Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Violet Evergarden: The Movie Blu-ray Movie Review

Violet Evergarden: The Movie is a romantic-drama continuation of the popular hit anime. Adapted from the light novel series created by Kana Akatsuki, Violet Evergarden: The Movie is a feature-film that was designed as a follow-up and sequel to the Violet Evergarden series. Featuring animation from acclaimed production studio Kyoto Animation (Beyond the Boundary, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya), Violet Evergarden: The Movie was distributed by Shochiku and the film became a big box-office hit when released in Japan – generating over 20 million during the theatrical release. Featuring the voices of Yui Ishikawa and Daisuke Namikawa, Violet Evergarden: The Movie is a compelling continuation of the series and one that fans won’t want to miss out on.

Violet Evergarden (Yui Ishikawa) has had a life on a long and winding road with many unexpected turns along her unique journey. After spending time as a youth as an Auto Memory Doll, Violet finds herself continuing to be drawn to document her thoughts and feelings in letters. The words on a page are meaningful to Violet.

Now with the return of Gilbert Bougainvillea (Daisuke Namikawa), Violet is overwhelmed and finds herself at a total loss for what to say. Yet the magic of writing might be the answer Violet seeks to expressing the feelings of her heart. Can words express the longing of a heart?

The Violet Evergarden series is one that is gifted with a great cast of characters. This is one of the most important elements of the series and the feature-film manages to continue to explore the wonderful cast. The exceptional character designs for Violet Evergarden: The Movie are by Akiko Takase (Violet Evergarden, Violet Evergarden I: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll).

The character designs are some of the best that can be seen in a modern anime production. The designs are beautiful and are enormously well done. A fantastic showcase for these characters. The journey of Violet Evergarden is one that brings an enormous amount of depth to the character and her journey. Audiences will find the heart of the character one of the most compelling aspects of the film and in exploring this, the film takes flight.

The animation is visually stunning and this is one of the best elements of Violet Evergarden: The Movie. The film has exceptional animation ushered in with art direction by Mikiko Watanabe (Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, Violet Evergarden) and animation direction by Akiko Takase (Violet Evergarden, Violet Evergarden I: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll). The feature-film also features additional art from Mutsuo Shinohara (A Silent Voice, Sound! Euphonium).

The team of animators involved in the film production managed to create a visually lavish world that expands upon the original style of the television series and has become even more ambitious in scope. The animation is phenomenal, rewarding the senses with stunning vistas. The animators did a great job bringing to life the storyboards by Taichi Ishidate (Violet Evergarden, Clannad).

One of the most effective elements of the production is the sound direction. The sound direction for Violet Evergarden: The Movie was phenomenal. The film has an enormously engaging Atmos sound design and under the sound direction of Yota Tsuruoka (Arakawa Under the Bridge, Beyond the Boundary), Violet Evergarden: The Movie achieves a stunning audio-canvas to explore the time and world of these characters.

The cinematography by Kōhei Funamoto (Violet Evergarden, Beyond the Boundary) is first-rate and one of the best achievements in recent anime productions. The cinematography is sophisticated: creating a tapestry of color and light that achieves a stunning visual effect. The visuals shine bright here and there is plenty to appreciate about the efforts of Funamoto. Funamoto has a good background working within both television and feature-film productions and the effort here is something that plays a significant role in the storytelling – after all, film is a visual medium and Funamoto delivers some of the best visuals in the Violet Evergarden stratosphere to date.

The score composed by Evan Call (Violet Evergarden, Midnight Occult Civil Servants) is incredible ad one of the most enjoyable elements of the film. Composer Call provides an evocative and moving score that can help bring one to tears. The music provides a great backdrop to the romantic elements of the story. Moving and emotional, the score hits the right notes.

Written by Reiko Yoshida (Girls und Panzer, K-ON!), Violet Evergarden: The Movie does what some might consider impossible. It expands on the exceptional anime series and finds a way to build something that fans of the series won’t be able to ignore. The story is well-written and the main characters are at the heart of the tale. Yoshida is a strong storyteller in bringing this tale to life. This makes the experience much more rewarding.

Taichi Ishidate (Beyond the Boundary, Violet Evergarden) directs. Expanding on the hit series, Ishidate returns to the world of Violet Evergarden by making something that is uniquely special with a strong scope and sense of ambition. The production is well developed in nearly every facet of the film – a testament to the wonderful efforts of Ishidate as a filmmaker. Every scene has a sense of unique framing and scope. The director understands the tale and the elements that are necessary for the experience to be all the more profoundly engaging. Violet Evergarden: The Movie taps in to the great strengths of the anime series and builds on what came before. The results? One of the best modern series-to-film sequels. No Violet Evergarden fan will want to miss this special and deeply moving film.

Violet Evergarden: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Crunchyroll, Violet Evergarden: The Movie is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the theatrical aspect ratio of 2.39:1 widescreen. The release features an impressive and colorful encode of the feature-film. The stunning animation looks remarkably crisp, detailed, and engaging on the 1080p Blu-ray disc. The release does not include the same high quality HDR (high dynamic range) presentation as is found on the simultaneously released 4K UHD release of Violet Evergarden.

The standard Blu-ray looks similarly impressive to the 4K UHD release but the 1080p image is a little less crisp and detailed looking compared to the 4K UHD counterpart. For those who are not equipped with 4K UHD displays, the Blu-ray release still offers a pleasing presentation with good color reproduction and detail – it's just a bit less robust looking by comparison. Those with 4K UHD televisions and players should consider opting for the 4K UHD/Blu-ray combo pack instead.

Violet Evergarden: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The audio is presented in Japanese (with English subtitles) and English. The Japanese language audio track is the preferred version for the feature- film presentation for those who prefer to experience watching Violet Evergarden: The Movie with the original language track. The audio quality sounds crisp and clear on the release. However, the sound dynamics are not as robust and engaging as with what is found on the 4K UHD counterpart (which includes a more engaging and immersive sounding Dolby Atmos sound mix). Those equipped with 4K UHD players and Atmos sound systems may prefer the sound quality and experience of the 4K UHD disc to the standard Blu-ray counterpart. Nonetheless, the sound quality is reasonably engaging on the Blu-ray release and should satisfy all but the most ardent of audiophiles.

Violet Evergarden: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

On disc extras include:

TV Spots (HD, 5:16)

Trailers (HD, 3:17)

Violet Evergarden: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Violet Evergarden: The Movie is an incredible achievement in animation. The feature-film expands on the Violet Evergarden anime series and offers something that is uniquely rewarding for fans of the television series. The series was one of the best modern anime series I have seen and the film is a breathtaking accomplishment that finds the right ingredients to expand the tale. The animation is enormously rewarding and every facet of the art shines bright.

The Blu-ray release offers a respectable presentation of the feature-film but it is not as strong as the 4K UHD disc presentation. For those equipped with 4K UHD displays and players, the 4K UHD is the best option and the way to go (especially given the 4K UHD combo pack includes a standard Blu- ray copy of the feature-film). The 4K UHD offers a more impressive HDR presentation. The Blu-ray is still worthwhile for fans who are not equipped with the latest 4K UHD technology. Recommended.