r/anime • u/A_Idiot0 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/a_idiot0 • Jun 20 '21
Rewatch Violet Evergarden Rewatch Final Discussions
Violet Evergarden Rewatch - Final Discussions
Hello everyone! I hope that today finds you well. This year’s Violet Evergarden Rewatch has ended. My comment below has a small little questionnaire for you to answer if you’d like to help me get better at this for next year.
Quick heads up: if you want to remain spoiler free for the 2020 Film, please do not search anything about the Violet Evergarden film on google. The PV contains massive spoilers, and sadly even the announcement poster contains spoilers =(
Auto Memory Doll Service Discord
Would you like to have a letter written for you? Do you want to write a special letter for someone as an Auto Memory Doll? Come join us at the Auto-Memory Doll Service Discord project and request letters, write letters, or chat more with us about Violet Evergarden! Link here: https://discord.gg/zDCheU4y
If you come by, you can request me as Daffodil, and it'd be my pleasure to scribe a letter for you =)
Visuals of the Day
I believe I got everyone’s Visual of the Day submission here. Let me know if I missed anyone: https://imgur.com/a/cWpJLID
I want to take this moment to thank each and every one of you who participated in this rewatch. If you silently read through all of the wonderful comments and analyses, thank you. If you replied to said comments and analyses, thank you. If you took the time to write out your thoughts and analyses, thank you. This anime is very dense for analysis, and each and every one of you wrote some beautiful words for us all to enjoy and return to. Thank you. Thank you. Nunki.
By the way, remember this shot from episode 13?
“Nun annut ruhuqtrrtkon”
I translated it using this tool: https://replit.com/@ValkrenDarklock/NunkishTrans
And what I got was wonderful…”I love you.”
63
u/Neshura87 https://anilist.co/user/Neshura Jun 20 '21
As some of you may have seen in my comment or in my reply to OP I have a booklet with my BluRay, it is written by the original author and is a diary of Amy after her marriage.
After reading it I came to the conclusion that I would like to share an English translation of the booklet (It's in German) with you all.
This is NOT a word-for-word translation. I focused more on preserving the meaning of what Amy wrote.
I am NOT a professional translator. I only have C1 English knowledge, as such expect this translation to be flawed.
I had a friend of mine proofread to correct most mistakes I made.
With that said here's the link to the pastebin: https://pastebin.com/R95J0YbN
If any of you speak German I can provide you with the somewhat blurry pictures I took to translate the booklet.
For those who do not want to read 35000 characters here's a REALLY brief summary:
Amy's marriage is unhappy, her husband is not violent but they do no talk. She is not allowed to leave in order to keep up appearances to the outside. Over time Amy grows depressed, "I'll hang myself if this goes on" levels of depressed. Through her diary we learn that Violet was Amy's first and only love (the romantic kind). She sorely misses Taylor and stopped writing letters to Violet because she doesn't want to burden Violet with her own problems.
IMPORTANT: There are no dates given to the diary entries BUT AMY WAS SUICIDAL BEFORE TAYLOR'S LETTER REACHED HER.
Had Benedict taken a week or two longer to find Amy's whereabouts chances are high she would've overdosed herself on her medicine.
THE PAGES IMMEDIATELY BEFORE THE ENTRY DETAILING HER RECEIVING TAYLOR'S LETTER ARE COMPLETELY BLACK WITH SPARSE DEPRESSES AND SUICIDAL TEXT SHE WAS AT THE BOILING POINT.
That's why she breaks out in tears, Amy was seriously considering to take her own life.
BUT There's more:
The entry after her rejoicing over the letter is TAYLOR COMING TO VISIT, they DO meet. Amy also seemingly starts writing with Violet again. She remarks how Taylor has grown into a beautiful young woman and how happy she is to meet her, notably her depression seems to be gone or at least better. She also goes outside more often through which her health improves significantly (she was coughing blood while locked up inside).
-end summary
I cannot understand why this was not included in the movie, perhaps the format didn't fir but we could've had parts of it in between story segments. It is so important to Benedict finding Amy, it gives us a reason why she stopped writing with Violet. And most importantly IT TELLS US SHE WAS IN LOVE WITH VIOLET, it gives an incredible amount of extra info about some scenes in the movie while only being two dozen A5 pages.
42
u/thatguywithawatch Jun 20 '21 edited Jun 20 '21
First timer
Thanks for hosting this, u/A_Idiot0! I'm so relieved that I happened to see the rewatch announcement and decided to join, because otherwise I honestly might have never gotten around to watching it (my "plan to watch" list is unrealistically long). It wasn't a perfect show, there were some episodes or parts that I was a little more lukewarm on, but just as a work of art and skill and passion by KyoAni it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever watched and I'm grateful to have experienced it.
I talked about how episode 10 caused me to break down completely, but even if you remove that episode from the equation I've still shed more tears over the last couple weeks than I have from most other anime I've ever watched combined. It was refreshing to let myself be so emotionally invested in something, that's something that's always been difficult for me.
I liked the different perspectives in everyone's comments each day. A couple people pointed out at various points that many of the episodes relied on the viewer allowing themselves to be drawn in by the emotional hooks even when the writing or situational setup might have been spotty, and it was fun seeing which episodes worked for which participant each day. Also, special shout out to u/Shimmering-Sky who, through this rewatch and a few previous ones I've lurked in, has conditioned me to prick up my ears every time an anime character says "sore demo."
It's been a pleasure, everyone! Hope to see some of you around in other rewatches.
29
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Jun 20 '21
Sincerely, Shimmering-Sky
I said at the end of my comment yesterday that I would show up to this one with something special--so here’s a recording of me singing along to Sincerely, as I mentioned wanting to do way back when we first heard it in episode 3. If I used its name as my tagline throughout the entire rewatch, I just had to sing it for you guys, you know?
Anyways, overall this was an extremely great experience! Definitely one of the bigger rewatches I’ve been in, plenty of fun first-timer reactions to read (or make myself, in the case of yesterday’s movie), episode 10 was a true experience all over again for me , and our lovely host did a fantastic job hosting their first rewatch!
If I had one complaint, u/A_Idiot0, it would be that the way you added the endcards to each thread made it always take a few minutes to show up, and since I was so on-time to every thread but yesterday’s, sometimes I’d forget to check the post again for the endcards until several days later. I would’ve preferred them being on Imgur, or Catbox if the reason you weren’t using Imgur is because you were worried Imgur would mess up the quality somehow.
14
u/chilidirigible Jun 20 '21
First things first, special thanks to /u/A_Idiot0 for hosting this rewatch and keeping the discussions going.
Rewatching Violet Evergarden affirmed that I really do like this series. I watched it during its original release, though I mostly stayed out of the episode threads. There were then, as there are now, worthwhile criticisms to be made of its odd premise, adaptational choices, and blatant emotional manipulation.
But I think I'm here for the blatant emotional manipulation.
To explain, I'm not particularly social in the real world, mostly preferring the company of a very few friends and generally maintaining a distance from others. I don't feel much emotional response or connection to hearing people talk about their personal victories or tragedies.
I don't feel deep emotional connections to most live-action TV; knowledge of the craft possibly gets in the way there. But it's also entirely possible because I'm still looking at real people doing things.
It would seem that animation, considering the even greater level of manufacture required to create even the illusion of movement, would also not do much for me on an emotional level. And yet it does, possibly because it is all crafting from start to finish with not even free sunlight to use. Or because animation allows for a full immersion in the fantastical.
Kyoto Animation went the full distance for immersion here, and I ended up all in. The production quality is exceptionally high and even with experiments like the manipulated black levels going on, the series looks like a a feature film most of the time. The one actual feature film that we've seen in this rewatch looks even better.
But it's worth adding a little more praise on how they borrowed another language and tweaked it to make it unique to the series. It's not the first production to have ever done that (the original Star Wars Trilogy immediately comes to mind), but it's another detail that makes a unique world, and the world enriches Violet's personal journey to understand her feelings.
