You know those stories that stick with you? That thrum something deep in your soul and you know will always hold a special place in your heart? I’ve recently viewed a TV series that did just that, and I simply cannot not share about it.

I know I hardly ever (if at all?) review TV series on my blog but THAT’S HOW SPECIAL THIS ONE IS. The second I finished it I knew I’d be screaming about it for the rest of my life, and I make no apologies.

Recently I’ve been dabbling into the world of anime, and one that’s been on my list for a while is Violet Evergarden. A friend mentioned it to me a couple of years back and I thought it sounded interesting, but I’ve only just now given it a try. And now I’m wondering…why did I wait so long???

THIS SHOW, GUYS. Oh, my heart. <3

This will be a spoiler-free review, because the whole point is to convince everyone to watch it. *winks* So do proceed without worry!

Violet Evergarden

REVIEW

Violet Evergarden tells the story of an orphan girl who was found and raised as a soldier to fight in the war. Knowing nothing else but fighting and following orders, she became more machine than human. The only person who ever treated her as anything more than a weapon was her major, Gilbert. After an attack that lost Violet both her arms, the war ended, and now with mechanical arms and understanding nothing else but war, she is trying to settle into a normal life and find her purpose. She takes on a job as an “Auto Memory Doll”, a girl who writes letters for people. In doing this, she hopes to understand what it is to feel and, most importantly, what the final words Major Gilbert said to her means: “I love you.”

I feel like I could easily sum up this entire show in a single word: Beautiful. There’s so much I want to say about it, but at the same time I don’t know how to put it into words. It is…beautiful. As simple and complex as that.

This is the type of show that pulls at the heartstrings, but it doesn’t do it just for the sake of tears. It is there to show the true power of love. Of being human and all the messy, aching, but ultimately wonderful parts of feeling.

Firstly, let’s talk about the aesthetic. Because my goodness is this show a feast for the eyeballs. It is mostly set in a picturesque seaside town in a world dipping its toes in the industrial revolution. So there is a touch of technology, but there are also horse-drawn carriages and stunning gowns and typewriters and ribbons and fresh parchments and tear-stained letters and fresh sea air and flower gardens aplenty. It is stunning.

To capture all this, the scenes themselves are so cleverly and artistically done. I guess you can’t call them camera angles in an animated show? Lol. But the way each scene is drawn is very unique and somehow adds to both the beauty and emotion of every single moment. The sheer care these animators put into making the most of each scene was phenomenal. And that soundtrack. Oh, the soundtrack. Absolutely breathtaking.

But a story can’t run on aesthetics alone. This show would be nothing without Violet herself.

Violet is a protagonist you can’t help but fall in love with instantly and root for every single step of the way. When I say she was raised to be a machine, you’re probably expecting some tough, heartless girl who punches her way through her problems. Violet couldn’t be farther from that. She is soft. She is gentle. She is graceful and kind and she doesn’t always understand social cues or how to act or show proper emotion, and yes, she can switch into a weapon during moments of need, but at the heart she is a young girl seeking to understand the world and help those around her. Her gentleness, her softness, despite what she was raised to be, was so refreshing. She longs for love, though she doesn’t even understand it herself, and her journey to discover it was an emotional and beautiful story.

Goodness did she make me cry.

Though this is Violet’s story, the other characters are all unique and dynamic. From Claudia, the president of the postal company where Violet works, who is basically the worrywart dad, to rebellious, pretends he couldn’t-care-less Benedict, to the other Auto Memory Dolls who worked alongside Violet, they all had their parts to play, and their care for Violet was so touching. Honestly, sometimes I wish we had a bit more of them all and their different relationships and lives, but there was enough to grow fond of them.

Beyond them, every new side character we meet in each episode positively tugs at the heartstrings.

Though it is a continuous story, each episode focuses on a different client Violet is aiding in writing a letter for. And I don’t know how this show makes me fall in love with a person who is only there for the some 24 minutes of an episode, but goodness does it. Really, it takes all of 0.4 seconds to become wholly emotionally invested in each client.

