Violet Evergarden ヴァイオレット・エヴァーガーデン

2018 winter | Episodes: 13 | Score: 8.7 (1020488)

Updated every Thursdays at 00:00 | Status: Finished Airing

Type: TV

Producers:Lantis | Pony Canyon | Rakuonsha | ABC Animation

Streaming: Netflix

Synopsis

The Great War finally came to an end after four long years of conflict; fractured in two, the continent of Telesis slowly began to flourish once again. Caught up in the bloodshed was Violet Evergarden, a young girl raised for the sole purpose of decimating enemy lines. Hospitalized and maimed in a bloody skirmish during the War's final leg, she was left with only words from the person she held dearest, but with no understanding of their meaning. Recovering from her wounds, Violet starts a new life working at CH Postal Services after a falling out with her new intended guardian family. There, she witnesses by pure chance the work of an "Auto Memory Doll," amanuenses that transcribe people's thoughts and feelings into words on paper. Moved by the notion, Violet begins work as an Auto Memory Doll, a trade that will take her on an adventure, one that will reshape the lives of her clients and hopefully lead to self-discovery. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Voice Actors

Ishikawa, Yui

News

Reviews

mexicancat
10/23/2023, 08:38 AM
After ep.10 I complained about this title to my friend and he told me that Violet Evergarden was written by an 18yo girl. Idk if that's true but it certainly is evident that neither writing experience nor talent went into making this. The protag girl for some reason was intentionally made to be as dull as possible and in absence of any interesting supporting characters this makes the story utterly unenjoyable. What we have then is yet another KyoAni eye candy without substance (alright +1 star for visuals). So for the recommendation part: I would argue that if you're a 10+ year old maleand you have a higher emotional intelligence than that of a hamster, there is not going to be a single second in this that will impress you. Cheers!
MyTrashAnimeList
01/25/2021, 12:31 PM
*I wrote this review a while ago and decided to finally update it to MAL* Violet Evergarden is a story of love and of lost, how do you cope with losing the person whose life filled your own? The playwright who mourns his daughter, the soldier who never came home, the little girl who lost her beloved mother but at the heart of it all though is the girl who wants to know the meaning of the words the major said to her "I Love You" the girl named Violet Evergarden. She can be described as someone with a slightly different sensibility to that of thenormal person. It’s not that she doesn’t have these feelings it’s because she was in a environment where she didn’t learn these lessons in humanity. She possesses these emotions she just doesn’t know how to express them or understand the feelings of others yet but through the people she meets she finds how to improve herself and begins to go through these complex, heavy emotions but the pain she experiences throughout the anime results in her growing as a person and it’s truly beautiful to watch. "I know we said goodbye, but I didn't know. It was forever." - Violet Evergarden Violet Evergarden will always hold a very special place in my heart. No anime has truly touched me so deeply and made me cry so many tears but tears of joy, despair, empathy and so much more that this anime expresses. I got so emotionally attached to Violet and her pain in the search of understanding and accepting her feelings and things that can’t be undone/forgotten. Violet Evergarden in my opinion is a truly emotional masterpiece and I am eternally grateful to experience it. She brings hope and love to people. She brings hope and love to herself. How her letters can bring you so much ~love ~hope ~happiness ~sadness ~bad news Thank you KyoAni for this masterpiece. Hope you enjoyed this review :)
literaturenerd
09/05/2020, 03:47 PM
Violet Evergarden game out in 2018 to near universal acclaim from the online anime community. The premise is…kind of odd. The main heroine is an ice cold, killing machine with supernatural abilities and amnesia. Sounds pretty anime so far. However, her country is now at peace and her days of slaughtering faceless mooks are over. So, she decides to get a career ghost writing love letters in order to learn what love is like. The way to get a 9.00 rating on MAL is apparently to mix Elfen Lied with Cyrano de Bergerac. What this anime is actually about though is a robot created solely forcombat learning to become human and develop a heart. Have you seen Terminator 2? Have you seen the Iron Giant? Good, you’ve basically seen Violet Evergarden! My favorite version of this character journey is the Xenosaga trilogy in which the battle android Kos-Mos develops over 3 games and 90 hours of play time. The Nietzschean undertones make it more unique. Not only is she becoming a real girl, she’s becoming an ubermensch who thinks entirely for herself and creates her own values. The last game BTW is called “Also Spraque Zarathustra” because subtlety. This Pinocchio story archetype of a non-human becoming human and gaining a heart is quite old and has had a long-lasting appeal. There are parallels to the journey every child takes in growing up and learning right from wrong. The anime never explicitly states that Violet is a robot, but it’s pretty heavily implied. Even if it turns out she’s an alien or bio-weapon it’s the same journey. Personally, I’d rather follow a character journey more like the ones in Vinland Saga and Berserk. Those 2 main characters grew up as child soldiers and were treated as tools of war, but they were always human underneath. They forcibly repressed their emotions and their conscience in order to survive and keep killing people, but they always knew how wrong it was. Young children don’t have firmly established morals yet, but they don’t think like computers. I’d rather watch the journey and development of a human being than a computer because I’m a human and I’m biased. Despite all I’ve said, I’m not going to be as harsh on this title as most of the Metacritic club was. There’s no point, since this isn’t actually a terrible anime and it’s not my job to sink this show’s reputation. 2,300 years ago, a rabbi who wrote under the pseudonym Kohelet, stated that “there is nothing new under the sun”. This statement was true then and continues to be true now. While Violet Evergarden’s character journey is one that covers well-trodden ground, that doesn’t make it bad! For many on MAL, this was their first exposure to this story and we old farts must respect that and understand how they feel. “Human! My sensors indicate that you’re under some type of emotional distress. My instructor taught me a song. If you’d like to hear it, I can sing it for you. It’s called Daisy.” – Waifu 9,000 So how boring is Violet for the first half of the series? I think the HAL 9000 might actually have more personality and likeability. Violet feels like she’s not even an AI, but a robot we could build right now. Violet is like a hot version of the annoying robot in a trashy OVA called Cyber City. “Your welfare is one of my primary programming directives” Me: “Yeah, well my welfare requires that I get away from you!” Our male hero is some military asshole who falls in love with Violet during the time that she’s a soulless robot who executes basic command files and that’s it. Oh, and he believes she’s 14 years old based on her appearance, so there’s that too. None of the other characters get much development, so if you don’t love our main couple, you’re SOL. The main girl from Chobits was an android, but at least she was an actual AI! She showed fear, joy, concern, and demonstrated empathy right from the beginning. Since the main character is a country bumpkin with no experience dealing with women at all, it’s believable that he would fall hard for her. So now that I’ve written about the plot and characters, let’s look at the animation. Kyoani is one of the most beloved studios out there and for good reason. They typically do a phenomenal job and put so much passion into their projects. Violet Evergarden was the first effort of its director, Taichi Ishidate, and it shows. It has an odd mix of cel shading and CG that looks fine sometimes and rather off-putting at others. Compare this with Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, which Kyoani put out the year before Violet under the leadership of the late Yasuhiro Takemoto. It sticks to a visual style that it’s comfortable with and it looks a LOT better for it! I normally don’t cover character designs in my reviews, but I can’t help pointing out what looks like egregious plagiarism on the part of Violet Evergarden. The heroine Violet looks WAAY too close to Saber from the Fate/Stay series. I spent the entire series waiting for Violet to randomly bellow out “You speak to Arthur Pendragon, King of the Britons! Sovereign of all England!” There are only so many ways to draw a cute anime girl but come on! It looks like they just blatantly ripped off one of the most famous waifus in all of otakudom! This isn’t generally a problem that plagues modern anime. It’s not like the heroine in Arte is a carbon copy of Rei Ayanami. This is specifically a problem with Violet Evergarden! Overall, this series is fine for what it is. If I were younger and in the right mood, I could definitely see myself liking this series. If you loved Violet Evergarden and it spoke to you in some way, that’s awesome! If it made you feel strong emotions, those are your emotions and that’s perfectly valid. Just because some cranky old man on the internet didn’t love it shouldn’t hurt your personal relationship with the series. I’m not sure I would actually give this one a recommendation, but it’s on Netflix and is widely available if you want something to binge from the comfort of your living room!
violetIsSleepy
04/11/2019, 12:23 AM
RANT WARNING: Too many anime fans, apparently, have become accustomed to having things spelled out for them via some combination of long narration and excessively expository dialogue between characters. Along comes Violet Evergarden, a show that dares not to hold its viewers' hands, and suddenly there's a backlash mob complaining about how the "dialogue doesn't tell us enough" and how supposedly that's an indicator of weak story. It's laughably stupid, because the opposite is true. A great film/show is one that you can mute and still understand. A trash show is one where you could drape a blanket over the screen and still understand it. VioletEvergarden, even the haters will admit, is beautifully animated. Thank Kyoto for that. But what the haters seem to miss is that the animation itself is telling the story, which is HOW IT SHOULD BE. And it would be the norm if so many studios weren't sadly forced to operate on a tight budget that incentivizes them to give us boring stills while characters explain things for us. All I can say is WATCH WHAT'S HAPPENING. Watch the subtle facial expressions, the changing scenery, the moods that the different color schemes convey. Stop expecting walls of text to spell everything out for you, and you'll find there's a beautiful, tear-jerking story here. Violet Evergarden tells the story of a broken, scarred soldier who needs to find her place in the world. She spent most of her life as a pawn who just took orders and wreaked havoc. She spends the course of the show learning how to express and get in touch with her own emotions. Of course, Violet's lack of emotions in the beginning can be a turn off for viewers. She is somewhat difficult to empathize with at the start. But that, it turns out, is the point, as this problem is remedied in a truly beautiful way. Starting around episode 3, Violet (and we the viewers) begins hearing the stories of more ordinary people. These stories are easier to understand, and when Violet herself is able to draw a connection between an emotion one of her clients is feeling to an emotion she herself felt at a certain time, it allows us to start "getting" who Violet is. And that's when the freaking water works start. Bring tissues if you're like me. Starting with episode 4, almost every episode that followed brought me to tears at some point. It's a good, ugly cry that they get out of you. Kyoto doing Kyoto things. This is among the greatest things I've ever watched. You may not like it if you're used to easily digestable shows that tell you what to think/feel and have characters constantly spoonfeeding you exposition. You probably won't like it if you're only into giant robot battles. But if you're ready for a show that will make you feel, there is no better show to watch.
MoodMojo
04/05/2018, 07:12 AM
Okay, I've seen so much criticism befall this anime so I'm going to try and be as thorough as possible with this review. I won't include spoilers, however, and will try not to mention any major events which happen through the anime so bear with me if I sound a little vague. Story Pardon me, but this anime is a bitch. It basically aims in any way possible to trigger those tears of yours. It's probably one of the few anime which made me cry this much that I can only think of another one. Just prepare your tissues and be ready because there is a highprobability that the onion ninjas will be paying you a visit. Now to the criticism I've mentioned earlier. There has been so much hate going around over this anime and from what I've seen I think most of it for the story being "too linear" . Yes, it's not like the usual anime you'd see most of the time, but it's all a matter of perspective really. I'll advice you beforehand; try and view it as a play and not an anime and you'll find yourself being immersed into it. One thing to note though is that the beginning of the story is nothing like what's yet to come. The first three episodes, especially, are a prelude to the anime itself and emphasize on Violet's character and describing the setting in an orderly manner. Perhaps too orderly that you'd feel quite bored at times. Because of that, I thought that all this anime was is just some quality art and breathtaking scenery, but trust me that this is far too presumptuous so at least give it five episodes before you decide to continue with it or not. The setting of the story looks like England in the 80s, but the names of the countries, cities and even the language are all fictional to my knowledge. Since there is plenty of focus on the state of war the countries have gone through and what those wars have caused, the creators might have chosen not to mention anything that would bring up hard feelings into the story which is a wise decision if you ask me. Okay, so now that pretty much sums up the subtle details of the story and its general idea. Now for the story itself, Violet Evergarden is a girl of about 14 *cough*underage*cough*. Back in her childhood with no parents, name or feelings she was viewed by almost everyone around her as a killing tool or a loli weapon of mass destruction who knew nothing except how to kill. She didn't even know how to speak, but all of this changed once Gilbert took her in as a gift from his brother. From that point on she was intended to be Gilbert's weapon to be utilized in army as a weapon as usual. However, Gilbert disagrees greatly with this and chooses to treat her as a proper human being. He raised her, taught her, took care of her and eventually loved her. (゜ロ゜) What happens is that Violet is currently trying to understand emotions; love to be specific. As the major in his last breaths' confesses his love to her, but Violet couldn't understand what his words meant. Thus, begins Violet's beautiful journey to pursue pure emotions and convey them to people as she starts to understand them herself as well. Let me tell you this, she's going to be exploring emotions alright and you'll be exploring emotions just as much so don't forget those tissues of yours. You have been warned! Art HoHoHo do I even need mention a thing here? The reason of all the hype before this anime came out is because of its art style. An artist's wet dream would be an understatement to its beauty. Just watch the trailer to get a solid idea of what I mean. The scenery are extra bright and the characters are very well-polished from tip to toe. Just look at their beautiful eyes when they're not full of tears! The usage of the art style varies by episode. There are some where you'll be awestruck by the beauty and others where you won't be as much. The characters' style isn't the main beauty of this anime, but they surely look beautiful and original and I think the latter is what matters the most. The scenery, however, will have you drooling waterfalls, which is another good reason for the tissues by the way, so unless you don't like those bright colors and overly detailed scenery, you won't be disappointed. Character Development I think most of what I'd say here would be redundant. Violet is probably the only character who has significant amount of development while the others don't even have that much screen time to begin with. The anime is split into two arcs, the main one where Violet faces her traumatizing history and all that she's been through and the secondary arc which is episodic to the characters Violet encounters through her journey. The secondary arc is a thousandfold more emotional than the main one and has plenty more of character development included, but that's to characters who'll only last for one episode so I'm not sure you can really call that "development". Nonetheless, their characters undergo drastic self-speculation which overflow with emotions so, if you ask me, I find it impressive how much they managed to fit into a single episode. Sound This is such a vital part of this anime and I don't think it I could have appreciated the beauty of it without this beautiful soundtrack. Think of it as the adhesive which connects everything into the big picture. It's almost entirely on the classical side, which I'm fond of, so you might not like it if you hate classical music, but honestly, who does? The characters' voices are pretty good as well. I liked some more than others, but everyone fit his character and played it well. You can clearly tell the VAs were immersed in their roles and paid very close attention to the details. My favorite one was introduced in the last episode though, so I can't really say who she is without spoiling too much. If you do choose to view this anime as a play and let yourself immerse into it you'll certainly know who she is, though. Entertainment Despite the shed tears, spilled blood and fatal wounds, I can with all honesty tell you that this anime was indeed enjoyable. You'll probably need some light series to recover after you're done with it, but you won't regret a single moment and are sure to appreciate its beauty. It's certainly a piece of art you'll enjoy watching and an experience you'll cherish. Watch this if: You have high tolerance to onions, You're looking for breathtaking animation, You like Slice of Life, You want an anime presented in a new perspective. Don't watch this if: You're not into drama(VERY DRAMATIC), You don't like slow-paced story lines, You're looking for action(Really mild here), You don't have tissues.
animejas
04/04/2018, 09:22 PM
The most hyped anime of Winter 2018 and one of the most hyped of the year, Kyoto Animation's Violet Evergarden took the season by storm as fans were bewitched by everything about it from the trailers and beyond. And while many fans might have tons of love letters to describe the beauty and painful realism of this show to their daily lives, I sadly have to leave a different kind of letter for this show. A letter that this show and its fans might not enjoy reading from me. Story (0.5/10) Violet Evergarden is mostly episodic where Violet will visit her client and help them with ghostwriting.A simplistic concept but something that could easily work if done right. When I heard of this before the show started, I thought that it'd be great and very interesting. But alas, having expectations that are high for any show like this always seems to bite me in the ass because instead, I felt that the story was just a giant flop. Drama is a genre I love so much. It's a genre that when done naturally and organically, creates storylines that sends chills down my spine. Like the character-drama that is March Comes in Like a Lion which was airing its 2nd cour for its 2nd season at the same as this. What makes the drama fantastically written there is how methodically and organically the approach for it was. It wasn't a show trying to force drama down my throat each and every episode, it was a show that built up Rei Kiriyama's psychological issues and showcased his progression along with the Kawamoto sisters so well that the drama only adds magic to its storylines. Hell, shows that have the best drama for me mostly, are shows that don't even have drama in the first place when you hear about the synopsis and just bite into the show. Like with A Place Further than the Universe which was airing this season, a show with four girls striving to travel to Antarctica and accomplish their respective goals. You have them bond with each other, create memories, and sprinkle in elements on drama here and there and it's all good. It develops the characters in such a great way that payoffs for Shirase and Hinata, and everyone's character arcs pay off massively and the storytelling is a huge success. This season has had some prime examples of how the genre 'drama' can be done right, and can create a compelling experience like no other. But the show that everyone focused on this season was the Kyoto Animation show, Violet Evergarden, the show that failed in nearly every way of creating any sort of compelling storyline whatsoever, or story that got me feeling any sort of emotions for these characters. Why? Cause Violet Evergarden is STUFFED TO THE BRIM with drama that get quickly resolved in certain ways, therefore alienating me and making me not care for any of it whatsoever. It's a show that's just pure Oscar-bait. A show that tries to showcase different situations in an episodic format, each designed only to emotionally manipulate people into feeling sorrow for them. I love episodic shows, but the problem with implementing stuff like this into these kinds of shows, is that you only get 20 minutes to create all these new characters, create a new situation and try to emotionally grab me right from the getgo with some bullshit with no depth or real organic development whatsoever. Everything just happens and I'm expected to feel anything for these characters, what utter nonsense. With no real time or earnest effort to write, why should I care for them if the writing isn't able to get me emotionally attached to them in a small period of time. I won't say it's impossible to create emotional content in an episodic format, since the original Kino's Journey for me managed to do that. Albeit not with every episode, but that's the beauty of it for me. It doesn't try to force down philosophies or drama down our throats so when unexpected tragic events do happen, or when bad events do occur that make me irritated or sad, it works really well. In a short space of time, they're able to build genuine character interactions at a nice pace without feeling heavy handed and when something sad happens in an episode, it works. AND IT'S NOT EVEN A DRAMA SHOW. HELL, you even have comedy shows that organically develop characters over time and the drama just works there too like with Assassination Classroom, Gintama and SKET Dance just to name a fucking few. It's not hard as long as you can do it properly without intentions to MAKE people cry from the start itself. But Violet Evergarden feels way too unnatural, way too heavy handed and way too plastic on the surface and even below it that the concepts that it has for episode just fails to click. From it's original material to even it's horrendously written filler, Violet Evergarden's storytelling is an utter manipulative flop with horrendous pacing too. Plus take away the melodrama, and it's just fucking boring. Nothing really interesting about the world, setting, the job and everything else about this show. Characters (0.5/10) Violet may have a cute design, but is such a watered down character that because of its poor writing, gave me absolutely no reason to care for her development whatsoever since all her interactions that made her supposedly develop were so fake and ingenuine for me. If you have to rely on trying to shove melancholy down my throat for 24 minutes for 13 episodes, don't expect me to feel any care for the characters whatsoever, especially the main character here. Side characters had absolutely no one for me that I liked. Everyone might as well be mannequins since their personalities resembled that. Art & Animation (10/10) Very well done, although the drawings do look heavy handed at times. The animation clicks really well and works really smoothly in creating a cinematic experience like no other and even though the lighting maybe too bright for me, I'm still overall impressed by the visual production for this show. The designs, drawing, movement all look fantastic and top-notch for a TV anime. Shame it was wasted on a substanceless show like this. Sound (8.5/10) I liked the OP song a lot by TRUE, well sung and feels right at home with a show like this. And the OSTs do work very well with presenting the show with its own sort of magic and fantasies involved. It sounds very good although again, a bit forced too. Less is more for me at times like these. The voice acting was solid too for both Japanese and English versions. Enjoyment (1/10) I hated every single minute of watching this show, since there's nothing real about it. Everything's just forced, manipulative garbage that has nothing else to really add to the show to help make the stories work. Major letdown, and a major stinker. What a horrendous show this was, and a disgrace to the "Drama' genre as a whole. Score 1/10
Ankithadam
04/04/2018, 09:14 PM
“Letters are among the most significant memorial a person can leave behind them.” ―Johann Wolfgang von Goethe “A letter always seemed to me like immortality because it is the mind alone without corporeal friend.” ― Emily Dickinson You must be thinking, what the hell is wrong with this guy? Whats with all the "letter" quotes? That's right!!! This anime actually gives you a perfect definition of letters, you must have heard of people in other reviews mentioning War, love story, Auto memoirs doll etc., Or at least got the feeling it would be one judging from 1st 2 episodes, but I would warn you guysthis isn’t what you think it is, in fact, there isn’t a straight story at all. This is rather a story or rather a slice of life(SOL) of a girl (named Violet Evergarden) who is a weapon in war, trying to adjust in society post-war by writing the letters for people and understanding the feelings of the sender and receiver. So why does she want to write the letters? That’s because she wants to know the meaning of “I love you”……….You must be thinking….wtf???? Yeah, that’s true, this must have been the dumbest reason for anyone to learn writing letters (even the lieutenant Hodgins says that in the series), but you will understand that in the long run it kinda makes sense :P So then there is no story and lots of negative reasons stated above (most importantly who would want to know about “letters”?), then…… why is there a damn 8 in the rating???? Well, even though there are lots of negative factors, at the end of the day it is able to deliver what we need in an anime, i.e the enjoyment, the emotional connection with the scene and mainly the importance of letters, i.e from a ‘small sentence’ to uniting couples with ‘long letters’, the letter has the power to move people's heart, that's the power of letters, which is really depicted well here. Alright cutting everything short, It is a collection of short stories with Violet in each episode is interacting with different people and changing their lives and also herself knowing what it is to be a human, what it feels like to lose a human and even you might get motivated from Violet as she tries hard learning to understand what human feelings are. The main beauty of this anime is the ART, the animation, and camera view. All characters are so beautiful that everyone looks like a doll. You wouldn't even know for half of the series whether Violet is actually a doll or a human. The setting is historic, most probably during world war I (The robotic arms of Violet seem too much advanced for that time or even present). The background, the colors, the time lapse, the sky, the flowers, the stars and even wine, every detail is so beautiful and so colorful that it gives you realistic appeal and makes you feel as if you were at that place. The SOUNDTRACKS are another awesome tool for making this anime nostalgic. The classic orchestral music and emotional soundtracks are really awesome which resonate perfectly and sync with the situation bringing out the emotions out of you. The opening song is also used differently and is introduced in 3rd episode (seems this style is called progressive) is a great song and matches perfectly with the situation. While the ending is also good which is introduced in the 2nd episode. OVERALL: Well coming to the final opinion, which matters the most!!! This show definitely has lot of flaws from dodging bullets like Flash(Superhero), executing a person with sword while having a gun at hand, to writing public love letters and many dramatic scenes which I wouldn’t want to spoil you, which are made to make you emotional but when you think later logically, it might seem kinda dumb but still at the time of watching it makes you forget the flaws and makes you immerse in those lies, that's the beauty of this anime, making you connect with characters without much development just like Mushishi or kino no tabi. Therefore stating all various reasons,even though the anime Violet Evergarden is not suited for the likes of many, but still, it is definitely worth watching, at least once :P For some, it would be "that most hyped series" or for others it might be "that hyped series which lived to its reputation", well, either way, it is going to be remembered lol. And my advice for you is, at least watch 5 episodes before you drop ( If you feel like dropping) and Don’t binge watch it, because either your heart will melt or it might harden into a stone basing on your response. I have put out all the negative things about anime for you so that you might not be surprised and drop it out in middle. Did it give negative thoughts to fans?? I don't think so, because they will like it even if there are many flaws besides this. well, that's the end of the review, you could stop here or read below for FAQs and more detailed Analyses of the series and character development, of course, it is spoiler-free. :D _______________________________________________________________________________ Dub or sub? : Personally, I feel that sub is a lot better because, at the actual point of creating an emotional moment, in the dub, the words are uttered as if they were read from Google translate. While the sub has better words which suit the dialogue. But in rest of the situations, the dub is also good. Analysis of Story: One thing is good in this anime, It keeps you guessing what this anime might be turn out to be ? just when you are thinking of being fed-up or you made up your mind what this anime is gonna be? , that's when the story changes because, at present, you might observe that the genre of this anime is listed as SOL but it wasn’t the case when this series was airing, everyone used to talk how the series might turn out to be(Forums). In detail, first 2 episodes are like a slight introduction to the current state Violet is, with focus given more to the surrounding places, the anime setting, the camera views etc, for example, The starting scene is just like the scene from Assassin's creed where the eagle flies and the camera shifts with respect to it while here a paper or perhaps the letter flies in its place. Then slowly from episode 3, the slice of life starts and by the end of episode 7 just when you are thinking this series is full of it, writing letters blah blah, the flashback or Violet’s past kicks into play, and you get to see it for about for 2 episodes making you think, well we might get to watch a war anime perhaps, but it stops there and again the SOL begins, So by the time you reach episode 11 it makes sense that this anime is all about letters and its significance but its not really about violet's past, well that’s where you are wrong again, just watch the series and know what it is :) Difference between Light novel and anime? Personally, I didn’t read the novel but from the opinion of others, few other characters were introduced, Violet is more humane and less aggressive here and most of the unrealistic parts were removed like Violet with a battle axe. But the only fault is the 12th episode which gave a negative response from Novel fans by mentioning novel version was better and had more realistic feeling for that part. Difference of experience between new and old watchers of this series: For anyone new to Violet Evergarden, as I mentioned earlier you can observe that the genre is SOL, drama. you can have that premeditated feeling of watching a SOL. There is both negative and positive effect of it, the positive part is that you know that you are going to watch a SOL so you are mentally prepared not expecting much of a story but the negative part is that you wouldn’t have that suspense what this series may turn out to be? Coming to Characters: We all know that Slice of life means character development or vice versa but this isn’t the case here, as violet meets new people in every episode, so there isn’t much possibility for character development. That being said, I'll talk about few prominent characters which need to be noticed: Violet: People might either hate her due to her PTSD traits, inexpressive nature, and a bad example of Saber ( Fate series) 'OR' love her as innocent, fragile and she strives to be a better person and also fans of Saber might like her. This show is basically about Violet so you need to watch the show and understand about her, leaving here coming to another major character, Major Gilbert: There are huge amount of novel fans who might love him, but his character is just developed for about 2 episodes in anime and you can observe his and Violet’s relationship to be similar to like that of father and daughter, He is the main cause of Violet’s change of behaviour or character due to the fatherly love is shown by him. Many people(novel readers) say that he loved her like a partner but I didn’t feel the same. His role is very less, then there is his friend: Lieutenant-Colonel Hodgins: I felt him to another good guy, he is more developed then Gilbert lol, he also plays a major role in supporting Violet, by getting her a job, taking care of her and even give the right amount of comfort to her as per Gilbert’s request but he doesn’t feel burdened. The only controversial person who seemed out of character every-time in new episode is Gilbert’s brother Dietfried. In one episode he seems harsh on Violet (Ep 5), in other episode he thinks her to have changed (Ep 8) and again in 12th episode it is shown that he still doesn’t believe in Violet still but takes her advice or saves her and many more weird multiple unstable traits are exhibited by him, other than that rest all characters are developed for an episode or two and left, For example, characters like Benedict ( postman), Luculia, Iris, Erica (Dolls)etc are used just for the sake of story’s progress in latter small and significant parts which might make many people angry for not developing them or using them properly, since we are mainly focused on Violet’s point of view I think its better to ignore the rest. I hope you like this kind of writing style in which I seem like interacting with you and I hope this review motivated you to watch it ✌ I hope I didn't bore you with all the praises, I did want to criticize and write a review like a critic, but every time I re-watched the series, I kept falling in love with it and most probably you are gonna too :)