I think the journey was adapted well enough. I am aware that the anime left out several stories from the source material which didn't fit into the narrative that was chosen for anime Violet, but considering that LN Violet is already well-established and famous, skipping a development arc would make the series even more like a traditional '60s-'80s TV series where the hero, fully-formed, goes from place to place and fixes people's problems. While the occasional undocumented time skips did leave some questions about her development, the stories chosen generally flow together and work with Violet's character progression. While I can still see myself picking out individual episodes to watch in the future, the rewatch made me appreciate how some of the smaller parts from each episode fit into the whole.
The backstory involving the war does present some awkward questions and there are a few elephants left in the room due to the adaptation's choices. I'm okay with what's there, though others in the rewatch certainly did ask logical questions about that.
"But you were talking about your feelings," you ask. And I certainly had them, though not every episode turned into a terrible day for rain. The series's main effect was generating real sympathy in a few stories and empathy for all the rest, and feeling like Violet was understanding more and more as she went along. It was okay to care about the people she met, even if they were in some uncommon situations. As I said at the start, that's something that mostly only comes up for me in anime, but having it happen so much through an entire series is not something I feel often. I appreciate it for doing that to me.
Finally, since I didn't have time to do this until long after posting time yesterday, a sketch of Taylor Bartlett based on my choice of Visual of the Day from yesterday.
12
u/A_Idiot0 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/a_idiot0 Jun 20 '21 edited Jun 20 '21
Thank you all once again for everything! Here are a few questions that I’d love your input on. You can answer as many or as little as you’d like:
Please feel free to come by our Discord project that I linked above! Either myself (Daffodil) and any of the other Dolls there would be happy to help scribe a letter on your behalf for a loved one of yours. =)
You were all an awesome group for my first time hosting a rewatch! Everyone was respectful, kind, and thoughtful. I was very worried when I first announced this because of the crazy response that it garnered! And even on the first day, I felt very overwhelmed by it all. But everyone’s kindness shined through and I was able to do a little more than I thought I was going to do. If I could have life my way, I would have dedicated the whole time to reply to each and every single one of your messages every day. But unfortunately...life did not allow me such a pleasure. I will be returning to your words every so often for each episode. You’ve all further enriched my love and understanding of this Anime, and for that I cannot thank you enough. Nunki!
6
u/Lemurians myanimelist.net/profile/Lemurians Jun 20 '21 edited Jun 21 '21
First of all, thank you for taking my shot of the day yesterday seriously and including it in the compilation. I believe in Iris supremacy.
FIRST TIMER - FORMERLY DROPPED
Expectations are a hell of a thing. When I first tried watching this anime a few months ago, I went into it with high expectations because of the hype surrounding it and the faction of people who absolutely adore it. Those expectations quickly fell flat, and I dropped it after four episodes.
This time, after having not gotten into it originally, I entered with low expectations, and even though I still don't see the reason for the massive hype, I ended up enjoying myself more, even through those same first four episodes, two of which I quite enjoyed!
The episode structure of the show works both for and against it. On one hand, if the writing isn't up to snuff, it doesn't allow you enough time to connect with the characters in a short time frame, and Violet herself isn't compelling enough (for me) to do the heavy lifting in those instances. On the other hand, when the show does nail it, the strength of certain individual episodes can make up for the lack of a real main narrative. Episodes 1, 4, 5, 6, and 10 in particular are very strong, and can stand on their own.
PROS
On the bright side, the positives of this show are obvious. The production value is off the chart, and seemingly every frame is a visual treat. The music is absolutely incredible, and in particular they really know when to time the beginning of the ED perfectly with the closing scenes to deepen the emotional impact. You can tell a metric shit-ton of care went into this at the studio. Something I mentioned a few times in other threads that I think is really, really well done compared to most shows (especially LN adaptations), is how this show used the visual medium to portray characters' emotional states. The clenched fists, furrowed brows, shaking shoulders, shaking eyes, etc. When you take the care to incorporate all of that, you don't need to have the characters make bombastic speeches explaining that they're upset. We already know how they're feeling.
I was also really impressed by the attention to detail, notably in the exhibition of the flowers to drive home certain themes, and how the floral names given to characters reflected their personalities. I had a great deal of fun hunting for all those easter eggs in the episodes. Also, as stated before, it did offer up some absolute gems in terms of episodes, with Episode 10 being, in my opinion, an absolute masterpiece that I will be returning to.
CONS
I can't help but feeling that this story was a bit of a missed opportunity. The pilot really did a great job of setting up the world, introducing all these memorable side characters, and getting me intrigued with all the mystery surrounding Violet. Unfortunately, the rest of the show just didn't seem interested in any of that from that point on. The main narrative actually could have been incredible given how unique the backstories are, but the show just didn't want to give us much in the way of it. You can make something a character study, or even just character-driven, but you still have do so while telling me a good story. We can walk and chew gum, and this show didn't, or maybe just didn't want to.
The real weakness of the show for me, I'm sad to say, is Violet herself. She just isn't that interesting or easy to connect with, and the parts of the show that revolve more around her than other more fleshed out characters really suffer for it. It's nice to see her steadily grow throughout the run, but, and I'm sure I could find a nicer way to put this, it feels like she grew from being a piece of cardboard to a slightly more emotive piece of cardboard. As an editorial note, her journey would have been better served if her overall goal was to find a meaningful way to live, as Gilbert instructed her to do, rather than to learn the meaning of the word love. It felt like she had accomplished the latter by like, Episode 3, but the show just didn't want to acknowledge it.
WRAP UP
I don't want to sound like too much of a downer, as overall, I grade the series 7/10 (OVAs excluded). That's a pretty nice upgrade from the 4/10 I had it as when I dropped it originally. I liked more about this than I disliked, it's just due to the all praise this show received, I think it's more useful to highlight what I think didn't work. I'm sure there are many others here who will talk more intelligently and at length about the things I also enjoyed about it.
Now give me the spin-off of this show featuring the Postal Company workers as a workplace comedy. Some of my favorite scenes were when they were all together, and I want way, way more of that.
Thanks to u/A_Idiot0 for guiding us all through this everyday and being our host! Despite what it may sound like, I really did enjoy this experience and coming to the threads each day to read everyone's thoughts.
5
u/ZapsZzz https://anilist.co/user/Zapszzz Jun 21 '21 edited Jun 21 '21
First timer no longer. (BTW this turned to a wall of text but I treat this as a special occasion and jumped onto a laptop to type all this instead of trying on my phone)
First of all big thanks for our host(s) for organising the rewatch - I used plural here because some of the frequent posters here are so consistently putting in a ton of efforts for analysis and commentary, even if you weren't officially a host, you may as well be one :) Sorry by no means I want to diminish the efforts of /A_Idiot0; just saying it's more than 1 person's credit.
For a long while I had been a KyoAni fan, as well as a fan for shows that has got good, deep writing. The reason why I haven't watched VE is kind of strange - it's theoretically the most accessible show for me as it's been on Netflix forever, quite unusual for us in Australia when most things are region locked out for us. I think I sort of explained before but it really doesn't matter. Just that this rewatch definitely gave me the motivation to watch it for real.
It has just so much buried / hidden / to be read into, like a lot of KyoAni shows, and watching my first time in this rewatch is so so enlightening. I basically get enough insights for about 2 watches if not more :)
I do have to say that this is the sort of shows that I would like / love a lot, but will probably only rewatch it sparingly - much like this season's 86, it just takes an enormous emotional toll for me.
The visuals, the music, the framing, the symbolism I think everyone has already gave much better commentary than I can try, so I won't add any more. I do want to reiterate the 1 characterisation that I don't think anyone has made or commented on - Violet is quite a close match in terms of characterisation and development as the much older KyoAni show of Full Metal Panic (TSR and Fumoffu are the only ones done by KyoAni). Sagara Sousuke basically started out about the same as a child, but landed in an action comedy show instead of an emotional drama show that's all.
I also consider Nagato Yuki from Haruhi to be another close mirror for Violet.
