Watching—'Violet Evergarden'

Violet Evergarden is a set of two light novels written by Kana Akatsuki and illustrated by Akiko Takase. It was the first work to win the grand prize of the Kyoto Animation Awards novel category, an accomplishment that occurred in 2014. The two volumes were released a year apart during the Christmas of 2015 and 2016, and a 13-episode long anime was produced by Kyoto Animation in 2018 that was distributed worldwide through Netflix. The series was directed by Taichi Ishidate, whose previous works in episode direction and key animation include Clannad, Hyouka, Koe no Katachi, and Kyoukai no Kanata—to name a few.

Voilet Evergarden presents its story by means of episodic storytelling. In other words, each episode tells its own story with its own set of characters, accompanied by an underlying narrative that links everything together. With the progression of each episode, we get to see the growth of our central character and how she changes from the battle hardened soldier to Violet Evergarden.

The show has an interesting way of building up the world the characters live in. The show does not have many scenes of pure exposition where characters are saying things for the pure benefit of the viewers. Instead, the show decides to show everything. They show history through flashbacks, they world build by having Voilet travel to various parts of the world and by her experiencing the different environments, and we, as the audience, also experience them through her. As a result of this, we have a deep understanding of the political climate of the fictional land, the various classes of people, the struggles of individuals during a time of war, and how people choose to either accept it, fight against it, or succumb to it.

Violet starts out as a blank slate, which in itself is not a bad thing. What it allows is for the viewers to have a surrogate to experience the world through. Provided it is done right, and Violet Evergarden succeeds with flying colours. Unlike most shows that come out, the character does not remain a blank slate all through to the end of the show. Instead, with each episode that passes, we learn more about her past, what made her the way she was at the start of the show, and through her journey’s meeting different people and experiencing the world, she grows—so by extension, so do we. As audience members, we are that much more invested in the characters because we do not see them through the eyes of a viewer, but through Violet’s eyes, and so, we tend to feel the exact same way Violet does more often than not.

The supporting characters are a force in their own right. Each one has their own unique design, personality, and arc away from Violet, which gives the impression that Violet is privy to the whims of the world and has no control over it. The one-shot characters that appear in a single episode all have their own arcs and desires that are incredibly fleshed out with strong emotional hooks. It is also wonderful to see how various characters who come into contact with Violet change and become the best versions of themselves simply from spending time with her; Violet herself, in turn, grows and learns more about herself.

The visuals of the show are comparable to a feature film. The various landscapes, post-war, are lush and beautiful to look at. Meanwhile, conversely during the flashbacks to the war, things look grim and devoid of colour, yet still maintaining a feeling of hope despite the desperate situations characters finds themselves in. For a show that is not action-heavy, the sakuga bursts presented in it are beyond breathtaking, leaving one speechless. The show manages to near seamlessly integrate moments of 3D animation alongside the 2D animation. The only way you would notice is if one were to look particularly with the intention of finding those segments.

The music by Evan Call is fabulous and fits the show like a glove. The main theme of the show being a particular highlight. The soundtrack is vibrant and uplifting, always carrying with it a sense of wonder. It is an effect I have only experienced once before during the opening of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring when we first see the Shire. Only here it lasts through a majority of the show and the effect does not at any point wear off.

This is a show I cannot recommend enough. The level of emotion that is packed into each episode is sublime. So much so that it had me reaching for the tissues during 10 of the 13 episodes. It has a great message, a fantastic overarching narrative, breathtaking visuals, a wonderful soundtrack, and a great collection of characters. If you have a Netflix account, Violet Evergarden is one I would implore you to watch.