“Like a child who had fallen in love”: Violet Evergarden Writer was Almost Sure an Anime Adaptation Wouldn’t Have Been Made Until She Died
The Violet Evergarden series was one of the more successful animes for Kyoto Animation. Mostly known for their work in the romance genre, KyoAni managed to hit it big with Kana Akatsuki’s light novel series. However, there was a time when Kana Akatsuki believed that an anime adaptation was a dream that was far from her grasp.
Kana Akatsuki won the grand prize in the Kyoto Animation Awards ‘novel’ category, taking her light novel and herself to stardom. However, during an interview with Kyoto Animation, Akatsuki expressed how she felt when she heard the news about her light novel getting an anime adaptation.
Kana Akatsuki on her emotions when informed of Violet Evergarden’s anime adaptation
Violet Evergarden got a 13-episode anime adaptation all the way back in 2018. The anime has since steamrolled the viewers with a special episode, and two more movies that have made viewers go through waves of emotions. The story revolves around a young war veteran who finds her way through the series, learning to cope with her past as she learns to find empathy within herself.
Kana Akatsuki had the perfect story, which was different than most romance light novels with themes of love, war, guilt, atonement, and most importantly, growth. The people in Kyoto Animation fell in love with the light novel when they read it as they saw how much potential it had on the big screen. However, Akatsuki on the other hand, didn’t seem like she expected the manga to be as big of a hit as it was. In the interview, she stated;
“I am the kind of person who lives airily, so I had thought, “It would be great if that happened”, almost like I was taking it as something from someone else’s life. 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… In our industry, it gets done in the blink of an eye. It really did happen in the blink of an eye. A lot of time, effort and passion was devoted to it. I am a happy one. And today, too, I am alive and well.”
Kyoto Animation definitely did justice to Kana Akatsuki’s incredible piece of writing as they were able to capture the raw visuals of Violet’s emotions, paired with the incredible soundtrack. Here is how Violet Evergarden stood out from the rest.
Why Violet Evergarden stands out from other romance animes
Our main protagonist, Violet, is a former child soldier. War and violence? Easy. Emotions and love? Completely foreign. The story follows her path as an Auto Memory Doll, someone who writes letters expressing people’s deepest thoughts and feelings. With each client’s story, Violet starts to decipher the complex code of human emotions, especially love. It’s certainly a a reviving take that shows us, the viewers, that love isn’t just a feeling, but a skill that can be learned and understood.
Violet Evergarden doesn’t get stuck in just the mushy, romantic stuff. We see Violet struggle with various different kinds of emotions, learning how they work and the impact they have on people’s daily lives. Violet Evergarden not only adds incredible depth and relatability but also lets the viewers connect with the characters from the series on a much deeper level.
In a world where emotions often go unspoken, Violet becomes a bridge built with words. As an Auto Memory Doll, Violet writes letters for people that express their feelings and mend broken relationships, while also nurturing new connections. Violet Evergarden beautifully portrays the power of communication and how words can be the bridge between hearts, even if love itself seems out of reach.
You can stream Violet Evergarden on Netflix.