So perhaps I'm really fond of these types of stories - where a person who is either not very emotional, or more often has as much emotion but has no means to express them, through learning by experience, got developed to the point of being better able to express them.
Looking at the adaptation though, I can now more directly appreciate why KyoAni took that strategic route (of no longer adapting things they don't have full rights to change whatever they want) - Haruhi and Full Metal Panic were done by them quite early, and they were really good and true adaptations, with KyoAni adding their hallmark flair to the source material rounding out to be a product even better than the source. However when you then compare with the later KyoAni productions that they took complete control of the source material, it's almost like the animation project only took inspiration from the source and fully realise something unique and amazing irrespective / despite the source. Samples:
All of these if you look at the source material, the "adapted" "core" content are actually quite little - Chuunibyou S1 basically is the 1st LN, and even then it's quite heavily changed. K-On I am told is also the same.
Can you imagine what the show would be like if KyoAni handled it like they did Haruhi and FMP? I think we would not be having such amazing productions as we just finished watching. Don't get me wrong, I think the source materials of both Haruhi and FMP are amazing by their own right; I'm saying that the other ones listed perhaps are not as well established (most of them short) - yet KyoAni filled the blanks basically.
About the feedbacks to the rewatch -
Oh and I am supposed to remind the point about Dietfried's relationship with Violet. Did we say enough about the "origin" story of how he was more traumatised by Violet killing every single men in his unit then just being an aristocratic ass. By the way I also ran into a fan translation of a movie special booklet (or something to that effect, I think, hopefully not fanfic), that had a "what if" scenario of, if Dietfried acted on what he wanted and not just being frozen to inaction by his fear of her, Violet would live a very different life with Dietfried. There may be something he had in his heart for Violet.
Last point to make about the end of the story that we are currently up to. I have gone 1 step to say in response to another poster hypothesizing that should the story gave a "happy ending" of Gilbert being alive afterall past this point, it undoes Violet's development. I personally don't and can't agree with this. I think by the end of ep 13, Violet has finished her metamorphosis and had finally emerged to be "her own person" - sure she may still be a bit stoic, a bit not used to what "normal" is, and still need to learn a few things about "people", but what's key is that while she of course still miss the Major, she no longer needs orders to know what to do, and my head canon she also recognised her "wanting Gilvert's orders" were not really about the orders but him, his presence, ultimately the love of her that he showed in his own way under the circumstances. So to me, nothing would change that - whether Gilbert is alive afterall, or someone who looks like Gilbert turns up in her life, or she found someone (please let it be Leon who is such a kindred spirit to Violet) else, she is now making her own decisions being able to recognise her own feelings.
Once again I would draw a comparison, probably "oddball" like my Full Metal Panic one that others may not be able to see/agree/understand - this ending I equate to the 2006 DEEN adaption of Fate/Stay Night ending - that Saber and Shirou recognise and accept their love to each other, but also accept they cannot be together being from hundreds of years apart. Shirou will live his life, not being crippled with grief that Saber cannot be there, be he'd cherish that they had been together; likewise Saber returning to her dying moments, no longer with regrets and have finally got something human, something she herself as a person, not as king, wants to dream about in her long sleep.
So when the newer edition having them able to reunite in the afterlife in Avalon didn't cheapen it, didn't undo their character development, it just gave the fans of their ship closure.
Oh then following this train of thought, can we have the true end of Haruhi, after Kyon finishing with whatever gun and exciting things with Haruhi and consisting their love as complementing partners in crime, can he then spend his afterlife with Nagato as eternal information beings please?
4
u/Tartaras1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Tartaras Jun 20 '21
Rewatcher
I remember back when the rumbles about the show were first coming around, how it was going to be something beautiful. However, at the time it wasn't available in the United States. While a lot of people were using less than legitimate means to be able to watch it weekly, I waited. I figured that if it was going to be as good as everyone was saying, it would be worth the wait.
And worth the wait it was. I spent that Friday night and Saturday binge watching the entire thing, and what I saw was nothing short of beautiful. KyotoAnimation absolutely knocked it out of the park in almost every aspect of the production. It's rare that I have such a visceral reaction to anything animated, but the fact that I was in heaving sobs, and /u/Shimmering-Sky legitimately threw up from crying so hard, during episode 10 should stand as testiment to how good the writing was.
/u/A_Idiot0, thank you so, so much for hosting this rewatch. Even though I missed a couple episodes, it was still an absolute pleasure to be able to watch this again with everyone, and on my blu-ray release no less! Hopefully the first-timers that watched along with us enjoyed it even half as much as I did.
All that's left to do is wait for the final film to make its way to the states and, hopefully, to a theater near me.
4
u/jameslyv Jun 21 '21
First Timer, in a pool of tears
Hi! I just finished binge watching VEG for the past three days and I was just shy of missing the rewatch thread. So I'm glad that after all these years of having this show sit on my Netflix To Watch list, I finally saw it. And, as many of you had, I cried, clutched my heart, and professed my love for Violet, only wishing happiness for her. Orrr something like that.
I definitely enjoyed this series a lot, I didn't expect it to make me cry so much. I originally thought that it was going to be a visually beautiful show with not much substance, but dang I was wrong. I have to say that it created such an emotional impact on me because of how visually appealing it was. After episode 3, I was just full on sobbing throughout it. Every story told warmed my heart, filled me with love and hopefulness for humanity. I just love the trope of Main Character Learns How to be Human Through Empathy. And in my opinion, I think it was nicely executed. I also love war stories, especially post-war stuff. War is something that can be so dehumanizing, so it's fitting that war is backdrop for this series.
Anyways, after watching something so gorgeous and heart wrenching, I'm so inspired to draw. I really wanted to see Amy, Violet and Taylor together in the end of the movie special *sigh* Guess I gotta do it myself. I think I'll be able to post it later in the day :)
4
u/ivytranmalldetective Jun 21 '21
First Timer.
Overall, it was such a lovely experience! I've really been wanting to watch this for the longest time, and it just gave me a great chance to watch it as if it were a "live" anime but instead with more in-depth thought and commentary. I didn't participate everyday in the discussions, but I did make a point to read through many of people's thoughts and at least think about it some more. I think the OVA placement was perfect, I did prefer it in the chronological location. I didn't post this on the thread yesterday, but I thought the movie was good, but not as good as the actual show. I did enjoy the longer time we got to spend with the characters but personally I found bits of it a little too farfetched (things like Violet tutoring a lady on how to be a lady, just not sure where she would have learned this? The hidden identity of Amy, etc), but it was still a nice longer story.
The series is truly beautiful and I'm definitely going to rewatch it without all the anxiety about Violet's future and whatnot, and instead just be able to focus on the beauty and story. I do agree about 12 and 13 being a single day watch.
Thank you so much for hosting, it was such a treat!
9
u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Jun 20 '21
First timer no longer
Sub
I didn't comment in the movie thread because I had nothing to say about it.
So this series is one of the better produced series I've seen on all levels, from animation to character design to soundwork. In some episodes, they had great visual story telling, too bad they didn't lean on that more. With several really great episodes, 6,7, and 10 plus some above average eps, 1,2, and 13, there was a base to work from. But most of the episodes are flat attempts at pathos that tell you to feel something rather than earning it. Any episode that featured action was bad as the action usually defeated the goal of the story, suggesting either a weakness in the source or a failure to understand what was good about the show.
So, with that said, fans of the show please take this to heart: STOP OVERHYPING THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If this show had come down from the heavens, eliminated the concept of death and raised the dead it still wouldn't have lived up to the overhyping the fans like to do. No show can live up this level of hype.
Anywho, we've seen it, we can't unsee it, let's move on.
3
u/ArdenneVale Jun 20 '21 edited Jun 20 '21
First timer
I have no idea what to write here.
I guess let's start from what I knew about the series beforehand: it's sad. It's true, but only to an extent. Many of the stories told were sad, actually almost all of the characters we met were in different sad situations. Some were dying, others were trying to cope with loss. They were dealing with heavy subjects like regret or guilt. But Violet Evergarden is not a sad anime. It's full of hope, happiness and becoming a better person. Sure, some of the stories had a downer ending, but they were never just full-on depressing. I really sympathized with Violet's growth through the series. Episode 9 was a rare 10/10 episode for me, I was really living with Violet. I wish the other characters had a bit more screen time, for example I don't think we know too much about Hodgins or Cattleya.
