Winter 2018 Anime: Violet Evergarden

Synopsis

Major Gilbert unexpectedly met a girl who had an excellent fighting skill, who was then hired by the military. The girl was given the name Violet Evergarden, and she only lived to take her Major’s “orders.” However, when the war ended, Violet parted with Gilbert, and she became confused because the one who gave her orders was no longer by her side. Hodgins, Gilbert’s comrade in military, then brought her to work at the C.H. Postal Company. There she met with amanuensis, people who worked to write others’ speech or copying an existing document. Violet was then interested to work there because of a will to find the meaning of ‘love’, a word that she heard from them, and one Major Gilbert had said once too.

Comments

M Razif Dwi Kurniawan (The Indonesian Anime Times)

Watching the first episode of Violet Evergarden reminded me of World War-themed films like Dunkirk or Saving Private Ryan. The atmosphere of post-war Europe can be felt strongly, and the episode begins a scene and music that are like seeing the intro of a war film.

As always, the capabilities of Kyoto Animation is unquestionable. Viewers can not only admire the beauty of the characters, but also the beauty of Liden City: the cruise ships docked in the harbor, trams that go around the city, and crowds of people passing by are all created in detail. So too the bustle of C.H. Postal Company, as the stack of envelopes and the sound of typing machines really brings to life the feel of a postal office.

In the first episode, views Violet had just been detached from military, which is different from the novel version that began with the story of Violet who has become a part of the Postal Company. We have yet to see Violet as an amanuensis: a girl covered with a silk-pleated skirt, a Prussian-blue jacket, pair of long leather boots, and with a emerald brroch on her chest. However, from here we can know that Violet’s transformation from a military girl into an excellent amanuensis is not a short journey. It is a long story that contains a lot of meaning.

Halimun Muhammad (The Indonesian Anime Times)

Over the years, the staff of Kyoto Animation has honed their collective skill in portraying emotions subtly through delicate character animation. And in Violet Evergarden, this is interesting because the heroine is one who lacks understanding of the subtleties in human interactions, which is shown in how Violet takes people’s words quite literally, or in how she bluntly shown her mechanical hands in the Evergarden house rather than explaining her condition in another way. It doesn’t mean Violet doesn’t have any emotion, though; she just doesn’t understand them yet. And we can see the confusion caused by that comes through in Violet’s gestures while she was seeing the emerald brooch with Major Gilbert. The staff’s skills for character animation are fitting for this story, and it’ll be interesting to see how Violet will learn more about the subtleties and complexities of human emotions through her work with words.

Facts and Figures

Screenshots and Trailer

“Violet Evergarden” Light Novel Review: Conveying Beauty with Lavish Words

The Indonesian Anime Times