Violet Evergarden

The war is over, and Violet Evergarden needs a job. Scarred and emotionless, she takes a job as a letter writer to understand herself and her past.

Violet Evergarden (2018) is a Japanese animated drama series created for TOKYO MX and produced by Kyoto Animation. Its protagonist, Violet Evergarden, is a scarred former child soldier who has been raised as a weapon and now seeks a new purpose in a steampunk-tinged postwar city. She takes a job as a ghostwriter, dictating letters for clients who cannot express their feelings themselves. Her colleagues, the ex-soldier Gilbert Bougainvillea (voiced by Daisuke Namikawa) and the publisher Claudia Hodgins (voiced by Takehito Koyasu), help frame her journey, while each client's story gives every episode its own self-contained emotional arc. Across a single thirteen-episode season, the series builds from small domestic moments to larger reckonings with her past. The engine is simple and affecting: each letter reveals a human truth, and Violet slowly learns to feel through the words of others. Its tone is melancholic yet gentle, luminous and reflective, with a strong romantic undercurrent and a quiet hopefulness about recovery. Fans of Mushishi, Your Lie in April and Hibike! Euphonium will find similar resonance in its patient, tear-jerking blend of grief, craft and tenderness.

Critics and audiences broadly praise the series as an acclaimed, emotionally affecting anime with striking animation and a moving central character arc.

• Mushishishared melancholic post war drama with emotional healing arcs and a gentle, reflective tone
• Spice and Wolfshared tender character-driven emotional drama about grief, trauma and recovery in a fantasy-tinged historical setting
• Hibike! Euphoniumshared Kyoto Animation style emotional animated drama centered on a young woman healing from trauma through meaningful work
• Your Lie in Aprilshared melancholic romance and beautifully crafted animation exploring loss and emotional expression

Release Date

2018-01-11

Episode runtime

25 min

Rating

8.4 / 10 (1020)

What is Violet Evergarden about?

After the war, a former child soldier with no emotions takes up work as a ghostwriter and learns what love means through the letters she writes for others.

What is Violet Evergarden like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Violet Evergarden as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.

Is Violet Evergarden violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Violet Evergarden as mild.

What did critics think of Violet Evergarden?

Critics and audiences broadly praise the series as an acclaimed, emotionally affecting anime with striking animation and a moving central character arc.

Which shows are like Violet Evergarden?

Shows with a similar feel include Mushishi, Spice and Wolf, Hibike! Euphonium, and Your Lie in April.

How long is Violet Evergarden?

Violet Evergarden: 1 season, 13 episodes.

Is Violet Evergarden still running?

No, Violet Evergarden has ended.

Where can I watch Violet Evergarden?

In United States, Violet Evergarden streams on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads.