“I want to know what ‘I love you’ means…”
– Violet Evergarden
She was a weapon used in the war; she was just a tool…without a heart. Now that the war has ended, Violet must find a way to live after losing the one she held dearest. Grab your favorite snack, and possibly a tissue box, because this is an anime that you would want to binge. Get ready to be put through a whirlwind of emotions for this beautifully animated show.
(Caution: some spoilers ahead – read at your own discretion)
The Great War has finally come to an end after four long years and now the continent of Telesis has started to rebuild and flourish again. Soldiers who fought finally came home and were reunited with their loved ones, all except one. One young maiden’s life would change forever after the end of the war. Her name is Violet Evergarden, a girl who was raised to fight and be a soldier. She was nothing but a tool to those who raised her until she met her general, Gilbert Bougainvillea. He saw her as more than just a weapon; he saw her as a human being worthy of another chance. During her time with Gilbert, Violet learns about what it is like to be human, to speak, read, write, and to have feelings — though she still struggles with this part. However, their time together was cut short during the final battle that ended the war.
As she slowly recovers from her wounds, Violet starts her new life by working at the CH Postal Service office. There she witnesses the work of the Auto-Memory Dolls. An Auto-Memory Doll is a person who transcribes people’s thoughts and feelings into words to send as a letter. Intrigued and curious about this, Violet decides to become an Auto-Memory Doll and start her own journey of being able to put her feelings out to words. Through this job, Violet will travel to different parts of the country and change the lives of her clients. Not only is the plot amazing but the art and animation do not fall short.
This has got to be one of the most beautifully animated animes I have ever seen. I know I say that about the animes I reviewed thus far, but this anime is truly aesthetically pleasing to watch. Violet Evergarden of the was animated by Kyoto Animations and is an adaption of the light-novel with the same title, written by Kana Akatsuki and illustrated by Akiko Takase. This light-novel turned anime has such beautifully drawn characters and backgrounds that just take my breath away. Everything has so much detail, from the hem of Violet’s skirt to the lines on the walls; there is just an incredible attention to detail — the characters and the story come to life and strikes you in such an incredible way.
Fun Fact: did you know that the light-novel won the grand prize at the 2014 Kyoto Animation Awards — the first of its type to win in all three categories of novel, scenario, and manga — giving it the chance to get a publication and an anime adaption? I think that’s pretty amazing.
Violet Evergarden is truly an amazing character. In each episode, we get to see Violet grow and learn what it’s like to be human. Through the different people she meets to those in her past life, Violet is one character that I really see a lot of change in, even if she doesn’t show it often on her face. She’s a character that I consider both cute and complex. We watch and follow her from the beginning, when she was just an object to the men of war. She was raised and regarded as less than human, a tool to kill soldiers and fight.
Violet didn’t know how to talk, read or even write. Those who raised her deemed it necessary for a tool to know those skills. She didn’t even know what feelings were — she didn’t even know what the feeling of pain was. All she ever knew was to kill. But after the war — no, scratch that — after meeting Gilbert, her life was changed. Her name was actually given to her by Gilbert. Violet started to learn new things; things that would teach her to become a human. She is still learning — even now.
And because she is still learning, it makes her interactions with members of the postal service and her clients even more interesting to watch. The different events in her life unfold slowly as she learns what it is like to feel. But that one thing that took the longest for her to understand was love. The last words given to her by the one who saved her, Violet understand them — not until later. Her past may be dark and filled with bloodshed, but her future is bright and filled with so much love.
Her story is told in such a beautiful and emotional way that I just could not help but get sucked in. This show made me cry both happy and sad tears — point is, I was ugly crying. This show is both heartbreaking and heart-healing. I would definitely recommend this anime but if you get easily emotional or attached like I do, have that tissue box ready next to you, you might need it.
Where to find this anime:
