Violet Evergarden - Thoughts

When is an Anime about war, not really about war

Life, lament, love and lost limbs - this tale has it all. This review will not look into the plot details of Violet Evergarden. Rather, this article discusses the various aspects of this masterpiece - with a few concluding paragraphs on how to make a live-action version, should the need arise.

Violet Evergarden is an Anime made by Kyoto animation. They are the studio behind Haruhi Suzumiya and also the one that suffered from an arson attack, sometime in the past. According to IMDb, there's a character that looks like Haruhi Suzumiya in the opening scene of episode one; so far I've been unable to find her - so, if you see the illusive cameo, give me a call/text/pigeon. 

I thought that it looked like something Makoto Shinkai would be involved in. You can see the attention to detail, the carvings on the background in the walls, the various spine designs on the books and the shadow under the flowers are all visible. And flowers are an important part of this show. The main character's name is Violet Evergarden - a name that is given to her by Major Gilbert Bougainvilla, her saviour and master. Gilbert's eyes, the colour of flowers and the vastness of the scenery - this anime is a canvas upon which a brilliant artist was allowed to work. Dakara, colour is one of the many, many features that constitute 2018's Violet Evergarden. 

There is also lighting which plays a major role in the aesthetic that is "Violet Evergarden". Usually, lighting is something used in live-action films while working with real people. This anime has taken this element and used it to give more life to the scenes. Have a look yourself:

This is not a new feature in animation, it has been used since forever; the aforementioned Makoto Shinkai bringing it to new heights (new lights?). In this anime, the developers did not need to add this detail; but they did it anyway. And they used this feature so consistently and with such attention to detail that viewers won't even notice it is there. That's how much of a part lighting plays in adding realism to Violet Evergarden.

How to adapt it into Live Action

First things first, we are going to require quite a young actress for this. The anime follows Violet's story after the war and focuses on her adjusting to real life, and learning about love. However, her past plays an important role, especially after the mid-point of the first season.

Of course, we could get two separate actors - but where's the fun in that? I'd suggest shooting the war scenes in chronological order first while the actress is young. And then, giving it the whole "Boyhood" treatment and following up with the shooting of her present-day life. There's actually no need to wait as much as the filmmakers of "Boyhood" did, principal photography on Violet Evergarden's present-day life can begin as soon as the war bits are completed.

For the uninitiated, "Boyhood" was that film which follows a young boys growth and development. The interesting part of this film's development is that the filmmakers actually waited 13 years for the actor to grow up and shot throughout the whole time. Ethan Hawke was attached to this project (in typical Ethan Hawke fashion). 

I believe that if this method of shooting was done to bring Violet Evergarden to life, it would work - and would be complete in a shorter time than "Boyhood".

For fans who prefer that their anime not be made into live-action; there are added upsides to this method. When compared to the failure of the Attack on Titan live-action, and the eyebrow-raising choice of casting older actors in "The Promised Neverland" live-action; using a younger actress actually seems like the better option to go. 

This method may actually be easier for the filmmakers to work with also - rather than hiring multiple actors. Yes, there's the labour law which prohibits minors from working long hours on film production (or anywhere actually). But it is my firm belief that this method would be the ideal way to adapt Violet Evergarden to live-action.

In conclusion, this anime is a war-based anime that deals with a young girl (a weapon of war) rediscovering herself and learning about life and love. If you're into such shows - then, Violet Evergarden is where the good stuff is at.

Photo Courtesy: Kyoto Animation

Do I have to give acknowledgement to my friend who illegally downloaded this wonderful show? No?