Violet Evergarden is one of those shows I've been told countless times of, with glowing review, but has sat unwatched on my Planning list (due to pure volume). I knew not much other than it has beautiful art, and a story that many I know found compelling. But I finally got to watching it, and throughout the episodes, I haven't regretted it once.
One episode in, and I knew I'd be in for a roller coaster of feelings. The emotions this show has forced me to feel have done so much good for me. Whilst many of the anime I watch are a form of escapism, Violet Evergarden has been a brutal grounding of my feelings. It hasn't made me happier, but it has made me, more whole. At each turn, with each and every character, Major or minor, the series was densely packed back-to-back with gripping hooks that left me both thinking and feeling.
The show barely thinks to pull any of it's punches. I was often left at the ends of episodes in tears, each time due to another unique and compelling reason. Experiencing the grief and unbridled sadness conveyed through Violet, both with and without her being self-aware, struck me in ways I'm not sure I've been moved to feel by many, if any show(s) before.
Even with the arguably short time given in their world, Violet Evergarden doesn't waste a second, as it powerfully conveys the feelings, thoughts, emotions and trauma of not just Violet, but the people she works with, and potentially more importantly, the people she works for. The parallel nature of a letter delivery company and the conveying of emotion is a perfect narrative choice which completely empowers the story to develop and realise Violet's emotional intelligence time after time.
This show resonated with me in a way I did not think possible. It is everything I was told it would be, and more. I'm convinced it is one of the few shows I would recommend to anyone. It sits on the top shelf of my ratings, as a show which moved me immensely, and dug a way into my own soul that few pieces of media ever have.
Violet Evergarden gives clear guidance not just to it's protagonist, but through her to us. To acknowledge the burdens, and the burns, and yet carry on with their scars. To not hide from the sadness and trauma, but accept it's existence and push forward. Violet Evergarden broke me down and then built me up in a matter of minutes, in ways that will have me changed forever. And I'm glad.
In all aspects that mattered to me, this show excelled beyond anything I could have asked for. My only regret is that I may never experience how it moved me again.
35.5 out of 36 users liked this review
