'Violet Evergarden'—Episode 1

It has been six months since I watched Violet Evergarden for the first time, and wrote about it here. Since then, the show has been on my mind in one way or another; and with the recent events that transpired at Kyoto Animation combined with the general state of affairs we find ourselves in, much in the same way I watch Garden of Words and Man of Steel on a regular basis, I feel now more than ever is the best moment to watch Violet Evergarden again and feel hopeful towards the future. Having thought about the show for as long as I have since first watching it, I am certain that it is, without a doubt, my favourite piece of media out of everything that I have experienced to date. Watching this first episode only confirmed this notion.

Throughout this first episode, we are given an insight into Violet’s past and the horrors of being in war, but what is even more cruel is the fact that she was a child at the height of the war and was treated as nothing more than a tool. Following the end of the war, as a result of having been treated as a weapon for so long, following orders is the only thing that she understands. By interacting with the rest of the cast members, we get to see her slowly change her understanding of the world and how she fits into things; so much so to the point that by the end of the episode, she finally asks for something that she wants, rather than doing what someone else wants her to do.

What is absolutely beautiful about that moment is that the reason why she is asking to be an Auto Memories Doll is so that she can understand what the words "I love you" means, as they were the last words her former commander Major Gilbert spoke to her. This is the first step towards becoming her own person, and not simply following orders since the moment she was born. What is additionally impressive is that this is not a passive goal for Violet, this goal of seeking understanding allows for her to be an active protagonist that is always moving forward; and because she is seeking the answer to something as nebulous as love, there would be many different interpretations of it to be explored until she finds the one that best helps her understand her own feelings.

Despite it being the first episode, the show does not shy away from putting the characters into tough positions. From the start, we have Hodgins faced with the choice of either telling the truth about Gilbert to Violet, or to be indirect with her so that she would not be hurt so soon after recovering from her injuries. It is a difficult situation, and the way Hodgins was portrayed was fantastic. The show is not completely leaning on the heavy side; whenever Benedict and Hodgins are onscreen together, there is humor present to help alleviate the heavy mood that the show permeates. While the humor is not particularly fantastic, what makes it work as well as it does is the fantastic editing and the timing of the jokes.

Visually the show is a spectacle, with incredibly fluid animation, a bright colour palette, incredibly detailed backgrounds, and a bustling world that feels lived in. Beyond that, the music is beyond phenomenal. All these aspects combined had me nearly in tears already; and considering the emotional state that I found myself in the first time I watched the show, I dread to think of the condition that I would find myself at the end this time, when I know what is to come.