“Violet Evergarden” is a story that was originally written as a light novel by Kana Akatsuki and then was adapted into an anime by Kyoto Animation. The anime currently has one season, a special edition episode, and a movie that was released last year.

This is a show that centers around the main character, “Violet Evergarden,” in her journey in discovering what the words “I love you” mean. Violet was an orphan and grew up in the military with no name and no idea of what emotions were. Known for her extreme combat skills, she was always referred to as an emotionless dog of the military until one day, when she was given to Major Gilbert Bougainvilla from his brother Naval Captain Dietfried Bougainvilla. He gave Violet her name and always tried to take care of her and treat her like an actual human being. After an intense battle, the two were separated from each other and Violet lost both of her arms as a result. Taken in by Claudia Hodgins, a close friend of the Major, Violet was given a job at his company, the CH Postal Company. There, Violet took the job as an auto-memory doll where she wrote letters for people who don’t know how to write or to help people express their true emotions.

The show depicts Violet’s different interactions with her co-workers and the different clients she comes across. Along the way, Violet learns more about what it means to have human emotions and not to rely on orders to live. Learning these emotions, it also helps Violet realize how she has “many burns” from her life of killing for the military and her journey in recovering from these sins. 

“Violet Evergarden” strikes straight at the heart and shows people how important it is to express your thoughts and emotions to the people around you. I would rate this show with a 10/10. The animation is simply beautiful and breath-taking, the soundtrack for the show is amazing, and I definitely recommend it for those who have trouble expressing themselves and need a way to show themselves how to start. 

Interested watchers can watch the first season and the special on Netflix. The movie recently just came to America and is not currently on any viewing platforms at the moment.