Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Light novel adaptation has innuendo and fantasy violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Violet Evergarden
What's the Story?
Adapted from Kana Akatsuki's light novel of the same name, VIOLET EVERGARDEN is a Japanese anime series about a young ex-soldier trying to reintegrate into postwar society where robots and humans live together. Violet Evergarden (Yui Ishikawa/Erika Harlacher) was used as a military tool during the Great War thanks to her powerful combat skills. She has only a limited understanding of anything outside of war, so her mentor and guardian Major Gilbert Bougainvillea (Daisuke Namikawa/Tony Azzolino) tried to help her understand human expression and emotion. But when he uttered "I love you" as his last words to her during their final battle, Violet was left wondering what the words meant. After being hospitalized for four months, during which time she was fitted with prosthetics to replace her war-severed arms, she is assisted by Major Bougainvillea's friend, Claudia Hodgins (Takehito Koyasu/Kyle McCarley), who gives her a job in his postal company. There Violet meets Cattleya Baudelaire (Aya Endo/Reba Buhr) and other Auto Memory Dolls, whose jobs are to intuitively interpret and transcribe the thoughts and feelings of people who are unable to write and help them communicate and connect with others. Wanting to learn more about how to understand human emotions, the young former combat soldier decides to become one of these "dolls" in hopes of helping people, and to help her determine her purpose in a postwar world.
Is It Any Good?
The award-winning anime adaptation tells a good story filled with emotional moments and artistic detail. Unlike the print series, it doesn't immediately offer a detailed account of Violet's earliest years. But with the help of flashbacks, it offers enough to help viewers appreciate what she's been through, and to acknowledge the significance of her journey going forward. Despite being a bit soap opera-like, Violet Evergarden is entertaining and compelling, so much so that it has inspired several movies and series spin-offs. If you're looking for a somewhat gentler paced, sensitive anime series, this one will certainly fit the bill.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what Japanese light novels are. Who are they written for? In what ways do they differ from the Japanese manga that have inspired other anime series?
How are things like color and sound used in Violet Evergarden to help articulate feelings and emotions? How is this useful when they're discussed from the point of view of someone who doesn't have a natural ability to understand what they are?
TV Details
- Premiere date : January 11, 2018
- Cast : Yui Ishikawa , Daisuke Namikawa , Takehito Koyasu
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Friendship
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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