Violet Evergarden | Anime Review | Pinnedupink.com

Violet Evergarden

Slice of Life anime and Fantasy anime generally branch out in entirely different directions, with the first tending to look at more realistic stories and the latter looking at more magical tales. There are some series that combine the two genres to yield pieces of art as well, but getting the mix just right is no easy task. So even among the few titles that perfected this art, one stands out in how iconic and beautiful it is, with its popularity overflowing worldwide.

Violet Evergarden is a 13 episode TV anime series that aired from the 11th of January till the 5th of April as a Winter 2018 anime. It was produced by Lantis, Pony Canyon, Rakuonsha, and ABC Animation, licensed by Funimation, and brought to life by Studio Kyoto Animation. The primary staff behind the production included Ishidate Taichi (Director, Episode Director, Storyboard and Key Animation), Tsuruoka Youta (Sound Director), Fujita Haruka (Director, Episode Director, Storyboard, Series Production Director and Key Animation) and Takemoto Yasuhiro (Episode Director, Storyboard). The series featured three genres in total, Slice of Life, Drama, and Fantasy. The title was Rated PG-13 for Teenagers or older audiences.

The Anime series is based on the Light Novel series of the same title, which is two volumes long and ran from December 25th, 2015, until December 26th, 2016. The Author was Akatsuki Kana and was aided by the Artist Takase Akiko. Two side stories were released for the series: the one episode Special titled “Violet Evergarden: Kitto "Ai" wo Shiru Hi ga Kuru no Darou” (Violet Evergarden Extra Episode, Violet Evergarden Episode 14, Violet Evergarden Special, The day you understand "I love you" will surely come) on July 4, 2018, and the Movie titled “Violet Evergarden Gaiden: Eien to Jidou Shuki Ningyou” (Violet Evergarden I: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll, Violet Evergarden I: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll, Violet Evergarden Side Story: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll) on September 6th, 2019. A sequel was released in the form of a Movie on September 18th, 2020, titled “Violet Evergarden Movie” (Gekijouban Violet Evergarden). A single episode ONA was also released on May 27th, 2016, titled “Violet Evergarden CM.”

Violet Evergarden is set after the Great War of their world finally came to an end, which had lasted as long as four years, rife with conflict. In the aftermath, the continent of Telesis became fractured into two, but as the series begins, it is slowly starting to flourish once more. The series protagonist Violet Evergarden was caught up in all the bloodshed of the war; in fact, she was a young girl raised for the sole purpose of decimating the enemy lines. In the final parts of the war, she got utterly maimed in a bloody skirmish, after which she got hospitalized and was only left with the words she received from the person she held dear. Unfortunately, she retained no understanding of the meaning these words held.

While Violet is recovering from her war wounds, she starts a new life working at the CH Postal Services following a falling out with her new intended guardian family. Here, by a sheer twist of fate, she comes to witness the workings of an "Auto Memory Doll.” This is an amanuense that is capable of transcribing people's thoughts and feelings into words on paper. She is entirely moved by the notion and commences work as an Auto Memory Doll herself. This is a very peculiar trade, as it will take her on a remarkable adventure, something that will reshape the lives of her clients uniquely and hopefully lead Violet to self-discovery as well.

"As human beings, we all mature physically from childhood to adolescence and then into adulthood, but our emotions lag behind." This is one of the best quotes of the series that viewers really start to think about. Violet learns about these emotions by writing letters for others. The anime starts off with its own original episodes but later merges with the Light Novel’s best chapters just fine. The series is an overall mix of the original work and some standalone episodes. The first half may seem a bit lacking, but the latter half is done really well. Many of Violet’s adventures are elaborated in this half, involving her and the customer, which allows a lot of room for growth as she learns faster on her own. Watching her metamorphosis from someone emotionless to someone very blunt and finally to someone who experiences emotions fully is a thrilling watch. Violet is trying to find the meaning of "love," but the uniqueness lies in her learning other feelings in the process as well. The pacing is a little off, but this is due to covering an entire adventure within one episode. Regardless, there are flashbacks and details provided to introduce the customers.

Some parts of the novel are left out, like the witchcraft concerning Violet’s giant battle-ax. She is more pacifistic, and this helps to emphasize her growth more. This did, however, make the fight scenes seem off. The technological and cultural differences are there, but these won’t bother viewers as much. Violet is also portrayed as overpowered on the battlefield, and sometimes her adventures unfold just too conveniently. Some parts of the novels were excluded, which could have improved the anime, like Hodgins visiting Violet at the hospital, building their parent-child relationship. Violet's origins are also not deeply explained, letting viewers assume she became emotionless due to her army days.

Violet Evergarden mainly revolves around Violet herself, with her having the most remarkable growth and development. She goes from having blind obedience to kill to developing a conscience that can heal, making the difference between her past and present self crystal clear. Her blunt and fearless personality doesn't make becoming a Memory Doll easy, but she learns to adapt as the story goes on. Many things change, from her military salutes to her formal language to her expressionless face. These subtle details of growth are beautifully portrayed in the anime. The other characters lack development, unfortunately, like Hodgins, Cattleya, and Benedict. This is inevitable since the story mainly focuses on Violet and her customers.

The Art and Animation of Violet Evergarden is genuinely the best aspect of the series. The facial expressions are incredible, and the landscapes are stunning, like the scenes of the brilliant starry night, street lamps, and the city of Leiden overall. The series also uses many flowers throughout the narrative, and it significantly contributes to the beauty of the anime. Flowers are a vital theme of the story as well, and many characters are named after flowers. At times, it may seem like they put a lot of emphasis on scenes that aren’t really a big deal. Even so, these scenes are exceptional works of art that truly bring out the artistic perfection of the series.

The Sounds of Music of Violet Evergarden are really well done. The Opening theme is "Sincerely" by TRUE, and the Ending themes are "Michishirube" by Minori Chihara and "Believe in..." by Aira Yuuki. Both of these are a nice watch and listen. The OSTs are decent, at times lasting too long and in some cases not suiting the situation. Regardless, these are overall enjoyable.

Violet Evergarden is a truly unique series, an emotional storyteller that gives viewers a reason to remember it. The immersive story and Violet’s journey of discovery are a great watch. It is likely to bring out some tears and is definitely worth a watch. If anything, the sheer stunning visuals, art, animation, and unique story make it recommendable to almost any type of Anime fan, proving to be an enjoyable watch.