Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Violet Evergarden: Recollections’ on Netflix, A Beautiful Way to Revisit a Heartbreakingly Earnest Anime Series With Gorgeous Animation

2022 proved to be an excellent year for Netflix’s anime programming, and the streaming giant snuck in one last surprise near the end of December with the latest installment of the popular Violet Evergarden franchise. Does this brand new Recollections movie keep the ball rolling, or stop things in its tracks? Read on for our full review…

VIOLET EVERGARDEN — RECOLLECTIONS: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Violet Evergarden (Erika Harlacher) grew up as an orphan raised by the state. As such, she worked her entire youth away as a weapon. Because she had little autonomy as a soldier, she cherished the kindness shown to her by her direct superior, Major Gilbert Bougainvillea (Tony Azzolino).

Near the end of the war, the pair were both severely wounded in battle. Both were taken to the hospital to recover, though when Violet woke up, the war had ended, with Gilbert gone and nowhere to be found. With a friendly vet named Claudia Hodgins (Kyle McCarley) taking her under his wing, Violet searches for Gilbert while trying to get used to a life without him. All the while, she works to understand the meaning of his final words to her: “I love you.”

Violet eventually finds employment at the CH Postal Company as an Auto Memory Doll, a ghostwriter that acts as a writer for those who cannot or for anyone who wants assistance sharing their emotions on paper. She learns the trade while working with the others at the CH Postal Company, all the while working to understand the last thing the Major ever said to her.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Viewers will of course be reminded of the other Violet Evergarden film, Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll, as well as movies like Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms. It features a very similar plot thread that involves the horrors of war and its aftermath, as well as the concept of one special person that brings you profound happiness. And what do you know? Both are tearjerkers.

Performance Worth Watching: Erika Harlacher brings a distinct tenderness to Violet that can be heard from the opening line of the movie. Though she is the lead character, she tends to have fewer lines than other, more talkative players in the story due to her nature, but Harlacher makes every moment count.

Memorable Dialogue: “The way I felt when I saw this…this feeling…what is it called?” A disheveled Violet, walking through a night market, finds an emerald brooch that reminds her of Gilbert Bouganvillea’s eyes. It’s a tender scene that reminds us of just how special and important the pair are to each other, and one that will undoubtedly bring tears to your eyes.

Sex and Skin: None. This is more of an emotional tale that relies on pulling heartstrings more than taking clothes off.

Our Take: There are emotional anime movies, and then there’s Violet Evergarden. This film was always meant to serve as a compilation movie to look back on the events of the anime series and tie it all into an easily digestible rewind of everything that took place in the lengthier anime. You’d think it’d be easier to go back a second time for fans who have already taken this emotional ride, but it never gets any less poignant or any more easy to bear.

This is a story about love and the meaning you can take from it from various places. At its core is a search for meaning that many of us as grown adults have yet to understand fully. Watching Violet go from a young girl with a companion at her side every day to a forlorn adult searching for the single person she cherished, trying desperately to understand what may have been his final words ever, is a unique pain.

The series and this beat by beat retelling is a divine yet difficult watch because when it hits its high points, your heart feels like it’s soaring. When Violet breaks down or we see how her search is affecting others related to her plight, we feel it deep inside. It’s a story that you’ll love watching, but it’s so relatable and endearing that you’ll be susceptible to its every tug of the heartstrings. That may be difficult to understand until you watch it, but once you do, you’ll see exactly what we mean.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Whether you already watched the 13-episode Violet Evergarden anime series or you’re a brand new viewer, there’s something to be gained from Violet Evergarden: Recollections. It blends gorgeous animation with tender, heartrending emotion attached to believable and realistic characters and mixes it up with a tearjerker of a journey that Hollywood is insane not to have adapted into its own version by now. Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, so if you need to watch an anime to feel something or want to feel closer to your significant other by way of this “love” Violet wants to understand, fire up this movie on Netflix and let the waterworks rip.

Brittany Vincent has been covering video games and tech for over a decade for publications like G4, Popular Science, Playboy, Variety, IGN, GamesRadar, Polygon, Kotaku, Maxim, GameSpot, and more. When she’s not writing or gaming, she’s collecting retro consoles and tech. Follow her on Twitter: @MolotovCupcake.