Violet Evergarden: Drowning in Fire

Watching Violet Evergarden was one of the best experiences with a show I’ve had in recent memories. While the show was nowhere near perfect and suffered from many flaws due to its format and source material, I found essence of the show to be very moving to me on an emotional level. Simply put, it was awe-inspiring.

Despite the common criticism of the show’s slow pace and somewhat whiplash tonal shifts, I respect what the creators did in adapting the [far more fantastical] source material. I personally enjoyed the show’s pacing and loving attention to its themes of love, messages and the human condition. They really took their time and made every frame and scene intentional in the service of the themes.

While Violet as a character was never very interesting to me, I found her endearing for her ability to be a mirror to other characters and draw out their true essence. Witnessing these moments between Violet and her clients was inspirational. Particularly episodes 5, 7 and 10 were the episodes that hooked me in the heart and made me understand the beauty of what the creators were trying to do. I would say the series is worth seeing just for the watching experiences of those episodes alone.

Of course, the visuals of this show need not to be stated. Everything in this show was beautifully animated and crafted. But beyond the absolutely stunning visuals, the music was also a stand out feature. The sound track had this amazing ability to wring my heart at all of the right moments. This show deserves to be watched due to the loving detail the artists put in but also because of the the incredible score the composures created and the fantastic subtle writing of the authors and staff.

If you haven’t seen this show, please come into it with an open mind to its strong thematic themes and powerful symbology.