, no other way around.

[@ilno]

I think this part can be fix when Gilbert being hug by the boy from the island and he see the resemblance of Violet and he couldn't stand it. That could show that he still has some grief and further explain he really doesn't want to meet Violet

[@strysenloniu-lg2lx]

To be honest i don't like the idea that major Gilbert married Violet, i rather Gilbert being more like her big brother or guardian, anyways I'm not a movie write so who I'm i to talk 😅. I love the video❤

[@realmwood93]

I like your attempt to balance your narrative very much, so I thought I'd try to add some hopefully helpful ideas that you might appreciate and consider for future content. Not every story has to have a healthy or positive message or lesson, or if it does, maybe it isn't necessarily a bad thing that it defies them. Reality is often messy and contradictory, and not every traumatized girl or odd couple reaches a point of generally-accepted 'health', or at least, not without some compromising cost. Maybe it isn't the happiest, most moral of stories in its end and made of the most inspiring aspirations, but not every story should be inspirational or grounded in concepts meant to speculate right and wrong, or not on every level if they might detract from a story that may be more entertaining or more relatable to people who are complex and contradictory in ways that conjure empathy in some people, but not the general masses. And isn't there something fascinating to be said about the genuineness of a character that is so flawed that she refuses to heal? I haven't seen this show or this movie, to be honest, but I write about this same kind of wounded girl who was always abused and neglected by her father and refuses to fight him or turn her back on him because she believes everyone is saveable if they want to be, even though the ironic catch is that she's neglecting herself and can't be saved while she makes herself vulnerable to him. Maybe these are unwelcome philosophizing ideas you don't want, at least not concerning this media specifically, but I like to believe that everyone becomes traumatized by something, time if nothing else, and that no one truly heals even if they can move on. Everyone shares common ground with anyone else that way - the same as on the positive end where everyone craves similar things; we all dread or lament things. What's interesting to me about this story is a facet of trauma that most prefer to avoid, because it can be a detrimental idea, and it's that some people, genuinely, don't want to heal. I find that very real even if it is depressing or a fucked up notion or one that shouldn't be too normalized or encouraged, but it is a real inclination in some people that, even if it is negative, they consider one of their defining qualities to be that they have been damaged. Many people would disagree with me, I'm sure, and call me toxic for even suggesting this, but maybe people shouldn't be pressured to prioritize a healthy, standardized and socially approved life if it isn't the one that would fulfill them. This girl wasn't fulfilled by her life in the city, even if her dissatisfaction was a result of damage, but it seems to me that she had done her growth and learned how she felt and who she was during the run of the show, and maybe the point of her plot in this movie was that she could now finally and independently make the decision of what she wanted to do with her life. What she wanted isn't what most would choose for her, but she cried with that man when they reunited, didn't she? So, she feels now and she is grown, and she's with a man who appreciates her trauma and carries his own, and I don't think it's the worst decision for her to commit her life to caring for a person who will similarly prioritize caring for her for the rest of his life, even if he does it in part because of his own convoluted, fucked up reasons.

[@farel6406]

They really made a 15 years old gap couple happens😂 Remember when Gilbert which is 29 said I Love You to Violet which is 14 is just crazy

[@pioneer7855]

Honestly, the movie didn't really change much in terms of opinion of the entire Violet Evergarden franchise, since i watched the series as per the canon layout prior to the movie itself. It's still a great series, and I kinda don't fully care about the whole Father-Daughter turned impractical huge age gap romantic relationship. It's strange, that's for sure, but what can I or we exactly do about it? What's directed by the author is what's done. I can only assume it kinda got away mainly due to the rough historical time period in which the series takes place, the equivalent of WW1/Interwar of our world, in which large age gaps were pretty common amongst households, and those "dolls" were probably a loose translation of typical maidens in foreign countries. With that being said, I still find this movie to be a masterpiece in evoking emotions, especially with the death of that elder brother. Onto a still-related-tangent shared with a few people here, this entire franchise definitely opened me up on an emotional, even spiritual level. It gave me a renewed understanding of all levels of familial love on top of the romantic lovey-dovey type we see everywhere. To be grateful, to not approve of war, to finally understand what true love is. I now hope to experience it myself, and I also hope to experience being with God at the end of everything. Earnest thanks to those who worked on this series and building Violet's character. Eternal salutes to those who tragically passed away in the 2019 Arson attack. Long live!