RebelPanda
04/04/2018, 06:35 PM
Sincere. If I were to describe Violet Evergarden with a single word, it would be just that, sincere. It is a slow burn slice of life that makes up for its lack of narrative complexity with earnest, empathetic drama. A child soldier for the past four years, Violet Evergarden begins her journey with no place in a world without war. Upon awakening after the war's final battle with extensive injuries and no sign of her commanding officer Gilbert, she is truly in a world where she does not belong. Growing up as a soldier has not prepared her for everyday life. Unable to speak withouta militant vocabulary and a solute, it became clear that a civilian's daily life is not suited to someone with her inclination. She gets taken in by former Lt. Colonel Hodgins, Gilbert's friend, who now runs a private postal service. Upon her arrival at the office, she becomes intrigued by the Auto Memory Dolls branch. Comprised of young women similar in appearance to Violet, the Auto Memory Dolls transcribe their client's feelings into letters. These women may look identical to Violet in their opulent Victorian attire; however, their capacity to comprehend emotion far exceeds our heroine. Violet is coded as a person with a disability. In this anime's time-period, the Victorian era or World War 1, people with PTSD got treated as crazy. Instead of treating Violet's mental illness as a sign of weakness, this anime portrays it respectfully. The show asks us to empathize with her just as she empathizes with the people she writes letters for. This understanding and Violet's metal arms divide them, a blunt metaphor for her robotic personality. The career of transcribing letters is entirely unfitting for someone who cannot express emotion. However, what Violet lacks in an expression she makes up for in audacity. With the desire to understand the words "I love you," said to her by Gilbert before they lost connection, she undertakes the endeavor of becoming an Auto Memory Doll. Violet's struggle is frustrating at first, but intentionally so. Affected by an undiagnosed mental disability, merely learning how to transcribe a single letter becomes her first great challenge. Her abrasively blunt personality leaves clients dumbfounded at best but furious at worst, occasionally creating understated comedic situations and displaying how she can barely function in society. The fluid setting reminds us that this could be anyone's story from any time. Mental disabilities are undiscovered during this era. That's why those around her misunderstand her. As the viewers, we also mistook her personality as a quirk, angered by her robotic demeanor. Not only is she isolated from the world, she inhabits, but also from those of us who observe her story. This perspective on her character is what made me invested in her arc right away. Her visible turmoil motivated me to be patient with her, to give her the chance to grow at her own pace rather than one designated by us as unsympathetic onlookers. At any chance he gets, the director reminds us we must follow at Violet's pace. We get drawn into her mindset with the dense atmosphere and an abundance of metaphors not to feel put off from the initial slow starting speed. The most potent example of visual metaphors in the early episodes is the vast negative spaces Violet gets framed in, extenuating her loneliness even more. Complimented further by the atmosphere; brought to life through the excellent use of lighting, shadows, and layered colors giving the world a painterly appearance. At first, this dejected tone is what caused people to become alienated from the series. Violet Evergarden has a purpose beyond the detailed environments and impressive lighting; there is more to it than one may initially ascertain. Stemming from the core theme of emotions are vignettes, a single story for each episode after the first two introducing the setting and Violet's life circumstance. The first of this episodic structure follows Violet taking classes to become a qualified Auto Memory Doll. Beyond her trained talent at calculated work, she falls short of her class's rest in expression. Violet's teacher does not accommodate her mental disability, forcing a friend to step in and help her to pass school with an unusual teaching method. A reminder to us, the viewers, that it's hard for some people to communicate their emotions; not everyone can conform to the typical education system. A gripping realization that the world does not make it easy for us to communicate exactly how we feel. From this story of learning onward, we would come to see Violet gain more understanding of connection. Through the many clients she writes for, she grows gradually from robotic to self-aware. Through helping others, and in turn herself, she becomes a character embodying purely peace rather than the horrors that formed her life. Seeing Violet's life through the perspective of a young woman isolated, misunderstood, and struggling to conform to a society with no place for her, forms a visible arc throughout the entire series. Through merely observing different connections like familial love, romance, friendships, and more, the puzzle pieces of human emotion fall into place in her mind. This enlightenment comes quietly and gradually, but one of the most satisfying character arcs I have witnessed. In the beginning, she is a tool for the army taught to slaughter their foes mercilessly. In the end, she becomes a bringer of love with her letters. Like how the flower grows from bud into full bloom, she grows to be suited to the name Violet. Though simplistic, the artists often use flowers to symbolize her gradual humanization. The clients she writes for have drastically more emotional lives than her, highlighting how lacking Violet is. Over time, her demeanor rises to approach those of her clients in emotion. A change is most visible in how she speaks bluntly, never mincing words at the start and becoming subtler, and understanding how others feel by the end. A series so drama-focused as this got inevitably accused of being melodramatic, which is a fair criticism. Suppose you are only absorbing drama instead of analyzing the rich subtext; your experience may become tiresome. For me, this was never a hurdle to overcome. I loved following the trail laid out for us while devouring the drama at its most impactful moments. None of this would be possible without compelling characters, but thankfully there are plenty in this series. Each with an intricate, freely moving character design, being in varying stages of life, and of course, a problem in need of Violet's elegant emotion transcribing. The many different characters are woven together in the same quilt, each with a dramatic life experience forming their personality. A personality that is satisfyingly deconstructed when Violet enters their lives. Seeing the various side characters have their inner turmoils put on display, then examined by Violet's blunt manner of speaking is incredibly cathartic. Her specific criticisms or encouragements of her client's personalities, unfiltered by concern for their reaction, create many satisfying moments of self-realization. Of the many characters, the protagonist receives the most development. Her inner turmoil is enrapturing. She was grappling with her bloodstained past and peaceful present, switching between gory flashback and elegant transcribing within the span of a single episode. Once we finally understand what experiences crafted her robotic persona, it is supremely satisfying after all of the misunderstandings she has endured. Viewing the series week by week only enhanced this more; the hate fired at Violet finally turning into understanding added more impact to these final episodes of realization. These episodes wrought the most cathartic moments sheerly through the long period it takes to build up. Her new peaceful life feels haunted by the horrific deeds she committed in the past, shown with flashbacks, without knowing how cruel she was until becoming an emotionally comprehensive Auto Memory Doll. Throughout the series, she questions if she truly deserves to be writing letters of love rather than killing, even considering suicide in one of the series's most heartwrenching scenes. In the end, her self-doubt takes the shape of a full episode flashback, and others dispersed near the climax. The flashbacks showcase the base version of Violet, a pure killing machine who only takes orders. Booming explosions resound, overpowering any spoken words, pure chaos of fire and blood a perfect metaphor for the silencing of understanding the war causes. At the center of the cacophony lies Violet, like an angel dragged from heaven onto the hellish battlefield, wielded for evil by the morally bankrupt military. Through these difficult moments, we learn who she was at the very lowest point of her arc, emboldening the journey she has taken by now. This understanding we and Violet gain gradually is brought into the letter-writing vignettes, making them even more emotional. Most notably, the tenth episode's story is compelling for its placement in the story and creating a powerful display of emotion that anyone could relate to. It presents the audience with the routine vignette set up, a person suffering from an unclear turmoil needs Violet's work, but this story is more effective thanks to its placement at an advanced stage in her arc. The narrative presented is admittedly predictable and straightforward, but what mattered was Violet's new minor mannerisms that cued us in on the fact that she understood her client's situation much more. She could use subtlety with them, and we could pick up on how, but most rewardingly, we could pinpoint where she gained those little mannerisms in her arc. In the tenth episode, rather than being unable to express much emotion, she visibly buries her feelings for the tragic scenario she had to assist with, only gaining reprieve when the job is over. And I'll admit, I wept just as she did. Many viewers will not have such a wonderful experience, primarily because of slow pacing and reliance on visual storytelling. For a narrative as ethereal as Violet Evergarden's, you may find yourself tying it down with criticisms of shallow writing—this is simply the atmosphere of the show. Unafraid of the slow pace necessary to convey its lead's quiet emotions, accompanied by soft orchestral music, perfectly parallel to the story's direction. Every moment in this series is with purpose; nothing lacks meaning, but of course, whether you appreciate this meaning is up to you. The story highlights only moments necessary for conveying an emotional connection. Forming a vision of a character, typically archetypal seeing as they're typically only present for an episode, then crafting a vague image of their circumstance to which warrants a letter, then the execution. Following the recipient reading the letter, Violet transcribed a deeply resonant display of emotion in many of the episodes. The impact only increases as Violet expands her abilities from her initial one-sentence letter to the inevitably most elaborate expression of emotion in the finale. The music rises to ensure the moment hits with as much impact as possible—with an equally melancholic ending theme to carry the feeling through the credits, sung with a subdued voice similar to Violet's voice. Violet Evergarden has some of the best visuals in an anime series to date. Moreover, it deserves praise for is the power it has to convey empathy. Not merely a surface-level emotion, striking a connection with the audience. Always it conveys a universally applicable message: The key to a happy life is being understood and understanding others.
AndoCommando
04/04/2018, 05:55 PM
“♫♫♫ When you try your best but you don’t succeed… When you get what you want, but not what you need… ♫♫♫” Emotions play a powerful part in storytelling; holding the capacity to tell more through expressions than words could ever hope to achieve. Furthermore, the degree of sentimentality and pathos one feels when watching is able to override any logical fallacies or flaws a story may have. Because of their poignant effect, these “feels” are often used and abused by anime to hide a plethora of writing problems underneath obvious emotional manipulation on the viewers. But whilst there are shows that come off mawkish and melodramatic,there are certainly those where sentiment is deserved. Violet Evergarden is the most recent anime that struck a chord with the community, practically built as a masterpiece before the first episode was even released and I could see why: an award-winning light novel getting an adaptation by Kyoto Animation – a studio adored for their gorgeous art style and animation – sounds like a perfect match to many. But does Violet Evergarden live up to its expectations? And, perhaps more importantly, is the emotional ride warranted? Violet Evergarden follows a titular young girl whose purpose was to be nothing more than a weapon bred for war; a dog of the military, actions akin to a beast fighting for survival. She was never taught how to speak, write or communicate at all, only to kill. Treated as property by the military she was gifted to Gilbert, a major in the army who feels sorry for her, taking it upon himself to teach her valuable skills so that someday she may live the life of a normal girl. As time goes on their relationship grows stronger with her initial animalistic nature subdued and instead displays a more robotic-like behaviour in public. A romance between the two also brews, but their responsibility as soldiers of war takes priority and their affection for each other forced into stagnation. Unfortunately, war holds no mercy on the battlefield and results in Gilbert’s death. His last words: “I love you” – words that she doesn’t understand from the man who gave her the name of a wildflower in bloom, Violet. The aforementioned acts as backstory to the main plotline that is not revealed until later, whereas the series begins with the aftermath: Violet is found in hospital, bed-ridden with prosthetic arms. The war is over and her purpose fulfilled, now she must adopt a civilian lifestyle. She meets Claudia, a former army commander who had befriended Gilbert during the war and is now president of a postal company that provides mail and ghost-writer services. Initially hired as a postal worker, she witnesses how the ghost-writer department works and wishes to become an Auto Memory Doll – a ghost-writer for those unable to write in order to learn the meaning of words and the feelings of others. The beginning is honestly a poor first impression, coming off sappy, predictable and acts as a shoddy introduction to each of the characters. Violet especially comes off almost insufferable here; her backstory is barely referred to with most of the details left in the dark, effectively throwing viewers into her moment of crisis without any proper context. It’s a perplexing choice on behalf of the staff, considering that Violet’s personality here leaves her a bland, dreary main character to follow from the start, lacking enough reason to care about her struggles to begin with. This is made worse with how the story begins at such a slow pace, making it hard to judge whether the show is worth continuing. However, Violet Evergarden is not a show that should be judged from first impressions, as there certainly is merit to be found. Over the next few episodes Violet finds herself working and learning from other Auto Memory Dolls from their interactions with clients. The contrast between Violet and her fellow workers easily shows how far Violet truly is from her goal: currently emotionless and blank in her interactions, yet her desire and drive to understand the clients shines across the screen. This is further touched upon as Violet attends a training school and is unable to convey one’s feelings onto a letter. On her own, she is still unable to properly recognise emotions, but through those around her she slowly begins to grasp what they feel and how they express such. Here Violet’s bland personality acts like a blank canvas where those around her can leave their mark on her, allowing for parallels between side characters and herself to cause short instances of growth in Violet and a resolution on the side-character’s behalf. However, the show is never able to capitalize on these instances well. Rather than take adequate time and focus to let these small but important moments have appropriate build-up and climax to truly have a resonant effect, the show just treats them as merely parts of the plot that could very well be considered isolated from each other, devaluing each achievement Violet makes in her development as the show goes on. I personally found it appalling with how Violet finally learns to effectively convey feelings in an extremely short and concise letter, then not even a few episodes later she is extremely proficient in her writing. If only writing IRL was that easy ☹ It’s at this point where the pacing takes a sudden shift and the shows changes to an episodic format, focusing on Violet’s travels away from her workplace for different clients, each with their own set of issues to overcome, but all revolve around the idea of awakening their true feelings. As an Auto Memory Doll her job is to help her clients express what they feel, but here Violet sees the inner conflict present and aims for them to address and come to terms with it, with her acting as a catalyst when necessary. Whilst doing so, Violet continues to gain more appreciation for different forms of communication and gradually shows more signs of human behaviour. Her facial expressions able to tell more and more with each passing episode. It also gives a greater sense of the importance of society learning to feel again, accepting the tender aspects of individuals and its value. Relearning traits such as kindness, compassion and knowing how to best care about each other, so that when her time comes, Violet will be able to do the same for the own problems. Knowing this, these episodes should be lovely short stories to sit through, but that’s not the case. The way emotions are expressed here sound all well on paper, but in practice come off sterile – a “clinical” sense with how an entire spectrum of emotions are presented. There’s certainly logical reasoning behind why each feeling is portrayed, but as a viewer, these sensations are only being observed, never experienced. A sense of detachment always lingering beyond the screen, breaking any chance to bond with what is happening in the narrative. The series never tries to be melodramatic in its attempts of sentiment and I can respect that; through sheer visual flare it seeks to emulate like none before it, only to end up feeling artificial for the rest of the show. It’s hard to get passionate about a series like this with such a lack of connection, but following Violet’s journey to self-discovery holds enough value that’s worth mentioning. Understanding her background and circumstances is crucial in understanding what Violet Evergarden is trying to achieve. She is initially a tool for battle, completely devoid of human emotion and understanding, simply bred to kill. It is only when she is away from the battlefield where she is aware of her apathetic nature and slowly starts to change. Her development can come off sappy, but it’s justified here in my eyes; slowly grasping how to sympathize and feel for others regardless of her actions in the past. It’s a war with herself, can her bloodstained hands really be used to help others? Is she worthy to? Constantly told she is on fire, it’s when she finally learns about her former lover’s death does the burning sensation set in and eat away at her soul. She gives in to despair and unsuccessfully tries to end her own life. Just when hope looks bleak, she finds a letter sent specifically to her. It’s her colleagues; they miss her. Violet decides to help deliver letters at night, and witnesses the people that anxiously wait for these letters. Cheerful, elated to receive words from those they care about, their emotions key to her understanding her newfound purpose as a ghost-writer. Her hands that destroyed so much – can now bring people together. While the supporting characters will come and go at the drop of a dime, it is Violet who blossoms through the show. The production of Violet Evergarden is constantly praised for the exquisite animation and beautiful art design, both of which are well deserved. Kyoto Animation once again prove why they are one of the best in the industry and raise the standard for TV animation to new heights. Everything looks beautiful… almost too beautiful. The fluid animation, impressive character designs and attention to detail are all obviously here, but I would not consider it all to be a positive. Violet Evergarden draws a fine line between breathtaking beauty and over-stylization; scenes are “too overloaded” with their artwork and digital effects, with the first few episodes smothered in excessive brightness, chromatic aberration and filters than hinder the great animation on display. When a pen is dropped, it doesn’t just fall, it descends in dramatic fashion! It’s overwhelming. Part of the problem falls to the directing which is just blatantly amateurish at times, as if the man in charge is unable to grasp feelings himself. There’s a natural beauty to be found in subtlety when it comes to emotionally-driven shows that Violet Evergarden lacks. The need to present itself in such grandiose fashion manages to expose itself to how amateur the artistic choices taken are; techniques such as depth of field and time-lapse photography are used with the sole purpose being imitation to previous works that did them better. Don't get me wrong, Violet Evergarden still looks visually pleasing, but rather than a home-grown garden gleaming with a myriad of colourful flora, the flowers are plastic, and knowing such loses its lustre. So, with having finished Violet Evergarden, my thoughts are as followed: I rarely laughed, I never cried and this certainly will not change my life, but there is value here worthy of one’s admiration. While it lacks on an emotional level to me, the intent is pure and still holds a sense of beauty that deserves to be seen. It’s a nice show one can easily sit through to pass time, but unfortunately I can’t say much more. It’s just a shame that for a story aimed at learning empathy, this message never reaches past the screen. For it desperately wishes to be as perfect an emotional experience can be, it’s the stories holding imperfections that have the most powerful impact.
TakaCode
04/04/2018, 12:34 PM
“I do not admire greatness that has no substance.” Mary Balogh Before the Winter 18 season had even began Violet Evergarden was set out to be one of the most anticipated animes of the year. It has been heavily advertised on social media anime websites as well as being first anime to be released weekly on UK Netflix. When I first saw the trailer for this show I was really excited because I thought this show would continue the Kyoani streak where they constantly gave us greats shows like Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, Sound! Euphonium 2 and A Silent Voice. Maybe I was expecting too much asthis point because I forgot that Kyoani is the origin of the style over substance shows where despite having great production values and music the story and characters simply don’t hold well especially when you try to re-watch them. There are a few expectations such as Full Metal Panic, K-on, and the shows I just mentioned in the Kyoani streak but the end of the day I don’t value Kyoani all that much compared to other studios like Bones, Sunrise, Madhouse and even J.C Staff. So how does this relate to Violet Evergarden you may ask? Simply put Violet Evergarden repents almost everything that is wrong with Knoani shows as a whole. It took everything that was wrong from past Knoani and makes them worse. Combined with the great production values and music that covers up the lackluster story and characters than you got a show that feels like a tech demo instead of a complete product. Seriously what the hell happened Knoani? You took 3 steps forward with Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, Sound! Euphonium 2 and A Silent Voice and now you’re taking 5 steps back. Just wow!!! Now with all that said hello everyone this is Shawn aka KurataLordStage and welcomes to my review Violet Evergarden and with all said let’s begin. Story. The story follows a former young military girl named who after serving in the war is now crippled both physically and mentally where not only she lost both of her arms she also has temporary amnesia where she cannot remember anything. One day a person named Colonel Hodgins an old acquaintance of Gilbert arrives to pick up violet from the hospital so she can be adopted by the Evergarden family which Gilbert had already arranged. However since Violet cannot adjust to civilian life due to her military indoctrination and amnesia Hodgins hires Violet to being a postal worker. Shortly after she witnesses the Auto Memory Dolls which is a group of writers who carry people thoughts and converts them into words. While witnessing Auto Memory Dolls she remembers the words "I love you" that was told by Gilbert towards Violet. Wanting to meaning the words she decides to become a Auto Memories Dolls and from there here journey begins as she comes face to face with various people’s emotions and differing shapes of love as well searching the meaning of the words "I love you" told by Gilbert. The story has quite a bit of decent things in it but at the same time a lot of bad. One of the things that I liked about Evergarden is its episodic nature in the beginning as Violet does her job as an automated writer who writes for others. I liked the concept of it. However, as the series progressed it, unfortunately, got repetitive and predictable and it got to a point where am watching the same thing over and over again in terms of how almost every episode ends. If there’s one thing that I liked about Violet Evergarden that is not the great production values and music are the themes. No matter how predictable and shallow the show was Violet Evergarden least did a decent job exploring the themes of understanding one another, emotional and love. When this show is not predictable as actually having good writing it actually showcases how these themes can affect the characters especially with violet where at the beginning of the series where actually a living robot with no personality thanks to amnesia however as the series goes she's slowly starting to understand people emotions as well understanding true love. Am much I enjoyed how Violet Evergarden presented it themes I feel at times it got kinda preachy where certain characters just annoyingly preach how they don’t understand people feelings and love etc. It just got really annoying and at times the show really tries to shove down its messages right down our throats. Now that’s all the decent about the story let’s get to the bad things about the story. For starters, most of the episodes are hit or miss. Some episodes were good and it was decently written while others episodes ranged from mediocre, boring to downright awful Another big flaw of Violet Evergarden is the terrible pacing. Good lord this show pacing is very slow but not in a good way. I know it’s a slice of life show/ drama and all but did they really have to make it into a snooze feast especially in the first half. No wonder why me and my group of friends called this series Violet Everboring or worst No Man’s Evergarden (No Man’s Sky) because not only the pacing was terrible where it people to sleep but it was ultimately uninteresting thanks to its shallow writing emotional moments and characters. I also didn’t like the fact that it was trying to hardest to be a tearjerker. Excluding episodes 10 and 11 all of the emotional moments were pretty lackluster and had no real impact thanks to its dull characters and shallow/predictable writing. It doesn’t help the fact that this show directing is up there with the god-awful Transformers movies that were done by Michael Bay By far this shows biggest sin is that it's a another style over substance show where despite the having great production values and music the show’s writing and characters are terrible and I hate shows when they do this. Okay, I will admit that this show at times has some substance where it does a pretty decent job with its themes’ and developing a very small handful of its characters which other shows of its type don’t even do it at all looking at you DARLING in the FRANXX. However, these good things come far between as this show throughout most of its run likes focus on showings of its production values and music while having subpar characters and writing. 4/10 Characters. If the story a couple of decent things in it than I almost nothing positive about the characters in Evergarden. Violet herself is a pretty alright character sure she starts off being very bland but as the show progresses she very slowly becomes quite a decent character that gets’s good character development. However, I will admit she’s a pretty hard character to relate due to her wooden personality especially in the first half of the series where she’s literally unlikable. The rest of the characters are one note and they are just as interesting as watching grass grow thanks to the other characters being bland, boring, annoying to downright awful. Overall despite Violet being a decently developed character I just cannot relate to her at all plus almost of the supporting characters are all generic drama that we all seen being before in better drama animes. I really wanted to like this characters cast but I couldn’t due to the characters being utterly unlikeable and development with the expectation of violet who is decent characters at best despite her being unrelatable as hell. 3/10 Visuals and sound. If there is one thing that was great about Violet Evergarden it would be the visuals and soundtrack. This is quite simply one of the best looking animes I have ever seen in my life. The amount of detail that was showed in this show is insane. Characters designs were great, the background scenery was wonderful to look at and the color direction was great. Like with The Ancient Magus Bride this show has wonderful camerawork and lighting but its way better as this show has great shot composition. As for actual animation, it’s pretty amazing. Every scene is very well animated, all the scenes flow well to each other and it the movement was fluid. I have no complaints with the visuals whatsoever. As for the soundtrack like the with the visuals, it’s amazing. Every single track in the show was a joy to listen and it fits tones with the show for the most part. The opening theme "Sincerely" by TRUE is a pretty great opening theme that I liked. The ending theme Michishirube by Minori Chihara was pretty good but not as great as the opening theme, however, the ending that plays in episode 9 Believe in by Aira Yuuki was fantastic. Now for sub vs dub. The sub is great as you expect as every Seiyuu did a great job with the roles that were given so I have no complaints with the sub. The dub, on the other hand, was actually surprising pretty good with a lot of good talented voice actors. 10/10 for both Visuals and Sound. Final Thoughts. Violet Evergarden is just an another Oscar bait type of anime. It got a lot of attention from anime fans thanks to great advertisement and trailers. It also tried to convince the audience that this show is going to next big thing but it ultimately fells flat in almost every way possible if you don’t count the visuals and music. The story was lackluster at best that is filled with subpar/predictable writing, shitty pacing, weak emotional impacts that at times was written by a 12-year-old. All of the characters besides Violet were pathetically bad thanks to them being clichéd as hell as well being very unlikeable. The only actually good things about this show are the visuals, music dub and some of the well-explored themes in this. Everything else is pretty much a dumpster fire by comparison and it really made sad because I really wanted to like this show but this show just failed to deliver thanks to its on-going problems that never seem to go away and at the end of the Violet Evergarden is a beautiful train-wreck that barely has any substance whatsoever. Easily the most disappointing anime I have seen from 2018 by far and I know it’s pretty early to say that but once 2018 comes to a close this anime would be number 1 for most disappointing animes list. Don’t buy into the hype from people about this series because it’s not worth it at all as it will heavily disappoint you. Final Score 4/10
