This was actually the first “new” Violet Evergarden episode of the season for me, having seen the first two at Anime Expo last July. As such I had it in my mind as a more or less crucial test of whether this series had any chance of making the Winter cut, either as a blogging candidate or at least a show to follow. But unfortunately I leave it feeling just as ambivalent about as I did going in, which doesn’t give me much optimism going forward.
I don’t want to turn this into a litany of reasons why Violet Evergarden isn’t really doing it for me, but if I’m likely to drop a show with this much hype I feel as if I at least ought to say why. There are good things about it to be sure, and not just the visuals (though after a time they feel sort of soulless, just like the narrative). It’s quite restrained and for the most part pretty dignified, which certainly aren’t givens with Kyoto Animation series. No, my issues with Violet Evergarden lie elsewhere – and that was certainly a clue, just now.
The doll thing is actually a pretty apt metaphor for this series, because there’s something about it that feels very artificial. This is the essence of it for me – Violet Evergarden is simply too mannered, too self-aware, too calculated to be emotionally affecting. The music is too intrusive and too cloying, the close-ups of sad cute faces too lingering, the situations depicted too overtly “poignant”. My feeling in watching it is that it’s drawn from a template of how to make a lavish and emotionally powerful tragedy, but doesn’t realize that emotional engagement has to be earned.
I don’t know how much more there is to be said, really. This week’s episode and the situations depicted in it are a pretty good litmus test I think because they represent what Violet Evergarden is trying to be about as perfectly as possible. At that it’s either going to work for you or it isn’t, and the fact that it really isn’t working for me leaves me lacking any solid reason to suspect it will in the future. I’ll certainly give this series another week or two to change my mind, but if it does I’ll consider it a pretty big upset.
UndeadCalamari
January 26, 2018 at 10:26 amI agree more or less entirely with ya. In struggling to see any reason in continuing with this show. The ending of this episode even went too far in pushing the emotional drama without earning it by having Violet succeed (I won’t spoil the actual episode) without even earning that. It actively annoyed me which is kind of hard to do for most shows. The show is just too obviously crafted to actually be effective for me.
Rasu
January 26, 2018 at 3:33 pmWon’t you watch Hakumei to Mikochi instead?
Guardian Enzo
January 26, 2018 at 3:36 pmTiny Girls Doing Cute Things? It hadn’t been high on my to-do list to be honest – I take it you recommend it?
Rasu
January 26, 2018 at 5:21 pmI haven’t seen the thirs episode yet, but you’re right, I guess my reasoning was more about “if we’re gonna watch a show just for its visuals rather watch the one with the home-like vibe than the empty and soulless one”, my apologies.
And yeah, I also feel “Violet Evergarden” too fake (sorry, I’m not a native english speaking,).
P.D. It has nothing to do with all of this, but I get what you feel for Hoozuki, I also feel the same.
Guardian Enzo
January 26, 2018 at 6:28 pmNo, you have nothing to apologize for at all, don’t worry. I just hadn’t had anyone recommend that one to me yet.
Rasu
January 26, 2018 at 6:49 pmI see, well, the reason I decided to watch was more or less what I already said, because of the visuals, it reminds me of an illustrated children book, and also I like fantasy too, so I guess is more a subjective than an objective point of view, I do like that kind of stuff although I’m aware that as you noted the show is more about a cute fantasy slice of life than a notable one, I guess it will also be reflected in disc sales, but, I found it more appealing in the backgrounds and palette than the Violete’s brooch that was more or less what atracct me in the trailer, now I feel aything at all, I even found Haru’s eyes (from Free!) more pretty than the brooch, but nothing more than that, it doesn’t move my hearth at all, I don’t admire it also, I’d rather watch the artbook from HakuMiko, both I also don’t know if could easily buy it or not, for me it’s more like a one-time apreciattion thing, maybe something which pages I’d flipp from time to time to feel a five minutes relax time.
So, yeah, if it’s for the sake of analysis, I don’t recommend it. It’s is just as it seems, nothing more or less.
I guess is more like a show I would show to parents and little children that aren’t very fond of anime, but I prefer to show them Chii’s sweet home. I’d begin with that and then show them “Usagi drop”, and things like that so slowly and naturally they’d understand that the anime is more than fancy characters and that actually offer stories that can be deep an emotional without pushing too much and without being too flashy, something like that.
Rasu
January 26, 2018 at 6:52 pmOh, but, I didn’t mean that “Chii’s” and “HakuMiko” were deep, sorry, those are more my reference of approaching slowly to what I really want to show to someone that doesn’t like anime very much because of prejudice.
Rita
January 28, 2018 at 10:11 pmI actually want to echo the recommendation. It’s certainly tiny girls doing cute things sometimes, but I love it for the setting and creativity of the cute things. From the tiny eggshell houses to building a bath out of a piece of bamboo to the turtles and sparrows giving rides, it’s all very whimsical. It’s also incredibly relaxing, making it the perfect unwinding series, at least for me. It puts me in mind of ghibli films a bit, not because of the visuals or plot or anything that major, but simply the really creative and fantastical worlds you get glimpses of.
DP
January 26, 2018 at 11:16 pmI’m totally with you on this, as well. The best KyoAni shows, like Hyouka, tend to be remarkably subtle in their characterization and story-telling. Heck, I’d argue that for something as loud and frenetic as it was, even Nichijou had a pretty light touch in conveying its overarching point about the truly extraordinary nature of our ordinary lives.
Violet Evergarden, on the other hand, is about as subtle as a sledgehammer. In fact, while it’s certainly pretty, I don’t think its visuals or direction are very creative. Which is a surprise, since even the worst KyoAni shows tend to excel in that regard.
Finally, if you’re taking suggestions for a show to substitute for this one, I’ll put my two cents down on Sora yori mo Tooi Basho. The first episode, in particular, is just astonishingly well-written and directed – positively cinematic in its look and presentation. Personally, I felt it was one of the single best episodes of anime I’ve ever seen – simultaneously funny, compelling, and moving. I hadn’t fully appreciated it before, as she’s previously worked with such lousy material, but Atsuko Ishizuka is a tremendously talented director, and it seems like A Place Further Than the Universe is her coming out party. Don’t let the “cute girls doing cute things” wrapping dissuade you from opening up the gift that is this show (so far, at least!).
Guardian Enzo
January 26, 2018 at 11:20 pmYeah, that one’s getting a lot of votes. If I can find the time I’ll give it a shot (though I got two separate recs for Hakumei today, too).
Guardian Enzo
January 31, 2018 at 8:56 pmWell, set aside an hour and watched the premieres of cold girls and tiny girls today. Neither was bad, but Hakumei definitely did more for me between the two. My favorite part of it is actually the soundtrack – I really like Evan Call’s work and he’s on-point here. I could see it being a relaxing diversion type of show.
Dein
January 27, 2018 at 4:46 pmThat metaphor certainly seems familiar. And it’s hard not feel that way, when it pushes so hard, it almost seems like a pardy in places.
You also make an excellent point about the visuals (which unlike everything else, are universally praised) – without any emotion to back them up, they really do feel plastic after a while. I thought I was just being overly critical of the show, bias and all.
The wild guesser
January 29, 2018 at 6:59 pmEvery time I run into a well-produced, but rather soulless, anime, I just think to myself, “this could have been Otoyomegatari, or Vinland Saga, or Real.”