[@analuciasequeiracastro9132]

I haven't watched the whole anime and didn't watch the movie, but I Iike your analysis very much. I agree. Lately, many movies from animes are totally disconnected from the original story and destroy them. I feel this movie is one of those cases. I wonder if it's related to the producers who may be different from the original story. Besides, I feel many of these movies are made just to make money, not to get to the fans. I also agree that it's creepy when people romanticize every relationship, as if affection or love are only found in romantic relationships. It's obvious that Gilbert was like a figure father to Violet, not some lover. Thanks for confirming what I was fearing and avoiding me the pain of watching the movie.

[@confusionandcreation6036]

Hey Callie, I've been a fan of your video essays for a while now, and this one's definitely my new favourite. Truth is, I've never been able to work up the courage to see the movie, and I probably never will. The show and the two specials just mean too much to me. Violet Evergarden is probably my favourite show of all time. I loved Violet so much, and I felt right there with her as she went on that deeply personal journey of growth and self-discovery. I could not get over how perfect the show felt, from the music and animation to the acting and the storywriting. Being neurodivergent just like her just made me even more attached to her. By the end of Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll, I felt like I saw a real person grow from a confused and damaged child into an outstanding individual. The show has also been an amazing bonding moment between me and my dad, and we still like to bring it up to each other from time to time. But ever since I saw the trailer, I knew that the franchise was going in a direction that I personally hated. Gilbert being alive undermines the entire theme of learning to deal with grief that is central to the show. On top of that, his relationship with Violet, which was previously left ambiguous, was suddenly confirmed to be romantic, which felt gross to me for the same reason as you mentioned in the video. I always thought of their relationship more like a father/daughter thing, so this definitely felt jarring to me. You also perfectly unpacked just how strangely the movie seems to revert Violet's character back to square 1. When I heard that she ditches her friends in Leiden for Gilbert because he's apparently the only good person in her life all of a sudden, I felt absolutely flabbergasted. What was the point of the show, then? Anyway, I don't mean to ramble for too long. What I'm trying to get at, is that this video finally gave me some closure, as I at least know that my suspicions about the movie were correct. Thank you for making it. Honestly. Stay awesome, and I'm looking forward to your next video!

[@0calliestar0]

I’m glad you connected with the video so much! I like getting up on my soapbox when I make videos lol, but hearing that other people feel validated by my arguments or that I’ve helped them form their own opinion is really what makes sharing these videos worthwhile. I think maybe if this had just been a standalone movie about two lovers reuniting after being separated by war, I would have enjoyed it just fine, but like you said, connecting it to Violet Evergarden completely changes how I view the story and makes it a lot worse. Maybe that’s why some people were really emotionally invested in this movie, because they viewed it as it’s own thing. For me, it just made me lose all the investment I had in Violet and Gilbert’s relationship.

[@confusionandcreation6036]

@@0calliestar0 Well said! I also think I'd enjoy the movie a lot if not for everything that led up to it. I'm happy for everyone who still managed to genuinely connect with the movie, but of course there's always the option to just completely leave it out of your personal headcanon, as I have.

[@icecreamwings3106]

It can be that all this difference is because of the death of the story boarder and menbers of the team who did Violet evergarden the serie, in 2019 because of the arsonist who attacked the kyoto animation studio...

