I wouldn’t consider myself someone who cries often while watching a TV series. Yet, I don’t think I’ve cried so much while watching anime, until I watched Violet Evergarden. Now I personally love any story that can bring a tear to my eye no matter what medium it’s in (books, movies, anime, even music) if it brings me to tears I know that it profoundly touched me. Whenever that happens all I want to do is talk about how much I loved that particular thing that made me feel such a way. Violet Evergarden had me enthralled from start to finish, so lets dive into it more.
*Note I have not read the light novel version.
First a general synopsis of the 13 episode series:
“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.” (Quote from MyAnimeList.net)
If that synopsis isn’t enough to get you to binge watch this series just let me discuss some of my favorite parts (spoiler free!).
The Animation:
The key thing that catch my attention when browsing all the shows on Netflix was how beautifully animated Violet Evergarden is. Every detail is carefully crafted and the animation does a wonderful job complimenting the story without overshadowing it. Each still from any episode could be described like a painting. This tied in with some emotionally touching background music really helped the story portray to the audience the intense feelings the characters are experiencing.
What About Plot?
In terms of plot/story line Violet Evergarden is a tale of recovery, survival, moving on, and learning. Similar to a coming of age story, but instead the character of interest is not just a young girl, she is also a person who was used as an instrument of war. And now she is attempting to find ways to rekindle her lost humanity. As a holdover from a war-torn nation whose usefulness is brought to a crossroads, the story ends with the closing of one chapter, and the beginning of another. Yet the questions of “What good am I?”, “What purpose do I serve”, and “What now?” remains relevent throughout the first half of the series. That question in particular being one that resonates with the young adults who will likely watch this series. Through Violet Evergarden we the audience are introduced to her world. One that is made up like a patchwork quilt of different time periods and cultural influences— the Victorian aesthetic being the most prevalent. While the story to come could be considered on the slower side, each episode is packed full of emotional nuance. All the while each character surrounding Violet grows, struggles, and learns about themselves, and as the plot progresses audiences can see how Violet herself begins to blossom.
My Verdict?
Overall I deeply enjoyed this series, I found each character touching and relatable to some level, the artwork was stunning, and the plot kept me wondering what the next episode will focus on and what part of Violet’s history I could learn next. This series is available on Netflix so if you have an account PLEASE watch this series! If you’ve watched this series already, tell me what you thought of it. Did you like it? Did you hate it? What did you think of the ending? Let me know in the comments or through social media!
CupsOfSilver 
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