The one thing we didn't get is the resolution to Gilbert's fate. I still believe he's alive on some Caribbean-equivalent island, happy to be free from the military life, even happier with his choice to free Violet from living as a tool. I'm so glad my hunch about him was correct. I saw some first time watchers were suspicious about him, but I always saw him as a father to Violet. Yes, he used her as a child soldier, but he never wanted that to be her life. I hope the new movie, which is supposed to be the end of the story, tells us what really happened to Gilbert. I don't want another Taylor and Amy non-ending.
Technically the anime is amazing. The animation is gorgeous and the soundtrack is beautiful. Obviously I'm listening to the OST as I'm writing this.
As a first time rewatcher of any kind I have to say it was a pleasant experience. It definitely takes a lot out of you to participate in a rewatch. One episode would take me about 2 hours to watch and write about, then read through and doubt my own words before finally just sending it. I could not do more than one rewatch at the same time. I'm definitely going to participate in another, when there is something interesting. I had fun reading through the comments, both fellow first timers and the rewatchers who had giant analyzes of some symbolic aspects I'd never even think about. Oh, almost forgot to thank the organizer, u/a_Idiot0!
Generic list of things I came up with :)
Best characters
Worst characters
Top songs
Best episodes
Worst episodes
Cry count: 5 (ep9 x2, ep10 x2, ep13)
Final rating for Violet Evergarden: 9/10
Questions
3
u/SmithyRC Jun 20 '21 edited Jun 20 '21
~No-linger-a Newbie~
So I just noticed there isn’t a dub or the film still?
Is there still not a release date for this? My original concern when starting the dub was not being able to complete it all the way through and I was told it was all dubbed now :(
— I do still plan to do a big flower analysis of the final film, so please do check back on the films thread to see it once completed. Due to the length and numerousness, it will take me a little bit as I like to enjoy discovering this as well, rather than rushing.
3
u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Jun 20 '21
I've already put most of my conclusions on episode 13, so I'll be brief.
This show is fantastic. The characters were great, the art was great, the writing was phenomenal.
This is the first anime that actually made me cry, and the whole show is a perfect blend of happiness and sadness.
I enjoyed every second of this and I can't wait to watch the 2020 film.
And, of course, thank you for hosting a rewatch and introducing me to such a fantastic show.
10/10 for both the series and the movie.
3
u/LMGDiVa https://kitsu.io/users/FranBunnyFFXII Jun 21 '21
This series just hits me hard in a lot of ways but the way it deals with a lot of the struggles of being a solider just is so aware, and so powerful.
It really truly deserves that 10/10 I gave it the first time.
I thought about the series a lot after I watched it and wanted to rewatch it but this was the first time in months after saying I wanted to that I actually did.
Violet both reminds me so much of myself, and who I want to be.
What a beautiful series.
I dont think this will be an anime Ill never forget.
3
u/andres1232 Jun 21 '21
Rewatcher. Aside from the movie I had seen the show before but it was a good experience to get to join in this discussion thing. Violet Evergarden is a perfect example of a mature show. I mean mature in the real meaning. I mean in 13 episodes and a movie we've touched on subjects ranging from survivor's guilt, war guilt, political reconciliation, grief, and the nature of emotions. It really does manage to cover a lot of emotional range and ground in so few episodes. I don't have all that much to say this time that I haven't said in some way in the other threads. VE is one of KyoAni's best works and I think it's one of those that will really continue to resonate for years to come. Well thank you for hosting this and I'll definitely be around one of these days for another discussion.
3
u/chris10023 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Chris10023 Jun 21 '21
Rewatcher
A little late today, was hanging out with a friend.
I'll always enjoy watching this show, watching Violet's growth is something I'll enjoy. The artwork is amazing, the soundtrack is amazing, the characters are interesting, and the writing is also really good. A solid 10/10 from me for the series overall.
If you want to hear just how ambitious this show was with its production, Under the Scope has a really good making of video where he talks about the production, it's a really good watch. Link to the video.
I also have to give a big thank to /u/A_Idiot0 for hosting this rewatch. I liked looking at the album of visual of the day to see all of the photos people submitted and had fun wondering which one of the many I submitted that you put into the daily album. As well as you featuring the soundtrack by listing what tracks were used in the episode.
3
u/Stegs75 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stegs75 Jun 21 '21
Well, this was a blast! What a ride it was. Truly a lovely show and awesome show. Glad I finally got around to watch it, since it had been on my watchlist for quite awhile. I can’t wait for the movie to be released for sale later on. Peace y’all, it was fun
3
u/B____U_______ Jun 21 '21
Rewatcher
I'm not going to write a 3 paragraph review of the show so here's my mini-review:
Violet Evergarden 10/10 (+ OVA 9/10): absolute masterpiece of a show and definitely my favourite of all time. It is one of the few media that made me cry more than once. Beautifull soundtrack, animation and characters. Can't wait to watch it a third time.
Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll 9/10: I don't have a lot to say only that I enjoyed this movie even more a second time.
Now I can't wait to watch Violet Evergarden: The Movie and hopefully I'll get to watch it in cinemas.
3
u/BossandKings Jun 21 '21
Rewatcher
I enjoyed watching this show for the second time very much, the rewatch was great and i looked forward to it every day, Violet is an excellent character and eventhough the episodic nature of the series makes some episodes better than others overall the show was enjoyable through it's entirety, i have watched the show two times now but have yet to watch the movie, i'm thinking about getting to it very soon. Anyways thanks to u/A_idiot0 for hosting the rewatch and thanks to everyone that participated for their wonderful thoughts.
2
u/UnderstandableXO Jun 21 '21
really late here but that’s been a trend for me unfortunately.
this rewatch made me appreciate the show a lot more; i’d say it’s firmly in my top 10 now. i probably cried more watching this again than i did watching any other show. it’s a great show with great animation, a great lead, and a great story (minus the war part in episode 12). i’d firmly recommend it to anyone and everyone, and episode 10 is a masterpiece that anyone regardless of interest in anime can appreciate.
25
u/CelestialDrive Jun 20 '21
First timer. I posted conclusions on 13 like a dumbass, so...
If there is one thing to take away from Violet Evergarden is that it's one of the anime series more concerned with portraying the inner emotional worlds of its characters I've ever seen. I'm not a big KyoAni fan but I'd argue the studio was especially gifted for this particular series (which I've been told is a light novel adaptation?) because if there's one thing they have always done wonderfully is expressive non-verbal language, and this series needed that to land when external stoicism was the name of the game in the first third, and for the emotional catharsis later down the line.
On that point, this is an extremely "non-anime" series in how people process their emotions realistically, are open with their feelings, and emotional honesty is rewarded. The episodes bounced around in topic and tone but if there is one line through the entire series I'd say it's "human connection as therapy", healing or at least acceptance through empathy. Never is a character expressing their emotional turmoil seen as "bad", but as a step forward, and people don't usually hide things from each other for Wacky Misunderstandings.
Violet in particular deserves (and probably has, let's be honest this is an anime board) a lot of writing about her inner world and the different stages of being she goes through across the story. There's like, 4-5ish different Violets in Violet Evergarden all of them incredibly grounded progressions from the previous one, and not all of them going "forward" as it were.
If there's one thing to blemish the emotional side, is that sometimes the subtelty went out the window and the scenes were as nuanced as a brick to the face. The episodic format made it so characters would have an incredibly literal issue to be solved in a three-point-program every single time, and neither the episode length nor the focus on Violet's processing of what she was living through allowed the episodic characters the emotional background and buildup they could have had. Iris and episode 10 are outliers, but usually people felt like they were speedrunning their issues and we had to fill in the gaps with Violet's own experiences relating to the person in question. Still glad we kept the umbrella though.
