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'Violet Evergarden'—Episode 13

Spoilers ahead.

By BoblobV2Published 5 years ago 4 min read
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The final episode of the series carries on right where the previous left off, with Violet and Dietfried fighting the rebels at the top of the train. The rebels are now composed of only their commander, and the second in command. Dietfried is being shot at, and, using her mechanical arms, Violet protects him. Her arms are shredded bit by bit with every bullet that makes contact with her, and Dietfried then takes care of the two. In the prior episode, the commander had taken the brooch that Violet treasures so much from her, and it was Dietfried that salvages the brooch, handing it over to her afterwards. They are then informed that the bridge that they are traveling through is rigged to blow, and so without wasting any time, they act.

Dietfried tries to stop the train while Violet, along with Benedict, take care of the bombs. Benedict is able to take care of his bomb with ease; however, because of Violet’s shredded arms, she is unable to gather the strength that would allow her to rip the bomb from the foundations. As she is pulling at the bomb, we are treated to a sequence that is very reminiscent of Ghost in the Shell where Major Kusunagi is ripping the control of the drone in the first film. We see every detail of Violet’s arms rip until they become scrap metal, making for a fantastically animated sequence.

With the immediate danger out of the way, they carry on with their journey uninterrupted, and the peace talks proceed without any other complications, finally bringing true peace. We then go right back to work as the Dolls are hard at work to prepare for the first air show that they would be having since the start of the war, something that they were not able to have because of the potential dangers involved at war times. The Dolls are writing letters to celebrate peace, commemorate the dead, and to help people write their wishes on paper, as these letters would be released from the plane all over the city. These letters are not intended for any one person, it is to release your wishes and feelings out into the world.

During this busy time, Dietfried asks Violet to join him in going to the family home so that they would meet his and Gilbert’s mother. His mother is having trouble remembering as a result of her old age, forgetting important details such as the fact that Gilbert is dead, and the reason why she wanted to meet Violet in the first place. However, once she is reminded of all this, she speaks far more candidly. She admits how hard it is to let go of those that are close to you, admits how even though Dietfried says to move on, he himself has yet to do so. During this exchange, Violet is finally able to understand the feelings that she had been feeling inside.

It is the scene following this interaction where we see Violet turn into a complete person. Dietfried gives her her final order, to live. For the first time, we see Violet admit that she no longer needs orders to live her life, and seeing this freedom in Violet, there is the sense that Dietfried himself has found an answer to his feelings deep inside of him. Perhaps the fact that Violet can change and move on while continuing to love Gilbert, shows him, and allows for him, to do the same thing.

As a result of this day's events, she is able to sit down at her typewriter and write a letter of her own that will be released into the city the next day. During the next day, she meets with everyone that she works with at the centre of town and they tell each other what it is that they wrote on the letters, their hopes for the future, their desires, what they are thankful for, and messages intended for those that have passed. Violet’s letter is addressed to Gilbert, and she tells him what has happened in her life since. In this moment, we have a montage of the life that she had led since the war had ended. The places she had gone to the people that she had met. How each of them helped her understand herself a little bit better until she became the person that she is now.

She is able to accept herself and live life as she desires for the first time in her life.

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About the Creator

BoblobV2

Writing about anime, and anything else I find interesting.

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