Pitzer
04/04/2018, 12:28 PM
To Mrs. Sa——, Leiden. Leidenschaftlich, Dec. 11th, 17––. You will rejoice to hear that the war has officially ended. Your brother is truly relieved to finally be able to breathe freely again; my fellow citizens, too, let out a collective sigh of relief. The alleys are filled with a comfortable bustle like they used to be; people’s faces don’t display a worrisome gloom anymore. Businesses are booming throughout the whole town and your brother, too, has found a place of employment in a mail and ghostwriting company. There, it is my job to deliver the letters ghostwritten by our so-called Auto Memory Dolls—women who listen to one’sinquiries and needs for a written letter and put one’s feelings to paper. During my time working here, I have come into contact with many of the aforementioned dolls; and one of these women in particular piqued my interest: with her elegant, golden hair and doll-like demeanor, she fits the job perfectly, and she used to act the part just as well. However, what interested me about her the most wasn’t her looks but rather the fact that she had many stories to tell, be it from house calls or other, similar events. To be honest, the stories themselves weren’t all too intriguing. It may be because I’ve lived through several years of war, but many of them felt like something I had heard before, had seen before. While the fates of these people are definitely cruel and while I really wish they had met a better fate, I can’t help but think of the many who have fallen in war. Thus, the stories of these people whom I’ve never met don’t leave as much of an impression on me as they might have used to; while hearing this beautiful woman describe equally beautiful sights and sceneries brings with it a certain feeling of tranquility, they aren’t what makes these stories interesting. What does make these stories interesting aren’t the stories themselves, but how they affect the one experiencing and—later—telling them. She used to be a child soldier unable of speaking, reading or human emotion. Trained as nothing more than a weapon of war, her doll-like demeanor stems not from indifference, but her time as a soldier. Due to her unusual character, she ran into trouble trying to extract the emotions out of the client’s words, but over time she learned how to understand these feelings and, most importantly, how to feel, herself. Sometimes, upon reciting what had happened just a few days prior, her feelings slowly welled up inside, to then finally overflow. Suddenly, she learned how to smile, laugh and cry; she learned of emotion and empathy. These unadulterated feelings coming from someone formerly unable to feel moved me to my very core every time; it was during these everyday epiphanies of hers that I felt like I was really watching something grow, giving shape to a human rather than a husk. However, newfound feelings are both a blessing and a curse. They may make life more interesting and worth living, but at the same time they can accumulate and overwhelm a person—even more so someone hitherto engaged in the cruelty of war as she was. After realizing what she had done, she slowly gave in to sadness and sorrow. Her cold, metallic hands that killed so many, her blood-stained self burdened with guilt—they started a fire, engulfing her. Her state of mind turned into a complete chaos; she decided to strangle herself with her abhorrent hands and end it all, but she failed. What saved her was a mere letter, this one sole letter I slipped through under her door. Filled with the feelings of her colleagues who missed her dearly, this letter saved her from her sorrow and herself. It let her reflect on what she had done: both her misdeeds in war and her profession, which brought together and still connects so many. Her actions might be irrevocable—but that isn’t a bad thing. Her burn marks may never heal, but really, they don’t need to. After realizing this simple truth, she learned to accept herself and finally became a complete person. Looking at her now, I can’t help but feel a somber sadness. Her metallic hands that killed so many and her brooch which reminds of the loved one she lost in war—they make me feel melancholy. Just like the eponymous flower, Violet Evergarden is beautiful. While the stories she tells might not be as impactful as intended, her own very much makes up for it. Once you come visit me, I shall relay it to you whole. Yours, Roland. (Score: 65)
CodeBlazeFate
04/04/2018, 12:16 PM
Dear Violet Evergarden: With news of your arrival, you managed to rally up our community in a way no upcoming first installment title has before. The way you presented yourself was inviting, enchanting even. Few knew exactly what they were in for, but while not many expected a work as flawed as yourself, they knew to expect something beautiful. Your approach to conveying emotion is interesting, to say the least. Your intentions were rather wonderful: to show someone adjust to life after a war in which her entire existence was predicated towards, while trying to understand and convey emotions via letters and experiences in order tounderstand the last words of someone she loved. You take this robotic husk of a human being, slowly piece her past and how others are affected by said past, and have her grow as a person thanks to the people she encounters and the experiences she has. You showcase the brutality of war and the despair it has on civilians who will never see their loved ones again, all the while showcasing the struggles of adapting to civilization and coping with loss. On paper, it seemed to be a precious concept. While you seem to understand how to convey emotion, how to tie emotional moments together for maximum payoff, and how to truly utilize the audiovisual medium of animation to accentuate every emotional moment, you seem to have a difficult time earning emotional climaxes thanks to your pacing, how you like to spell out how a character, most commonly Violet herself, has grown, and the sheer lunacy you display in occasion. In a way, you’re eerily similar to your main character. You don’t entirely lack subtlety per se, but you tend to spell out how Violet or another character has developed after an experience or what one of them is thinking that the audience is supposed to take away from a scene. It is the equivalent of Violet telling people how they are feeling. As they do not like it when she does it, it is bothersome when you do it. I like how you try to clue us into the fate of Violet's beloved major early on, simply with the characters’ pauses, their expressions, and how they try to dodge the issue. If you were more like that, simply letting the visuals convey a character’s feelings and what they mean in any given situation, you would’ve been even more emotionally resonant, especially early on and in the very end. Another hindrance to the power of what you convey is how you skip events. For example, in episode 3, Violet enrolls in a program to improve her skills, and by the halfway point, she still cannot convey emotions in her writing, so she fails the course. After one more exercise after an unknown amount of time has passed, after the course is over, she writes a small, satisfactory letter, and automatically passes. Moments like this feel far too sudden, too undercooked, and thus, unearned. Each story is episodic in nature, in that they begin and end by the end of any given episode. With the way you employed this style of writing, you failed to give yourself enough room for some of these stories to play out properly. As such, you resort to nebulous and/or blatant time skips such as a few month time skip in episode 5, which makes everything feel ridiculous and cheap. The progression of Violet herself is not only spelled out to unfortunate degrees, but erratic and unnatural. Her character builds with each interaction, each letter, and each new event she finds herself as a centerpiece of, but the effects feel ill-prepared. It does not feel disingenuous or forced, but it feels awkward and confused at times. The silliness and even stupidity of some of your situations and outcomes make it even harder to take these tear-jerking moments seriously. Violet is your primary focus, as she is molded by those around her. She is incredibly well-constructed, with every story hand-crafted to tie into her in some way, and make her grow as a person and understand emotions and love better than she did before each encounter, even if they sometimes feel like overdone conveniences for the sake of more tears. Additionally, her progression feels awkwardly handled, and as if she grew far too fast too quickly. The time skips make this even more apparent, such as in episodes 3 and 5. It is also a shame that the characters do not click as well as expected. You give us a few entertaining individuals such as Cattleya, but the rest feel less like distinct characters whose plights shake you to your knees, and more like people designed to get violet to grow and relate for the sake of pruning your doughy eyes. This would be fine if everything felt natural, but it doesn’t, so the cast, while not inherently bad or weak, are not nearly as impactful as Violet herself. Even the rare comedic moment feels forced, and moments of Violet being blunt are somehow far more amusing. Some of the more asinine moments you showcase are equally hilarious, unintentionally so. At the very least, these side-characters generally do a satisfactory job at what they are intended, so emotional scenes work with them, but there is a surprising lack of chemistry between them and violet, or between each other. Some almost feel like they should never be allowed to interact with certain characters lest they become harder to put up with. Other characters can be borderline laughable or outright pathetic, such as miscellaneous military men in episodes such as 8, or the male tsundere in episode 6. Violet cannot carry the weight of your cast on her own, especially when some do the dolls don't even get their closure unlike the one-offs. However, as mentioned prior, you have a clear path you intend to tread, and you know exactly how to tie things together, even at the borderline frequent cost of the naturality and subtlety required for you to succeed at your goals. The purposeful irony behind your usage of “doll” is brilliant, as Violet is described as a doll in a variety of ways, from her job description to her as a person. Each story reveals something new about Violet that causes her to relate to them, such as how she got her name, or feeling the warmth of knowing a soldier you care about is alive. These are thinly-veiled, however. They are small, fleeting moments strung together in rapid succession to build without realizing the time there must be set aside or how natural and unspoken the growth must be. Combined with the borderline confusing and barely explored world-building, you’re ultimately a worse Mahoutsukai no Yome in this regard, and that's a shame given how you weave everything together to piece Violet more and more together each time, and how you utilized its audiovisual strengths to bolster your moments. These moments grow all the stronger, all the more painful in the second half, as things feel much more grounded, well-paced, and devastating on the whole, while the moments of nonsense stopped interfering for most part, ending entirely excluded. Evan Call, oft known as someone who composes good music for bad shows, seems to have broken that reputation thanks to you, as he furnishes you, an actually competent show, with a myriad of emotional pieces that compliment their scenes in a satisfactory way. A few pieces stood out, such as “Never Coming Back” and “Inconsolable” for being the most emotional of them all, and “Torment” for being the only notable string piece full of violins and cellos. While none of his work here truly rivals his magnum opus “One More Time” for an inferior show named Chronos Ruler, this is probably the best soundtrack he has composed overall. Where the music he has gifted you truly shines, however, is with the opening: “Sincerely”, by TRUE. As one of the best opening of the year and one of the most emotional openings, even songs I have listened to, this song represents everything you hope to achieve, and moves me even more than your emotional climaxes do. Your ED theme, "Michishirube (みちしるべ)" by Minori Chihara, tries a similar approach, but the vocals can downplay the effects of the sad song. Even with all the grievances I have laid down against you, I cannot deny your beauty. Kyoto Animation worked diligently to craft every scene with luscious detail, with gorgeous, intricate designs, subtle animation movements, and so much more. Even when the light saturation becomes intense at times, those moments have a distinct purpose. Even with the occasionally awkward CGI, it is barely present, so it barely detracts from your beauty. They may have gone overboard in terms of blurring backgrounds for the sake of depth of field, but it does not detract too heavily from what a sight you are to behold. The metallic hands, with all sorts of wonderful coloration, really feel as detailed as a fantastically animated anime film. Even with men that often look far too similar in face, the designs are as beautiful as the women you showcase. It is more than obvious that an immense amount of effort was put into the intricate craftsmanship of your appearance. The directing in some scenes, such as the graveyard scene of episode 8, or the first scene of the first episode, only strengthen the raw emotion being poured out in some of your best scenes. Even with the fight scenes that can only be described as competent, I can barely do justice to how gorgeous you are. Rest assured, as barring borderline insignificant moments and relatively understandable decisions and whatnot, you are one of the best-looking television productions I have ever laid eyes on. In some ways, one might consider the hype surrounding you to have been incredibly excessive. In others, many seem to have been truly fulfilled by what you presented. Even with emotionally stunted and borderline laughable moments throughout the early half in particular, you succeeded at being impactful. Apologies are in order, as I cannot give you my happiest regards, regardless of your beauty and wonderful intentions. To the team that crafted you, I wish them luck in future endeavors, and on the prospect of making even better shows in the future. Enjoy the feelings you’ve invoked, and the fleeting moments you showcased to the world, for you’re under the service of many for now. Sincerely, Cattleya's secret admirer
Nervin
04/04/2018, 10:22 AM
Violet Evergarden was one of the most anticipated anime of the winter season, with its stunning promotional material showcasing beautifully animated scenes and character designs. It could be said that in that regard it was amazing and lived up to expectations. However, when it comes to the characters and overall narrative, sadly it isn't nearly as good as it could have been. The main problem can be associated with a lackluster cast of characters in combination with a seemingly aimless narrative. The anime is based around Violet, a young girl that knows nothing else than war: when the Great War ended, she was left with noother option than to adapt a civilian life. By joining the Auto Memory Doll postal service, she will embark on a journey of self-discovery. Quite an interesting premise so far right? The different travel destinations the protagonist undertakes, offer each a diverse story of the client and their needs, while simultaneously developing Violet. These serve to shape the setting, as well gaining an understanding of the sociopolitical climate the story takes place in, helping viewers immerse themselves. Sadly, for a Victorian setting, Japanese customs are too prominent, making it a bit harder to engage with the narrative. In addition, the various stories on different episodes are quite predictable and cliché - some good, others not as much. Lastly, the narration lacks in continuity, and therefore coherence, as each episode jumps from one story to the other. As standalone episodes, they work, but as a package, it needs more context. One such example is where a character of apparent importance is introduced to the viewer, making them wonder what will happen next, just to fully ignore said character for the following episodes. This leaves a bad taste in the mouth, especially considering that the episodes, in general, feel slightly random. These aren't necessary issues, as characters play the most important part in Slice of Life/Drama anime, yet somehow they were lackluster as well. Allow me to elaborate. First of all, the main character is bland and boring, robot-like; which is not counterproductive in such cases (when done correctly), since that is the whole point of the anime. However, character development of Violet was done poorly, where the actions she performed felt forced, often falling back on her main motivation to do this ordeal in the first place, which may appear as a cheap copout. Another slight problem is that she seemingly gains emotions, then to suddenly just lose them for the convenience of the plot. It could be argued that it is natural for an emotionless human being, although personally, I'd disagree, especially when taking into account how little it does to the plot. In addition, little effort is made to make her a likable character, whether it be through interactions with her surroundings or just some simple characteristics of her that could be expanded on. Protagonists aren't necessarily the foundation of a character-driven story: secondary/supporting characters can fulfill that role too. Disappointingly, it even fails in this regard. The whole cast is generic as it can get, with not a single interesting personality to root for - they simply lack identity. Character interactions with the supporting cast are scarce, and when done, lack meaning. The anime tries to flesh these out with the limited screen time they get, but quite frankly, it leaves much to be desired. Admittedly, there are a few background stories that could be relatable to the audience, whether it be the reason why people work for the sake of working, or how people regret things only after they lose it. As a whole, the character dynamic problem lies in Violet hardly having any meaningful relationship with any of the cast, making hard to invest oneself. Such dynamics are not a necessity since, for example, Mushishi manages to do this perfectly. Animation wise, Violet Evergarden is stunning as mentioned earlier: after all, it is done by KyoAni, a studio renown for its gorgeously animated scenery and character designs. The studio makes good use of close-ups (whether it be objects or actions of the characters) to emphasize the meaning of the scene together with the different emotions it wants to evoke. The used color palette works great for the format, although it must be mentioned that the occasional grey filter that is applied feels unnecessary. The opening and ending are beautifully drawn and shown, albeit offering little addition to the anime. The voice actors did a good job on their respective roles, including the monotone voice for Violet that embodies her character - anger, despair, sadness, and exhaustion were conveyed in a graceful manner, although in some in instances it felt forced. As for the soundtrack used, it is befitting of the anime with the use classical instruments, such as the violin, piano, etc. These are reminiscent of Ghibli-like works, which I personally am a fan of. It does a fantastic job to immerse the viewer into the story of this Victorian like era. Violet Evergarden as a whole was a beautifully animated work but lacked considerably in the most important parts, characters and story, causing a significant clash in immersion: the characters made it hard to feel engaged in it, while the animation and sound work invited to do so. For a slice of life anime, it fulfills its purpose, yet for a supposed story of self-discovery, it is arguably dull. This doesn't necessarily mean its bad/unwatchable; it simply could have been more than it ultimately was, since, despite all the issues mentioned in the review, I found myself enjoying the whole journey. All in all, Violet Evergarden had potential, but its shortcomings made it your average seasonal anime that comes and goes, just to be forgotten. Thank you for reading.
ZephSilver
04/04/2018, 10:09 AM
There it is, a body on display, delicate fabric hugging its frame as if a part of its existence from the very beginning. Porcelain skin adorned with silk, the material complements the complexion. The figure stands there without concern for the wondering gaze of any passersby, a translucent wall erected between it and the endless faces. Society is kept at bay. The soft glow of light dancing on the surface of the sheet of glass serving as its imprisonment. It shimmers ever so slightly, creating prisms of color in the endless shuffle. The rays of light trails over the delicate frame of the figure. Beautyblossoming from a thing of tertiary value. But this is not Violet Evergarden I'm describing. Look beyond the object, beyond the fabric; zoom pass the crystalline glass wall, and suddenly, the true image of my purple prose takes shape. There it is, coming into focus, a JC Penny's mannequin positioned at the window front of a shopping mall district. The dancing lights, nothing but the cheap glow of neon signs from neighboring competitors adjacent to it. The wondering gazes, nothing but customers with money to spend. If embellishments for something so minuscule is all you need to be entranced by the item being described, then Violet Evergarden will not bother you. However, if you desire content equally as deserving of the words being used to describe it, then it might benefit you to move on to greener pastures, because like this opening paragraph, so too is the material on display hyper-stylized rendering of a truly insignificant thing. The main difference being the tool; flowery words traded in for audiovisual frontloading. Layered color gradients supplemented in place of proper diction. Lots of icing, very little cake. But it's not all a lost cause. VE's story is one of relation. Or rather, everything surrounding it facilitates sentiments easy to relate to. One that practically writes itself. A person used as an instrument of war attempting to find ways to rekindle their lost humanity. An appointed position that gives opportunities to do just that. A girl disciplined in strict military decorum. A puppet with its strings cut loose, unsure as to what to do with her newfound freedom. She's a lost child, forgotten by society, forced to start from scratch. A holdover from a wartorn nation whose usefulness is brought to a crossroads. The story ends with the closing of one chapter, as we begin the journey of another. The journey is that of recovery. A journey aided by the guiding hands of someone not there in the flesh. Efforts made from beyond the grave for her betterment. One that will serve as her driving force towards improvement as well as the source of her grief as she draws closer to the answers she seeks. Through her, we're introduced to this world. One made up like a quilt of different time periods and cultural influences, all stitched together to create something new. Victorian-era structures serve as the city skyline while the undeniable look of early 20th-century technology takes the form of motor vehicles, as well as a wide assortment of widgets and trinkets littered throughout the environment. Our person of interest, Violet, equally as blended. Her appearance is that of an unassertive young woman, while her mechanical limbs tell a different story. A story of violence and darkness. This temperament reflected in her personality. She only sees things in utilitarian ways; typewriters are weapons, school is a mission, her job becomes headquarters, saluting whenever given orders, requesting permission for all her actions. Social graces are completely lost on her. Her upbringing robbing her of the privilege to decide. There was only ever one path for her to take. Until recently, her actions were that of a blade, sheathed, just waiting for the time that its usefulness was required once again. An instrument of death whenever its wielder sees fit. Her new job changes that. She must write for others as an "Auto Memory Doll," a profession where she's tasked to transcribe the feelings and thoughts of others, giving a voice for those that have trouble doing so on their own accord. A job where recorded sentiments are captured in a letter. A chance for an emotionally stunted girl to learn what feelings are. A "doll" wanting to become a doll, when in fact, the act of becoming one is what brings her closest to humanity. As I said, the show writes itself. A self-oscillating arbiter of "good content" for anyone wanting to express why it's "good content." The mere act of explaining its basic premise does the legwork for them. Except for the fact that when the content is lifted from the pages of its screenplay and brought to life by the magic of animation, it's equally as flaccid as the diegetic information would have you believe when following a character of such stunted social growth. It's a show perfect for overthinking, perfect for negating any naysayer, where issues are fended off as "it's meant to be that way." Subject matter created to facilitate a drab character doing things in a drab fashion. A machine-like girl with mechanical limbs given a task to emulate empathy. Her stilted, often wooden personality is accounted for by her upbringing. She's that way because she's SUPPOSED to be that way. It's all very self-serving. "To wear one's faults on their sleeve" taken quite literally. It would have worked too, had there been no viable means to circumvent such insular logic. But here's where knowledge supersedes those counterarguments. Where one's experience can allow criticism to stick. This isn't the first anime to house such themes. And of those that did so before it, there are definitive examples of "better" out there disallowing the open acceptance of wooden behavior solely for the fact that the character's given circumstances allows it. Humans aren't that flat. To enable such simple-minded evaluations in place of spotting genuine issues is to trivialize the complexities of the human race altogether. We already know what it would be like for an apathetic person unable to function without the strict regiment of paramilitary life because we've seen it done with a pedigree of writing befitting the serious subject matter. People that carry the baggage of their actions, the haunting memories of the things they've seen, unable to let go, to fully allow oneself to be integrated into society. We know what this looks like because well-developed personalities like Kazuki Fuse from Jin-Roh exists. Major Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell exists. Scar from Fullmetal Alchemist exists. PTSD is not a scapegoat for underwritten performances, and it should never be accepted as one. These issues are made visible by VE's very crowning achievement. Pristine art and animation that ends up highlighting the thin veneer of its inherent value. The undeniable look of sterile sleekness. The artifice of humanistic warmth made bare by the prim and proper order towards everything on display. Everything and everyone is made beautiful. Age, circumstances, genetics; none of it matters. Mandated aesthetics dictate this world. You die beautifully. You get angry beautifully. You get beaten up with style. Even tears are delivered with streams of diamond-like orbs, with the owners' faces made for the camera. Everyone in this world like that of runway models, all given a chance to play civilians. Realism made implausible when all inhabitants look like they should be doing photo ops for H&M brochures. Any attempt at realism placed further on cease-and-desist when glimpses of battles are depicted with shounen-like fight sequences. A place where even the grim outcome of war must be performed with a sense of commissioned poetics, all done to appease the vision of a director too busy with their pursuit for a particular aesthetic to let the content speak for itself. Content that effectively gets in the way of its own vision because it's never granted the chance to breathe. Natural light emulation that aims for Call Me by Your Name but lands somewhere along the lines of The Visit. How an anime could suffer from overexposure is beyond me. Goes to show you that when you emulate without understanding, the issues are copied as well. Time-lapse photography used in every episode, not for any purpose other than to show off. Lens blur effects used for flashbacks and present-time, not because there's a reason to but because the director can. Everything is in service of this perfectness. This very unnatural attempt at being "natural" utterly self-defeating of its intentions. This is equally true for moments underlined with genuine character outbursts. Silence is powerful. Playing music over every scene is amateur. Words drowned out by plucked strings, the steadily held notes of a violin, piano keys dolled out just as quickly; all of this without concern for what the characters are saying. Entire dialogue exchanges where silence is appropriate is washed out by a wall of sound. It doesn't compliment the material; it hijacks it. There's a time and a place for everything, this anime never come to realize that fact. It may take drowning out its content before one take notice of what good is there, but in that regard, Violet Evergarden is not without merit. Our protagonist may be an empty vessel with flickers of humanity tucked inside, but thankfully we're not made hostage by her presence, as every chapter in VE is in service of someone else. People of far greater interest than herself. Their emotional range not limited—even when presented with the same aesthetic brushstrokes that everything is painted in—their humanistic tendencies find a way to radiate outward. And as a vessel, Violet is given a chance to charter her clients' emotions to those on the receiving end of the expressed affection, and through that task itself, is able to find a way to expound upon her own feelings in return. The broad spectrum of accumulated emotions serving as the proxy towards finding her own. The idea itself is very appropriate. I would even go as far as saying that it's thoughtful. It also operates with a pace befitting the subject matter, even if that pace is considered to be a problem to some. These things need time to happen. Thankfully, Violet is alotted that. It's all told through carefully selected vignettes, being brought together by motifs relating back to nature, its seasons, and the various foliage that comes to represent them: ▸The story of Iris, a girl named after the flowers in bloom in her small village, seeking out an existence away from her meager upbringing. Unwilling to accept rejection, an act of stubborn pride catalyzes her steps forward. ▸The story of Luculia, a pleasant disposition befitting the flower she's named after. She puts the feelings of her loved one ahead of herself. Hoping for their eventual emotional recovery from a tragedy that robbed them both of normalcy. ▸The unofficial sigils of two kingdoms: one a white rose, the other red. Lovers-to-be and penpals brought together by political circumstances, but share a love that aligns beyond the expanded power and peace of their union. ▸The final days of a mother, the autumn leaves fall as a countdown to her departure from the land of the living, wanting nothing more than to find a means to comfort the daughter that she's leaving behind. ▸The blanket of snow that covers a warring nation in frozen stasis. People refusing to move forward. Like their winter surroundings, they too remain cold towards each other, leaving their country in a state of civil unrest. And then there's the story of Violet herself, named after a wildflower in bloom; she's plucked out of the custody of a heartless man and into the care of one that sees beyond her reduced form. A disheveled mess, only treated as a tool, one meant to be used and later disposed of; the man sees differently. He wants her betterment at any cost, even if that means paying the ultimate price. There is a beauty here when you view the intentions behind every chapter. The problem stems from the execution itself. Beautiful on paper doesn't translate to well-done in reality. Funny enough, the doll-like nature of the protagonist and her initial attempts at writing serves as a sort of meta-commentary for the content on display: Her intent is earnest, she wants to understand the expressions and feelings being directed her way, but like her mechanical limbs, so too is the show written with a sense of artificiality. An emulation of real-life that can't muster up to being anything more than that. Violet Evergarden is a beautiful plastic rose with stuck-on water droplets. It's well-kept. Never finding the beauty in decay. Never needing to accept the full spectrum of life simply because its creators are wholly content with being "perfect." True beauty is found in the blemishes. Within the scuffle of humanity's futility towards greater ambitions. True beauty comes from the majesty of life itself making mankind a mere moment in a pool of infinity. True beauty is humbling. It's through the imperfections that true beauty is emitted. Violet Evergarden is pretty to look at, but with the absence of this understanding, it could never be the real thing, it could never be "true beauty."