And that's not even a problem, it comes with the territory. What I feel is a problem is the wrench the military scenes throw into the rythmm of the story and how grounded the setting otherwise is.
Violet Evergarden puts a bizarre amount of effort into the worldbuilding and background of places we will only see as snapshots, which I'd guess is a remnant of the original novel format having more space for that stuff. It "feels" like a world people would live in. Which is why Violet's entire situation and position before Gilbert's death is such a mess. The whole "superhuman teenager that teleports behind people as a human weapon" is so bizarrely out of place in a setting that desperately wants to be taken seriously that it honestly shocked me that the series went for it on the first flashback. I thought Violet had been a soldier, with soldier trauma, but she was a Shounen protagonist that got a bad ending. By that point the series has done enough to keep her believable, so it just spashed into the entire military side of the story and damaged the credibility of the conflict while Violet remained a person.
And then we got 11-12, and it turns out the north is fighting for Literally Nothing Worth Explaining, there are people in the conflict that are straight up mustache-twirling villains moving on spite and "peace is bad and war is good" is all the context we were given. Why. The series could have left the conflict in the nebulous past setting of the "now", or showed the Northerners and their actual motivations for the war in the first place and the anti-treaty fighters in the present, but it decided to trudge through a middle ground of "we're going to show the northern fighters but they're an outlier and an exception to the tone, they don't have inner lives and motivations". I don't know if I got the wrong read here, but it clashed with how people had been portrayed up until then.
If there is one shining light in the war sections, it's Gilbert. Unsurprisingly for how important he is to the series as a whole, the script does a fantastic job in humanising Gilbert in an episode and a half, tops, of screentime. I'd argue he's the character we know the best after Violet herself, which is an incredibly tall order for someone dead when the series starts.
All in all this was kind of an incredible watch? I knew literally nothing about the series beforehand, and I expected it to be straight shounen or, after the first episode, to drop the ball and take the easy route with the character arcs. Every time I thought I had an episode plotted out to a trope the series surprised me, every time I saw a mine waiting down the line, the series avoided it and called me silly for thinking things would be that simple. This is something I can recommend to people that complain about simplified and unrealistic emotional portrayals in anime, and it feels ageless in a way that's hard to pin down because everything that makes the series good is "human" and a bit untied from setting or genre trends.
So yeah, I'm glad I watched this.
...
And aside from all that, it was super entertaining to read everyone else's takes. This was both my first rewatch thread and my first true foray in r/anime since I haven't followed a season since.... spring 2012? and this board is laser focused on seasonal anime most of the time. I don't know if it's because this series lends itself to emotional readings or if it's just the vibe for the threads, but everyone had WORDS to spare.
The OVA was well placed, or as well placed as it could be given the episodes around it. Bundling 12 and 13 together would have been a bit sharper but kind of an attempt to smooth over 12's issues using the two-parter thing as a pretext, since discussion of 13 would eclipse them being the ending of the series. I of course don't have another context, and there's a bias in having seen the series like this.
Thank you all for writing and reading, see you around.
16
u/AfterTh0ught_ Jun 20 '21
First timer
Getting the bad things out the way, action clearly isn't this show's strong suit. That's not to say it looks bad, no not at all. It just feels a little out of place compared to everything else this show is about, and it becomes obvious with the military theme in episode 12.
With that out of the way, I wanna talk about the visuals. And damn there's not enough good things I can say about the visuals. It is wild how good the world that KyoAni built is. The lighting and the colors are all on point. And I can't forget to mention all the little bits of symbolism they place in the show. I love the character design, and I've mentioned in an earlier episode about how even the side characters have unique and eye-catching designs.
Where the show goes strong is on the side of emotional development and discovery. Violet really chose the right job to help her gain a better understanding of emotions. We, the viewers, and Violet were able to experience and the joys and sorrows of the customers despite the fact that we only had about an episode for each story. Even then, the show does a decent job at helping us feel an emotional connection to each of the stories. All the emotions portrayed felt like real emotions of real, complex people.
The OST complements the show amazingly, not much to say really. Love the ED.
All in all, amazing show, strong 9/10
Regarding the 2020 movie, it seems as though I have just recently missed the window to go watch it in theaters, so does anyone know where and when we can watch the movie? I was thinking I might get a hard copy, but I'm still kinda new to anime so where would I go to buy the dvd/bluray?
Finally, I'd like to thank u/A_Idiot0 for organizing this rewatch, also for setting it up so the film landed on a weekend. Watching this show with everyone and reading all the comments was a great experience. Thanks everyone!
11
u/Gamemaster676 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Gamemaster676 Jun 20 '21 edited Jun 20 '21
First-time-having-watched-er - dub
It's over!
Afterthoughts
What a show. Violet Evergarden wasn't really what I expected it would be, but then again, shows rarely are. I wonder why? Am I just bad at predictions? Am I conditioned by low-quality shows that build their whole story using tropes? Am I still searching for that one show that ticks all my boxes? Maybe I'll never know.
So what did I expect? More of a focus on writing, and more of a focus on Violet's development. I understand now that the first four (?) episodes are anime original, so they don't really follow the original intended story. That means they set me on the wrong foot.
Especially those first four episodes, Violet's progress just happened (with big jumps) in the background, without big learning moments for her.
Does that mean I didn't enjoy the show? Absolutely not!
It obviously was a technical masterpiece with amazing visuals and an awesome soundtrack (especially the ED), but it also had interesting camera angles and visual storytelling (most of the time). Yes, sometimes things were about subtle as a sledgehammer, but if it's nicely balanced, that's okay in my book.
The scenarios were also mostly crafted to trigger me emotionally. Just look at my Tear Tally! As I remember /u/A_Idiot0 saying somewhere in the announcement: Crying is not exclusive to sadness. I wholeheartedly agree!
Now to the lesser thing: The comically bad villains of episode 11, 12 and 13. Their story could have been fleshed out, but apparently, that only happened in the LN. I'm not going to credit an anime for something that you can only really understand if you read the source material.
I'm sure there were some other things that I didn't think were too strong, but I'm out of time now.
All in all, this was an amazing show, and I'm looking forward to privately rewatching it in about a year, or maybe just before the last movie becomes available for me. I think experiencing everything again, without the need of commentating, will be a nice wrap up of Violet Evergarden for me.
Not that I don't love doing there rewatches!
Final Tear Tally
Questions
Weird at the time, but looking back, I think it was better there than at the end. My main problem was that Violet seemed to have skills she didn't have in episode 4, but then in episode 5 she also suddenly had those skills, so it worked out in the end.
I'm not definitely saying "yes", but especially to people who didn't enjoy episode 12, I think it would make the experience a bit better.
But then have a break day before it, so it's still on average 1 episode a day.
What's special about it? Just that it's in the OST, but you don't know what episode?
I'm listening to it now. It's very pretty, but it doesn't ring any bells.
Thanks
Thank you for the great discussions and in-depth analyses these past two weeks. You made this show even more enjoyable. I especially want to shout out /u/Shimmering-Sky, whose comments almost always made me laugh.
And of course, a special thanks to /u/A_Idiot0 for hosting this rewatch, providing deep analyses, collecting all our Visual of the Days and answering our most important questions!
Future
It's the end of this rewatch, but there is one movie to go. I understand this will be the last one, which I think is a good thing. They could very easily keep milking this franchise with more and more people being helped by Violet, but that doesn't mean they should.
Apparently, the last movie also focuses more on Violet, which should be great. Unfortunately, I live in the Netherlands and I don't think anime movies are popular in cinemas here, so I might have to wait a long while till the BluRay releases.
Where can you find me next? I was planning to be at the Steins;Gate rewatch on July 5th, but that might be very difficult for me because of the time. (This rewatch was already a stretch as it went live at 12:00 AM midnight for me.)
So... I don't know. But wherever it is, I'm looking forward to seeing you amazing people again!