[@singoflovesongs]

yea i'm pretty much in the same agreement on this video. like, sure, gilbert is alive in the novels but there's just little differences about him that don't piss me the hell off compared to movie gilbert. unfortunately, they both think of violet romantically, though novel gilbert also acknowledges that it's messed up to think of her that way and never wanted to abuse his position over her on it when they were still in the army together if that matters. like, i don't know. maybe my opinion on movie gilbert wouldn't be too bad but when i look over at how novel gilbert does things, it's frustrating to see what could've been different. now, big novel spoilers here since the stories differ from each other but in the novel, gilbert was actually still in the army in a secret division as its colonel in exchange for violet's freedom (because violet was considered a 'tool' to the army, they wanted to keep using her so gilbert was the next best thing as a leader/tactician). another difference was that he ACTUALLY TOLD PEOPLE HE'S ALIVE.... so his whole family and hodgins knew he was still around and his mom didn't have to freaking die thinking gilbert died in the war. so i can't help but think movie gilbert is a bit too cowardly for my liking... another thing was that instead of dietfried, gilbert was the one who ran over to rescue violet from the train hijacking so the reunion didn't feel as much of an asspull. (also they already spent a few years apart in the novel during the train hijacking so violet had more time to grow apart from him) gilbert's confession to violet in the movie is actually very similar to the one in the novel..... but the main difference in the novel is that he emphasized that he's not her master anymore, he didn't want to take anything from her, and he just wanted to be part of her life. he didn't care if violet ever actually reciprocated or not, he just wanted to be understood. he wanted her to be happy and live her own life. so it's probably why i'm able to stomach their relationship even if i was never completely sold on them because of that because he's 100% going on violet's pace (and also violet is weirdly aged down a bit in the anime. it didn't particular affect the story very much since the gage gap is still very much there but that's exactly why i'm confused as to why the anime aged her down) i just felt like movie gilbert was still ordering her around in comparison?? at the very least, novel gilbert and novel violet still worked their respective jobs afterwards and met up on their offdays to have tea... and novel gilbert didn't freaking call for her to come back and consequently make her jump off a boat and swim in the ocean to reach him even though she has PROSTHETIC METAL ARMS, COME ON DUDE I KNOW /YOU/ CAN'T SWIM BECAUSE YOU ONLY HAVE 1 ARM BUT THE SALT WATER MUST'VE BEEN A BITCH TO CLEAN OUT SHE DIDN'T BRING HER SUITCASE EITHER SO HER TOOLS WAS BACK ON THE SHIP............. like... my guy, you can't feel guilty about basically taking advantage of violet and ordering her around while she was growing up and then turn around to order her around to stay with you the moment you wanna talk to her again......... 😭 i still think they're better off in a familial relationship overall but the movie did a worse job out of the 2 trying to convince me otherwise imo.

[@miki-glhf]

Violet being confused is understandable. Not fking Gilbert.

[@sparky1595]

Completely agree with pretty much all the points here. Whilst I enjoyed the movie, all the bits I enjoyed weren't related to Violet and the Major.Yuris and Dietfried's moments were great but it feels like there was a much better movie hidden within what is already there. I remember something feeling immediately off when Violet declines spending time with the friends she had made over the course of the season early on in the movie, it felt so regressive of her character. Then one of the major points of the show for me was how love is and can be contained within letters long after someone is gone. How they can be used to reach out from beyond the grave. This is shown in episodes 7,10,11 and the special in particular and it fits and resonates with Violet because of her own personal experiences. After all the loss and seeing the impact of letters Violet finally writes hers at the end of the series which is dropped from the planes with all of the other unreceived letters and you see her walking, knocking on a door and smiling when it is opened. I always took this to be her internally "finding Gilbert" after dropping the letter so she can finally move on and it was a perfect beautiful ending. But all of a sudden the thing she had in common with Oscar and Clara and everyone else (the loss of a loved one even if she didn't know the meaning of love at the time) is just ripped out. And on top of that, at the end she leaves all of her friends behind without so much as a second thought. The Violet that grew throughout the series wouldn't do that. Leon was the perfect character to bring back for the Movie imo. Keep the Yuris and Dietfried story line but bring back Leon, show how he has grown due to the effect Violet had on him in ep.6, and how he has gotten out in to the world, let him see how Violet has grown. There is so much potential there to be tapped in to by writers better than me. Him finding out his mother is alive but seriously unwell or dead and wanting to take Violet on the trip with him for emotional support to visit her 1 last time or her grave to vent his love sadness and anger at her leaving him has so much emotion to tap in to. We could get the culmination of them sitting under a starry sky again, but them each having grown as people due to eachother compared to their last time sitting under the stars... Anyway you get the point, there is a much better movie hidden within and it's just a bit of a shame because the Series and Eternity and the AutoMemoryDoll are masterpieces