Raggadish
04/04/2018, 09:44 AM
Oh, Violet Evergarden. Like a royal princess, your arrival was highly anticipated by the community. And just like a royal princess, many speculated over how beautiful and amazing you would be before you even saw the light of day, and others just waited to see you to be born and fail. And then when you were born and grow up, many still claimed you to be the most beautiful and fascinating princess ever born, some were disappointed that you didn´t manage to live up to their expectations, and some disliked you instantly because you were you. Where ever which category you belong to, one cansay for certain that Violet Evergarden took her place in the spotlight this past season. Usually I’m not a royalist, but in my eyes Violet Evergarden (VE) were a fine princess, and definitely lived up to my expectations and more, both visually and substantively. So, let´s talk about the winter 2018´s most anticipated show, and why I thought it so good as I did. Slow paced dramas are not usually what I go for, they often bore me to death before going anywhere, but I got a positive feeling as soon as I read the synopsis and saw the PV for VE. And I was not disappointed, quite the opposite. VE takes place in a post-war, 1920´s Europe like continent, where the north and south just reached a fragile peace. It´s a time of healing and rebuilding, which leaves the young teenager Violet Evergarden at a loss. Probably orphaned or abounded at a very young age, Violet were brought up as a child soldier. On the battle field under Major Gilbert Bougainvillea´s command, Violet became infamous for her brutal and cold efficiency by taking countless lives without batting an eyelash. Now with the war ended, and no more orders to for fill, Violet´s hardest test begins. The very last battle left Violet without arms, which was replaced with some crafty automail. That´s not really the issue though, but rather the acclimatization to be a normal person, with a normal life. All her life Violet had just known violence and orders, so to say that she´s socially awkward doesn’t even begin to cover it. The main theme of the show is Violet´s journey to understand her own and other´s emotions, especially what “I love you” means. She learns from others by working as an Auto-Memory Doll, which composes letters for others in their stead. It´s not like Violet doesn´t have feelings and emotions, she´s just very disconnected from them, and doesn´t know what they mean when she does feel them. I thought her journey was beautiful to watch, as she slowly experiences what it means to have different feelings, and how to express them. I think they tie up Violet´s past and future very smoothly throughout the show. The main part of the show is of an episodic nature, each in which Violet takes on requests at writing a letter for someone, and both Violet and that someone have an emotional exchange, often of the teary type. And just when you think that its all you are going to get, the show does something different towards the end, which in my eyes popped up the score one more notch. Is Violet Evergarden the most fascinating character ever made? Probably not, but I liked her a lot. Her blank persona, her robotic way of speaking is nothing ground breaking, but I liked how they slowly developed her without taking away that personality. Violet do look like the most beautiful doll, which together with that personality can be over the top and annoy people. I personally think it worked with the setting and all over story development, since the profession as dolls take a centre part. Violet´s inability to understand people´s emotions in the beginning forces her clients and colleagues to really explain their feelings and why they feel them, which forces them to grow as much as Violet at each encounter. I think that worked as a great red thread for the story, and made it more than just one-sided, which could easily happen when a story focuses so much on just one character. As for the other characters, they vary in importance and appeal, but overall, they fill out the story good. Some are more entertaining or interesting than others, such as Hodgins and the Bougainvillea brothers. They heavily influence Violet, as well as being interesting on their own. I can fully understand the ones who complain about the side characters, because VE is a one woman show, which is noticeable. So, if you´re not into Violet´s character, VE is probably not going to be an enjoyable experience for you. No one in their right mind can say that VE looks nothing but stunning. And if some do say so, they just say that out of spite. Wherever you liked the story and characters or not, the visuals are colourful, detailed and beautiful from the beginning to the end. Kyoto Animation and Netflix has hold nothing back and shows how anime can look 2018. Everything from a bird´s view of a green hilled landscape, bathing in the orange light from the afternoon sun, to a view of a still autumn lake, sparkling with the sun´s rays and brown and yellow leaves, looked absolutely breath-taking. If you want to, you can positively drown in the characters eyes, as well made and pronounced as they are. In the rare occasions action do occur, its well-choregraphed, animated and left me with wishing for more. Could probably write a book about how good everything looks but let’s just stop here. So, to summon up the art and animations part up - Top score, overly pleased, I want to bath in those colours. The soundtrack is well composed and harmonic, with beautiful instruments which creates a calm and emotional atmosphere. Which in my opinion runs very well with the storyline and Violet´s journey. The VA´s (Japanese) do an amazing job of portraying their characters, big as small roles. Yui Ishikawa voices Violet and does a brilliant job of conveying Violet´s damaged character. Sound effects is spot on, from the klicks of tangents, the gust of wind, to the sound of an air plane closing in in the sky. Once again, bravo. I definitely understand that VE isn´t for everyone, but it is certainly for most. Like all princesses, VE can´t be loved by everyone, but boy does she shine like star. I enjoyed this show far more than I expected, teared up multiple times, and were fully invested in Violet´s emotional journey. I liked that they didn´t just displayed the positive side of feeling emotions, but what pain that can cause also. The shift in direction towards the end was a brilliant move and leaving me with the want for more. So, thank you Violet Evergarden, for showing me both such inner and outer beauty.
Major_Gilbert
04/04/2018, 08:58 AM
"As human beings, we all mature physically from childhood to adolescence and then into adulthood, but our emotions lag behind." - Bernard Sumner This is the most memorable quote that had gone through my mind whenever I watched Violet Evergarden, and led me to ask myself this question: how do you learn an emotion? Experience? Knowing its definition? Or perhaps... By writing letters for others? Thus is VE's answer. Story: 7 I liked the novel, so obviously I liked the story. They did make me get worried with those original episodes at the start but later on they managed to adapt most of the best chapters. There arequite a few which are standalone: 5,6,7,10,11. The rest involved Violet and her co-workers. The first half didn't look that promising, but the second half improved a lot. I think it's because they put in a lot of her adventures in the second half, only involving Violet and the customer, which gave a lot more room for growth instead of being surrounded by the other workers. She's the type who learns fast when she's alone, you could say. Watching her change bit by bit a girl from emotionless and to some extent irritating to one who is able to experience emotions was very enjoyable. The story is not unique in the sense that she's trying to find the meaning of "love", but as it unfolds she learns other feelings as well, and soon enough we don't get the "I want to know the meaning of "I love you"" line. Pacing has sometimes been a problem, for example episode 6, where I barely got to know about Leon. They could've done more but I guess you have to expect that when you've got less than 20 minutes to cover an adventures. But in most cases they provided us with the right flashbacks and details to get to know the customers well. The anime did remove parts of the novel which were pretty bad: I'll start with witchcraft, a giant battle axe almost twice the size of Violet. I just couldn't believe that she could maneuver the axe so well, before she even got those robotic arms. Glad they got rid of that. They also made Violet very pacifistic compared to the novel, which helped to emphasize her growth even more, but this was at the cost of making her fighting scenes towards the end of the series ridiculous, since she chose to go head on without weapons at all, but still managed to take them down. Other reviews have pointed out the technological and cultural inaccuracies in VE, but personally it didn't affect me that much except maybe for those robotic arms which seem to be more advanced than one we have today... Rather, I was more annoyed by the battle scenes: a 14/15 year old girl fighting against trained soldiers, sometimes without weapons... I get that she is OP, but... the way her adventures unfold so conveniently at times was one of the main weaknesses of this show. There were some parts of the novel I would've liked them to include, for example Hodgins was supposed to visit Violet quite a few times when she was in the hospital and that helped to develop a parent-child relationship. They kind of tried to fit it in in between the adventures, but I don't think it was sufficient. The other thing is Violet's origins. They didn't go deep enough on that, and made people think that she became emotionless because of her time in the army. Art: 10 This is probably the best part and what made VE get such high expectations. The face expressions were great, the landscapes were great... If I was to point out the best ones, I'd say the scenes of the starry night (Ep 6), street lamps and the city of Leiden as a whole. I also liked the way they included flowers a lot throughout the series (especially Ep 5, you could see one almost very 5 seconds). The reason I'm mentioning this is because flowers are an important theme here: if you look at the names of most of the characters, they're all related to flowers. "People’s names always have some sort of meaning." —Akatsuki Kana (author of VE) If I was to point out a negative... Sometimes, maybe this was just once, they put too much emphasis on scenes which didn't really deserve it. In Episode 4, when Violet was first introduced to the villagers, they suddenly went all out with the animation, including sudden gusts of wind and leaves dancing everywhere. It was amazing, but not really worth it. Sound: 7 I liked the OP and ED, but that was about it. It didn't make me listen to it over and over again like Aimer's Ref:rain (best ED for me this season). The background music was alright, but they were often hit or miss: they would sometimes repeat it for too long and in other cases the music just didn't match the mood at all. But still enjoyable overall. Character: 8 From the blind obedience to kill to the development of a conscience which can heal, Violet's growth was truly remarkable, with the difference between her past and present crystal clear. Her blunt and fearless character had often been an obstacle against her success as a doll, but as the series progressed she managed to use them in the right circumstances. Her military salutes, her formal language, her expressionless face... They all changed. This is what the novel couldn't provide, those subtle details that show signs of growth. Only disappointment is the development of the other characters, especially Hodgins, Cattleya and Benedict. The novel lacked this as well, but I guess it was expected since so much was invested into Violet and her customers. Enjoyment: 8 Overall: 8 Good, but not a masterpiece. Would I recommend you to read the novel? Give it a try unless you hated this. But there are going to be differences, both good and bad. If you can't be bothered reading the novel but still want to know what happens, you can PM me.
gadboyz
04/04/2018, 08:42 AM
Violet Evergarden is an anime series adaptation of the novel light with the same title from Kyoto Animation. Source material of this series is the winner of the Kyoto Animation Award 2014 in the novel category. Given that status, this series became the most awaited anime by the community for the winter of 2018. Compared to other series of the season, this series can be said to have the best animation, something that is expected of the anime from Kyoto Animation. With the premise offered is the post-war recovery of the main character, this series becomes one of the drama series that is able to fillus all with feelings STORY : 8/10 I never read the source material of this series so I judged the storyline of what was shown in the anime. The premise offered is actually interesting. Self-rehabilitation of Violet who was created only as a weapon of war without having the slightest feeling and desire. But since the Major gave the last sentence, she began to look for what the meaning behind that sentence by becoming an Auto Memory Doll. Walking to one place to another meets the client's request. The journey unknowingly begins to make herself understand the feelings of a human being. The problem of each client who wants to pour into a letter is that slowly build the character Violet for the better. Until finally he understood the loss of someone and began to understand what it means to love. From a soldier who moves only if given the command to a human being who can shed tears. An interesting premise for a drama series derived from the light that lately is mostly filled by isekai genre DIRECTION : 6/10 This series begins its story from Violet's condition after the war and what she will do to find the meaning of the last sentence of Major. Then entering Episode 2-7 the direction of this series turns into episodic. Violet goes somewhere to answer client's request. Each episode is actually presented with the client's first point of view instead of Violet as main character. Every client has their own problems and from this problem Violet's character grows more human. With the direction of this story. Not everyone will understand how Violet character develops every episode. In fact, we will focus more on the client's problem. For example when most of us cry at the end of episode 10, but maybe many of us are not aware of the Violet character changes at that time. Episode 8-9 direction changes back to focus on the major plot. The transition from episodic episode clients to major episodes that has linear progress is poorly executed. I'm sure not everyone can understand how the story of this series if not paying attention to every sentence and scene with care. That was disturbing me in enjoying this series. CHARACTER : 9/10 Violet Evergarden is a character with the greatest development among all the characters that exist in this season. Starting from a soldier who even just to eat should be given orders by Hodgins to be a human being who is even determined not to lose the life of someone as she once did. The thing that I love about Violet's character is that she develops not because she is being advised by others, but she learns by listening to the client's problem. she began to understand a feeling precisely after knowing what problems hers client was experiencing. So after knowing facts that "facts". She understands the meaning of losing someone. The scene in episode 11 when Violet performs the "last request" of the soldier also shows how she began to understand the meaning of affection. Perhaps what she's been doing lately is naive. But it shows that Violet has changed from a heartless weapon into a human who understands the sense of losing someone. ART : 10/10 This series is a series with the best animated quality in winter of 2018. My favorite scene of course when Violet tried to pass the lake using an umbrella. The scene really shows the high quality animation presented by Kyoto Animation. The character design and color selection in this series reminds me of the Koe no Katachi film which is also made by KyoAni. Even for a television series, Violet Evergarden has the same quality as Koe no Katachi. Each frame is well drawn so the animation runs smoothly. Details on the character design also shows the hard work of key animators in making this series. Every female character feels so beautiful and every male character feels so manly through the way key animator draws each character. The selection of colors taken fits perfectly with the theme of this series which is thought to be similar to the period after the second world war in time and technology. Plus the quality of backgrounds such as clouds and water are so beautiful to the eye. Overall, this is one of the best quality anime other than Kimi no Na Wa and Koe no Katachi SOUND : 8/10 Maybe what makes us sad and cry when watching this series is not because of Violet's personal problems, but the client's problem. But still this series still able to make us shed tears. The existence of the soundtrack in every sad moment in this anime really strengthens the atmosphere. Without proper selection and soundtrack composition, sad moments are not necessarily can make us shed tears. It also should be appreciated is the sound effect. Especially when the scene is related to the war. The sound of weapons, bombs, airplanes or even the sound of a soldier dropped from a shot. My favorite part in terms of sound effects is when an army is shot. Everything feels so fast that we do not realize that someone has been shot. Overall, this series provides best animated quality and also provides an interesting story premise. But direction in this series can make us confused in following Violet's journey to find his true self. So not everyone will judge the story in this anime executed properly or not. But for a drama series. This is an anime with good character development. Violet is the character with most massive development among all the characters in the winter of 2018.
kokuborou
04/04/2018, 08:31 AM
“I want to know what love is” with this line Violet’s journey has started. It’s a journey of words, words that hold the power to influence the future of a person and change their perspective about the world. Finding the right words for the dear ones isn’t easy and Violet learns that through her encounters with different people who have a story to tell. The story is made with words, words on a piece of paper that can save a dear brother from despair, can show the love and carrying of a mother for her child even after she is gone, can make the parents understandwhat their child wants to do with his future, can connect two distant hearts that yearn for each other, can bring news of happiness or sadness to someone dear and finally can make people come to a mutual understanding. The letters that contain those words are the key to unlock the locket on people’s heart and break the iron shackles that put a restrain on their emotions. Each letter needs to be delivered to its destination because each written word represent the genuine feelings of its senders for the dear ones.Violet having a past filled only with cold words slowly starts to experience new words during her journey as a Auto Memory Doll, warmth words filled with compassion, affection, and love. Those words melt the ice around Violet’s heart and contribute to her growth as a human being. During her journey the world is filled with bitter words too not only happy ones but that doesn’t discourage her despite bringing back sorrow memories, in fact she comes to accept those words as part of her and grows stronger. She does her best every time to understand the meaning behind those words and give the right words to the persons in need of them. A sweet girl that lost the dear person to her on the battlefield, she stands up, raises her head from the ground, takes the first step and moves on in life despite the pain that weights a lot on her shoulders. I love you Violet! The pace is slow fitting for our characters and Violet’s growth, because life isn’t meant to be hurried, each happy moment needs to be savored and each hardship needs to be overcome, life is a battlefield were each of us has its own fight, it’s all part of being alive. The emotional atmosphere combined with the subtle visuals and gorgeous ost created around the character’s stories draw forth the raw emotions of its viewers and tears will be spend as an exchange. Violet Evergarden is a letter of love addressed to life, a lesson about the hardships and happy moments in life, it’s about getting up and moving on despite the obstacles that await for you and it gets better after each episode like the taste of a wine as it gets better with age. Thematically rich, visually breathtaking with alluring ost Violet Evergarden is a gem that may be hated by many viewers or hold a special place in the hearts of its audience, can bring peace of mind and sooth your hearth, it’s a show that needs to be savored for its special flavor called LIFE. As any journey that comes to an end it’s time to say farewell to our main heroine Violet who has reached her final destination but her fight with life will continue as long as she doesn’t give up, so my review of this enchanting show has come to an end. I wanna thank all of those who allocated a little of their time to read the words that I put on paper to create something that I hope will make a little change and give this show a try.
Karhu
04/04/2018, 08:25 AM
"When I die, I want KyoAni lower me down in my grave so they can let me down one last time." From the dome of quality differences comes Violet Evergarden. Show half episodic, half character-driven, half story-driven. Yet all these halves barely make one show. We mainly see try-hard attempts on making the viewers cry with melodrama. Most of the time it feels like spoon-feeding. Open your mouth, the emotions are coming! Let's take a bite whilst this every-sad-piano-song-ever plays on the background. The show does bring some interesting topics on the table, but instead of trying to do much with little, instead of developingthe characters and playing around with all the good things the series already had, it starts expanding itself with irrelevances, 3rd parties and events so unnatural it felt like Hachimitsu no Clover S02 all over again. The focus always being on emotions, yet 0 emotional depth is present. The characters on the other hand are bland and make no sense whatsoever. Violet comes with different personality and reaction based to the current episodic plot. Emotionally dead, hysterically crying little girl, I AM A WAR MACHINE - CYBERNETIC ORGANISM - LIVING TISSUE OVER ENDOSKELETON. Just choose your favorite version. Mine was the one in episode 6 who liked stargazing. I wonder where that personality disappeared for the remaining episodes. Gilber's brother makes even less sense. "You will be my brother's dog." And 3 episodes later "There is no emotional bond between my brother and you." Who wouldn't bond with their own dog? I don't get it. Does this guy hate dogs or what is he even saying. What a cunt. At the end of the day, Bialetto Evelugalden is a common drama series to this industry, and its saddest part is not the actual drama writing, but the waste of potentiality, the single thought about -not only how much better this series could have been- but how much better it should have been.
Stark700
04/04/2018, 08:19 AM
Waking up one day and discovering Violet Evergarden getting an anime adaptation by Kyoto Animation should be a blessing. At least that’s what it looked like on the surface. The light novel series earned the grand prize from the Fifth Kyoto Animation in the novel category. Even with two volumes, my expectations going into this anime was high. In particular, the sheer visual quality is a sight to feast on. However, Violet Evergarden isn’t exactly just known for that but does that mean it’s something to be praised? Written by Kana Akatsuki, the light novel series is a story about Auto Memory Dolls. They are dollsare made by Dr. Orland, a scientist who used them to assist his wife in writing novels. However, these dolls were also rented out to others for service. The main plot revolves around an Auto Memory Doll named Violet Evergarden as she tries to discover her purpose in life. As someone who came into this series half prepared (I have read parts of the light novel), I felt I was ready enough. The first few episodes came in as anime originals and that left me with some mixed reception. However, I will say that the pilot episode was a terrific picture. Beyond the lush quality and the visual magnificence, Violet Evergarden presented a story with heavy emotions. It synchronizes with the drama and melancholy of what I had anticipated. However, the main selling point of the show is titular character Violet Evergarden herself. The story feels like a character study that puts over her above the rest of the cast. Every episode focuses on Violet in some way through her role in the story, her interactions with others, and how she develops as a character. The conflicts she experiences tests her feelings and how she responds to them by trying to understand others. It draws viewers into asking questions about how she can develop as a character and in a lot of ways, I think the show did do that quite well. For instance, Violet displays a lot of human characteristics and tries to understand others. The most prominent scenes features her desperately trying to learn what “love” is and to me, this series chronicles her experience like a life journey of discovery. Unfortunately, I can’t really say that the first few episodes were well thought out in characterizing Violet as a memorable character. Beyond her expressions and role, it seems the show repeats a lot of the same things over and over. The example includes Violet expressing why she is an Auto Memory Doll and it gets tedious fast. It also doesn’t help much that the other side characters seemingly react in similar ways to Violet. My main concern for the first few episodes were mainly how this can keep viewers interested with such a way of storytelling. Fortunately, the series does get better and puts emphasis in some of the side characters. While the plot feels non-linear at times, some of the other characters do get spotlight through effective background storytelling. For instance, one of the episodes featured a 14 year old princess who gets engaged to a prince and while this seemed like a cheesy love tale at first, it resolved in a very emotional way. It gave me the impression that certain side characters are worth investing time into. In the meantime, the series does eventually step into the light novel adaptation territory as we learn more about Violet’s past and connection with someone very important to her. That person would be Gilbert Bougainvillea, a major in the Leidenschaftlich Army and someone that influenced Violet a lot since she met him. As we look at Violet’s past, we learn how they met and how much he treasure her like a person rather than a doll. It’s also important to note that Violet feels comfort whenever she is around him and not lonely. The anime in the present timeline portrays Violet as a very lonely character and doesn’t have someone to depend on. In doing so, it establishes Violet as a character that has a hard time understanding others. This is especially true for her after she heard Gilbert’s final words. The show dedicates time to explore Violet’s change since the past and how she reflects her experiences in the present. As I mentioned before, the series takes a lot of time into examining Violet as a character and getting viewers to understand her. The side characters play important roles in later episodes to make Violet reflect on her past deeds. To me, it’s effective storytelling as it really made me understand her behavior. The more I understood her, the more compelling her character became. I don’t know if this was the creator’s intention from the start but honestly, it does come together as a well delivered plan. Now you’re probably thinking of the story contains too much drama for its own good. In some ways, it does but in other ways, it’s also important for the main story. You have to remember that the timeline takes place after a war that Violet was previously involved in. Stories about war often involves pain, tragic memories, and even death. For Violet, she experienced the realities of war. Obviously, there’s going to be a lot of drama and its effect on the storytelling can be received with mixed receptions. I had some mixed feelings in general about Violet’s past as while it can definitely evoke emotions, it doesn’t feel unique enough to be memorable. In other words, I’m more interested in how she develops as a character in the present rather than focusing on her past. Even if it’s significant for her characterization, the drama presented in the background stories doesn’t always feel too impactful. I get it though. Some people will probably point fingers and say that it’s necessary. Others may agree with what I mentioned here. To me, I’m still more interested in Violet’s development in the present than who she is in the past. Otherwise, Violet’s role in the show feels more than just a protagonist. She is the character. Anyone watching this series will easily recognize the powerful production of the show. This is perhaps one of Kyoto Animation’s best work yet in terms of technical quality. The world setting has natural and lush landscapes with European style architecture detailed with vivid colors. Every camera shot feels impactful and there’s no drop in quality in any episode. Body movements are also timed precisely well to highlight every fine detail such as Violet’s character expressions and role as a doll. Speaking of which, Violet’s character design makes her look very elegant. If you haven’t known about her background story, it’s hard to recognize her as a former soldier. Her signature hand is also a trademark animated with impressive features. It communicates the message to viewers as what she is. Other characters in the show also stand out with their human characteristics. While there’s no fan service in the show, there are characters such as Cattelya that can be very pleasing to the naked eyes. It’s clear to me that Kyoto Animation and the creative team poured a sheer amount of effort into making this series as a whole. The theme songs also highlights a sensitive feeling of melancholy to match the series’ tone while character voice mannerism for the majority of the cast are able to keep up with their momentum. The music and OST also hits the mark to deliver what's intended especially for the emotional drama. It’s definitely a series that felt different to me compared to some of other Kyoto Animation’s recent works. This one was an emotional storyteller that gave us a reason why we should care about Violet Evergarden; not just the story but Violet’s own journey of discovery. While I can’t say it’s always an effective tearjerker, it’s still a show that’s worth investing time into. Well done, Kyoto Animation. You gave me a better hope for your future.