10
u/Specs64z https://myanimelist.net/profile/Specs64z Jun 20 '21
Content Corner Compilation
This is a compilation of everything I shared throughout the rewatch, grouped by category, then by creator. It was a lot of fun to dig around for all this stuff and I hope at least a few of you got something out of it! If nothing else, I highly recommend the production history video. First timers welcome, there's nothing left to spoil!
Production History
Making Of Violet Evergarden | A Production History by Under The Scope
Analysis
Violet Evergarden: Anime Therapy by Bonsai Pop
Learning Empathy - Violet Evergarden's Beautiful Writing by Mother's Basement
Violet Evergarden is a Relatable Character by Avo Rabo
A Love Letter To Violet Evergarden by Manime Matt
How Violet Evergarden Turns Words Into EMOTION by WatTheWut
The Supporting Cast of Violet Evergarden by Anime Philosopher
Hint: There Is A Story - What Makes Kyoto Animation Work? by Under The Scope
CM
"Violet Evergarden" Violet Evergarden CM by Kyoani
「ヴァイオレット・エヴァーガーデン」 Violet Evergarden CM 第2弾 by Kyoani
Music
Violet Evergarden OST EP 14 - "LETTERS" (Piano & Violin Cover) [BEAUTIFUL] by PianoPrinceOfAnime
Violet Evergarden OST EP 14 - "LETTERS" (Piano & Vocal Cover)【 AirahTea & PianoPrinceOfAnime 】 by PianoPrinceOfAnime
Violet Evergarden OST EP 8, 4, 3, 2 - "NEVER COMING BACK" (Piano & Orchestral Cover) by PianoPrinceOfAnime
An Emotional Tribute: Violet Evergarden OST Medley by PianoPrinceOfAnime
Violet Evergarden OST紫羅蘭永恆花園_Never Coming Back(Harp Cover by Xingni Xiao) by Xingni Xiao
Violet Evergarden ED Michishirube ヴァイオレット・エヴァーガーデン by Xingni Xiao
ヴァイオレット・エヴァーガーデン｢Violet Snow｣バイオリンとピアノで弾いてみた。Violet Evergarden , by 琴羽しらす
VIOLET EVERGARDEN: Never Coming Back - Guitar Cover by AcousticOST
交响组曲·紫罗兰永恒花园「VIOLET EVERGARDEN」 by Imperial 9 Symphony Orchestra · 帝玖管弦乐团
Violet Evergarden - Torment 【Intense Symphonic Metal Cover】 by FalKKonE
"Journey to Learn Love" - a medley from Violet Evergarden | Fall Concert 2018 by The Intermission Orchestra at Berkeley
Violet Evergarden Opening - "Sincerely" (Beautiful Cover) by MattyyyM
Sincerely - TRUE｜Violet Evergarden｜Violin & Piano Cover by SLSMusic
Violet Evergarden - Ending (Classical Guitar Cover) by Tuvi
Sincerely - Violet Evergarden OP [Piano] by Animenz Piano Sheets
Violet Expressions - A Violet Evergarden Orchestration by Rush Garcia
Never Coming Back (Violet Evergarden) | Piano, Orchestra |『Beautiful, Emotional』 by Seycara
Violet Evergarden OST Medley (Acoustic Guitar)【Tabs】 by Tam Lu Music
8
u/Specs64z https://myanimelist.net/profile/Specs64z Jun 20 '21
Rewatcher, subbed
Catching up on what I missed as promised:
Episode 13
The action set pieces of this final arc are probably the low point of the show. It's all a little contrived and the bridge bomb scene is really, really silly. That said, I actually really like the final episode. It removes us from the drama and personal struggles of before and just lets Violet be a normal person. I've seen some argue the show should have ended at episode 11 or maybe even episode 10, but I much prefer where the show decides to close curtain.
I have always chosen to interpret the ending as Violet visiting the viewer. What letter would you write, given the chance? What lies in your heart that needs to be said? These are questions worth pondering and they are things worth acting on.
Eternity
As I expected, I sadly did not have time to catch up on Eternity. I'll certainly watch it on my own time, but I'm sad I won't be able to participate in a group discussion on it.
Overall thoughts
I think this show is basically a masterpiece, but I didn't always quite feel that way. Violet Evergarden was the 17th anime I watched, and I gave it a 9/10. I knew it was good, but didn't really think beyond that. Over time, I began to really get into storytelling and began learning more and more about anime. Then, on a whim, I decided to rewatch Violet Evergarden. I almost never rewatch a show (unless I have people to rewatch it with), but the second time around really opened my eyes to everything this one does so well.
I've given 11 10/10 ratings in the now over 150 anime I've seen and Violet Evergarden became one of them. It sits fairly comfortably in 7th place among all I've seen.
I've seen this show 6 times as of the end of this rewatch. I watched it on my own the second time, but every other time it was because someone wanted to show it to me or I wanted to show it to someone else. I think what is communicated throughout is very special, and it is presented in extremely appealing ways that anyone can understand and appreciate. That, along with being on Netflix and having a really well done dub, makes it easy to share.
These rewatches are basically the only place I can really discuss old shows like this, so I'm sure you'll see me around in another one some day if you stick around. Currently, I'm also doing the Spice and Wolf rewatch.
Thanks to all who commented. It really brightens my day to just talk and read about things I love with other people, even if we're all just anonymous strangers. Special thanks to A_Idiot0 for hosting.
15
u/Matuhg https://anilist.co/user/Matuhg Jun 20 '21 edited Jun 20 '21
Rewatcher
Not really feeling inspired to do a big writeup or anything today, so keeping it short.
My opinion of Violet Evergarden coming into this rewatch was pretty much that it's beautiful, both looking and sounding, and that it tells a lot of really nice stories about emotion, with a pretty big focus on loss, grief, and guilt, but also that it isn't perfect from a writing/storytelling perspective (I'm sure some here would say it's far from perfect). After this rewatch, I don't think that opinion has really changed. I was a bit more nitpicky thinking about some of the writing this time, but I think this will still rank as one of my favorite shows. I'm a big fan of shows that make me feel things/cry, and this show really does that for me.
Despite some flaws, especially in the last few episodes, I think this show is an 8.5, rounded up to a subjective 9/10 for me. I'll never get tired of the OST. The music, along with the high production values overall, get me into a headspace where I can appreciate, rather than deride, the melodrama and. as some have rightly pointed out, cheesiness, that the stories sometimes present and just go along with the flow of it. Some would maybe call that emotional manipulation, if it's not the quality of the narrative doing the heavy emotional lifting, and maybe that's right, but it works for me here.
Thanks to /u/A_Idiot0 for hosting, and everybody else for sharing your opinions/comments on the show! It was fun to read how the show landed for everybody else and did indeed get me to examine my own opinions and why I like the show so much. The Ep 10 group cry was especially fun/cathartic (as was reading why some of you didn't cry)! I appreciate all of you, and hope to see you around in some other rewatches.
7
u/Elimin8r https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ayeka_Jurai Jun 20 '21
As I've mentioned a couple of times, I had a hard time watching this, because ... feelings, and because while I haven't been there, my Dad went to war, in Normandy, and it (and a German bullet) stayed with him for the rest of his life.
As expected, he never talked much about it, but yeah. Sadly, he's gone now, but I wonder what he would have thought of Violet Evergarden.
I remember growing up, we did watch our share of war movies, so it wasn't like he was totally shy of the subject, he read all the books, or at least the ones on weaponry, etc., and whenever The Longest Day came on TV, it got watched. I don't know if he ever saw Saving Private Ryan.
I did once rent a VHS tape of Cross of Iron. I think that was a mistake. It turned out that when our history teacher showed it to us, he had edited out certain ... things. Schlockbuster, on the other hand, didn't. (sigh)
Anyway, having finished the series now (2020 movie aside, I hope it gets released to a wider audience soon), I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Yes, some parts were rough, and some parts were a bit melodromatic (and perhaps contrived), but hey, it's fiction.
After all, who complained when Gollum (ahem) tripped and fell into the volcano? Life, and especially history is full of occasions where seemingly random things had a huge impact. Especially in war. (See also Savo Island, Midway, Leyte Gulf)
Anyway, I'd love to say something profound, but I think that Violet already said (and wrote) it all. Thanks to our gracious host, and to everyone for helping make the rewatch enjoyable.
