Violet Evergarden: Recollections

Violet Evergarden is one of the greatest anime ever made. It contains one season, two one-shots, and a movie. Recollections is designed to condense that first season into ninety-five minute recap film. But Evergarden never needed a recap. It's not a long show, and there wasn't much (if any) fat to cut. In the original, Violet ventures out each episode to help a different client express their true feelings in the form of a letter. The scenarios are creative, beautiful, and often touching, but what matters is how Violet learns from them. She gradually comes to understand the meaning of love by seeing it reflected in herclients, and that helps her reconcile her tragic past. Seeing Violet grow into a fully realised human is part of what makes the show so remarkable. Spread among the one-shots are episodes focused on Violet's relationship with her beloved Major Gilbert - these are the 'important' bits, but it's the one-shots that make them work. Recollections cuts most of it. The two introductory episodes are crammed into thirty minutes, and then we watch three of Violet's most popular assignments, largely unchanged (though they are all shortened). Gilbert's storyline is edited down into a nine-minute sequence which will no-doubt confuse first-time watchers. The original show's two-episode finale is totally thrown out, and in order to avoid any inconsistencies, the character of Dietfried - Gilbert's brother - is thrown out too. The result is a rushed and disjointed experience. None of the characters (especially Violet) feel well-rounded because all their quiet, contemplative moments were cut. None of the emotional beats are given the time they need to settle. Before you can process one heart-wrenching scene, you're whisked along to the next. Recollections is inferior to the original in every way. At best, it's a excuse for existing fans to revisit some of the show's best moments. But the idea of a first-timer choosing to watch this is all sorts of horrifying. Please don't do that. Just watch the original.