Violet Evergarden ヴァイオレット・エヴァーガーデン

2018 winter | Episodes: 13 | Score: 8.7 (1020488)

Updated every Thursdays at 00:00 | Status: Finished Airing

Type: TV

Producers:Lantis | Pony Canyon | Rakuonsha | ABC Animation

Streaming: Netflix

Synopsis

Voice Actors

Ishikawa, Yui

News

Reviews

mexicancat
10/23/2023, 08:38 AM
After ep.10 I complained about this title to my friend and he told me that Violet Evergarden was written by an 18yo girl. Idk if that's true but it certainly is evident that neither writing experience nor talent went into making this. The protag girl for some reason was intentionally made to be as dull as possible and in absence of any interesting supporting characters this makes the story utterly unenjoyable. What we have then is yet another KyoAni eye candy without substance (alright +1 star for visuals). So for the recommendation part: I would argue that if you're a 10+ year old maleand you have a higher emotional intelligence than that of a hamster, there is not going to be a single second in this that will impress you. Cheers!
MyTrashAnimeList
01/25/2021, 12:31 PM
*I wrote this review a while ago and decided to finally update it to MAL* Violet Evergarden is a story of love and of lost, how do you cope with losing the person whose life filled your own? The playwright who mourns his daughter, the soldier who never came home, the little girl who lost her beloved mother but at the heart of it all though is the girl who wants to know the meaning of the words the major said to her "I Love You" the girl named Violet Evergarden. She can be described as someone with a slightly different sensibility to that of thenormal person. It’s not that she doesn’t have these feelings it’s because she was in a environment where she didn’t learn these lessons in humanity. She possesses these emotions she just doesn’t know how to express them or understand the feelings of others yet but through the people she meets she finds how to improve herself and begins to go through these complex, heavy emotions but the pain she experiences throughout the anime results in her growing as a person and it’s truly beautiful to watch. "I know we said goodbye, but I didn't know. It was forever." - Violet Evergarden Violet Evergarden will always hold a very special place in my heart. No anime has truly touched me so deeply and made me cry so many tears but tears of joy, despair, empathy and so much more that this anime expresses. I got so emotionally attached to Violet and her pain in the search of understanding and accepting her feelings and things that can’t be undone/forgotten. Violet Evergarden in my opinion is a truly emotional masterpiece and I am eternally grateful to experience it. She brings hope and love to people. She brings hope and love to herself. How her letters can bring you so much ~love ~hope ~happiness ~sadness ~bad news Thank you KyoAni for this masterpiece. Hope you enjoyed this review :)
literaturenerd
09/05/2020, 03:47 PM
Violet Evergarden game out in 2018 to near universal acclaim from the online anime community. The premise is…kind of odd. The main heroine is an ice cold, killing machine with supernatural abilities and amnesia. Sounds pretty anime so far. However, her country is now at peace and her days of slaughtering faceless mooks are over. So, she decides to get a career ghost writing love letters in order to learn what love is like. The way to get a 9.00 rating on MAL is apparently to mix Elfen Lied with Cyrano de Bergerac. What this anime is actually about though is a robot created solely forcombat learning to become human and develop a heart. Have you seen Terminator 2? Have you seen the Iron Giant? Good, you’ve basically seen Violet Evergarden! My favorite version of this character journey is the Xenosaga trilogy in which the battle android Kos-Mos develops over 3 games and 90 hours of play time. The Nietzschean undertones make it more unique. Not only is she becoming a real girl, she’s becoming an ubermensch who thinks entirely for herself and creates her own values. The last game BTW is called “Also Spraque Zarathustra” because subtlety. This Pinocchio story archetype of a non-human becoming human and gaining a heart is quite old and has had a long-lasting appeal. There are parallels to the journey every child takes in growing up and learning right from wrong. The anime never explicitly states that Violet is a robot, but it’s pretty heavily implied. Even if it turns out she’s an alien or bio-weapon it’s the same journey. Personally, I’d rather follow a character journey more like the ones in Vinland Saga and Berserk. Those 2 main characters grew up as child soldiers and were treated as tools of war, but they were always human underneath. They forcibly repressed their emotions and their conscience in order to survive and keep killing people, but they always knew how wrong it was. Young children don’t have firmly established morals yet, but they don’t think like computers. I’d rather watch the journey and development of a human being than a computer because I’m a human and I’m biased. Despite all I’ve said, I’m not going to be as harsh on this title as most of the Metacritic club was. There’s no point, since this isn’t actually a terrible anime and it’s not my job to sink this show’s reputation. 2,300 years ago, a rabbi who wrote under the pseudonym Kohelet, stated that “there is nothing new under the sun”. This statement was true then and continues to be true now. While Violet Evergarden’s character journey is one that covers well-trodden ground, that doesn’t make it bad! For many on MAL, this was their first exposure to this story and we old farts must respect that and understand how they feel. “Human! My sensors indicate that you’re under some type of emotional distress. My instructor taught me a song. If you’d like to hear it, I can sing it for you. It’s called Daisy.” – Waifu 9,000 So how boring is Violet for the first half of the series? I think the HAL 9000 might actually have more personality and likeability. Violet feels like she’s not even an AI, but a robot we could build right now. Violet is like a hot version of the annoying robot in a trashy OVA called Cyber City. “Your welfare is one of my primary programming directives” Me: “Yeah, well my welfare requires that I get away from you!” Our male hero is some military asshole who falls in love with Violet during the time that she’s a soulless robot who executes basic command files and that’s it. Oh, and he believes she’s 14 years old based on her appearance, so there’s that too. None of the other characters get much development, so if you don’t love our main couple, you’re SOL. The main girl from Chobits was an android, but at least she was an actual AI! She showed fear, joy, concern, and demonstrated empathy right from the beginning. Since the main character is a country bumpkin with no experience dealing with women at all, it’s believable that he would fall hard for her. So now that I’ve written about the plot and characters, let’s look at the animation. Kyoani is one of the most beloved studios out there and for good reason. They typically do a phenomenal job and put so much passion into their projects. Violet Evergarden was the first effort of its director, Taichi Ishidate, and it shows. It has an odd mix of cel shading and CG that looks fine sometimes and rather off-putting at others. Compare this with Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, which Kyoani put out the year before Violet under the leadership of the late Yasuhiro Takemoto. It sticks to a visual style that it’s comfortable with and it looks a LOT better for it! I normally don’t cover character designs in my reviews, but I can’t help pointing out what looks like egregious plagiarism on the part of Violet Evergarden. The heroine Violet looks WAAY too close to Saber from the Fate/Stay series. I spent the entire series waiting for Violet to randomly bellow out “You speak to Arthur Pendragon, King of the Britons! Sovereign of all England!” There are only so many ways to draw a cute anime girl but come on! It looks like they just blatantly ripped off one of the most famous waifus in all of otakudom! This isn’t generally a problem that plagues modern anime. It’s not like the heroine in Arte is a carbon copy of Rei Ayanami. This is specifically a problem with Violet Evergarden! Overall, this series is fine for what it is. If I were younger and in the right mood, I could definitely see myself liking this series. If you loved Violet Evergarden and it spoke to you in some way, that’s awesome! If it made you feel strong emotions, those are your emotions and that’s perfectly valid. Just because some cranky old man on the internet didn’t love it shouldn’t hurt your personal relationship with the series. I’m not sure I would actually give this one a recommendation, but it’s on Netflix and is widely available if you want something to binge from the comfort of your living room!
violetIsSleepy
04/11/2019, 12:23 AM
RANT WARNING: Too many anime fans, apparently, have become accustomed to having things spelled out for them via some combination of long narration and excessively expository dialogue between characters. Along comes Violet Evergarden, a show that dares not to hold its viewers' hands, and suddenly there's a backlash mob complaining about how the "dialogue doesn't tell us enough" and how supposedly that's an indicator of weak story. It's laughably stupid, because the opposite is true. A great film/show is one that you can mute and still understand. A trash show is one where you could drape a blanket over the screen and still understand it. VioletEvergarden, even the haters will admit, is beautifully animated. Thank Kyoto for that. But what the haters seem to miss is that the animation itself is telling the story, which is HOW IT SHOULD BE. And it would be the norm if so many studios weren't sadly forced to operate on a tight budget that incentivizes them to give us boring stills while characters explain things for us. All I can say is WATCH WHAT'S HAPPENING. Watch the subtle facial expressions, the changing scenery, the moods that the different color schemes convey. Stop expecting walls of text to spell everything out for you, and you'll find there's a beautiful, tear-jerking story here. Violet Evergarden tells the story of a broken, scarred soldier who needs to find her place in the world. She spent most of her life as a pawn who just took orders and wreaked havoc. She spends the course of the show learning how to express and get in touch with her own emotions. Of course, Violet's lack of emotions in the beginning can be a turn off for viewers. She is somewhat difficult to empathize with at the start. But that, it turns out, is the point, as this problem is remedied in a truly beautiful way. Starting around episode 3, Violet (and we the viewers) begins hearing the stories of more ordinary people. These stories are easier to understand, and when Violet herself is able to draw a connection between an emotion one of her clients is feeling to an emotion she herself felt at a certain time, it allows us to start "getting" who Violet is. And that's when the freaking water works start. Bring tissues if you're like me. Starting with episode 4, almost every episode that followed brought me to tears at some point. It's a good, ugly cry that they get out of you. Kyoto doing Kyoto things. This is among the greatest things I've ever watched. You may not like it if you're used to easily digestable shows that tell you what to think/feel and have characters constantly spoonfeeding you exposition. You probably won't like it if you're only into giant robot battles. But if you're ready for a show that will make you feel, there is no better show to watch.
MoodMojo
04/05/2018, 07:12 AM
Okay, I've seen so much criticism befall this anime so I'm going to try and be as thorough as possible with this review. I won't include spoilers, however, and will try not to mention any major events which happen through the anime so bear with me if I sound a little vague. Story Pardon me, but this anime is a bitch. It basically aims in any way possible to trigger those tears of yours. It's probably one of the few anime which made me cry this much that I can only think of another one. Just prepare your tissues and be ready because there is a highprobability that the onion ninjas will be paying you a visit. Now to the criticism I've mentioned earlier. There has been so much hate going around over this anime and from what I've seen I think most of it for the story being "too linear" . Yes, it's not like the usual anime you'd see most of the time, but it's all a matter of perspective really. I'll advice you beforehand; try and view it as a play and not an anime and you'll find yourself being immersed into it. One thing to note though is that the beginning of the story is nothing like what's yet to come. The first three episodes, especially, are a prelude to the anime itself and emphasize on Violet's character and describing the setting in an orderly manner. Perhaps too orderly that you'd feel quite bored at times. Because of that, I thought that all this anime was is just some quality art and breathtaking scenery, but trust me that this is far too presumptuous so at least give it five episodes before you decide to continue with it or not. The setting of the story looks like England in the 80s, but the names of the countries, cities and even the language are all fictional to my knowledge. Since there is plenty of focus on the state of war the countries have gone through and what those wars have caused, the creators might have chosen not to mention anything that would bring up hard feelings into the story which is a wise decision if you ask me. Okay, so now that pretty much sums up the subtle details of the story and its general idea. Now for the story itself, Violet Evergarden is a girl of about 14 *cough*underage*cough*. Back in her childhood with no parents, name or feelings she was viewed by almost everyone around her as a killing tool or a loli weapon of mass destruction who knew nothing except how to kill. She didn't even know how to speak, but all of this changed once Gilbert took her in as a gift from his brother. From that point on she was intended to be Gilbert's weapon to be utilized in army as a weapon as usual. However, Gilbert disagrees greatly with this and chooses to treat her as a proper human being. He raised her, taught her, took care of her and eventually loved her. (゜ロ゜) What happens is that Violet is currently trying to understand emotions; love to be specific. As the major in his last breaths' confesses his love to her, but Violet couldn't understand what his words meant. Thus, begins Violet's beautiful journey to pursue pure emotions and convey them to people as she starts to understand them herself as well. Let me tell you this, she's going to be exploring emotions alright and you'll be exploring emotions just as much so don't forget those tissues of yours. You have been warned! Art HoHoHo do I even need mention a thing here? The reason of all the hype before this anime came out is because of its art style. An artist's wet dream would be an understatement to its beauty. Just watch the trailer to get a solid idea of what I mean. The scenery are extra bright and the characters are very well-polished from tip to toe. Just look at their beautiful eyes when they're not full of tears! The usage of the art style varies by episode. There are some where you'll be awestruck by the beauty and others where you won't be as much. The characters' style isn't the main beauty of this anime, but they surely look beautiful and original and I think the latter is what matters the most. The scenery, however, will have you drooling waterfalls, which is another good reason for the tissues by the way, so unless you don't like those bright colors and overly detailed scenery, you won't be disappointed. Character Development I think most of what I'd say here would be redundant. Violet is probably the only character who has significant amount of development while the others don't even have that much screen time to begin with. The anime is split into two arcs, the main one where Violet faces her traumatizing history and all that she's been through and the secondary arc which is episodic to the characters Violet encounters through her journey. The secondary arc is a thousandfold more emotional than the main one and has plenty more of character development included, but that's to characters who'll only last for one episode so I'm not sure you can really call that "development". Nonetheless, their characters undergo drastic self-speculation which overflow with emotions so, if you ask me, I find it impressive how much they managed to fit into a single episode. Sound This is such a vital part of this anime and I don't think it I could have appreciated the beauty of it without this beautiful soundtrack. Think of it as the adhesive which connects everything into the big picture. It's almost entirely on the classical side, which I'm fond of, so you might not like it if you hate classical music, but honestly, who does? The characters' voices are pretty good as well. I liked some more than others, but everyone fit his character and played it well. You can clearly tell the VAs were immersed in their roles and paid very close attention to the details. My favorite one was introduced in the last episode though, so I can't really say who she is without spoiling too much. If you do choose to view this anime as a play and let yourself immerse into it you'll certainly know who she is, though. Entertainment Despite the shed tears, spilled blood and fatal wounds, I can with all honesty tell you that this anime was indeed enjoyable. You'll probably need some light series to recover after you're done with it, but you won't regret a single moment and are sure to appreciate its beauty. It's certainly a piece of art you'll enjoy watching and an experience you'll cherish. Watch this if: You have high tolerance to onions, You're looking for breathtaking animation, You like Slice of Life, You want an anime presented in a new perspective. Don't watch this if: You're not into drama(VERY DRAMATIC), You don't like slow-paced story lines, You're looking for action(Really mild here), You don't have tissues.
animejas
04/04/2018, 09:22 PM
The most hyped anime of Winter 2018 and one of the most hyped of the year, Kyoto Animation's Violet Evergarden took the season by storm as fans were bewitched by everything about it from the trailers and beyond. And while many fans might have tons of love letters to describe the beauty and painful realism of this show to their daily lives, I sadly have to leave a different kind of letter for this show. A letter that this show and its fans might not enjoy reading from me. Story (0.5/10) Violet Evergarden is mostly episodic where Violet will visit her client and help them with ghostwriting.A simplistic concept but something that could easily work if done right. When I heard of this before the show started, I thought that it'd be great and very interesting. But alas, having expectations that are high for any show like this always seems to bite me in the ass because instead, I felt that the story was just a giant flop. Drama is a genre I love so much. It's a genre that when done naturally and organically, creates storylines that sends chills down my spine. Like the character-drama that is March Comes in Like a Lion which was airing its 2nd cour for its 2nd season at the same as this. What makes the drama fantastically written there is how methodically and organically the approach for it was. It wasn't a show trying to force drama down my throat each and every episode, it was a show that built up Rei Kiriyama's psychological issues and showcased his progression along with the Kawamoto sisters so well that the drama only adds magic to its storylines. Hell, shows that have the best drama for me mostly, are shows that don't even have drama in the first place when you hear about the synopsis and just bite into the show. Like with A Place Further than the Universe which was airing this season, a show with four girls striving to travel to Antarctica and accomplish their respective goals. You have them bond with each other, create memories, and sprinkle in elements on drama here and there and it's all good. It develops the characters in such a great way that payoffs for Shirase and Hinata, and everyone's character arcs pay off massively and the storytelling is a huge success. This season has had some prime examples of how the genre 'drama' can be done right, and can create a compelling experience like no other. But the show that everyone focused on this season was the Kyoto Animation show, Violet Evergarden, the show that failed in nearly every way of creating any sort of compelling storyline whatsoever, or story that got me feeling any sort of emotions for these characters. Why? Cause Violet Evergarden is STUFFED TO THE BRIM with drama that get quickly resolved in certain ways, therefore alienating me and making me not care for any of it whatsoever. It's a show that's just pure Oscar-bait. A show that tries to showcase different situations in an episodic format, each designed only to emotionally manipulate people into feeling sorrow for them. I love episodic shows, but the problem with implementing stuff like this into these kinds of shows, is that you only get 20 minutes to create all these new characters, create a new situation and try to emotionally grab me right from the getgo with some bullshit with no depth or real organic development whatsoever. Everything just happens and I'm expected to feel anything for these characters, what utter nonsense. With no real time or earnest effort to write, why should I care for them if the writing isn't able to get me emotionally attached to them in a small period of time. I won't say it's impossible to create emotional content in an episodic format, since the original Kino's Journey for me managed to do that. Albeit not with every episode, but that's the beauty of it for me. It doesn't try to force down philosophies or drama down our throats so when unexpected tragic events do happen, or when bad events do occur that make me irritated or sad, it works really well. In a short space of time, they're able to build genuine character interactions at a nice pace without feeling heavy handed and when something sad happens in an episode, it works. AND IT'S NOT EVEN A DRAMA SHOW. HELL, you even have comedy shows that organically develop characters over time and the drama just works there too like with Assassination Classroom, Gintama and SKET Dance just to name a fucking few. It's not hard as long as you can do it properly without intentions to MAKE people cry from the start itself. But Violet Evergarden feels way too unnatural, way too heavy handed and way too plastic on the surface and even below it that the concepts that it has for episode just fails to click. From it's original material to even it's horrendously written filler, Violet Evergarden's storytelling is an utter manipulative flop with horrendous pacing too. Plus take away the melodrama, and it's just fucking boring. Nothing really interesting about the world, setting, the job and everything else about this show. Characters (0.5/10) Violet may have a cute design, but is such a watered down character that because of its poor writing, gave me absolutely no reason to care for her development whatsoever since all her interactions that made her supposedly develop were so fake and ingenuine for me. If you have to rely on trying to shove melancholy down my throat for 24 minutes for 13 episodes, don't expect me to feel any care for the characters whatsoever, especially the main character here. Side characters had absolutely no one for me that I liked. Everyone might as well be mannequins since their personalities resembled that. Art & Animation (10/10) Very well done, although the drawings do look heavy handed at times. The animation clicks really well and works really smoothly in creating a cinematic experience like no other and even though the lighting maybe too bright for me, I'm still overall impressed by the visual production for this show. The designs, drawing, movement all look fantastic and top-notch for a TV anime. Shame it was wasted on a substanceless show like this. Sound (8.5/10) I liked the OP song a lot by TRUE, well sung and feels right at home with a show like this. And the OSTs do work very well with presenting the show with its own sort of magic and fantasies involved. It sounds very good although again, a bit forced too. Less is more for me at times like these. The voice acting was solid too for both Japanese and English versions. Enjoyment (1/10) I hated every single minute of watching this show, since there's nothing real about it. Everything's just forced, manipulative garbage that has nothing else to really add to the show to help make the stories work. Major letdown, and a major stinker. What a horrendous show this was, and a disgrace to the "Drama' genre as a whole. Score 1/10
Ankithadam
04/04/2018, 09:14 PM
“Letters are among the most significant memorial a person can leave behind them.” ―Johann Wolfgang von Goethe “A letter always seemed to me like immortality because it is the mind alone without corporeal friend.” ― Emily Dickinson You must be thinking, what the hell is wrong with this guy? Whats with all the "letter" quotes? That's right!!! This anime actually gives you a perfect definition of letters, you must have heard of people in other reviews mentioning War, love story, Auto memoirs doll etc., Or at least got the feeling it would be one judging from 1st 2 episodes, but I would warn you guysthis isn’t what you think it is, in fact, there isn’t a straight story at all. This is rather a story or rather a slice of life(SOL) of a girl (named Violet Evergarden) who is a weapon in war, trying to adjust in society post-war by writing the letters for people and understanding the feelings of the sender and receiver. So why does she want to write the letters? That’s because she wants to know the meaning of “I love you”……….You must be thinking….wtf???? Yeah, that’s true, this must have been the dumbest reason for anyone to learn writing letters (even the lieutenant Hodgins says that in the series), but you will understand that in the long run it kinda makes sense :P So then there is no story and lots of negative reasons stated above (most importantly who would want to know about “letters”?), then…… why is there a damn 8 in the rating???? Well, even though there are lots of negative factors, at the end of the day it is able to deliver what we need in an anime, i.e the enjoyment, the emotional connection with the scene and mainly the importance of letters, i.e from a ‘small sentence’ to uniting couples with ‘long letters’, the letter has the power to move people's heart, that's the power of letters, which is really depicted well here. Alright cutting everything short, It is a collection of short stories with Violet in each episode is interacting with different people and changing their lives and also herself knowing what it is to be a human, what it feels like to lose a human and even you might get motivated from Violet as she tries hard learning to understand what human feelings are. The main beauty of this anime is the ART, the animation, and camera view. All characters are so beautiful that everyone looks like a doll. You wouldn't even know for half of the series whether Violet is actually a doll or a human. The setting is historic, most probably during world war I (The robotic arms of Violet seem too much advanced for that time or even present). The background, the colors, the time lapse, the sky, the flowers, the stars and even wine, every detail is so beautiful and so colorful that it gives you realistic appeal and makes you feel as if you were at that place. The SOUNDTRACKS are another awesome tool for making this anime nostalgic. The classic orchestral music and emotional soundtracks are really awesome which resonate perfectly and sync with the situation bringing out the emotions out of you. The opening song is also used differently and is introduced in 3rd episode (seems this style is called progressive) is a great song and matches perfectly with the situation. While the ending is also good which is introduced in the 2nd episode. OVERALL: Well coming to the final opinion, which matters the most!!! This show definitely has lot of flaws from dodging bullets like Flash(Superhero), executing a person with sword while having a gun at hand, to writing public love letters and many dramatic scenes which I wouldn’t want to spoil you, which are made to make you emotional but when you think later logically, it might seem kinda dumb but still at the time of watching it makes you forget the flaws and makes you immerse in those lies, that's the beauty of this anime, making you connect with characters without much development just like Mushishi or kino no tabi. Therefore stating all various reasons,even though the anime Violet Evergarden is not suited for the likes of many, but still, it is definitely worth watching, at least once :P For some, it would be "that most hyped series" or for others it might be "that hyped series which lived to its reputation", well, either way, it is going to be remembered lol. And my advice for you is, at least watch 5 episodes before you drop ( If you feel like dropping) and Don’t binge watch it, because either your heart will melt or it might harden into a stone basing on your response. I have put out all the negative things about anime for you so that you might not be surprised and drop it out in middle. Did it give negative thoughts to fans?? I don't think so, because they will like it even if there are many flaws besides this. well, that's the end of the review, you could stop here or read below for FAQs and more detailed Analyses of the series and character development, of course, it is spoiler-free. :D _______________________________________________________________________________ Dub or sub? : Personally, I feel that sub is a lot better because, at the actual point of creating an emotional moment, in the dub, the words are uttered as if they were read from Google translate. While the sub has better words which suit the dialogue. But in rest of the situations, the dub is also good. Analysis of Story: One thing is good in this anime, It keeps you guessing what this anime might be turn out to be ? just when you are thinking of being fed-up or you made up your mind what this anime is gonna be? , that's when the story changes because, at present, you might observe that the genre of this anime is listed as SOL but it wasn’t the case when this series was airing, everyone used to talk how the series might turn out to be(Forums). In detail, first 2 episodes are like a slight introduction to the current state Violet is, with focus given more to the surrounding places, the anime setting, the camera views etc, for example, The starting scene is just like the scene from Assassin's creed where the eagle flies and the camera shifts with respect to it while here a paper or perhaps the letter flies in its place. Then slowly from episode 3, the slice of life starts and by the end of episode 7 just when you are thinking this series is full of it, writing letters blah blah, the flashback or Violet’s past kicks into play, and you get to see it for about for 2 episodes making you think, well we might get to watch a war anime perhaps, but it stops there and again the SOL begins, So by the time you reach episode 11 it makes sense that this anime is all about letters and its significance but its not really about violet's past, well that’s where you are wrong again, just watch the series and know what it is :) Difference between Light novel and anime? Personally, I didn’t read the novel but from the opinion of others, few other characters were introduced, Violet is more humane and less aggressive here and most of the unrealistic parts were removed like Violet with a battle axe. But the only fault is the 12th episode which gave a negative response from Novel fans by mentioning novel version was better and had more realistic feeling for that part. Difference of experience between new and old watchers of this series: For anyone new to Violet Evergarden, as I mentioned earlier you can observe that the genre is SOL, drama. you can have that premeditated feeling of watching a SOL. There is both negative and positive effect of it, the positive part is that you know that you are going to watch a SOL so you are mentally prepared not expecting much of a story but the negative part is that you wouldn’t have that suspense what this series may turn out to be? Coming to Characters: We all know that Slice of life means character development or vice versa but this isn’t the case here, as violet meets new people in every episode, so there isn’t much possibility for character development. That being said, I'll talk about few prominent characters which need to be noticed: Violet: People might either hate her due to her PTSD traits, inexpressive nature, and a bad example of Saber ( Fate series) 'OR' love her as innocent, fragile and she strives to be a better person and also fans of Saber might like her. This show is basically about Violet so you need to watch the show and understand about her, leaving here coming to another major character, Major Gilbert: There are huge amount of novel fans who might love him, but his character is just developed for about 2 episodes in anime and you can observe his and Violet’s relationship to be similar to like that of father and daughter, He is the main cause of Violet’s change of behaviour or character due to the fatherly love is shown by him. Many people(novel readers) say that he loved her like a partner but I didn’t feel the same. His role is very less, then there is his friend: Lieutenant-Colonel Hodgins: I felt him to another good guy, he is more developed then Gilbert lol, he also plays a major role in supporting Violet, by getting her a job, taking care of her and even give the right amount of comfort to her as per Gilbert’s request but he doesn’t feel burdened. The only controversial person who seemed out of character every-time in new episode is Gilbert’s brother Dietfried. In one episode he seems harsh on Violet (Ep 5), in other episode he thinks her to have changed (Ep 8) and again in 12th episode it is shown that he still doesn’t believe in Violet still but takes her advice or saves her and many more weird multiple unstable traits are exhibited by him, other than that rest all characters are developed for an episode or two and left, For example, characters like Benedict ( postman), Luculia, Iris, Erica (Dolls)etc are used just for the sake of story’s progress in latter small and significant parts which might make many people angry for not developing them or using them properly, since we are mainly focused on Violet’s point of view I think its better to ignore the rest. I hope you like this kind of writing style in which I seem like interacting with you and I hope this review motivated you to watch it ✌ I hope I didn't bore you with all the praises, I did want to criticize and write a review like a critic, but every time I re-watched the series, I kept falling in love with it and most probably you are gonna too :)
