Winter 2018’s anime season was jam-packed full of cuteness and beauty and I loved it!
As you can likely tell by the title of this post, I chose the most aesthetically appealing anime produced this past winter, but there was so much more to Violet Evergarden than Kyoto Animation’s normal flawless work. The story hit me hard because I am a writer and I have studied the art of writing, but the emotions and the circumstances of the character’s lives were quite relatable and had me experiencing flashbacks to my own past, although my past isn’t as extreme as being an emotionless child soldier who loses her entire world in one night. …Well, that’s descriptive.
The thing about this past season was that there were a lot of great anime! It was difficult to choose, but when it came down to it, I had to pick Violet Evergarden because of the emotions I felt, my love for the production elements, and to how parts of the story correlate with my own life. Since I loved and watched a ton of anime in these past three months, though, I feel that it’s unfair to leave this review with a breakdown of one single show, so at the end I will have a section titled “Mini Reviews” where I will drop 3-5 sentences on a few of the other new anime series I decided to watch throughout these cold winter months. This will be a regular feature in future seasonal reviews because I can’t help but share my feelings about these things! I don’t have many people in my life right now who share my love for anime, so I hope you’re ready for some detailed babbling! Woo!
As always, my format goes something like this: Story (which includes action and humour elements), Characters, Art and Animation, Music, and Voice Acting! As always, there will be spoilers ahead, so read at your own risk. I did spoil a bit of content beforehand, though, but all this is vaguely covered in the first episode, so one would find out quickly anyway what the titular character’s backstory is like.
Grab the tissues!
Oh! If you want, play this in the background as you read. The soundtrack for Violet Evergarden, “Automemories,” is incredible and ambient. I’ll discuss it more in the Music section, but to get a feel for it, I recommend playing it as you go along.
Story
The plot is set in the fictional country of Leidenschaftlich, which is recovering from a long and deadly war. Violet is a teenage girl who fought on the bloody battlefields and took the lives of men without batting an eye, but the violent final conflict led to Violet losing both of her arms, as well as her beloved Major Gilbert.
The story begin months after the war has finished and Violet is regaining her strength in a countryside hospital and getting used to her new prosthetic arms. Gilbert’s friend and colleague, Claudia Hodgins (who is a man, by the way), comes to retrieve Violet from the hospital and bring her back to the capital city of Leiden. In Leiden, Hodgins plans to carry out his request from Gilbert and leave Violet in the care of the Evergarden family, who lost their son in the war and would love to take her in. Violet doesn’t want to become their son’s replacement, though, and can’t picture herself living as a regular civilian due to her background in the army, so Hodgins brings her to his company, CH Postal.
At first Violet works in the mail delivery section, but becomes fascinated with the women known as Auto Memories Dolls, women who ghostwrite letters. This career is explained to be modelled after the creations of the same name made by a scientist who wanted to help his blind wife write novels and later rented out the dolls to help others write. Now, these women have people come to them or they travel far and wide to meet the demands of their customers; writing their genuine feelings down on paper for them to help them better communicate with the precious people in their lives. To be a Doll, one does not only need fast typing skills and perfect grammar, but the ability to understand the hearts of the customer.
Violet witnesses a man pouring his heart out to a Doll writing a letter for him and hears her trigger word, “love.” Yes, LOVE. Before Violet blacked out during her final battle in the war, Gilbert told Violet that he loved her. Violet’s vocabulary is limited, though, due to her lack of education, so the word “love” is foreign to her. This frustrates Violet because she has never heard the word before since her life has lacked love up until this point. Her final memory of that fateful night are those words uttered from Gilbert’s lips and then him pushing Violet out of the collapsing stairwell they are sitting in before she loses consciousness. Coming back to the present, Violet decides that she wants to work as an Auto Memories Doll, so that she may learn the meaning of the word “love” and finally understand what she meant to Gilbert, as she always allowed herself to be treated as a “tool of war.”
Having grown up as an orphan, Violet is shown at various points to have been a poor communicator. Somehow she came into the possession of Gilbert’s older brother, Capt. Dietfried Bougainvillea, where he treated her more like a dog than a human. Dietfried gave her to Gilbert as a gift, hoping that Gilbert could use her barbaric fighting abilities on the battlefield. Gilbert took her in, named her, and educated her in reading and writing. She was unable to express her emotions properly, but was touched by the warmth she received from Gilbert and devoted her life to following his orders, which greatly upset Gilbert, as he wanted to give her a normal life, not a life as his subordinate.
This robotic state Violet lives in becomes an issue for her as she begins her career as a Doll because all she knows how to write are military reports and give the bare and blunt details. The letters she writes for clients are too straightforward and emotionless that Violet gets herself into trouble with the other Dolls. Even after going through a week of typing school, Violet is unable to pick up on what her letters lack until she bonds with a fellow student, Luculia Marlborough. Luculia’s current situation is rough, but after listening to her story and hearing her feelings, Violet’s brain clicks and she finally understands what she is expected to do as an Auto Memories Doll. Violet writes a heartfelt, but simple letter conveying Luculia’s emotions towards her brother, which patches up their relationship and earns Violet her certification as a Doll and earns her a lifelong friend in Luculia. By good fortune, this is only the start of a long streak of Violet’s new skills helping struggling people.
