The Most Beautiful Anime You've Never Heard Of
Image Source: IMDb
One of the most unique aspects of anime is how stunning the animation is. With Western-made animation, the focus is not typically on the backgrounds and side characters but rather on the main characters and the action sequences. While Japanese anime artists obviously focus on main characters and action sequences as well, they have the unique talent of creating backgrounds and side characters that are just as impressive as the main focal points of the series. There are few anime that can perfectly balance breathtaking animation style with incredible writing, directing, and vocal talents, but Netflix’s Violet Evergarden does just that, and it is a shame that more people are not talking about it.
The series is based on the light novel series of the same name written by Kana Akatsuki and illustrated by Akiko Takase. It was published by Kyoto Animation under their imprint KA Esuma Bunko, and ran for four volumes from December 25, 2015 - March 27, 2020. The series was done by Kyoto Animation, written by Reiko Yoshida, and directed by Taichi Ishidate and Haruka Fujita. It ran from January 11, 2018 - April 5, 2018, and featured 13 episodes plus an OVA. The series also has two films, Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll which was released in 2019, and Violet Evergarden: The Movie which was released in 2020.
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Image Source: IMDb
The series follows a woman named Violet Evergarden who is an ex-soldier recovering from her most recent battle. During this battle, she lost both of her arms and was separated from The Major. During the first half of the series, she is attempting to assimilate into society, but she is struggling with the fact that she has never known anything but following orders and violence. Even as a child, she was considered a trained weapon and was not treated as a child. This makes communicating with those around her difficult because she does not understand normal social cues or how to do anything without being ordered. She chooses to become an Auto-Memories Doll which is a ghostwriter that helps people write letters filled with deep emotions that they could not find a way to express themselves. These Dolls will travel anywhere in the world to complete their assignments, and Violet takes this promise to the extreme later in the series. During her time as a Doll, she learns what emotions are, how to show them, and how to talk with people in a way that is not so literal. Eventually, she is forced to learn the truth about what happened during her final battle and where The Major is now. The focus of this series is on Violet’s determination and journey to discover what The Major’s last words to her meant.
The series is not only stunningly beautiful with its character design and setting, but the color choices are something straight out of a Studio Ghibli film. Each scene is perfectly colored to reflect not only the location but also the emotions that are being felt and/or shown in that moment. Even the battle sequences are stunningly beautiful. The writing in this series is the best I have seen in any anime series or film. It expresses emotions in a way that you can actually feel through the screen, and every single word that is spoken means something. Violet’s character design makes her look like an actual doll, and at first glance, you would think that she is an incredibly fragile character. When you learn about her past and the pain she has gone through, you realize that she is far from fragile. This series feels like more than just an anime series, and it will have you in tears during almost every episode.
Violet Evergarden, its OVA, and its two films are available to stream on Netflix.
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Source(s): IMDb
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