Violet Evergarden

I was looking for something, something new and exciting. I had just come off the emotional ride that was AnoHana and tried to find something, anything, that could make me feel like AnoHana did. Up to that point, it had been the most emotionally impactful show i had ever watched. Could anything live up to it, or even exceed it? I scoured the internet and discarded show after show, almost arbitrarily, on the basis of how they looked, their plot descriptions, even their names, because i knew i needed something special, and i needed it right then. I narrowed down the competition to two or three series. At that point i had already been hunting for two full days, and it was getting late. I chose at random. I chose correctly.

If I had to pick a single word to describe Violet Evergarden, i would have to use the word that I have never, ever used to describe a piece of media uptil now. 'Perfect'. Violet Evergarden is a showcase of beauty in all its forms. The art style and animations in this show must have been created for only one purpose: to dazzle the audience with its brilliance. The OST composed by Evan Call is one of the most emotionally impactful soundtracks I have ever listened to. But the greatest beauty comes from the story and characters.

I will now introduce you to Violet. As the name of the show suggests, Violet is the main protagonist of the series. Most anime have a main character who is vibrant and cheerful, who goes out and about and has some grand goal. Violet does not. If someone watched only the first few episodes, I wouldnt blame them if they called Violet bland or inhuman. That is because she is. Violet was a child soldier, a weapon for war, a mindless killing machine, a tool. She has no grasp on human emotion whatsoever and no attachments to any particular person. Except for one. In the middle of the war, she was given into the hands of Major Gilbert, who saw her for what she was: a child. He tried to care for her as best as he could, but as war was still raging, he had no choice except to send her into combat time after time. The climax of the war came.

A grand city under siege.

Major Gilbert and Violet on a stairwell, both severely wounded.

Bombs started falling.

Raspy words, whispered from the lips of Gilbert.

"I love you."

Nothingness.

The war was now over. Violet found herself in a hospital, metal prosthetics where her arms used to be. Waiting for new orders from her Major. Contemplating the words he had spoken to her. "I love you". What could they mean? She had no concept of love. All she did was follow orders. What could they mean? What is 'love'?

This is the driving force of her character. She is an almost inhuman doll of a person, trying to find the meaning of love.

The war having ended, she now has no purpose. She finds herself unable to adapt to a world where she isnt ordered around, ordered to kill. She doesn't even know the fate or whereabouts of her Major. After being placed in a postal company, she witnessed the work of so-called "Auto Memory Dolls". Women who put the feelings of other people onto paper and into letters. For the first time in her life, she makes her own choice. She wants to become an Auto Memory Doll herself, in the hope that she would be able to learn what Major Gilbert meant when he said "I love you".

Violet initially finds herself incapable of seeing the nuance and subtext, the emotions hidden behind the words people speak. But as she travels the world in her role as an Auto Memory Doll, her grasp on emotions begins to strengthen. Violet herself takes on more colour, evolving in a wonderful way, she and her letters leave an impact on the people she meets.

Uptil now, I have merely presented you with some tidbits about the story and the main character, roughly structured into some paragraphs. I do not feel like i am representing the story well enough. Maybe I, like Violet, have problems recognising the emotions I myself feel and putting them down on paper. Maybe I am still confused about my feelings on this series. Maybe Violet Evergarden just defies being summarised into this kind of format; half review, half mad ramblings of someone who loves the series to death. It has affected me deeply. Even on second watch-through, just 2 weeks ago, I have shed tears on multiple occasions. I am not a man whom one can make cry easily. I have never cried at a funeral. I have never cried because a pet died. I have, however, cried at multiple occasions while watching Violet Evergarden.

To try and sum my feelings up more neatly, let me say that this anime has evoked emotions in me that no other form of media has ever produced. The stellar characters feel more realistic than real life. The amazing OST underlines the events of the story flawlessly and adds a lot to the atmosphere of the show. The Art and Animations are nothing like I have ever seen before, or probably will again.

I give this anime a perfect 10/10. Thank you, Kyoto Animations, for producing this piece of art, the likes of which i have never seen before.