Violet Evergarden Film Delayed from Original January 2020 Opening

Another sad news of a delayed anime film opening: the official website for the Violet Evergarden movie has just announced that the originally announced January 10, 2020 opening will not push through. The production committee has stated that production work for the movie is still ongoing, and they will announce the new premiere date once everything has been finalized. Given the harrowing tragedy that struck the studio, it is more than understandable that this delay is happening.

Director Taichi Ishidate, who directed the anime series, returns to direct the film. Script will still be handled by Reiko Yoshida, character design and chief animation by Akiko Tase, and music will still be composed by Evan Call. The film will be taking place several years after the war that killed Gilbert Bougainvillea, the man she loved. As the world is slowly becoming peaceful, Violet Evergarden finds a certain letter.

On the other hand, the Violet Evergarden: Eternity and Auto-Memories Doll side-story has opened in Japanese theaters this Friday as originally planned. The side-story will screen for three weeks instead of the originally scheduled two, showing from September 6 to 26. According to Anime News Network, the side story “centers on Isabella, the heir to a noble house. She attends a school for well-groomed young women, under a “contract” with her father. To her, this beautiful place where white camelias bloom is nothing more than a prison. Having resigned all hope and expectations for her future, Isabella meets her new manners teacher, Violet Evergarden.”

First released as a light novel series written by Kana Akatsuki and illustrated by Akiko Takase, Violet Evergarden won the grand prize in the fifth Kyoto Animation Awards novel category in 2014. It was then published in 2015 by KyoAni’s publishing arm, KA Esuma Bunko, and was then subsequently adapted into a 13-episode anime series by the same studio. The anime series premiered on January 2018 in Japan and in other countries as well via Netflix. The story revolves around Violet Evergarden, a robot who was once used as a soldier in a recently-ended war. She tries to reintegrate into society by becoming an Auto Memory Doll, or robots hired by people to write for them. The series follows her in learning how to become an Auto Memory Doll, understanding the feelings of people and the world around her, and trying to comprehend her former major’s dying words to her: “I love you”.

Source: Anime News Network