I think I cried during every episode of that show.
Would I watch this on Sunday: No.
Would I watch this with children: Teen or mature pre-teen. And I watched the episodes ahead.
Would I recommend this to friends and family: Absolutely.
Overall Rating:
While clicking around Netflix, I left the cursor over Violet long enough for a preview to fire. The image was so beautiful, and the artwork so engaging, that we had to try it.
I'm very glad we did.
Violet Evergarden was moving and thick with emotional intelligence. It delivered amazing views and cinematography. (How do you do time-lapse nature cuts with animations?) It spurred conversations of great value with my pre-teen daughters. It edified us, and did so through stories around a simple medium: the personal letter.
Where I'm coming from
Every reviewer comes from a different perspective. Mine is interesting:
- I finished reading Going Postal by Pratchett a few weeks prior. It is a literary piece about the power of a hand-written letter.
- I live in a country that is currently engaged in many theatres of war. We have quite a few headlines floating around right now about veteran well-being.
- I have talented daughters learning what emotions are and how to describe them. This is a necessary skill of Violet's post-war profession.
Where I'm going with this
Violet Evergarden is the story of an orphan girl conditioned for war. That's typical anime fare, but that's as far as it stays typical. The series catalogues her experiences after her deployment. In many powerful ways, it is a story of recovery.
The symbolism drawn around Violet is that of a doll. Indeed, she starts out not even having a name. Her only task: win wars. She lives to follow orders. She asks for them as soon as she wakes up as a double-amputee in the recovery ward.
But the last order she received was one she didn't know how to handle: to live free.
She discharges into the care of a retired Lieutenant Colonel. He is a personal friend of her commanding officer. His encouraging support helps her wade through the pain of her past.
Here's where I'm going with this. When you watch it, I want you to:
- Gain a greater sensitivity to the recovery of your veterans, especially amputees.
- Gain a greater appreciation for the journey of learning what love means.
- Communicate your feelings to loved ones as best as you can, and pay the price to do so.
Things to note
Violet Evergarden is - I can't say it enough - so deep and raw in its emotional intelligence. This show made me weep. It made my daughters weep. In so many ways, it stepped outside many stereotypes common to modern anime. It does have a few gotchas:
- At least one primary female protagonist is buxom and dressed in a provocative way. I don't know what's up with Anime studios and cleavage. I will say there is much less in this production than in most.
- Violet is a combat veteran. At least three of the twelve episodes tell the story of, or depict, combat flashbacks. Although not as gruesome as some Anime I've seen in the past, people die or lose limbs in combat. Every scene I saw reflected the emotional trauma of those experiences. They did not glorify combat or violence.
Why you should watch it
Violet Evergarden whispers of deep, important truths about emotion and human relationships. It whispers that loved ones still love us, even when they're gone. It whispers that wounds heal, and hearts change and second chances are never wasted. It whispers that children should not blamed for the behavior of their parents. And it does it over and over again. And, the action scenes really are pretty great.
Watch it.
I hope you enjoy Violet Evergarden as much as I did.