As the months go by, Violet establishes a positive reputation as a Doll and assists her clients and acquaintances through their personal struggles. Writing letters is obviously part of the process, but Violet learns to listen and assess the situation, although sometimes her terse manner of speaking makes the road to healing bumpier than it was for a short time. We watch as Violet matures not only as a Doll, but as a person. Each interaction teaches her how to express her emotions and empathize with other people. Her journey is a slow, but beautiful story to follow. Sadly, Violet’s streak of good fortune comes to a halt after she learns that Hodgins hasn’t been telling her the whole truth about Gilbert’s present status.
Violet then sinks into depression, as she had believed that her precious Major Gilbert was off recovering somewhere far from Leiden. To her horror, it is revealed that Gilbert’s body was never found and is listed as missing in action. Everyone has just assumed that he’s dead, but Hodgins didn’t have the heart to tell Violet that the most important person in her life likely won’t be coming back for her. Violet’s world is shattered and the next couple of episodes show more details as to what happened during Violet’s time with Gilbert before they joined the war effort and their dreary days on the battlefield. Her memories of all the lives she took and those final few moments together with Gilbert consume her. Violet’s grief sends her into self-destructing hysterics, but a single letter written by two of her coworkers at CH Postal and a client request from Luculia’s brother break through her dark cloud of despair, offering a few rays of hope that push Violet to move forward in life without Gilbert and his orders.
Violet then immerses herself back into her work as a Doll and meets more people in need of her life-saving letters. Episodes 10 and 11 are equal to someone punching you in the heart several times and then ripping it from your chest, setting it on fire, and then grinding the burnt remains into ashes. In regards to the tenth episode, make sure you tell your mother that you love and appreciate her at least once a day. For the eleventh, let all your loved ones know how important they are to you because you might not make it to tomorrow. These episodes hurt SO MUCH! The only bright side to these painful episodes was Violet’s further growth. She’s just been through this whole ordeal learning about Gilbert’s assumed fate, but it has given her the strength and resolve to move forward and share her feelings with her loved ones. Then she comes across a little girl who’s about to become and orphan, which is a lonely life Violet knows too well. Now Violet is going through it again with the loss of Gilbert, so she can empathize with this child. Upon returning to CH Postal, Violet loses her composure and breaks down crying in front of the other Dolls. Then Violet meets a dying soldier who needs her help sending his parents and childhood friend his final words. The last words are directed towards his friend, whom he confesses his love for. This reminds Violet of Gilbert, as those were his final words to her before they were separated. Saddened because she was unable to save the soldier from death, Violet breaks down crying again, but this time in front of the soldier’s parents and his love, apologizing. In this episode, Violet vows that she will never take another person’s life for as long as she will live.
The action picks up in the final few episodes as Violet wanders into dangerous territory. She comes across a conspiracy set to disrupt the peace negotiations between Leidenschaftlich and the nation of Gadariki, which will officially end the war. Two of Violet’s co-workers, Catteleya and Benedict, are heading towards the official signing as Cattleya has been hired to type out the treaty, but Violet notices issues with the landscape as she is flying back from her job with the deceased soldier and his loved ones. She boards the train carrying her co-workers and, to my displeasure, Dietfried, who is escorting Cattleya safely to the treaty signing on behalf of the government. The train is infiltrated by rebels and Violet tries to fight them off, but since she doesn’t want to kill the people trying to harm her and her friends, she is overwhelmed by the rebels. Dietfried rescues Violet, but have a brief spat before the rebel leader brings to their attention that two bombs have been placed on the bridge that the train is approaching. Violet and Benedict work together to destroy the bombs, but one of Violet’s prosthetic arms was destroyed during her fight with the rebels, not to mention she was beaten and slashed during their bout, so she’s not at her best at the time. She tries anyway, not wanting anyone else to die because of the war, and uses her remaining strength to destroy the explosive seconds before it is set to detonate.
Violet’s bravery and passion has an impact on Dietfried, who changes his view of her, no longer seeing her as a tool. Back in Leiden after the peace treaty signing, which is successful, Dietfried invites Violet to his family’s home to meet his and Gilbert’s mother. Their mother tells Violet that she should not blame herself for Gilbert’s death and that he will live on in their hearts because they love him. Cheesy words, but enough to make the tears flow.
The kindness and understanding of the Bougainvillea matron helps Violet as she writes a letter for the upcoming Air Show, where planes drop letters written by the citizens of Leidenschaftlich all over the country. Catteleya suggests that Violet write to Gilbert, but until she met his mother, Violet struggled with her words. After careful consideration, Violet comes to an understanding of what the word “love” truly means and explains this to Gilbert in her letter to him. Through her letter, Violet is finally able to come to terms with Gilbert’s passing and moves on from wanting to have his orders running her life. She has also become an exceptional Auto Memories Doll as she was able to write a heartfelt, genuine letter, finally releasing her pent up emotions and true feelings for her beloved Major.
