Violet Evergarden

Hey folks, so I spent a long time this month contemplating which anime I should recommend to you. Although I'm watching quite a few titles right now, none of them in my eyes was worth recommending to you just yet. But then I remembered Violet Evergarden, a title I had watched not so long ago that totally blew my mind - and I just had to tell you all about it. Everything about this anime is gold! The cinematic quality of the visuals; The moving soundtrack; and the emotional storytelling. They all come together perfectly to tell the story of Violet... Violet Evergarden.

We first meet Violet sitting up in her hospital bed, attempting to write a letter to her superior officer, with her newly replaced hands. We learn that she is a soldier in the army, who has lost both her arms in a recent war, and has a superior officer who she really really wants to get back in touch with. As a former military killing machine, Violet has lived her life as a tool - taking orders, and coldly executing them. Stoic and almost emotionless, Violet has played this role near perfectly throughout. Her only attachment so far, has been to her superior officer, Major Gilbert Bougainvillea.

Now she is told that the war is over, and another officer, Commander Claudia Hodgins, appears to pick her up at the request of the Major. At first, the commander tries to deliver her to the Evergarden family, as his friend, the Major had instructed. But things go awry when, due to Violet's lack of social graces, she offends her would-be hosts. So instead, the Commander offers Violet a job in his new company CH Postal Services, where she can learn to adjust to the new world, while making a living.

It is through this lens of Violet working, first as a postman and later (but more importantly) as an "Auto Memory Doll," that we get to watch Violet grow: from a brusque and no-nonsense emotionless tool, into a charming young woman. The heartwarming journeys that Violet makes in her job as an "Auto Memory Doll," and the personal journey that unfolds, make this anime a series worth your time.

There are very few anime that get a 10/10 in my book... and Violet Evergarden is one of them. So check it out. I promise that it will be worth your while.

P.S. It is available on Netflix