1st rewatch 2021-09-29 to 2021-10-07 (Watched with mom)
Violet Evergarden is a masterpiece of tragedy and self-realization. Following the war survivor Violet, the story builds upon her journey of self-realization through the bonds she builds up and through the bonds she lost. We follow our main protagonist on a journey with love being the end of the tunnel. The twist is, Violet who was raised from childhood to only be a tool of war is unable to comprehend universal human feelings. Through this, we set out to explore the journey as she uncovers what ‘I Love You’ truly means.
When I first added this series to my wishlist. I knew one thing. That being the similarities it had to Your Lie in April. I wouldn’t disagree. Both have very tragic plot lines. But personally, I liked the density and depth every episode of Violet managed to carry compared to the slow pacing of Your Lie in April. Each episode is a complete roller coaster. I’m honestly perplexed at how it managed to keep its composure while being as emotional as it is. I never felt as if the story was repeating itself. Not only this, the uniqueness of each episode was what made me shed a tear to each and every ep after the 6th. I didn’t expect a plotline built only within the span of a single episode to hit me so hard. It managed to hit so close to home. At times I was left wondering what I’d do if I’m somehow the person being affected by the tragedies the story’s characters are going through. It really made me empathise with many of the characters that appeared. Needless to say, some of them showed increasingly high levels of naiveness which irritated me. Like the astronomy student. But all in all, managing to make me care enough about a character to cry about them within a half-hour period is simply mindblowing. This is the first show I’ve watched that managed to pull it off.
Thinking of other aspects of the anime, such as its music and art style. I gotta say, I’m not disappointed. The music pretty much fueled the tears that I fought so hard to keep in. The OST is truly something that I would definitely listen to even if it were out of context the show. Evan Call really outdid himself. The art too is simply magnificent. The character design exactly fits my description of a perfect anime character. Like Bloom Into You’s and Your Name’s art styles, Kyoto Animation successfully managed to have a colour palette and an environment that truly made each shot a masterpiece.
Speaking of the main plotline of this story. I usually tend to avoid anything that goes close to the topic of war. Except for those rare exceptions, like the movie Darkest Hour. Following UK prime minister Winston Churchill through the tipping points of the second world war. Even with my obvious aversion to war-related media, this show truly captivated me beyond belief. Focusing on the way war affects people personally. Violet Evergarden focuses on the little things from a grand scale of things. Wars may be fought for a philosophical or political cause but when it comes down to the battlefield. It’s real people who fight in it. With their own personalities, friends, family members, lovers, hobbies etc. It’s this up close and personal perspective to war that violet strives to engrave into the viewer’s mind. From the fire that burns Violet’s (the character) conscience due to her hand in the war to the feelings of a soldier who’s on his deathbed. The show goes up and beyond to show the effects of war from a personal level through its extravagant choice of characters. The story of the dying mother and her daughter was what teared me up the most. I’ll probably never forget that.
In a way, the story is about letting go. Letting go of the past that haunts your dreams. Letting go of the hatred that divides and incentivises conflicts. Letting go of the pain you keep inside of you. In an age where instantaneous communication nor a medium to rant like the internet doesn’t exist. Releasing pressure created inside of oneself is next to impossible if you isolate yourself. You may add distance because you’re afraid of those around you or because you’re afraid of what they would see in you. But the result is the same. No matter what the packaging is. Loneliness hits you no matter what you use to dilute it. A void of pain inside of you.
Sometimes the only way to release it is to simply write it out. Expressing one’s own feelings publicly is a hard task that requires immense amounts of courage and trust. But the freedom of writing one’s thoughts down on a piece of paper has the satisfaction of privacy and creativity. This is why Dolls exist. To help people express their feelings they might’ve never been able to put into words themselves.
All in all, I love this anime. I don’t consider it anything but a masterpiece. The show truly resonated in me to a point I couldn’t stop crying when it ended. It’s a show that’s tragic by design. I love it, but clearly in a way different to how I love shows like Bloom Into You and Konosuba. Its uniqueness extends to my love of it as well.