Just finished watching the Violet Evergarden Movie on Netflix

Omg

It was so beautiful

I cried like every five minutes but it was soooo worth it

NO ONE WATCHED THE VIOLET EVERGARDEN MOVIE EYE-

Quote from ClementineRuby

i hate violet evergarden , tbh. it's so weird to me that it gets away with normalizing a pedophilic relationship. i used to be obsessed with it though.

Where did you see a pedophilic realtionship in Violet Evergarden?

Did we see a completely different movie and show lol. She is fully an adult when they meet again to profess their love. (Even this we don’t actually know if it was romantic we can only assume) And prior to that they had no romantic attachment.

In fact so far in the series it’s never implied either the general nor violet ever show any sort of romantic or sexual interest in each other or in general to anyone at all. I would go so far as to say they’re even asexual because of their trauma.

Quote from ClementineRuby

My understanding of Japanese literature leads me to assume that's what the original author and creators of the anime intended. The Japanese language itself doesn't use obvious syntax, and so love of all kinds is expressed subtly. Of course, I'm not Japanese, so I could likely be wrong, but if you were to ask a person raised within Japanese culture, I think they would agree with me. Also, if you read the original novels, you'll notice bits and pieces where the captain expresses "fondness" for Violet in a particular way. Additionally, I doubt so much of Violet's journey to understand and accept her emotional side would include so many people with stories involving romance that the creators' didn't intend for those developments to lead up to the development if Violet's relationship with the captain wasn't within the same context. I've seen the show and read the novels; haven't watched the movie, and if you admit to the possibilty of them expressing romantic love only after Violet ages to a point of acceptable maturity, then it would still be very abnormal. They met when she was a child, and when you meet a child only to later fall in love with her, then that's much better. Finally, I don't see what other category you could place their relationship in. Family? Friends? I wouldn't wear a pendent around my neck because it reminded me of a person's eye color unless I was in love with them. Plus, the music involved in their scenes together is the sort used within romance-centered animes. idk what else to tell you.

It would not be abnormal because no romantic love existed between them when they were together when she was still 14.

There are many years in between then and when they meet again. Hence no grooming or anything.

Violet fostering a romantic love for the general would still not make it pedophilic. So all the romance inspired interactions she has feeds into her ideal of first love. Lots of ppl have crushes and first loves for people older than them. It would be pedophilic or problematic only if that was returned by the general while she was still a child.

AGAIN the general being Violet’s first love doesn’t make it pedophilic. The adult has to indulge the love when she’s still a child for it to be so.

The general never behaved romantically with Violet in the anime while he was taking care of her…. you’re implying it was so in the books but I would not know the context there.

I know how Japanese media works. If they wanted the relationship to be romantic from the start whether it’s incest or pedophilic then it would be blatant and obvious. Japanese media has never shied away from it hence the proof that nothing about this relationship was ever pedophilic.

Anyway this is all your interpretation and you’re entitled to it.

For me it was neither pedophilic nor abnormal. And people who see it that way are more weird because of projecting sexual intent in situations which never were but that’s my stance on this.

Quote from ClementineRuby

so if a man meets a girl when she is 12 years old and then reunites with her when she is an adult and falls in love with her, it's not weird? If i met the men i knew who were in their 20s when i was a child when im in my 20s, and they fall in love with me, i would consider that incredibly disturbing. there are exceptions to japanese media in the way certain concepts are presented to the viewer, particularly when it comes to the content that becomes exceptionally popular. other animes aren't a testament to how violet evergarden fleshes out its content. Also, about the"projecting sexual intent" statement; im a child myself, so i can't exactly be reflecting any personal desire to watch or read about a pedophilic relationship. Again, i would rly suggest u read up on the japanese language and the way it impacts the country's sociology. I took a classical japanese literature course, and the books i read were quite similar to violet evergarden.

If there are many years in between and they didn’t groom you, it’s not weird. Why would it be weird. This seems to be a you problem. but you’re really young so maybe that feeds into your distaste. I can’t pass any judgment on that. If my first love came back to me now I would be thrilled. No doubt about it. And he would be good ten years older than me. But I’m an adult now and it would not matter to me.

Anyway your interpretation of something that didn’t happen based on your perceived understanding of Japanese media is definitely a you thing.

I’m very aware of many cultures of the world and esp Japanese and have followed Japanese media for as long as I can remember. So prolly longer than you’ve been alive (If you’re a younger teen lol)

Quote from ClementineRuby

i forgot to mention, but in an early episode of the show, the princess character charlotte marries an adult man while she is 14. So even considering the chance that gilbert and violet's relationship wasn't romantic until violet was old enough, the show itself is still accepting of unethical relationships between minors and adults.

You must not watch anything historical then. I don’t think this is valid criticism. Again you’re entitled to it. But it’s not valid.

Historically teenage girls married older men. It’s how the world was. Is it something that needed to change? Yes. And we are the better for it. And society has come a long way.

But will historical stories still have these relationships? Yes they will. That is the past.

Yeah for me if violet was still 14 and the major 30 I would not have watched it even if it was historically accurate cuz that’s not the story I like. Even while reading historical romances I like my heroines older.

However side characters been shown in such relationships as was the norm for that time personally does not take away from the story for me.

But you know this is something that’s up to everyone’s interpretation.

If it’s something that would make you uncomfortable and I esp understand that it would make minors uncomfortable, I would suggest indeed to stay away from the show.

Quote from ClementineRuby

Your argument against my statements is that I'm "too young to understand it" and that all of my problems with the show is a "me thing," which are always attempts to undermine a person's credibility without having to rationally debunk any of their claims. And i could very easily flip those sentences around anyway. Your positive interpretation of violet and Gilbert's relationship is just a "you thing." And my understanding of japanese culture comes from rigorous academic coursework. You might have been alive to watch the first godzilla in theaters, but i bet that i still know more about concepts such as Kokoro or Miyabi more than you, and again; violet told charlotte (a teenaged character), that being in love with an older man is okay, and that such relationships can work out; which is completely immoral. look, i didnt mean to seem judgemental; your taste in art is your taste art, but the show still contains objectively indecent material. Anyway, i think ive written as much as i want to about unscrupulous relationships between men and young women. Happy all soul's day or whatever you and your culture celebrate.

No it’s not because you’re young. In fact I assumed you were an adult with my first response. Your stance is not a universal stance or something that’s valid considering the historical context of the story. For me it lacked nuance and depth.

It also incorporates your personal interpretation of japnese media.

Hence why it’s a “you” problem. Nothing to do with age at all.

I respect teenagers a great deal.

But It’s a you problem regardless of whether you’re an adult or a child.

For example I would not call everyone in Ancient Rome a pedophile but the cultural things that existed then would definitely be viewed as problematic now and that’s how I would view historical media. If you wish to view historical stories through the lens of modern morality, I would only say it’s a “you” problem and your understanding needs more nuance.

Again nothing to do with your age. You brought up your own age. I don’t care for it. I brought up mine to justify my stance. In that my interpretation also comes from a place of experience. Like how you kept emphasizing your academic training. It was to give authenticity to me and not to put you down.

To clarify : the claim that was brought up in this thread do exist in the story. Not for the major and violet in my personal opinion but certainly it’s implied that other relationships between a minor and an adult existed within the world of the anime.

For me it wasn’t problematic because I don’t view historical stories through the same lens of morality as I do modern stories or even fantasy stories.

But if such things would indeed not sit well with you even in the background I would not watch this anime indeed.