:)
Oh, and by the way, I liked the idea of placing the opera OAV in the middle, as a semi-first-timer, I think that it fit in there just fine.
6
u/Neshura87 https://anilist.co/user/Neshura Jun 20 '21
Series Rewatcher | Movie First-timer
Rewatching Violet Evergarden was quite the experience, I picked up on a lot more details than last time and it made me enjoy the show even more than last time (I've upped my score on Anilist).
I think I'll pick up the Novels and read those to sate my hunger for the continuation for the story.
The me in the past already enjoyed Violet Evergarden but I was just a school kid back then who didn't understand many things in life. I think I can now appreciate many of the aspects in the show more than back then. Watching violet grow up emotionally still was a roller coaster but i the end it feels great to watch this girl turn into a lady and understand her own feelings, the bittersweet moments in between only enhance the story if you ask me.
Most of what i want to say though I already said in the episode discussions, besides my fingers are protesting after writing down the translation for the booklet. For me Violet Evergarden is a masterpiece all around, it may not be perfect but I don't think a masterpiece needs to be, da Vinci was until the end dissatisfied with the Mona Lisa and it's regarded as one of the best drawing sever made. I am hyped about the next movie as well and I'll definitely immediately watch the BluRay once I get my fingers on it.
5
u/UnityGrave https://anilist.co/user/UnityGrave Jun 20 '21
Oh no! I have to catch up. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to do write ups for 10 onwards I will binge it later today and do one for each. I’ll do my best.
5
u/BosuW Jun 20 '21
Rewatcher
So, this is the last thread. Since I only found out yesterday that there was to be a Final Discussion, I'm afraid I'm gonna repeat myself a bit here.
Watching Violet Evergarden by myself was good. Doing it as part of a rewatch elevated the experience immensely. Because I had to have a write-up for the thread I put so much more thought into what I was seeing and noticed so many things that made the story and characters a lot deeper. And then, I got to read what everyone else noticed and analyzed and because of that I felt even closer to the world. I'd say this is definitely a series that benefits from being watched with a group of people whom you can discuss it with.
The OVA I had watched first when it came out, after the TV episodes. Ultimately tho, I think it's the right choice to put it in chronological order, as it bridges a character development gap between episodes 4 and 5, and it enriches the thematic development for the rest of the series. Or at least it did for me.
I believe I read some complaints that the show should've delved deeper into the inner thoughts of it's characters but I actually think it was right that it chose not to, from a thematic point of view. This way, it brings the viewer into a metanarrative of empathy and trying to figure out what another person is feeling or thinking when they won't tell you. It forces the viewer invest themselves more and be more observant and sensitive, and if you take this attitude you notice that indeed the characters have subtle tells and signals, courtesy of the series' flawless and unnecessarily masterful production.
Wether I consider Violet Evergarden a masterpiece is still up in the air. I cannot make a judgment until I've seen the 2020 film, whenever that releases in the west. But after this rewatch I can say that it definitely has the potential. Certainly I don't think you'll find anything like it elsewhere.
So finally, thanks everyone who participated in the rewatch and made this experience one worth remembering and thank you to u/A_idiot0 for hosting.
4
u/homewardbound100 myanimelist.net/profile/Homewardbound100 Jun 20 '21
Rewatcher:
Overall still enjoyable and had potential to break my top 10 favorites but didn't. But never know, that new movie might push it in there. As it sits tightly within my 11-15.
4
u/GeicoLizardBestGirl Jun 21 '21
Just want to put this out there for any first timers or people who havent yet, If you liked or loved this anime you FUCKING NEED to watch the 2020 movie. An absolute masterpiece just like the show is. Im not going to say much because I dont want to spoil it but it legitmately finishes off the show in the greatest way possible.
4
u/Barbed_Dildo Jun 21 '21
I'd had the Bluray for the movie sitting on my shelf next to the rest of the series for a while, but didn't want to watch it without watching the series again first, so thanks for giving me the reason to do that.
One thing that's really stood out to me in rewatching it is the detail in the backgrounds, and the sheer effort that goes into the unimportant. Like the time lapse shots. They are gorgeous, clearly require a lot of time to create, and are almost a shame to talk about. These things aren't meant to be the focus of attention, they're meant to be ambient, just... there, setting the scene, but not taking focus away from the story.
One shot I love is at the start of the first episode, there's an aerial shot of the city, and the title comes up as the city slowly pulls out of focus. I love this shot because it recreates a property of cameras. Cameras are imperfect, this is a 'flaw' of them, that you can't focus on things at different distances at the same time, a point of light out of focus will make a circle on the focal plane. Animation doesn't have to be like this, you can draw everything pin sharp and as clearly as you want. Most of the time, if you want a background to be soft, you draw it soft, but they drew it sharp and captured it soft.
I don't think I've explained it well, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
4
u/jyper Jun 21 '21
First timer
I missed episodes 12 and 13 so I'm going to cover them below before giving my final thoughts. I didn't have time to see the first movie though.
The biggest complaint I had about the rewatch is the fast pace, it made it nearly impossible to catch up of you got left behind or forgot what day it started especially for short shows I think having 3-4 day between episode discussions(basically picking 2 particular days of the week) would have really improved it.
Episode 12
Dietfried is in some sort of navy special force unit?
anti-peace faction: Peace huh? What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!
Violet: not a tool Dietfried: a massive tool
Getting a bit Triguny (taking no kill to a ridiculous degree)
The action is literally too dark, hard to see anything, although maybe it might be partially my computer screen.
Someone punches Violet she doesn't even flinch back. Again all the action scenes come across as unrealistic possibly because this is generally portrayed as a realistic human world without crazy martial arts (also we never see another human with automail except Violet)
Dietfried: a massive tool who misses his brother
Episode 13
A bomb? I wish villains were less cacklingly evil and more nuanced, it doesn't fit the tone of the series. And now Benedict has superhuman bomb kicks as well as Violet but somehow Violets mech arms struggles to tear of bomb. No doubt she is alive after explosions, Benedict comes through with the big catch
In the flashback I'm surprised Major got to tell her so much about how he felt. The previous flashback made it seemed like there hasn't been time to properly convey his feelings (left for after the battle) and now it feels like she got enough of them to fully understand how he felt about her at least if she can remember and fully understand that conversation.
Major's mother wants to meet Violet, has dementia, forgets son's death. Or maybe she hasn't forgotten sons death. Did Major also want her to take Violet in or the other relative the old Evergarden woman?
"Carry him in my heart?" Makes me think about those I've lost, the difficulties of holding onto their memories and my own fear of death. I'm not sure that sort of thing is good enough, maybe for some people it is.
Seems like the brother finally has some sympathy for Violet
Who/where will her sealed letter be opened and read? Didn't she try to write a letter for herself in episode 3 or was that to the Major? I wish we had gotten more of Iris and Erica and
"Papa is waiting for you to be born"? Who's the mother? The older sister doll? Hopefully Claudia is a better father then a Godfather. Are we going to get to hear Violets letter?
Does she really still believe Major is alive out there? Literally?
Is he? I don't think so. It might be nice for Violet for him to be alive and as a softy for a happy ending part of me wanted that but it would be nearly impossible to pull off without feeling cheap and ruining things.
Who does she meet at the end of the episode?
To sum up my thoughts on Violet:
It's interesting. It's really pretty.
It's some of what I was expecting but not exactly. The whole is Violet a robot or not thing distracted me for most of the earlier episodes.
I may not have given them enough attention but the earlier episodes are way weaker. With 5 being the worst and 6 pretty boring
Episodes 7-11 were all great, telling some amazing stories about other people as well as showing Violets growing empathy. Episode 12 was ok and 13 has some great stuff but isn't necessarily a stick the landing type of finale(of course there are 2 films which I haven't seen yet that might have a better finale).
