“I swing from joy to sorrow”: Kana Akaktsuki Blames Herself for Violet Evergarden’s Episodes Being So Short in Duration
Violet Evergarden presents itself as a poignant story that follows the titular character who grew up as a weapon of war and struggles to understand her own emotions. Violet Evergarden leaves a strong impact on its viewers. The beginning of the anime series can be considered a bit slow, but then it starts flowing and doesn’t stop for a single second.
Each episode of the anime is a tearjerker as Violet learns the facets of human emotions and tries to unravel the emotions intertwined within her. There’s a deep sense of sorrow that is embedded within the narrative and the quiet intensity of the episodes can move grown men to tears.
Violet Evergarden started as a light novel series, written by Kana Akatsuki. In 2018, Kyoto Animation adapted the story into a 13-episode anime series. Apart from those 13 episodes, there’s also an extra episode that was released after the series ended, which fits in somewhere before the end of the series.
Kana Akatsuki Admitted That It Was Her Fault That Violet Evergarden Episodes Are Short
In an interview with Kana Akatsuki, the creator of Violet Evergarden, Akatsuki delved into the topic of the anime series and how its success affected her. The interviewer asked the creator how she felt when she heard her work would be turned into animation, and Akatsuki responded that it felt like she was taking it from someone else’s life. She further said:
There is also the fact that it was too big of an occurrence, so it had not felt real. However, as the discussion progressed, I realized that Kyoto Animation-san was serious about it, so I myself also began to flounder about like a child who had fallen in love, becoming both joyful and anxious.
Akatsuki revealed that it all happened in the blink of an eye and that a lot of time and effort was devoted to the making of the series. The interviewer then stated that the series had been aired up to episode 8 and asked Akatsuki whether she was satisfied with what she had seen so far. Akatsuki responded:
Every week, it is as if I am watching a film. The time is short, which is partly my fault since I have written the story in episodic tales, but within it is probably included everything that I feel to be wonderful, such as the subtleties of sensitive emotions, stunning scenarios, music and the enthusiasm of the performers, so when I finish an episode, I end up sighing, “aah, so pretty~”. And, just like the people who are watching it, I swing from joy to sorrow at Violet’s growth.
She further stated that she did not often tell others that she was a writer, so her everyday life had not changed. However, recently, she overheard two girls talking about the animated series in the subway and it made her happy. Akatsuki’s glee over people watching the show was apparent and endearing.
Kana Akatsuki Believes That The Original Work Of Violet Evergarden Is A Lonely Piece
In the interview, the interviewer stated that there are parts in the Violet Evergarden anime that differ from the original work, and asked her how she felt about it as the creator. Akatsuki said:
A novel is a world in which the amount of information is overwhelmingly large, and the author is the sole leader. Of course, the worldview is also modeled from the editors’ advice and the marvelous illustrations, but basically, it is a lonely work. In opposition, an anime is an integrated work of art that interweaves professionals from all kinds of fields.
Akatsuki further continued:
The ground to be fought on and the number of chiefs are different. This is the result of people worrying over what they should do in order to convey my worldview to many more spectators, so those who read the original work might be at loss regarding it. Surely, once it all comes to an end, I think they will be able to understand that both are “Violet Evergarden”.
In the end, she sent out a lovely message to her fans, both those who came to know Violet from the anime and those who did from the novel. She said that she wanted the people who liked Violet and who got this far to stick with them until the last episode of this story with a feeling of certainty. She further stated that she would be happiest if the viewers could watch over Violet’s “I love you” until the end.
You can watch Violet Evergarden on Netflix.