RebelPanda
04/04/2018, 06:35 PM
Sincere. If I were to describe Violet Evergarden with a single word, it would be just that, sincere. It is a slow burn slice of life that makes up for its lack of narrative complexity with earnest, empathetic drama. A child soldier for the past four years, Violet Evergarden begins her journey with no place in a world without war. Upon awakening after the war's final battle with extensive injuries and no sign of her commanding officer Gilbert, she is truly in a world where she does not belong. Growing up as a soldier has not prepared her for everyday life. Unable to speak withouta militant vocabulary and a solute, it became clear that a civilian's daily life is not suited to someone with her inclination. She gets taken in by former Lt. Colonel Hodgins, Gilbert's friend, who now runs a private postal service. Upon her arrival at the office, she becomes intrigued by the Auto Memory Dolls branch. Comprised of young women similar in appearance to Violet, the Auto Memory Dolls transcribe their client's feelings into letters. These women may look identical to Violet in their opulent Victorian attire; however, their capacity to comprehend emotion far exceeds our heroine. Violet is coded as a person with a disability. In this anime's time-period, the Victorian era or World War 1, people with PTSD got treated as crazy. Instead of treating Violet's mental illness as a sign of weakness, this anime portrays it respectfully. The show asks us to empathize with her just as she empathizes with the people she writes letters for. This understanding and Violet's metal arms divide them, a blunt metaphor for her robotic personality. The career of transcribing letters is entirely unfitting for someone who cannot express emotion. However, what Violet lacks in an expression she makes up for in audacity. With the desire to understand the words "I love you," said to her by Gilbert before they lost connection, she undertakes the endeavor of becoming an Auto Memory Doll. Violet's struggle is frustrating at first, but intentionally so. Affected by an undiagnosed mental disability, merely learning how to transcribe a single letter becomes her first great challenge. Her abrasively blunt personality leaves clients dumbfounded at best but furious at worst, occasionally creating understated comedic situations and displaying how she can barely function in society. The fluid setting reminds us that this could be anyone's story from any time. Mental disabilities are undiscovered during this era. That's why those around her misunderstand her. As the viewers, we also mistook her personality as a quirk, angered by her robotic demeanor. Not only is she isolated from the world, she inhabits, but also from those of us who observe her story. This perspective on her character is what made me invested in her arc right away. Her visible turmoil motivated me to be patient with her, to give her the chance to grow at her own pace rather than one designated by us as unsympathetic onlookers. At any chance he gets, the director reminds us we must follow at Violet's pace. We get drawn into her mindset with the dense atmosphere and an abundance of metaphors not to feel put off from the initial slow starting speed. The most potent example of visual metaphors in the early episodes is the vast negative spaces Violet gets framed in, extenuating her loneliness even more. Complimented further by the atmosphere; brought to life through the excellent use of lighting, shadows, and layered colors giving the world a painterly appearance. At first, this dejected tone is what caused people to become alienated from the series. Violet Evergarden has a purpose beyond the detailed environments and impressive lighting; there is more to it than one may initially ascertain. Stemming from the core theme of emotions are vignettes, a single story for each episode after the first two introducing the setting and Violet's life circumstance. The first of this episodic structure follows Violet taking classes to become a qualified Auto Memory Doll. Beyond her trained talent at calculated work, she falls short of her class's rest in expression. Violet's teacher does not accommodate her mental disability, forcing a friend to step in and help her to pass school with an unusual teaching method. A reminder to us, the viewers, that it's hard for some people to communicate their emotions; not everyone can conform to the typical education system. A gripping realization that the world does not make it easy for us to communicate exactly how we feel. From this story of learning onward, we would come to see Violet gain more understanding of connection. Through the many clients she writes for, she grows gradually from robotic to self-aware. Through helping others, and in turn herself, she becomes a character embodying purely peace rather than the horrors that formed her life. Seeing Violet's life through the perspective of a young woman isolated, misunderstood, and struggling to conform to a society with no place for her, forms a visible arc throughout the entire series. Through merely observing different connections like familial love, romance, friendships, and more, the puzzle pieces of human emotion fall into place in her mind. This enlightenment comes quietly and gradually, but one of the most satisfying character arcs I have witnessed. In the beginning, she is a tool for the army taught to slaughter their foes mercilessly. In the end, she becomes a bringer of love with her letters. Like how the flower grows from bud into full bloom, she grows to be suited to the name Violet. Though simplistic, the artists often use flowers to symbolize her gradual humanization. The clients she writes for have drastically more emotional lives than her, highlighting how lacking Violet is. Over time, her demeanor rises to approach those of her clients in emotion. A change is most visible in how she speaks bluntly, never mincing words at the start and becoming subtler, and understanding how others feel by the end. A series so drama-focused as this got inevitably accused of being melodramatic, which is a fair criticism. Suppose you are only absorbing drama instead of analyzing the rich subtext; your experience may become tiresome. For me, this was never a hurdle to overcome. I loved following the trail laid out for us while devouring the drama at its most impactful moments. None of this would be possible without compelling characters, but thankfully there are plenty in this series. Each with an intricate, freely moving character design, being in varying stages of life, and of course, a problem in need of Violet's elegant emotion transcribing. The many different characters are woven together in the same quilt, each with a dramatic life experience forming their personality. A personality that is satisfyingly deconstructed when Violet enters their lives. Seeing the various side characters have their inner turmoils put on display, then examined by Violet's blunt manner of speaking is incredibly cathartic. Her specific criticisms or encouragements of her client's personalities, unfiltered by concern for their reaction, create many satisfying moments of self-realization. Of the many characters, the protagonist receives the most development. Her inner turmoil is enrapturing. She was grappling with her bloodstained past and peaceful present, switching between gory flashback and elegant transcribing within the span of a single episode. Once we finally understand what experiences crafted her robotic persona, it is supremely satisfying after all of the misunderstandings she has endured. Viewing the series week by week only enhanced this more; the hate fired at Violet finally turning into understanding added more impact to these final episodes of realization. These episodes wrought the most cathartic moments sheerly through the long period it takes to build up. Her new peaceful life feels haunted by the horrific deeds she committed in the past, shown with flashbacks, without knowing how cruel she was until becoming an emotionally comprehensive Auto Memory Doll. Throughout the series, she questions if she truly deserves to be writing letters of love rather than killing, even considering suicide in one of the series's most heartwrenching scenes. In the end, her self-doubt takes the shape of a full episode flashback, and others dispersed near the climax. The flashbacks showcase the base version of Violet, a pure killing machine who only takes orders. Booming explosions resound, overpowering any spoken words, pure chaos of fire and blood a perfect metaphor for the silencing of understanding the war causes. At the center of the cacophony lies Violet, like an angel dragged from heaven onto the hellish battlefield, wielded for evil by the morally bankrupt military. Through these difficult moments, we learn who she was at the very lowest point of her arc, emboldening the journey she has taken by now. This understanding we and Violet gain gradually is brought into the letter-writing vignettes, making them even more emotional. Most notably, the tenth episode's story is compelling for its placement in the story and creating a powerful display of emotion that anyone could relate to. It presents the audience with the routine vignette set up, a person suffering from an unclear turmoil needs Violet's work, but this story is more effective thanks to its placement at an advanced stage in her arc. The narrative presented is admittedly predictable and straightforward, but what mattered was Violet's new minor mannerisms that cued us in on the fact that she understood her client's situation much more. She could use subtlety with them, and we could pick up on how, but most rewardingly, we could pinpoint where she gained those little mannerisms in her arc. In the tenth episode, rather than being unable to express much emotion, she visibly buries her feelings for the tragic scenario she had to assist with, only gaining reprieve when the job is over. And I'll admit, I wept just as she did. Many viewers will not have such a wonderful experience, primarily because of slow pacing and reliance on visual storytelling. For a narrative as ethereal as Violet Evergarden's, you may find yourself tying it down with criticisms of shallow writing—this is simply the atmosphere of the show. Unafraid of the slow pace necessary to convey its lead's quiet emotions, accompanied by soft orchestral music, perfectly parallel to the story's direction. Every moment in this series is with purpose; nothing lacks meaning, but of course, whether you appreciate this meaning is up to you. The story highlights only moments necessary for conveying an emotional connection. Forming a vision of a character, typically archetypal seeing as they're typically only present for an episode, then crafting a vague image of their circumstance to which warrants a letter, then the execution. Following the recipient reading the letter, Violet transcribed a deeply resonant display of emotion in many of the episodes. The impact only increases as Violet expands her abilities from her initial one-sentence letter to the inevitably most elaborate expression of emotion in the finale. The music rises to ensure the moment hits with as much impact as possible—with an equally melancholic ending theme to carry the feeling through the credits, sung with a subdued voice similar to Violet's voice. Violet Evergarden has some of the best visuals in an anime series to date. Moreover, it deserves praise for is the power it has to convey empathy. Not merely a surface-level emotion, striking a connection with the audience. Always it conveys a universally applicable message: The key to a happy life is being understood and understanding others.
AndoCommando
04/04/2018, 05:55 PM
“♫♫♫ When you try your best but you don’t succeed… When you get what you want, but not what you need… ♫♫♫” Emotions play a powerful part in storytelling; holding the capacity to tell more through expressions than words could ever hope to achieve. Furthermore, the degree of sentimentality and pathos one feels when watching is able to override any logical fallacies or flaws a story may have. Because of their poignant effect, these “feels” are often used and abused by anime to hide a plethora of writing problems underneath obvious emotional manipulation on the viewers. But whilst there are shows that come off mawkish and melodramatic,there are certainly those where sentiment is deserved. Violet Evergarden is the most recent anime that struck a chord with the community, practically built as a masterpiece before the first episode was even released and I could see why: an award-winning light novel getting an adaptation by Kyoto Animation – a studio adored for their gorgeous art style and animation – sounds like a perfect match to many. But does Violet Evergarden live up to its expectations? And, perhaps more importantly, is the emotional ride warranted? Violet Evergarden follows a titular young girl whose purpose was to be nothing more than a weapon bred for war; a dog of the military, actions akin to a beast fighting for survival. She was never taught how to speak, write or communicate at all, only to kill. Treated as property by the military she was gifted to Gilbert, a major in the army who feels sorry for her, taking it upon himself to teach her valuable skills so that someday she may live the life of a normal girl. As time goes on their relationship grows stronger with her initial animalistic nature subdued and instead displays a more robotic-like behaviour in public. A romance between the two also brews, but their responsibility as soldiers of war takes priority and their affection for each other forced into stagnation. Unfortunately, war holds no mercy on the battlefield and results in Gilbert’s death. His last words: “I love you” – words that she doesn’t understand from the man who gave her the name of a wildflower in bloom, Violet. The aforementioned acts as backstory to the main plotline that is not revealed until later, whereas the series begins with the aftermath: Violet is found in hospital, bed-ridden with prosthetic arms. The war is over and her purpose fulfilled, now she must adopt a civilian lifestyle. She meets Claudia, a former army commander who had befriended Gilbert during the war and is now president of a postal company that provides mail and ghost-writer services. Initially hired as a postal worker, she witnesses how the ghost-writer department works and wishes to become an Auto Memory Doll – a ghost-writer for those unable to write in order to learn the meaning of words and the feelings of others. The beginning is honestly a poor first impression, coming off sappy, predictable and acts as a shoddy introduction to each of the characters. Violet especially comes off almost insufferable here; her backstory is barely referred to with most of the details left in the dark, effectively throwing viewers into her moment of crisis without any proper context. It’s a perplexing choice on behalf of the staff, considering that Violet’s personality here leaves her a bland, dreary main character to follow from the start, lacking enough reason to care about her struggles to begin with. This is made worse with how the story begins at such a slow pace, making it hard to judge whether the show is worth continuing. However, Violet Evergarden is not a show that should be judged from first impressions, as there certainly is merit to be found. Over the next few episodes Violet finds herself working and learning from other Auto Memory Dolls from their interactions with clients. The contrast between Violet and her fellow workers easily shows how far Violet truly is from her goal: currently emotionless and blank in her interactions, yet her desire and drive to understand the clients shines across the screen. This is further touched upon as Violet attends a training school and is unable to convey one’s feelings onto a letter. On her own, she is still unable to properly recognise emotions, but through those around her she slowly begins to grasp what they feel and how they express such. Here Violet’s bland personality acts like a blank canvas where those around her can leave their mark on her, allowing for parallels between side characters and herself to cause short instances of growth in Violet and a resolution on the side-character’s behalf. However, the show is never able to capitalize on these instances well. Rather than take adequate time and focus to let these small but important moments have appropriate build-up and climax to truly have a resonant effect, the show just treats them as merely parts of the plot that could very well be considered isolated from each other, devaluing each achievement Violet makes in her development as the show goes on. I personally found it appalling with how Violet finally learns to effectively convey feelings in an extremely short and concise letter, then not even a few episodes later she is extremely proficient in her writing. If only writing IRL was that easy ☹ It’s at this point where the pacing takes a sudden shift and the shows changes to an episodic format, focusing on Violet’s travels away from her workplace for different clients, each with their own set of issues to overcome, but all revolve around the idea of awakening their true feelings. As an Auto Memory Doll her job is to help her clients express what they feel, but here Violet sees the inner conflict present and aims for them to address and come to terms with it, with her acting as a catalyst when necessary. Whilst doing so, Violet continues to gain more appreciation for different forms of communication and gradually shows more signs of human behaviour. Her facial expressions able to tell more and more with each passing episode. It also gives a greater sense of the importance of society learning to feel again, accepting the tender aspects of individuals and its value. Relearning traits such as kindness, compassion and knowing how to best care about each other, so that when her time comes, Violet will be able to do the same for the own problems. Knowing this, these episodes should be lovely short stories to sit through, but that’s not the case. The way emotions are expressed here sound all well on paper, but in practice come off sterile – a “clinical” sense with how an entire spectrum of emotions are presented. There’s certainly logical reasoning behind why each feeling is portrayed, but as a viewer, these sensations are only being observed, never experienced. A sense of detachment always lingering beyond the screen, breaking any chance to bond with what is happening in the narrative. The series never tries to be melodramatic in its attempts of sentiment and I can respect that; through sheer visual flare it seeks to emulate like none before it, only to end up feeling artificial for the rest of the show. It’s hard to get passionate about a series like this with such a lack of connection, but following Violet’s journey to self-discovery holds enough value that’s worth mentioning. Understanding her background and circumstances is crucial in understanding what Violet Evergarden is trying to achieve. She is initially a tool for battle, completely devoid of human emotion and understanding, simply bred to kill. It is only when she is away from the battlefield where she is aware of her apathetic nature and slowly starts to change. Her development can come off sappy, but it’s justified here in my eyes; slowly grasping how to sympathize and feel for others regardless of her actions in the past. It’s a war with herself, can her bloodstained hands really be used to help others? Is she worthy to? Constantly told she is on fire, it’s when she finally learns about her former lover’s death does the burning sensation set in and eat away at her soul. She gives in to despair and unsuccessfully tries to end her own life. Just when hope looks bleak, she finds a letter sent specifically to her. It’s her colleagues; they miss her. Violet decides to help deliver letters at night, and witnesses the people that anxiously wait for these letters. Cheerful, elated to receive words from those they care about, their emotions key to her understanding her newfound purpose as a ghost-writer. Her hands that destroyed so much – can now bring people together. While the supporting characters will come and go at the drop of a dime, it is Violet who blossoms through the show. The production of Violet Evergarden is constantly praised for the exquisite animation and beautiful art design, both of which are well deserved. Kyoto Animation once again prove why they are one of the best in the industry and raise the standard for TV animation to new heights. Everything looks beautiful… almost too beautiful. The fluid animation, impressive character designs and attention to detail are all obviously here, but I would not consider it all to be a positive. Violet Evergarden draws a fine line between breathtaking beauty and over-stylization; scenes are “too overloaded” with their artwork and digital effects, with the first few episodes smothered in excessive brightness, chromatic aberration and filters than hinder the great animation on display. When a pen is dropped, it doesn’t just fall, it descends in dramatic fashion! It’s overwhelming. Part of the problem falls to the directing which is just blatantly amateurish at times, as if the man in charge is unable to grasp feelings himself. There’s a natural beauty to be found in subtlety when it comes to emotionally-driven shows that Violet Evergarden lacks. The need to present itself in such grandiose fashion manages to expose itself to how amateur the artistic choices taken are; techniques such as depth of field and time-lapse photography are used with the sole purpose being imitation to previous works that did them better. Don't get me wrong, Violet Evergarden still looks visually pleasing, but rather than a home-grown garden gleaming with a myriad of colourful flora, the flowers are plastic, and knowing such loses its lustre. So, with having finished Violet Evergarden, my thoughts are as followed: I rarely laughed, I never cried and this certainly will not change my life, but there is value here worthy of one’s admiration. While it lacks on an emotional level to me, the intent is pure and still holds a sense of beauty that deserves to be seen. It’s a nice show one can easily sit through to pass time, but unfortunately I can’t say much more. It’s just a shame that for a story aimed at learning empathy, this message never reaches past the screen. For it desperately wishes to be as perfect an emotional experience can be, it’s the stories holding imperfections that have the most powerful impact.
TakaCode
04/04/2018, 12:34 PM
“I do not admire greatness that has no substance.” Mary Balogh Before the Winter 18 season had even began Violet Evergarden was set out to be one of the most anticipated animes of the year. It has been heavily advertised on social media anime websites as well as being first anime to be released weekly on UK Netflix. When I first saw the trailer for this show I was really excited because I thought this show would continue the Kyoani streak where they constantly gave us greats shows like Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, Sound! Euphonium 2 and A Silent Voice. Maybe I was expecting too much asthis point because I forgot that Kyoani is the origin of the style over substance shows where despite having great production values and music the story and characters simply don’t hold well especially when you try to re-watch them. There are a few expectations such as Full Metal Panic, K-on, and the shows I just mentioned in the Kyoani streak but the end of the day I don’t value Kyoani all that much compared to other studios like Bones, Sunrise, Madhouse and even J.C Staff. So how does this relate to Violet Evergarden you may ask? Simply put Violet Evergarden repents almost everything that is wrong with Knoani shows as a whole. It took everything that was wrong from past Knoani and makes them worse. Combined with the great production values and music that covers up the lackluster story and characters than you got a show that feels like a tech demo instead of a complete product. Seriously what the hell happened Knoani? You took 3 steps forward with Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, Sound! Euphonium 2 and A Silent Voice and now you’re taking 5 steps back. Just wow!!! Now with all that said hello everyone this is Shawn aka KurataLordStage and welcomes to my review Violet Evergarden and with all said let’s begin. Story. The story follows a former young military girl named who after serving in the war is now crippled both physically and mentally where not only she lost both of her arms she also has temporary amnesia where she cannot remember anything. One day a person named Colonel Hodgins an old acquaintance of Gilbert arrives to pick up violet from the hospital so she can be adopted by the Evergarden family which Gilbert had already arranged. However since Violet cannot adjust to civilian life due to her military indoctrination and amnesia Hodgins hires Violet to being a postal worker. Shortly after she witnesses the Auto Memory Dolls which is a group of writers who carry people thoughts and converts them into words. While witnessing Auto Memory Dolls she remembers the words "I love you" that was told by Gilbert towards Violet. Wanting to meaning the words she decides to become a Auto Memories Dolls and from there here journey begins as she comes face to face with various people’s emotions and differing shapes of love as well searching the meaning of the words "I love you" told by Gilbert. The story has quite a bit of decent things in it but at the same time a lot of bad. One of the things that I liked about Evergarden is its episodic nature in the beginning as Violet does her job as an automated writer who writes for others. I liked the concept of it. However, as the series progressed it, unfortunately, got repetitive and predictable and it got to a point where am watching the same thing over and over again in terms of how almost every episode ends. If there’s one thing that I liked about Violet Evergarden that is not the great production values and music are the themes. No matter how predictable and shallow the show was Violet Evergarden least did a decent job exploring the themes of understanding one another, emotional and love. When this show is not predictable as actually having good writing it actually showcases how these themes can affect the characters especially with violet where at the beginning of the series where actually a living robot with no personality thanks to amnesia however as the series goes she's slowly starting to understand people emotions as well understanding true love. Am much I enjoyed how Violet Evergarden presented it themes I feel at times it got kinda preachy where certain characters just annoyingly preach how they don’t understand people feelings and love etc. It just got really annoying and at times the show really tries to shove down its messages right down our throats. Now that’s all the decent about the story let’s get to the bad things about the story. For starters, most of the episodes are hit or miss. Some episodes were good and it was decently written while others episodes ranged from mediocre, boring to downright awful Another big flaw of Violet Evergarden is the terrible pacing. Good lord this show pacing is very slow but not in a good way. I know it’s a slice of life show/ drama and all but did they really have to make it into a snooze feast especially in the first half. No wonder why me and my group of friends called this series Violet Everboring or worst No Man’s Evergarden (No Man’s Sky) because not only the pacing was terrible where it people to sleep but it was ultimately uninteresting thanks to its shallow writing emotional moments and characters. I also didn’t like the fact that it was trying to hardest to be a tearjerker. Excluding episodes 10 and 11 all of the emotional moments were pretty lackluster and had no real impact thanks to its dull characters and shallow/predictable writing. It doesn’t help the fact that this show directing is up there with the god-awful Transformers movies that were done by Michael Bay By far this shows biggest sin is that it's a another style over substance show where despite the having great production values and music the show’s writing and characters are terrible and I hate shows when they do this. Okay, I will admit that this show at times has some substance where it does a pretty decent job with its themes’ and developing a very small handful of its characters which other shows of its type don’t even do it at all looking at you DARLING in the FRANXX. However, these good things come far between as this show throughout most of its run likes focus on showings of its production values and music while having subpar characters and writing. 4/10 Characters. If the story a couple of decent things in it than I almost nothing positive about the characters in Evergarden. Violet herself is a pretty alright character sure she starts off being very bland but as the show progresses she very slowly becomes quite a decent character that gets’s good character development. However, I will admit she’s a pretty hard character to relate due to her wooden personality especially in the first half of the series where she’s literally unlikable. The rest of the characters are one note and they are just as interesting as watching grass grow thanks to the other characters being bland, boring, annoying to downright awful. Overall despite Violet being a decently developed character I just cannot relate to her at all plus almost of the supporting characters are all generic drama that we all seen being before in better drama animes. I really wanted to like this characters cast but I couldn’t due to the characters being utterly unlikeable and development with the expectation of violet who is decent characters at best despite her being unrelatable as hell. 3/10 Visuals and sound. If there is one thing that was great about Violet Evergarden it would be the visuals and soundtrack. This is quite simply one of the best looking animes I have ever seen in my life. The amount of detail that was showed in this show is insane. Characters designs were great, the background scenery was wonderful to look at and the color direction was great. Like with The Ancient Magus Bride this show has wonderful camerawork and lighting but its way better as this show has great shot composition. As for actual animation, it’s pretty amazing. Every scene is very well animated, all the scenes flow well to each other and it the movement was fluid. I have no complaints with the visuals whatsoever. As for the soundtrack like the with the visuals, it’s amazing. Every single track in the show was a joy to listen and it fits tones with the show for the most part. The opening theme "Sincerely" by TRUE is a pretty great opening theme that I liked. The ending theme Michishirube by Minori Chihara was pretty good but not as great as the opening theme, however, the ending that plays in episode 9 Believe in by Aira Yuuki was fantastic. Now for sub vs dub. The sub is great as you expect as every Seiyuu did a great job with the roles that were given so I have no complaints with the sub. The dub, on the other hand, was actually surprising pretty good with a lot of good talented voice actors. 10/10 for both Visuals and Sound. Final Thoughts. Violet Evergarden is just an another Oscar bait type of anime. It got a lot of attention from anime fans thanks to great advertisement and trailers. It also tried to convince the audience that this show is going to next big thing but it ultimately fells flat in almost every way possible if you don’t count the visuals and music. The story was lackluster at best that is filled with subpar/predictable writing, shitty pacing, weak emotional impacts that at times was written by a 12-year-old. All of the characters besides Violet were pathetically bad thanks to them being clichéd as hell as well being very unlikeable. The only actually good things about this show are the visuals, music dub and some of the well-explored themes in this. Everything else is pretty much a dumpster fire by comparison and it really made sad because I really wanted to like this show but this show just failed to deliver thanks to its on-going problems that never seem to go away and at the end of the Violet Evergarden is a beautiful train-wreck that barely has any substance whatsoever. Easily the most disappointing anime I have seen from 2018 by far and I know it’s pretty early to say that but once 2018 comes to a close this anime would be number 1 for most disappointing animes list. Don’t buy into the hype from people about this series because it’s not worth it at all as it will heavily disappoint you. Final Score 4/10
