Violet Evergarden is a 13-episode anime currently available on Netflix. The series follows the aftermath of a war, which may or may not be WWI. Violet, voiced By Erika Harlacher in English and Yui Ishikawa in Japanese, dedicates herself to being an auto-memory doll, a person that ghostwrites letters.

THE SERIES WITH HEART

If I had to define this series in one word I would say “heart.” This series has raw human emotion and conveys each emotion as if the characters were truly in the room. The story of Violet Evergarden is not only told by the words that are used, but also the minor expressions and shifts in body language. 

Kyoto Animation has a reputation for creating gorgeous work with their animation. Because of this, Violet Evergarden is a show that you want to watch twice, just to soak in every little detail. Don’t get me wrong, this series can be watched in one hit and you won’t miss a thing. But once all the connecting themes and arcs finally come together it is truly amazing. 

Violet Evergarden is very emotionally intelligent. It conveys feelings and empathy, showing that these things are not just neatly compartmentalized. With this, we can see Violet’s progress developing as an emotionally normative human being. Violet doesn’t go from a robotic personality to a master of empathy over night. This series lets her grow into a character over what felt like months.  The way the music is utilized is masterful. It’s that rare case where you’d swear it came from a world far, far away. 

THE FINAL VERDICT

Violet Evergarden has a strong story, Violet’s character development is absolutely outstanding, and the show has gorgeous animation and soundtrack. This series doesn’t stop for a moment; it keeps building upon its premise. Couple this with Kyoto Animation’s high quality production, and you have yourself a must watch anime series.