[@nickyavila2132]

I loved the movie but still have mixed feelings about the movie, i think if they wanted to make Gilbert being alive a better ending would be Violet following her new life "alone" (without Gilbert) because she was more decided in the end of the movie of going back to her own life, but everything changed when he showed running at the end. I'm not that upset with the end like a lot of people, i liked it but it could be so much better imo.

[@zinzolin14]

I appreciate hearing your thoughts. Personally I really enjoyed the movie. I'm satisfied with they way it ended and I'm happy for Violet. To me, Violet has always been obsessed with Gil, her life centered around him up until she lost him. She had to grow without him, to learn what love is and the complexity of human emotions, and to realise that she loved Gil all this time. Throughout the series, Violet has helped people get through their misconception of the world around them. In the movie, it's Gilbert's turn to have Violet save him from his own doubts and inner turmoil. Violet has grown so much at that point, I don't feel that Violet choosing to be with Gilbert somehow "undoes" any of that. You do bring up lots of good points though. I do agree that Gilbert was a bit of a cowardly whiner. One thing I'd like to address is that Violet has likely kept in contact with everybody at CH after disappearing into the island. There's a discussion somewhere (either Reddit or Tumblr) I read that CH was helping Violet stay hidden and establish the postal company on the island, even though none of this was explicitly stated I can see this being the case considering the outcome. It's a good explaination that I think helps alleviate some concerns and confusion people may have with the ending. My main focus has always been on Violet's growth. She wouldn't be able to express her love properly to Gil if she hadn't lost him and gone through her journey as a doll. Ultimately her journey lead her back to him, and this time Violet has become more of a person capable of agency, and she chose to be with Gil. This became longer than I expected, but I hope I made some sense. I think it's a good thing to have constructive discussions about topics that need addressing.

[@powdmizu6379]

To be honest violet confusing her love is a given because she's young 14yo, gilbert should have viewed her as a sibling/daughter and correct her view , but it just had to be this way.... 😑

[@powdmizu6379]

I could have swear violet love can be both romantic and platonic ... it's up to how gilbert direct it and violet will follow

[@anitaremenarova6662]

@@powdmizu6379 It is not romantic but Violet doesn't know that because she's never felt a romantic connection with anyone and so Gilbert uses that to make her stay with him and give up on being her own person. Not only did they manage to ruin her character development but also Gilbert's! Makes me wonder if the original author vanished and an impostor took over.

[@powdmizu6379]

@@anitaremenarova6662 exactly!

[@JoyLau805]

​@@anitaremenarova6662 How it turns out to be in the original light novel is even worse, by far.

[@OmeganKryist]

Yeah I’m just going to pretend this is some off shoot timeline, a sort of what if scenario. It just was narratively not in line with the narrative before. Completely agree with everything you’ve said here.

[@Crazysuckaz]

thank god someone said it

[@iceisnicee]

I like it because violet well I understand that you think that violet reverting back to her episode 1 is weird but still trauma can still come back at times. also when did violet say she got over Gilbert? she only said she found out what emotions means and what I love you means like she really never said she got over Gilbert. so yeah idk

[@nunothedude2]

It was wierd, if he was 30 and she 20 ok sure but like wtf

[@Katty_mcFatterson]

i was a bit taken aback when i realized that gilbert was alive. I was hoping the series would take another approach such as, learning to move on, forgiving, ect. and it woulda made a more moving ending. i just feel the ending that we got was an afterthought and in my opinion was a bad decision. dont get me wrong i sobbed at the ending and i still think this movie is really good i just hoped they would keep gilbert dead. ngl it seemed like the people who made the movie only watched a few episodes of the series 😭 it felt like everything we learned from the series was thrown away for 'fan services' . im soo glad someone agrees with me.