Pitzer
04/04/2018, 12:28 PM
To Mrs. Sa——, Leiden. Leidenschaftlich, Dec. 11th, 17––. You will rejoice to hear that the war has officially ended. Your brother is truly relieved to finally be able to breathe freely again; my fellow citizens, too, let out a collective sigh of relief. The alleys are filled with a comfortable bustle like they used to be; people’s faces don’t display a worrisome gloom anymore. Businesses are booming throughout the whole town and your brother, too, has found a place of employment in a mail and ghostwriting company. There, it is my job to deliver the letters ghostwritten by our so-called Auto Memory Dolls—women who listen to one’sinquiries and needs for a written letter and put one’s feelings to paper. During my time working here, I have come into contact with many of the aforementioned dolls; and one of these women in particular piqued my interest: with her elegant, golden hair and doll-like demeanor, she fits the job perfectly, and she used to act the part just as well. However, what interested me about her the most wasn’t her looks but rather the fact that she had many stories to tell, be it from house calls or other, similar events. To be honest, the stories themselves weren’t all too intriguing. It may be because I’ve lived through several years of war, but many of them felt like something I had heard before, had seen before. While the fates of these people are definitely cruel and while I really wish they had met a better fate, I can’t help but think of the many who have fallen in war. Thus, the stories of these people whom I’ve never met don’t leave as much of an impression on me as they might have used to; while hearing this beautiful woman describe equally beautiful sights and sceneries brings with it a certain feeling of tranquility, they aren’t what makes these stories interesting. What does make these stories interesting aren’t the stories themselves, but how they affect the one experiencing and—later—telling them. She used to be a child soldier unable of speaking, reading or human emotion. Trained as nothing more than a weapon of war, her doll-like demeanor stems not from indifference, but her time as a soldier. Due to her unusual character, she ran into trouble trying to extract the emotions out of the client’s words, but over time she learned how to understand these feelings and, most importantly, how to feel, herself. Sometimes, upon reciting what had happened just a few days prior, her feelings slowly welled up inside, to then finally overflow. Suddenly, she learned how to smile, laugh and cry; she learned of emotion and empathy. These unadulterated feelings coming from someone formerly unable to feel moved me to my very core every time; it was during these everyday epiphanies of hers that I felt like I was really watching something grow, giving shape to a human rather than a husk. However, newfound feelings are both a blessing and a curse. They may make life more interesting and worth living, but at the same time they can accumulate and overwhelm a person—even more so someone hitherto engaged in the cruelty of war as she was. After realizing what she had done, she slowly gave in to sadness and sorrow. Her cold, metallic hands that killed so many, her blood-stained self burdened with guilt—they started a fire, engulfing her. Her state of mind turned into a complete chaos; she decided to strangle herself with her abhorrent hands and end it all, but she failed. What saved her was a mere letter, this one sole letter I slipped through under her door. Filled with the feelings of her colleagues who missed her dearly, this letter saved her from her sorrow and herself. It let her reflect on what she had done: both her misdeeds in war and her profession, which brought together and still connects so many. Her actions might be irrevocable—but that isn’t a bad thing. Her burn marks may never heal, but really, they don’t need to. After realizing this simple truth, she learned to accept herself and finally became a complete person. Looking at her now, I can’t help but feel a somber sadness. Her metallic hands that killed so many and her brooch which reminds of the loved one she lost in war—they make me feel melancholy. Just like the eponymous flower, Violet Evergarden is beautiful. While the stories she tells might not be as impactful as intended, her own very much makes up for it. Once you come visit me, I shall relay it to you whole. Yours, Roland. (Score: 65)
CodeBlazeFate
04/04/2018, 12:16 PM
Dear Violet Evergarden: With news of your arrival, you managed to rally up our community in a way no upcoming first installment title has before. The way you presented yourself was inviting, enchanting even. Few knew exactly what they were in for, but while not many expected a work as flawed as yourself, they knew to expect something beautiful. Your approach to conveying emotion is interesting, to say the least. Your intentions were rather wonderful: to show someone adjust to life after a war in which her entire existence was predicated towards, while trying to understand and convey emotions via letters and experiences in order tounderstand the last words of someone she loved. You take this robotic husk of a human being, slowly piece her past and how others are affected by said past, and have her grow as a person thanks to the people she encounters and the experiences she has. You showcase the brutality of war and the despair it has on civilians who will never see their loved ones again, all the while showcasing the struggles of adapting to civilization and coping with loss. On paper, it seemed to be a precious concept. While you seem to understand how to convey emotion, how to tie emotional moments together for maximum payoff, and how to truly utilize the audiovisual medium of animation to accentuate every emotional moment, you seem to have a difficult time earning emotional climaxes thanks to your pacing, how you like to spell out how a character, most commonly Violet herself, has grown, and the sheer lunacy you display in occasion. In a way, you’re eerily similar to your main character. You don’t entirely lack subtlety per se, but you tend to spell out how Violet or another character has developed after an experience or what one of them is thinking that the audience is supposed to take away from a scene. It is the equivalent of Violet telling people how they are feeling. As they do not like it when she does it, it is bothersome when you do it. I like how you try to clue us into the fate of Violet's beloved major early on, simply with the characters’ pauses, their expressions, and how they try to dodge the issue. If you were more like that, simply letting the visuals convey a character’s feelings and what they mean in any given situation, you would’ve been even more emotionally resonant, especially early on and in the very end. Another hindrance to the power of what you convey is how you skip events. For example, in episode 3, Violet enrolls in a program to improve her skills, and by the halfway point, she still cannot convey emotions in her writing, so she fails the course. After one more exercise after an unknown amount of time has passed, after the course is over, she writes a small, satisfactory letter, and automatically passes. Moments like this feel far too sudden, too undercooked, and thus, unearned. Each story is episodic in nature, in that they begin and end by the end of any given episode. With the way you employed this style of writing, you failed to give yourself enough room for some of these stories to play out properly. As such, you resort to nebulous and/or blatant time skips such as a few month time skip in episode 5, which makes everything feel ridiculous and cheap. The progression of Violet herself is not only spelled out to unfortunate degrees, but erratic and unnatural. Her character builds with each interaction, each letter, and each new event she finds herself as a centerpiece of, but the effects feel ill-prepared. It does not feel disingenuous or forced, but it feels awkward and confused at times. The silliness and even stupidity of some of your situations and outcomes make it even harder to take these tear-jerking moments seriously. Violet is your primary focus, as she is molded by those around her. She is incredibly well-constructed, with every story hand-crafted to tie into her in some way, and make her grow as a person and understand emotions and love better than she did before each encounter, even if they sometimes feel like overdone conveniences for the sake of more tears. Additionally, her progression feels awkwardly handled, and as if she grew far too fast too quickly. The time skips make this even more apparent, such as in episodes 3 and 5. It is also a shame that the characters do not click as well as expected. You give us a few entertaining individuals such as Cattleya, but the rest feel less like distinct characters whose plights shake you to your knees, and more like people designed to get violet to grow and relate for the sake of pruning your doughy eyes. This would be fine if everything felt natural, but it doesn’t, so the cast, while not inherently bad or weak, are not nearly as impactful as Violet herself. Even the rare comedic moment feels forced, and moments of Violet being blunt are somehow far more amusing. Some of the more asinine moments you showcase are equally hilarious, unintentionally so. At the very least, these side-characters generally do a satisfactory job at what they are intended, so emotional scenes work with them, but there is a surprising lack of chemistry between them and violet, or between each other. Some almost feel like they should never be allowed to interact with certain characters lest they become harder to put up with. Other characters can be borderline laughable or outright pathetic, such as miscellaneous military men in episodes such as 8, or the male tsundere in episode 6. Violet cannot carry the weight of your cast on her own, especially when some do the dolls don't even get their closure unlike the one-offs. However, as mentioned prior, you have a clear path you intend to tread, and you know exactly how to tie things together, even at the borderline frequent cost of the naturality and subtlety required for you to succeed at your goals. The purposeful irony behind your usage of “doll” is brilliant, as Violet is described as a doll in a variety of ways, from her job description to her as a person. Each story reveals something new about Violet that causes her to relate to them, such as how she got her name, or feeling the warmth of knowing a soldier you care about is alive. These are thinly-veiled, however. They are small, fleeting moments strung together in rapid succession to build without realizing the time there must be set aside or how natural and unspoken the growth must be. Combined with the borderline confusing and barely explored world-building, you’re ultimately a worse Mahoutsukai no Yome in this regard, and that's a shame given how you weave everything together to piece Violet more and more together each time, and how you utilized its audiovisual strengths to bolster your moments. These moments grow all the stronger, all the more painful in the second half, as things feel much more grounded, well-paced, and devastating on the whole, while the moments of nonsense stopped interfering for most part, ending entirely excluded. Evan Call, oft known as someone who composes good music for bad shows, seems to have broken that reputation thanks to you, as he furnishes you, an actually competent show, with a myriad of emotional pieces that compliment their scenes in a satisfactory way. A few pieces stood out, such as “Never Coming Back” and “Inconsolable” for being the most emotional of them all, and “Torment” for being the only notable string piece full of violins and cellos. While none of his work here truly rivals his magnum opus “One More Time” for an inferior show named Chronos Ruler, this is probably the best soundtrack he has composed overall. Where the music he has gifted you truly shines, however, is with the opening: “Sincerely”, by TRUE. As one of the best opening of the year and one of the most emotional openings, even songs I have listened to, this song represents everything you hope to achieve, and moves me even more than your emotional climaxes do. Your ED theme, "Michishirube (みちしるべ)" by Minori Chihara, tries a similar approach, but the vocals can downplay the effects of the sad song. Even with all the grievances I have laid down against you, I cannot deny your beauty. Kyoto Animation worked diligently to craft every scene with luscious detail, with gorgeous, intricate designs, subtle animation movements, and so much more. Even when the light saturation becomes intense at times, those moments have a distinct purpose. Even with the occasionally awkward CGI, it is barely present, so it barely detracts from your beauty. They may have gone overboard in terms of blurring backgrounds for the sake of depth of field, but it does not detract too heavily from what a sight you are to behold. The metallic hands, with all sorts of wonderful coloration, really feel as detailed as a fantastically animated anime film. Even with men that often look far too similar in face, the designs are as beautiful as the women you showcase. It is more than obvious that an immense amount of effort was put into the intricate craftsmanship of your appearance. The directing in some scenes, such as the graveyard scene of episode 8, or the first scene of the first episode, only strengthen the raw emotion being poured out in some of your best scenes. Even with the fight scenes that can only be described as competent, I can barely do justice to how gorgeous you are. Rest assured, as barring borderline insignificant moments and relatively understandable decisions and whatnot, you are one of the best-looking television productions I have ever laid eyes on. In some ways, one might consider the hype surrounding you to have been incredibly excessive. In others, many seem to have been truly fulfilled by what you presented. Even with emotionally stunted and borderline laughable moments throughout the early half in particular, you succeeded at being impactful. Apologies are in order, as I cannot give you my happiest regards, regardless of your beauty and wonderful intentions. To the team that crafted you, I wish them luck in future endeavors, and on the prospect of making even better shows in the future. Enjoy the feelings you’ve invoked, and the fleeting moments you showcased to the world, for you’re under the service of many for now. Sincerely, Cattleya's secret admirer
Nervin
04/04/2018, 10:22 AM
Violet Evergarden was one of the most anticipated anime of the winter season, with its stunning promotional material showcasing beautifully animated scenes and character designs. It could be said that in that regard it was amazing and lived up to expectations. However, when it comes to the characters and overall narrative, sadly it isn't nearly as good as it could have been. The main problem can be associated with a lackluster cast of characters in combination with a seemingly aimless narrative. The anime is based around Violet, a young girl that knows nothing else than war: when the Great War ended, she was left with noother option than to adapt a civilian life. By joining the Auto Memory Doll postal service, she will embark on a journey of self-discovery. Quite an interesting premise so far right? The different travel destinations the protagonist undertakes, offer each a diverse story of the client and their needs, while simultaneously developing Violet. These serve to shape the setting, as well gaining an understanding of the sociopolitical climate the story takes place in, helping viewers immerse themselves. Sadly, for a Victorian setting, Japanese customs are too prominent, making it a bit harder to engage with the narrative. In addition, the various stories on different episodes are quite predictable and cliché - some good, others not as much. Lastly, the narration lacks in continuity, and therefore coherence, as each episode jumps from one story to the other. As standalone episodes, they work, but as a package, it needs more context. One such example is where a character of apparent importance is introduced to the viewer, making them wonder what will happen next, just to fully ignore said character for the following episodes. This leaves a bad taste in the mouth, especially considering that the episodes, in general, feel slightly random. These aren't necessary issues, as characters play the most important part in Slice of Life/Drama anime, yet somehow they were lackluster as well. Allow me to elaborate. First of all, the main character is bland and boring, robot-like; which is not counterproductive in such cases (when done correctly), since that is the whole point of the anime. However, character development of Violet was done poorly, where the actions she performed felt forced, often falling back on her main motivation to do this ordeal in the first place, which may appear as a cheap copout. Another slight problem is that she seemingly gains emotions, then to suddenly just lose them for the convenience of the plot. It could be argued that it is natural for an emotionless human being, although personally, I'd disagree, especially when taking into account how little it does to the plot. In addition, little effort is made to make her a likable character, whether it be through interactions with her surroundings or just some simple characteristics of her that could be expanded on. Protagonists aren't necessarily the foundation of a character-driven story: secondary/supporting characters can fulfill that role too. Disappointingly, it even fails in this regard. The whole cast is generic as it can get, with not a single interesting personality to root for - they simply lack identity. Character interactions with the supporting cast are scarce, and when done, lack meaning. The anime tries to flesh these out with the limited screen time they get, but quite frankly, it leaves much to be desired. Admittedly, there are a few background stories that could be relatable to the audience, whether it be the reason why people work for the sake of working, or how people regret things only after they lose it. As a whole, the character dynamic problem lies in Violet hardly having any meaningful relationship with any of the cast, making hard to invest oneself. Such dynamics are not a necessity since, for example, Mushishi manages to do this perfectly. Animation wise, Violet Evergarden is stunning as mentioned earlier: after all, it is done by KyoAni, a studio renown for its gorgeously animated scenery and character designs. The studio makes good use of close-ups (whether it be objects or actions of the characters) to emphasize the meaning of the scene together with the different emotions it wants to evoke. The used color palette works great for the format, although it must be mentioned that the occasional grey filter that is applied feels unnecessary. The opening and ending are beautifully drawn and shown, albeit offering little addition to the anime. The voice actors did a good job on their respective roles, including the monotone voice for Violet that embodies her character - anger, despair, sadness, and exhaustion were conveyed in a graceful manner, although in some in instances it felt forced. As for the soundtrack used, it is befitting of the anime with the use classical instruments, such as the violin, piano, etc. These are reminiscent of Ghibli-like works, which I personally am a fan of. It does a fantastic job to immerse the viewer into the story of this Victorian like era. Violet Evergarden as a whole was a beautifully animated work but lacked considerably in the most important parts, characters and story, causing a significant clash in immersion: the characters made it hard to feel engaged in it, while the animation and sound work invited to do so. For a slice of life anime, it fulfills its purpose, yet for a supposed story of self-discovery, it is arguably dull. This doesn't necessarily mean its bad/unwatchable; it simply could have been more than it ultimately was, since, despite all the issues mentioned in the review, I found myself enjoying the whole journey. All in all, Violet Evergarden had potential, but its shortcomings made it your average seasonal anime that comes and goes, just to be forgotten. Thank you for reading.
ZephSilver
04/04/2018, 10:09 AM
There it is, a body on display, delicate fabric hugging its frame as if a part of its existence from the very beginning. Porcelain skin adorned with silk, the material complements the complexion. The figure stands there without concern for the wondering gaze of any passersby, a translucent wall erected between it and the endless faces. Society is kept at bay. The soft glow of light dancing on the surface of the sheet of glass serving as its imprisonment. It shimmers ever so slightly, creating prisms of color in the endless shuffle. The rays of light trails over the delicate frame of the figure. Beautyblossoming from a thing of tertiary value. But this is not Violet Evergarden I'm describing. Look beyond the object, beyond the fabric; zoom pass the crystalline glass wall, and suddenly, the true image of my purple prose takes shape. There it is, coming into focus, a JC Penny's mannequin positioned at the window front of a shopping mall district. The dancing lights, nothing but the cheap glow of neon signs from neighboring competitors adjacent to it. The wondering gazes, nothing but customers with money to spend. If embellishments for something so minuscule is all you need to be entranced by the item being described, then Violet Evergarden will not bother you. However, if you desire content equally as deserving of the words being used to describe it, then it might benefit you to move on to greener pastures, because like this opening paragraph, so too is the material on display hyper-stylized rendering of a truly insignificant thing. The main difference being the tool; flowery words traded in for audiovisual frontloading. Layered color gradients supplemented in place of proper diction. Lots of icing, very little cake. But it's not all a lost cause. VE's story is one of relation. Or rather, everything surrounding it facilitates sentiments easy to relate to. One that practically writes itself. A person used as an instrument of war attempting to find ways to rekindle their lost humanity. An appointed position that gives opportunities to do just that. A girl disciplined in strict military decorum. A puppet with its strings cut loose, unsure as to what to do with her newfound freedom. She's a lost child, forgotten by society, forced to start from scratch. A holdover from a wartorn nation whose usefulness is brought to a crossroads. The story ends with the closing of one chapter, as we begin the journey of another. The journey is that of recovery. A journey aided by the guiding hands of someone not there in the flesh. Efforts made from beyond the grave for her betterment. One that will serve as her driving force towards improvement as well as the source of her grief as she draws closer to the answers she seeks. Through her, we're introduced to this world. One made up like a quilt of different time periods and cultural influences, all stitched together to create something new. Victorian-era structures serve as the city skyline while the undeniable look of early 20th-century technology takes the form of motor vehicles, as well as a wide assortment of widgets and trinkets littered throughout the environment. Our person of interest, Violet, equally as blended. Her appearance is that of an unassertive young woman, while her mechanical limbs tell a different story. A story of violence and darkness. This temperament reflected in her personality. She only sees things in utilitarian ways; typewriters are weapons, school is a mission, her job becomes headquarters, saluting whenever given orders, requesting permission for all her actions. Social graces are completely lost on her. Her upbringing robbing her of the privilege to decide. There was only ever one path for her to take. Until recently, her actions were that of a blade, sheathed, just waiting for the time that its usefulness was required once again. An instrument of death whenever its wielder sees fit. Her new job changes that. She must write for others as an "Auto Memory Doll," a profession where she's tasked to transcribe the feelings and thoughts of others, giving a voice for those that have trouble doing so on their own accord. A job where recorded sentiments are captured in a letter. A chance for an emotionally stunted girl to learn what feelings are. A "doll" wanting to become a doll, when in fact, the act of becoming one is what brings her closest to humanity. As I said, the show writes itself. A self-oscillating arbiter of "good content" for anyone wanting to express why it's "good content." The mere act of explaining its basic premise does the legwork for them. Except for the fact that when the content is lifted from the pages of its screenplay and brought to life by the magic of animation, it's equally as flaccid as the diegetic information would have you believe when following a character of such stunted social growth. It's a show perfect for overthinking, perfect for negating any naysayer, where issues are fended off as "it's meant to be that way." Subject matter created to facilitate a drab character doing things in a drab fashion. A machine-like girl with mechanical limbs given a task to emulate empathy. Her stilted, often wooden personality is accounted for by her upbringing. She's that way because she's SUPPOSED to be that way. It's all very self-serving. "To wear one's faults on their sleeve" taken quite literally. It would have worked too, had there been no viable means to circumvent such insular logic. But here's where knowledge supersedes those counterarguments. Where one's experience can allow criticism to stick. This isn't the first anime to house such themes. And of those that did so before it, there are definitive examples of "better" out there disallowing the open acceptance of wooden behavior solely for the fact that the character's given circumstances allows it. Humans aren't that flat. To enable such simple-minded evaluations in place of spotting genuine issues is to trivialize the complexities of the human race altogether. We already know what it would be like for an apathetic person unable to function without the strict regiment of paramilitary life because we've seen it done with a pedigree of writing befitting the serious subject matter. People that carry the baggage of their actions, the haunting memories of the things they've seen, unable to let go, to fully allow oneself to be integrated into society. We know what this looks like because well-developed personalities like Kazuki Fuse from Jin-Roh exists. Major Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell exists. Scar from Fullmetal Alchemist exists. PTSD is not a scapegoat for underwritten performances, and it should never be accepted as one. These issues are made visible by VE's very crowning achievement. Pristine art and animation that ends up highlighting the thin veneer of its inherent value. The undeniable look of sterile sleekness. The artifice of humanistic warmth made bare by the prim and proper order towards everything on display. Everything and everyone is made beautiful. Age, circumstances, genetics; none of it matters. Mandated aesthetics dictate this world. You die beautifully. You get angry beautifully. You get beaten up with style. Even tears are delivered with streams of diamond-like orbs, with the owners' faces made for the camera. Everyone in this world like that of runway models, all given a chance to play civilians. Realism made implausible when all inhabitants look like they should be doing photo ops for H&M brochures. Any attempt at realism placed further on cease-and-desist when glimpses of battles are depicted with shounen-like fight sequences. A place where even the grim outcome of war must be performed with a sense of commissioned poetics, all done to appease the vision of a director too busy with their pursuit for a particular aesthetic to let the content speak for itself. Content that effectively gets in the way of its own vision because it's never granted the chance to breathe. Natural light emulation that aims for Call Me by Your Name but lands somewhere along the lines of The Visit. How an anime could suffer from overexposure is beyond me. Goes to show you that when you emulate without understanding, the issues are copied as well. Time-lapse photography used in every episode, not for any purpose other than to show off. Lens blur effects used for flashbacks and present-time, not because there's a reason to but because the director can. Everything is in service of this perfectness. This very unnatural attempt at being "natural" utterly self-defeating of its intentions. This is equally true for moments underlined with genuine character outbursts. Silence is powerful. Playing music over every scene is amateur. Words drowned out by plucked strings, the steadily held notes of a violin, piano keys dolled out just as quickly; all of this without concern for what the characters are saying. Entire dialogue exchanges where silence is appropriate is washed out by a wall of sound. It doesn't compliment the material; it hijacks it. There's a time and a place for everything, this anime never come to realize that fact. It may take drowning out its content before one take notice of what good is there, but in that regard, Violet Evergarden is not without merit. Our protagonist may be an empty vessel with flickers of humanity tucked inside, but thankfully we're not made hostage by her presence, as every chapter in VE is in service of someone else. People of far greater interest than herself. Their emotional range not limited—even when presented with the same aesthetic brushstrokes that everything is painted in—their humanistic tendencies find a way to radiate outward. And as a vessel, Violet is given a chance to charter her clients' emotions to those on the receiving end of the expressed affection, and through that task itself, is able to find a way to expound upon her own feelings in return. The broad spectrum of accumulated emotions serving as the proxy towards finding her own. The idea itself is very appropriate. I would even go as far as saying that it's thoughtful. It also operates with a pace befitting the subject matter, even if that pace is considered to be a problem to some. These things need time to happen. Thankfully, Violet is alotted that. It's all told through carefully selected vignettes, being brought together by motifs relating back to nature, its seasons, and the various foliage that comes to represent them: ▸The story of Iris, a girl named after the flowers in bloom in her small village, seeking out an existence away from her meager upbringing. Unwilling to accept rejection, an act of stubborn pride catalyzes her steps forward. ▸The story of Luculia, a pleasant disposition befitting the flower she's named after. She puts the feelings of her loved one ahead of herself. Hoping for their eventual emotional recovery from a tragedy that robbed them both of normalcy. ▸The unofficial sigils of two kingdoms: one a white rose, the other red. Lovers-to-be and penpals brought together by political circumstances, but share a love that aligns beyond the expanded power and peace of their union. ▸The final days of a mother, the autumn leaves fall as a countdown to her departure from the land of the living, wanting nothing more than to find a means to comfort the daughter that she's leaving behind. ▸The blanket of snow that covers a warring nation in frozen stasis. People refusing to move forward. Like their winter surroundings, they too remain cold towards each other, leaving their country in a state of civil unrest. And then there's the story of Violet herself, named after a wildflower in bloom; she's plucked out of the custody of a heartless man and into the care of one that sees beyond her reduced form. A disheveled mess, only treated as a tool, one meant to be used and later disposed of; the man sees differently. He wants her betterment at any cost, even if that means paying the ultimate price. There is a beauty here when you view the intentions behind every chapter. The problem stems from the execution itself. Beautiful on paper doesn't translate to well-done in reality. Funny enough, the doll-like nature of the protagonist and her initial attempts at writing serves as a sort of meta-commentary for the content on display: Her intent is earnest, she wants to understand the expressions and feelings being directed her way, but like her mechanical limbs, so too is the show written with a sense of artificiality. An emulation of real-life that can't muster up to being anything more than that. Violet Evergarden is a beautiful plastic rose with stuck-on water droplets. It's well-kept. Never finding the beauty in decay. Never needing to accept the full spectrum of life simply because its creators are wholly content with being "perfect." True beauty is found in the blemishes. Within the scuffle of humanity's futility towards greater ambitions. True beauty comes from the majesty of life itself making mankind a mere moment in a pool of infinity. True beauty is humbling. It's through the imperfections that true beauty is emitted. Violet Evergarden is pretty to look at, but with the absence of this understanding, it could never be the real thing, it could never be "true beauty."