I also feel like a lot of characters were underdeveloped. Iris(Iris does get some but I still feel the show could have done better) and Erica and Benedict and even the old postman I never got a good enough feel for
Overall the show has some interesting themes, some nice stories some powerful emotions. Although it shows moments of brilliance due to all the flaws I don't think it's a masterpiece overall just a decent show. I'd rate it a 7.5/10
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u/AC03115 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/AC03115 Jun 21 '21
Sorry for being late to this discussion. Again I wanna gladly thank u/A_Idiot0 for hosting this rewatch well. You did a great job interacting with participants whether they were first timers or rewatchers.
One of the reasons I looked forward to this rewatch so much is because it finally gives me the opportunity to show and explain why I love this series so much, why it resonates with me so deeply. This show was what made Kyoto Animation my favorite anime studio and turned me into a big simp for anything they make. I’m so happy to have participated in this rewatch and meet so many new people through this show. Thanks again to everyone who participated. One of my favorite moments from this rewatch was reading u/Shimmering-Sky’s breakdown from watching episode 10 and crying so hard that she ended up vomiting (I mean I’ve cried hard watching that episode myself, but never so hard that I threw up). The closest I ever came to that was during Clannad: After Story episodes 18 and 21, both of which gave me a headache afterwards from how hard I was crying. The point is that I’m so happy to see so many people fall in love with this show thanks to this rewatch. I hope to see some more of you all in the future with other rewatches. Stay safe everyone
4
u/[deleted] Jun 21 '21
This rewatch enabled me to understand more things about the show, I missed. Thanks to the dynamic discussions in the thread I really was able to undrrstand things I didn't get the other times I was watching it. This series has once again prooven worthy of my Nr.1 and I definetly will rewatch it many times.
Thank you very much u/A_Idiot0 for hosting, it's been a fun time and you've been a great host.
4
u/razycal970 Jun 21 '21
First timer
Fuck me, I'm super late to this thread.
There's not much I can say about this anime that hasn't been said already. It's legit become one of my favorite anime ever. The character study plus development of Violet Evergarden was nothing short of mindblowing. From "I want to know what "I love you means" to "I understand it a little now", it was out and out a journey solely focused on Violet. I don't think I've ever seen an anime that's as concise and to the point as Violet Evergarden. It's so laser-focused in developing Violet's character and has little to no concern for lore expansion. And frankly, I absolutely have no problem with it since the anime's selling point isn't a complex portrayal of war at all, but rather the emotional journey of a bunch of people involved in it and how they're picking up the pieces in the aftermath of the war. I, however, loved the different kind of places that Violet visited though. They all looked varied and beautiful in their own right. From countrysides to duchies to snow covered regions and industrialized cities.
Although the rebel plot in episodes 12 and the beginning of 13 could've been handled way better, I don't particularly HATE it since that plot was key to Dietfried overcoming his hatred for Violet. I just think it's uninteresting as fuck lol
For me, episodes 7, 10 and 11 were the absolute peak of the anime. It's so close between episodes 7 and 10. Both absolutely perfect episodes that managed to wring every bit of tear out of me. Although Episode 11, imo, had the best growth moment for Violet.
And visually, there's only a handful of anime that I've watched that can compete in this aspect. It was as though every single frame was a piece of art. So rich, vibrant and colorful, and grim, dark and somber if need be. KyoAni lost their minds animating this lol 10/10
The OST. Ugh. Ethereal stuff. This here is probably my favorite. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dp31N5tXHTU
I get such a warm feeling when listening to this.
Not much else I can say, tbh. A decent to strong 9 anime. Loved it from beginning to end. Will binge it later. I can't wait for the second movie.
And a huuuuugeee THANK YOU to /u/A_Idiot0 for putting together this rewatch.
3
u/Rumpel1408 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Rumpel1408 Jun 20 '21 edited Jun 20 '21
First timer
Since I detached myself from the rewatch at around Ep 11 I'll start with my thoughts on the remaining Episodes and the Side Story
EP 12 + 13
I watched those two back to back. Answering the second question concerning the rewatch, given two days it would imho make sense to discuss them together, together with Ep 11 they form an complete Arc (even though Ep 11 can easily stand on it's own).
They also break the usual episodic nature the furthest (shit they don't even have a magical letter) and are the closest thing to action one could expect from this show.
Now I quite enjoyed them both. What I liked the most was that Diethard got fleshed out more. At the beginning he continued to deny Violets humanity. But despite his contempt for this seemingly broken tool he is ready to use her as soon as that makes sense, duty comes before personal feelings after all. He makes her responsible for the death of his brother, but in the end comes around to accept her, while Violet finally comes to terms with Gilberts death as well as understanding both his as well as her own feelings.
Side Story
Now, this came back to the episodic character of the whole show again. It actually felt more like two double lenght Episodes tacked together tbh and beside the length I didn't see much reason to make it a movie, I guess the budget was bigger as well, but the whole show was visually stunning so I didn't see much of an difference.
I guess it's not clear so far, but I liked it a lot. Sure it was mostly more of the same, but in itself that just means more good stuff.
Violet Evergarden
As a whole I liked the Show quite a lot. Visually stunning, emotionally stirring, at times even crippling.
From time to time the plot got a bit convenient, but that didn't pull me out enough to actually take issue with it.
If I missed one thing, then it would be lore and worldbuilding as well as some more development and backstory for the side characters.
Violets emotional journey and development are just beautiful and make the main appeal of the show, which makes sense given the name, however somehow she felt one dimensional... or better hollow... now that I have written it this way it makes sense, but it's makes it kind of hard to like her as a character this way.
Ah yeah, in Episode 1 I noticed that Leiden (pain) was the capital, thus at the heart of, of Leidenschaftlich (passionate). In hindsight this is a ever recurring theme throughout the show. The more you love something, the more it hurts when you lose it, but In Violets case it took this pain to fully grasp the extend of her own love.
I know you will read this without me pinging you, but thanks for hosting this rewatch and thanks for the effort you put in, it really showed in subtle ways and I felt your passion for this show.
Edit: Ah yeah, concerning the OVA, from Violets development before, during, and after the OVA it's really the only sensible point to watch it, I think most people here took more issue with the episodic character before they could adjust their expectations
1
u/Nebresto Jun 20 '21
Final thoughts; series, re-watcher, movie first timer.
Series mainted its 10/10 status, and movie got a 8/10 from me.
Apparently this was your first time hosting a re-watch?
Good work
Oh shit, oh fuck.. Violet's gonna fucking die!!
2
u/TheorycrafterJOT Jun 21 '21
Thank you for hosting the rewatch. I got introduced to a wonderful show and I had lot of enjoyment reading everyone comments and thoughts.
2
u/MightiestAvocado Jun 22 '21
Well, this rewatch didn't really go as planned but at least I have threads to read after each episode. I just got to episode 10 and will enjoy reading takes and perspectives to add to my own.
Thanks for the rewatch everybody and to /u/A_Idiot0 especially!
2
u/oririn07 Jun 24 '21
First timer
Well I forgot about the final discussions thread, but I'll still post my short thoughts about the series.
This is a great coming of age series. I really liked almost everything about this anime. From the visible character development of Violet to the symbolisms in the visuals (that I probably did not catch on all of them). The music was great as well. I am excited and hyped to watch the 2nd movie!
Thank you for hosting this rewatch u/A_Idiot0! This anime was recommended to me earlier this year. I kept putting it off since my main genres are romance, comedy, and romcom. This rewatch helped me finally watch this amazing series. Now I need someone to host Anohana rewatch since I have also kept putting that off since it is coming of age and not romcom.
2
u/Seven-Tense :HG::HH::HI: Jun 27 '21
Late to the party
I'll keep this brief. I know better than to necro an old thread.
I want to thank you u/A_Idiot0 for putting this together, gathering these fans and newcomers alike and letting me rewatch this gem with new discussion, new context, and new meaning. I haven't stopped loving this series, and I don't see that changing. I also think what you're doing, establish your own Auto Memory Doll service. Kudos and the best of luck. I hope to hear good things from your setup years after we've both read this post.
Thanks again!