[@ES21SENA1412]

one more thing, if you notice, Violet dress style and hair style almost the same as Saber's characters in anime fate stay night...if im not mistaken...

[@matthewglenguir7204]

Same color scheme and that's it really, and same-ish stoic personality and that's about it

[@Telia.s]

I feel like this movie would have been much better if they got rid of the gilbert and violet and having it with leon and violet since they were about the same age and I think they would have been great together overall, the whole gilbert thing i think they should have had it at like family love like father and daughter not husband and wife?? he met herwhen she was like 10 or something and he taught her how to read and write? thats just wrong to me in so many levels. I understand his feelings probably changed when she got older but its still not okay he legit raised her. also the fact that they completely disregarded violets whole thing about accepting without gilbert and not needing orders in this movie and i feel like the whole "its been years and blah blah" and it beiing told by the great grandchild was just a waste It was moving but I would rather her still being alive in the universe then her being dead. I just think they focused on so many topics and focused on so many bad topics in this movie

[@sorian15]

i can't lie, violet evergarden is sort of a good movie. but i hate the fact that gilbert and violet got married. its irrelevant and disgusting. they basically have a father and daughter relationship, he was 29 and violet was 14 and he waited for her to grow up to love her... predator like. the film would have been way better if gilbert stayed dead and let violet just move on as a teen girl. she deserves way better than end up with gilbert

[@0calliestar0]

I feel the same way, and I remember being blindsided by it because everything about their relationship felt parental to me (Gilbert teaching Violet how to read and write, buying her gifts, protecting her from others like Deitfried, ultimately letting her go like a father letting his daughter grow up). Apparently they get married in the novels but it sounds weird and creepy to me lol

[@NinaC]

Yesss THANK YOU! He should have stayed dead! Violet learning to stand on her own and accepting that Gilbert will always be in her heart was beautifully done in the series. But the backpedaled in the movie and make her run to him like a child again.

[@0calliestar0]

@@NinaC I know, they went from a heartfelt story about overcoming grief that everyone can empathize with to “my war major who is also my husband faked his death after I grieved for him for a significant time”

[@SkyQueen]

Imo, I see Gilbert and Violet relationship as a romantic one. The father and daghter relationship is beetween Violet and Claudia.

[@powdmizu6379]

@@SkyQueen does the scene where they first met doesn't tell you the huge age and body appearance to be odd? Moreover gilbert should have known better .... violet being that old with the experience form the side character should have know by now the difference between romantic and platonic love

[@giorgiocapecchi3888]

The film cannot complete the story of Violet. There is much more that these characters can give and the beauty of this story can progress in the times before and after they are reunited. I wish that this story will progress as it is such an amazing one. I hope I am not the only one that feel the same and hope that the studios will make more of it!

[@ES21SENA1412]

i was shock when you mention 'super saiyan'. that was the best part of your comment...hahaha...

[@justarandomperson5257]

I’m punching air rn. I just found out about this ending. I’m so mad.

[@Kono__]

Thank you so much for making this. I thought I was the only one.

[@TrungNguyen-uf8cv]

It worked, when you were not imposing today's standards to a 110 years ago setting

[@jingle1833]

Lmfao okay then explain that red uniform girl's uniform that would have been considered stripper or prostitute outfits in that era. Or that how they were able to find such technology like Violet's arms that we STILL have not mastered completely and flawlessly as they have? If you want to talk historical setting then don't shy away from criticizing these aspects as well but ofc you won't, you only want to bring this up when it's convenient for your proship.

[@SwordTune]

The movie was not structurally bad. It had good pacing and was shot well. I just fundamentally disagree with the premise.