Raggadish
04/04/2018, 09:44 AM
Oh, Violet Evergarden. Like a royal princess, your arrival was highly anticipated by the community. And just like a royal princess, many speculated over how beautiful and amazing you would be before you even saw the light of day, and others just waited to see you to be born and fail. And then when you were born and grow up, many still claimed you to be the most beautiful and fascinating princess ever born, some were disappointed that you didn´t manage to live up to their expectations, and some disliked you instantly because you were you. Where ever which category you belong to, one cansay for certain that Violet Evergarden took her place in the spotlight this past season. Usually I’m not a royalist, but in my eyes Violet Evergarden (VE) were a fine princess, and definitely lived up to my expectations and more, both visually and substantively. So, let´s talk about the winter 2018´s most anticipated show, and why I thought it so good as I did. Slow paced dramas are not usually what I go for, they often bore me to death before going anywhere, but I got a positive feeling as soon as I read the synopsis and saw the PV for VE. And I was not disappointed, quite the opposite. VE takes place in a post-war, 1920´s Europe like continent, where the north and south just reached a fragile peace. It´s a time of healing and rebuilding, which leaves the young teenager Violet Evergarden at a loss. Probably orphaned or abounded at a very young age, Violet were brought up as a child soldier. On the battle field under Major Gilbert Bougainvillea´s command, Violet became infamous for her brutal and cold efficiency by taking countless lives without batting an eyelash. Now with the war ended, and no more orders to for fill, Violet´s hardest test begins. The very last battle left Violet without arms, which was replaced with some crafty automail. That´s not really the issue though, but rather the acclimatization to be a normal person, with a normal life. All her life Violet had just known violence and orders, so to say that she´s socially awkward doesn’t even begin to cover it. The main theme of the show is Violet´s journey to understand her own and other´s emotions, especially what “I love you” means. She learns from others by working as an Auto-Memory Doll, which composes letters for others in their stead. It´s not like Violet doesn´t have feelings and emotions, she´s just very disconnected from them, and doesn´t know what they mean when she does feel them. I thought her journey was beautiful to watch, as she slowly experiences what it means to have different feelings, and how to express them. I think they tie up Violet´s past and future very smoothly throughout the show. The main part of the show is of an episodic nature, each in which Violet takes on requests at writing a letter for someone, and both Violet and that someone have an emotional exchange, often of the teary type. And just when you think that its all you are going to get, the show does something different towards the end, which in my eyes popped up the score one more notch. Is Violet Evergarden the most fascinating character ever made? Probably not, but I liked her a lot. Her blank persona, her robotic way of speaking is nothing ground breaking, but I liked how they slowly developed her without taking away that personality. Violet do look like the most beautiful doll, which together with that personality can be over the top and annoy people. I personally think it worked with the setting and all over story development, since the profession as dolls take a centre part. Violet´s inability to understand people´s emotions in the beginning forces her clients and colleagues to really explain their feelings and why they feel them, which forces them to grow as much as Violet at each encounter. I think that worked as a great red thread for the story, and made it more than just one-sided, which could easily happen when a story focuses so much on just one character. As for the other characters, they vary in importance and appeal, but overall, they fill out the story good. Some are more entertaining or interesting than others, such as Hodgins and the Bougainvillea brothers. They heavily influence Violet, as well as being interesting on their own. I can fully understand the ones who complain about the side characters, because VE is a one woman show, which is noticeable. So, if you´re not into Violet´s character, VE is probably not going to be an enjoyable experience for you. No one in their right mind can say that VE looks nothing but stunning. And if some do say so, they just say that out of spite. Wherever you liked the story and characters or not, the visuals are colourful, detailed and beautiful from the beginning to the end. Kyoto Animation and Netflix has hold nothing back and shows how anime can look 2018. Everything from a bird´s view of a green hilled landscape, bathing in the orange light from the afternoon sun, to a view of a still autumn lake, sparkling with the sun´s rays and brown and yellow leaves, looked absolutely breath-taking. If you want to, you can positively drown in the characters eyes, as well made and pronounced as they are. In the rare occasions action do occur, its well-choregraphed, animated and left me with wishing for more. Could probably write a book about how good everything looks but let’s just stop here. So, to summon up the art and animations part up - Top score, overly pleased, I want to bath in those colours. The soundtrack is well composed and harmonic, with beautiful instruments which creates a calm and emotional atmosphere. Which in my opinion runs very well with the storyline and Violet´s journey. The VA´s (Japanese) do an amazing job of portraying their characters, big as small roles. Yui Ishikawa voices Violet and does a brilliant job of conveying Violet´s damaged character. Sound effects is spot on, from the klicks of tangents, the gust of wind, to the sound of an air plane closing in in the sky. Once again, bravo. I definitely understand that VE isn´t for everyone, but it is certainly for most. Like all princesses, VE can´t be loved by everyone, but boy does she shine like star. I enjoyed this show far more than I expected, teared up multiple times, and were fully invested in Violet´s emotional journey. I liked that they didn´t just displayed the positive side of feeling emotions, but what pain that can cause also. The shift in direction towards the end was a brilliant move and leaving me with the want for more. So, thank you Violet Evergarden, for showing me both such inner and outer beauty.
Major_Gilbert
04/04/2018, 08:58 AM
"As human beings, we all mature physically from childhood to adolescence and then into adulthood, but our emotions lag behind." - Bernard Sumner This is the most memorable quote that had gone through my mind whenever I watched Violet Evergarden, and led me to ask myself this question: how do you learn an emotion? Experience? Knowing its definition? Or perhaps... By writing letters for others? Thus is VE's answer. Story: 7 I liked the novel, so obviously I liked the story. They did make me get worried with those original episodes at the start but later on they managed to adapt most of the best chapters. There arequite a few which are standalone: 5,6,7,10,11. The rest involved Violet and her co-workers. The first half didn't look that promising, but the second half improved a lot. I think it's because they put in a lot of her adventures in the second half, only involving Violet and the customer, which gave a lot more room for growth instead of being surrounded by the other workers. She's the type who learns fast when she's alone, you could say. Watching her change bit by bit a girl from emotionless and to some extent irritating to one who is able to experience emotions was very enjoyable. The story is not unique in the sense that she's trying to find the meaning of "love", but as it unfolds she learns other feelings as well, and soon enough we don't get the "I want to know the meaning of "I love you"" line. Pacing has sometimes been a problem, for example episode 6, where I barely got to know about Leon. They could've done more but I guess you have to expect that when you've got less than 20 minutes to cover an adventures. But in most cases they provided us with the right flashbacks and details to get to know the customers well. The anime did remove parts of the novel which were pretty bad: I'll start with witchcraft, a giant battle axe almost twice the size of Violet. I just couldn't believe that she could maneuver the axe so well, before she even got those robotic arms. Glad they got rid of that. They also made Violet very pacifistic compared to the novel, which helped to emphasize her growth even more, but this was at the cost of making her fighting scenes towards the end of the series ridiculous, since she chose to go head on without weapons at all, but still managed to take them down. Other reviews have pointed out the technological and cultural inaccuracies in VE, but personally it didn't affect me that much except maybe for those robotic arms which seem to be more advanced than one we have today... Rather, I was more annoyed by the battle scenes: a 14/15 year old girl fighting against trained soldiers, sometimes without weapons... I get that she is OP, but... the way her adventures unfold so conveniently at times was one of the main weaknesses of this show. There were some parts of the novel I would've liked them to include, for example Hodgins was supposed to visit Violet quite a few times when she was in the hospital and that helped to develop a parent-child relationship. They kind of tried to fit it in in between the adventures, but I don't think it was sufficient. The other thing is Violet's origins. They didn't go deep enough on that, and made people think that she became emotionless because of her time in the army. Art: 10 This is probably the best part and what made VE get such high expectations. The face expressions were great, the landscapes were great... If I was to point out the best ones, I'd say the scenes of the starry night (Ep 6), street lamps and the city of Leiden as a whole. I also liked the way they included flowers a lot throughout the series (especially Ep 5, you could see one almost very 5 seconds). The reason I'm mentioning this is because flowers are an important theme here: if you look at the names of most of the characters, they're all related to flowers. "People’s names always have some sort of meaning." —Akatsuki Kana (author of VE) If I was to point out a negative... Sometimes, maybe this was just once, they put too much emphasis on scenes which didn't really deserve it. In Episode 4, when Violet was first introduced to the villagers, they suddenly went all out with the animation, including sudden gusts of wind and leaves dancing everywhere. It was amazing, but not really worth it. Sound: 7 I liked the OP and ED, but that was about it. It didn't make me listen to it over and over again like Aimer's Ref:rain (best ED for me this season). The background music was alright, but they were often hit or miss: they would sometimes repeat it for too long and in other cases the music just didn't match the mood at all. But still enjoyable overall. Character: 8 From the blind obedience to kill to the development of a conscience which can heal, Violet's growth was truly remarkable, with the difference between her past and present crystal clear. Her blunt and fearless character had often been an obstacle against her success as a doll, but as the series progressed she managed to use them in the right circumstances. Her military salutes, her formal language, her expressionless face... They all changed. This is what the novel couldn't provide, those subtle details that show signs of growth. Only disappointment is the development of the other characters, especially Hodgins, Cattleya and Benedict. The novel lacked this as well, but I guess it was expected since so much was invested into Violet and her customers. Enjoyment: 8 Overall: 8 Good, but not a masterpiece. Would I recommend you to read the novel? Give it a try unless you hated this. But there are going to be differences, both good and bad. If you can't be bothered reading the novel but still want to know what happens, you can PM me.
gadboyz
04/04/2018, 08:42 AM
Violet Evergarden is an anime series adaptation of the novel light with the same title from Kyoto Animation. Source material of this series is the winner of the Kyoto Animation Award 2014 in the novel category. Given that status, this series became the most awaited anime by the community for the winter of 2018. Compared to other series of the season, this series can be said to have the best animation, something that is expected of the anime from Kyoto Animation. With the premise offered is the post-war recovery of the main character, this series becomes one of the drama series that is able to fillus all with feelings STORY : 8/10 I never read the source material of this series so I judged the storyline of what was shown in the anime. The premise offered is actually interesting. Self-rehabilitation of Violet who was created only as a weapon of war without having the slightest feeling and desire. But since the Major gave the last sentence, she began to look for what the meaning behind that sentence by becoming an Auto Memory Doll. Walking to one place to another meets the client's request. The journey unknowingly begins to make herself understand the feelings of a human being. The problem of each client who wants to pour into a letter is that slowly build the character Violet for the better. Until finally he understood the loss of someone and began to understand what it means to love. From a soldier who moves only if given the command to a human being who can shed tears. An interesting premise for a drama series derived from the light that lately is mostly filled by isekai genre DIRECTION : 6/10 This series begins its story from Violet's condition after the war and what she will do to find the meaning of the last sentence of Major. Then entering Episode 2-7 the direction of this series turns into episodic. Violet goes somewhere to answer client's request. Each episode is actually presented with the client's first point of view instead of Violet as main character. Every client has their own problems and from this problem Violet's character grows more human. With the direction of this story. Not everyone will understand how Violet character develops every episode. In fact, we will focus more on the client's problem. For example when most of us cry at the end of episode 10, but maybe many of us are not aware of the Violet character changes at that time. Episode 8-9 direction changes back to focus on the major plot. The transition from episodic episode clients to major episodes that has linear progress is poorly executed. I'm sure not everyone can understand how the story of this series if not paying attention to every sentence and scene with care. That was disturbing me in enjoying this series. CHARACTER : 9/10 Violet Evergarden is a character with the greatest development among all the characters that exist in this season. Starting from a soldier who even just to eat should be given orders by Hodgins to be a human being who is even determined not to lose the life of someone as she once did. The thing that I love about Violet's character is that she develops not because she is being advised by others, but she learns by listening to the client's problem. she began to understand a feeling precisely after knowing what problems hers client was experiencing. So after knowing facts that "facts". She understands the meaning of losing someone. The scene in episode 11 when Violet performs the "last request" of the soldier also shows how she began to understand the meaning of affection. Perhaps what she's been doing lately is naive. But it shows that Violet has changed from a heartless weapon into a human who understands the sense of losing someone. ART : 10/10 This series is a series with the best animated quality in winter of 2018. My favorite scene of course when Violet tried to pass the lake using an umbrella. The scene really shows the high quality animation presented by Kyoto Animation. The character design and color selection in this series reminds me of the Koe no Katachi film which is also made by KyoAni. Even for a television series, Violet Evergarden has the same quality as Koe no Katachi. Each frame is well drawn so the animation runs smoothly. Details on the character design also shows the hard work of key animators in making this series. Every female character feels so beautiful and every male character feels so manly through the way key animator draws each character. The selection of colors taken fits perfectly with the theme of this series which is thought to be similar to the period after the second world war in time and technology. Plus the quality of backgrounds such as clouds and water are so beautiful to the eye. Overall, this is one of the best quality anime other than Kimi no Na Wa and Koe no Katachi SOUND : 8/10 Maybe what makes us sad and cry when watching this series is not because of Violet's personal problems, but the client's problem. But still this series still able to make us shed tears. The existence of the soundtrack in every sad moment in this anime really strengthens the atmosphere. Without proper selection and soundtrack composition, sad moments are not necessarily can make us shed tears. It also should be appreciated is the sound effect. Especially when the scene is related to the war. The sound of weapons, bombs, airplanes or even the sound of a soldier dropped from a shot. My favorite part in terms of sound effects is when an army is shot. Everything feels so fast that we do not realize that someone has been shot. Overall, this series provides best animated quality and also provides an interesting story premise. But direction in this series can make us confused in following Violet's journey to find his true self. So not everyone will judge the story in this anime executed properly or not. But for a drama series. This is an anime with good character development. Violet is the character with most massive development among all the characters in the winter of 2018.
kokuborou
04/04/2018, 08:31 AM
“I want to know what love is” with this line Violet’s journey has started. It’s a journey of words, words that hold the power to influence the future of a person and change their perspective about the world. Finding the right words for the dear ones isn’t easy and Violet learns that through her encounters with different people who have a story to tell. The story is made with words, words on a piece of paper that can save a dear brother from despair, can show the love and carrying of a mother for her child even after she is gone, can make the parents understandwhat their child wants to do with his future, can connect two distant hearts that yearn for each other, can bring news of happiness or sadness to someone dear and finally can make people come to a mutual understanding. The letters that contain those words are the key to unlock the locket on people’s heart and break the iron shackles that put a restrain on their emotions. Each letter needs to be delivered to its destination because each written word represent the genuine feelings of its senders for the dear ones.Violet having a past filled only with cold words slowly starts to experience new words during her journey as a Auto Memory Doll, warmth words filled with compassion, affection, and love. Those words melt the ice around Violet’s heart and contribute to her growth as a human being. During her journey the world is filled with bitter words too not only happy ones but that doesn’t discourage her despite bringing back sorrow memories, in fact she comes to accept those words as part of her and grows stronger. She does her best every time to understand the meaning behind those words and give the right words to the persons in need of them. A sweet girl that lost the dear person to her on the battlefield, she stands up, raises her head from the ground, takes the first step and moves on in life despite the pain that weights a lot on her shoulders. I love you Violet! The pace is slow fitting for our characters and Violet’s growth, because life isn’t meant to be hurried, each happy moment needs to be savored and each hardship needs to be overcome, life is a battlefield were each of us has its own fight, it’s all part of being alive. The emotional atmosphere combined with the subtle visuals and gorgeous ost created around the character’s stories draw forth the raw emotions of its viewers and tears will be spend as an exchange. Violet Evergarden is a letter of love addressed to life, a lesson about the hardships and happy moments in life, it’s about getting up and moving on despite the obstacles that await for you and it gets better after each episode like the taste of a wine as it gets better with age. Thematically rich, visually breathtaking with alluring ost Violet Evergarden is a gem that may be hated by many viewers or hold a special place in the hearts of its audience, can bring peace of mind and sooth your hearth, it’s a show that needs to be savored for its special flavor called LIFE. As any journey that comes to an end it’s time to say farewell to our main heroine Violet who has reached her final destination but her fight with life will continue as long as she doesn’t give up, so my review of this enchanting show has come to an end. I wanna thank all of those who allocated a little of their time to read the words that I put on paper to create something that I hope will make a little change and give this show a try.
Karhu
04/04/2018, 08:25 AM
"When I die, I want KyoAni lower me down in my grave so they can let me down one last time." From the dome of quality differences comes Violet Evergarden. Show half episodic, half character-driven, half story-driven. Yet all these halves barely make one show. We mainly see try-hard attempts on making the viewers cry with melodrama. Most of the time it feels like spoon-feeding. Open your mouth, the emotions are coming! Let's take a bite whilst this every-sad-piano-song-ever plays on the background. The show does bring some interesting topics on the table, but instead of trying to do much with little, instead of developingthe characters and playing around with all the good things the series already had, it starts expanding itself with irrelevances, 3rd parties and events so unnatural it felt like Hachimitsu no Clover S02 all over again. The focus always being on emotions, yet 0 emotional depth is present. The characters on the other hand are bland and make no sense whatsoever. Violet comes with different personality and reaction based to the current episodic plot. Emotionally dead, hysterically crying little girl, I AM A WAR MACHINE - CYBERNETIC ORGANISM - LIVING TISSUE OVER ENDOSKELETON. Just choose your favorite version. Mine was the one in episode 6 who liked stargazing. I wonder where that personality disappeared for the remaining episodes. Gilber's brother makes even less sense. "You will be my brother's dog." And 3 episodes later "There is no emotional bond between my brother and you." Who wouldn't bond with their own dog? I don't get it. Does this guy hate dogs or what is he even saying. What a cunt. At the end of the day, Bialetto Evelugalden is a common drama series to this industry, and its saddest part is not the actual drama writing, but the waste of potentiality, the single thought about -not only how much better this series could have been- but how much better it should have been.
Stark700
04/04/2018, 08:19 AM
Waking up one day and discovering Violet Evergarden getting an anime adaptation by Kyoto Animation should be a blessing. At least that’s what it looked like on the surface. The light novel series earned the grand prize from the Fifth Kyoto Animation in the novel category. Even with two volumes, my expectations going into this anime was high. In particular, the sheer visual quality is a sight to feast on. However, Violet Evergarden isn’t exactly just known for that but does that mean it’s something to be praised? Written by Kana Akatsuki, the light novel series is a story about Auto Memory Dolls. They are dollsare made by Dr. Orland, a scientist who used them to assist his wife in writing novels. However, these dolls were also rented out to others for service. The main plot revolves around an Auto Memory Doll named Violet Evergarden as she tries to discover her purpose in life. As someone who came into this series half prepared (I have read parts of the light novel), I felt I was ready enough. The first few episodes came in as anime originals and that left me with some mixed reception. However, I will say that the pilot episode was a terrific picture. Beyond the lush quality and the visual magnificence, Violet Evergarden presented a story with heavy emotions. It synchronizes with the drama and melancholy of what I had anticipated. However, the main selling point of the show is titular character Violet Evergarden herself. The story feels like a character study that puts over her above the rest of the cast. Every episode focuses on Violet in some way through her role in the story, her interactions with others, and how she develops as a character. The conflicts she experiences tests her feelings and how she responds to them by trying to understand others. It draws viewers into asking questions about how she can develop as a character and in a lot of ways, I think the show did do that quite well. For instance, Violet displays a lot of human characteristics and tries to understand others. The most prominent scenes features her desperately trying to learn what “love” is and to me, this series chronicles her experience like a life journey of discovery. Unfortunately, I can’t really say that the first few episodes were well thought out in characterizing Violet as a memorable character. Beyond her expressions and role, it seems the show repeats a lot of the same things over and over. The example includes Violet expressing why she is an Auto Memory Doll and it gets tedious fast. It also doesn’t help much that the other side characters seemingly react in similar ways to Violet. My main concern for the first few episodes were mainly how this can keep viewers interested with such a way of storytelling. Fortunately, the series does get better and puts emphasis in some of the side characters. While the plot feels non-linear at times, some of the other characters do get spotlight through effective background storytelling. For instance, one of the episodes featured a 14 year old princess who gets engaged to a prince and while this seemed like a cheesy love tale at first, it resolved in a very emotional way. It gave me the impression that certain side characters are worth investing time into. In the meantime, the series does eventually step into the light novel adaptation territory as we learn more about Violet’s past and connection with someone very important to her. That person would be Gilbert Bougainvillea, a major in the Leidenschaftlich Army and someone that influenced Violet a lot since she met him. As we look at Violet’s past, we learn how they met and how much he treasure her like a person rather than a doll. It’s also important to note that Violet feels comfort whenever she is around him and not lonely. The anime in the present timeline portrays Violet as a very lonely character and doesn’t have someone to depend on. In doing so, it establishes Violet as a character that has a hard time understanding others. This is especially true for her after she heard Gilbert’s final words. The show dedicates time to explore Violet’s change since the past and how she reflects her experiences in the present. As I mentioned before, the series takes a lot of time into examining Violet as a character and getting viewers to understand her. The side characters play important roles in later episodes to make Violet reflect on her past deeds. To me, it’s effective storytelling as it really made me understand her behavior. The more I understood her, the more compelling her character became. I don’t know if this was the creator’s intention from the start but honestly, it does come together as a well delivered plan. Now you’re probably thinking of the story contains too much drama for its own good. In some ways, it does but in other ways, it’s also important for the main story. You have to remember that the timeline takes place after a war that Violet was previously involved in. Stories about war often involves pain, tragic memories, and even death. For Violet, she experienced the realities of war. Obviously, there’s going to be a lot of drama and its effect on the storytelling can be received with mixed receptions. I had some mixed feelings in general about Violet’s past as while it can definitely evoke emotions, it doesn’t feel unique enough to be memorable. In other words, I’m more interested in how she develops as a character in the present rather than focusing on her past. Even if it’s significant for her characterization, the drama presented in the background stories doesn’t always feel too impactful. I get it though. Some people will probably point fingers and say that it’s necessary. Others may agree with what I mentioned here. To me, I’m still more interested in Violet’s development in the present than who she is in the past. Otherwise, Violet’s role in the show feels more than just a protagonist. She is the character. Anyone watching this series will easily recognize the powerful production of the show. This is perhaps one of Kyoto Animation’s best work yet in terms of technical quality. The world setting has natural and lush landscapes with European style architecture detailed with vivid colors. Every camera shot feels impactful and there’s no drop in quality in any episode. Body movements are also timed precisely well to highlight every fine detail such as Violet’s character expressions and role as a doll. Speaking of which, Violet’s character design makes her look very elegant. If you haven’t known about her background story, it’s hard to recognize her as a former soldier. Her signature hand is also a trademark animated with impressive features. It communicates the message to viewers as what she is. Other characters in the show also stand out with their human characteristics. While there’s no fan service in the show, there are characters such as Cattelya that can be very pleasing to the naked eyes. It’s clear to me that Kyoto Animation and the creative team poured a sheer amount of effort into making this series as a whole. The theme songs also highlights a sensitive feeling of melancholy to match the series’ tone while character voice mannerism for the majority of the cast are able to keep up with their momentum. The music and OST also hits the mark to deliver what's intended especially for the emotional drama. It’s definitely a series that felt different to me compared to some of other Kyoto Animation’s recent works. This one was an emotional storyteller that gave us a reason why we should care about Violet Evergarden; not just the story but Violet’s own journey of discovery. While I can’t say it’s always an effective tearjerker, it’s still a show that’s worth investing time into. Well done, Kyoto Animation. You gave me a better hope for your future.

Violet Evergarden ヴァイオレット・エヴァーガーデン

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Violet Evergarden ヴァイオレット・エヴァーガーデン

North American Anime & Manga Releases for December

Winners of the Newtype Anime Awards 2018

'Violet Evergarden' Anime Film Announced for January 2020

Winter 2018 Simulcast List [Update 1/24]

Winter 2018 Preview

Upcoming TV Anime 'Violet Evergarden' Announces More Cast and Staff Members

Q4 2017 Anime & Manga Licenses [Update 12/23]

PV Collection for Aug 7 - 13

TV Anime 'Violet Evergarden' Additional Cast Members Announced

TV Anime 'Violet Evergarden' to Premiere in Winter 2018

PV Collection for Mar 13 - 19

'Violet Evergarden' Anime in Production by Kyoto Animation