In some ways, “Violet Evergarden” feels like a tech demo, the anime equivalent of the “Crysis” video game. Kyoto Animation is a powerhouse studio, unparalleled in expressiveness and character animation. The show features backgrounds as realistic as a Makoto Shinkai movie, with the character expressions and fluid movements making the characters feel alive. Because it’s not only Violet, but the rest of the ensemble cast and the one-off characters we meet in each episode that truly make the story memorable.
And it’s not just the movements, but the overall look of the world of the anime. The Victorian-inspired time period is full of excess, stunning costumes and landscapes, intricate hairstyles, and beautiful buildings. Still, it is arguably Violet’s mechanical arms, animated in 2D, that serve as the centerpiece display of artistry.
The show’s main plot and backstory for Violet overcoming her upbringing as a child solder has some interesting moments, as we slowly come to understand that Violet’s robotic nature and the neutral expression on her face are because she has spent all her life repressing those emotions while growing up on the battlefield.
Where “Violet Evergarden” shines the most, however, is when it becomes an episodic story wherein Violet travels to different places helping different people by writing letters. Each episode manages to tell a standalone, individual story that rips your heart out and tears it into tiny little pieces, like a whole season made out of the first 10 minutes of Pixar’s “Up,” particularly episode 10.