During the series, we see such a wide breadth of humanity and the struggles we all face. But it doesn’t end there. It show how every struggle can be overcome. It depicts hope in action.

And that, right there, is the true gem of this series: the picture of hope.

This story covers a lot of dark things, but it is not about the darkness. It’s about pushing past it. Finding the light.

Through Violet and many of the other characters, we see the ugliest bits of humanity. We’re shown heartbreak on many different levels. We’re shown tragedy and how it can break and burn a person.

But then we’re shown how to rise above it.

Throughout the show, Violet aids people writing letters to loved ones to express their true feelings, and certainly not just in a romantic way. There were letters to parents, to siblings, she even helped write a song that brought hope to an entire theater of people.

As a writer and someone whose love language is words of affirmation, the message of how words can make an impact especially struck all the right chords for me. I am a firm believer in the power of stories and words, and this show was such a wonderful depiction of how words truly can change lives.

I cried, guys. I cried through every. single. episode. But not because it was constant heartache and sadness, but because of the hope found within every hardship.

Though Violet suffered so many things and even fell into depression, she still used her gifts to bring hope to the world. She didn’t give up. Didn’t stop the work she set out to do. She continued making an impact for others and, through that, found healing herself.

At its core, this show about a girl with mechanical arms raised to be a weapon is about overcoming. No matter what we’ve done, no matter who we are, no matter how much heartbreak we’ve been dealt, there is still hope to be found. Through words and love and doing hard things, we can overcome anything.

And it is beautiful.

CONTENT CAUTIONS

As far as some anime goes, this is a pretty tame one.

There are some gruesome, bloody bits sprinkled throughout, mainly via flashbacks of the war. Though I personally felt like that only made the beautiful parts of overcoming mean that much more. There’s also a brief moment of considered suicide. But, again, it had purpose. It wasn’t just there to be dramatic.

One female character, alas, wears very revealing clothing throughout the show. And in either the first or second episode, if I remember right, there was this really random, brief mention of characters possibly sleeping together. But their relationship was never explored again beyond that super quick dialogue, as if the writers decided to drop that plot thread or something. So, thankfully, it never gets into that again.

I want to say there was just a couple of instances of cursing, but that was it.

My biggest hang up is how the show somewhat glorifies guys falling in love with girls far younger than them. The age gaps between a couple of romances made me a bit uncomfortable. That is my one hesitation of recommending this to everyone because otherwise, yeah, I just want to scream to the whole world to watch it. Some of the ages do kind of even out, and apparently that’s just common Japanese culture. It’s still not something I’m comfortable with, but the show didn’t go too, too far with it. Things stay mostly innocent. Just be aware it is a thing.

Overall though, it is a gorgeous series with moving themes about hope, love, and overcoming.

CONCLUSION

I have rarely, if ever, come across a TV series that took such care in depicting the themes it wanted to tell and the arc of its protagonist. Though there are a lot of episodes that are self-sustaining to a point, I wouldn’t say any one is a filler episode. Because every single episode become such an integral part of Violet’s growth and healing. That is what this show is about: healing. And it portrays it in such a meaningful way.

I personally watched it on Netflix, though it may be available on some anime streaming services as well. It’s 1 season and two movies, so not a big commitment. There’s also a special that’s just a tad longer than a normal episode that takes place between episodes 4 and 5.

So the watch order is…

• Violet Evergarden episodes 1 – 4
• Violet Evergarden Special
• Violet Evergarden episodes 5 – 13
• Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll (movie)
• Violet Evergarden: The Movie

And I share this because when I went to Netflix and saw multiple Violet Evergarden things I was super confused and had to look it up myself. XD But the main thing is to watch the series and then the final movie.

With a protagonist to root for, gorgeous aesthetics and music, a plot that will move you, and a stunning and thought-provoking representation of what it is to love and be loved, I honestly cannot recommend this masterpiece of a TV series enough.

Have you seen Violet Evergarden? And if not, have I convinced you to give it a try? (Just keep the tissues on hand is all I’m sayin’.)