Some time after the Air Show, Violet is called out for an urgent client request that requires her to travel. As the door to her client’s home opens, Violet curtsies and recites her Auto Memories Doll introduction. As she looks the client in the eye right before saying her name, she stops in shock, but smiles and continues, ending with the series’ title.
As heartwarming and beautiful as this ending was, I couldn’t help but shout through my tears that the creators couldn’t end everything this way! Who is the client?! Violet obviously knows them and my theory is that it’s Gilbert! I’ve been writing a fanfiction in my head ever since I watched the final episode that it is Gilbert and that he comes back to Leiden with her and they live happily ever after, but I hope that’s the direction the production team goes with. I haven’t read the light novels the anime is based off of, so I don’t know what’s happening there. I just want Gilbert to be alive and back in Violet’s life. She may have moved on and accepted that he is likely dead, but just think of how happy Violet would be to have him back and show him how independent and successful she has become? It would be glorious!
I was amazed by the plot of Violet Evergarden because it was unique and such a lovely change from all these run of the mill anime that follow the same formats, Sure, it’s based off of a novel series, but this one had charm, grace, and knows where to hit you in the feels. Never have I ever cried during every single episode of a TV show before. No, I’m not exaggerating. The dialogue may have been slightly stale at times, but by the end of each episode I was drenched in tears because of the emotions and the relevancy. I couldn’t relate to every character or situation, but these characters were somewhat realistic in certain aspects. There were circumstances surrounding these characters that reminded me of my own life or people whom I am close to that hit me where it hurts. I especially felt connections to the characters who were uncertain about their futures and careers, who doubted their abilities, and especially with the characters who struggle to find their words. Communication has never been my strong suit, so telling people how I truly feel about certain topics is challenging. I looked up to those brave characters, though, who were able to confess their romantic feelings despite their fears. Sure, two of them did it as they were about to die, but the two royals were able to say it to each other first through letters and eventually to each other’s faces. I admire those two.
As much as I love a good comedy, my favourite genre will always be drama. I can be serious, too! The tone of this story was heavy from the start because of Violet’s tragic backstory, the flashbacks, and her inability to move on. The story may have seemed lighthearted at times because of some of the sunny characters and the traces of slice of life, but any story that is set in the aftermath of war is going to be sorrowful and gloomy. Even as the characters, Violet in particular, matured and overcame their troubles, there was still a lingering cloud of despair hanging around. This lead to an awesome build up.
A lot of viewers complained that the progress of the story was slow, but I felt that these episodes showing Violet’s journey were perfect. I can see how it could be frustrating to watch Violet helping people overcome their strifes from episode to episode and receive only a small peak into her past, but she needed to help these people to grow not only as an Auto Memories Doll, but as a human being. She’s been treated as a social outcast for most of her life and found purpose acting as a weapon. Weapons don’t have feelings, so she didn’t have any need them. Her only thoughts were to serve her master and kill, despite him not wanting her to live that way. Through her clients, Violet comes across a cast of unique people who have lived through tragedies with lingering effects or who have doubts about their futures. Working with them has helped Violet to sort out her emotions, learn empathy and sympathy, and to look inside people’s hearts and help them express their own feelings. By the end, she’s come a long way from that cold, distant soldier. She only showed her emotions to Gilbert, but ever so slightly until the night of the last battle. She was capable of acting human, but strict military expectations and Dietfried’s treatment of her made her believe that this was unacceptable.
Yes, it was heavy and heart wrenching from start to finish, but there were moments where the characters were goofy or thrust into humourous situations which lifted the dark fog for a brief time before getting back to business. Violet’s dry, honest responses and unfamiliarity with proper social conventions sometimes provided us with material to chuckle at. The men in this series seem to have it rough because Claudia Hodgins and Benedict were constantly under scrutiny from the strong and opinionated ladies working at CH Postal, especially witty Cattleya and strong-willed Iris. Erica’s cuteness was uplifting because she starts out quite downcast, but becomes more responsive and vocal as the series progresses. The humour may have been mild, but these small attempts were enough to help me through the series, which, again, had me crying tears of sadness most of the time. Then again, some of those tears fell due to moments of beauty, too.
Violet tries to smile after being told her face is too blank
Something else I loved about this series was the empowerment not only of women, but of people with lifelong injuries and prosthetic limbs. Violet lost both her arms, but not her resolve. In a moment of desperation she was prepared to drag Gilbert’s injured body to safety by using her teeth, but he stopped her. After she starts working at CH Postal, Violet proves her abilities using the typewriter even with her mechanical arms, which comes in handy when there’s lots of work to be done. She also doesn’t lose any of her previous strength, having been able to take down aggressive customers, guards, and rebel soldiers. I know people who have prosthetics and, yes, this is real life, so they can’t do anything an anime character with a strong fighting spirit can, but this is an interesting representation because Violet doesn’t let this loss bring her down. She’s more upset about losing Gilbert, so her arms pale in comparison. She’s like Edward Elric! Hmmm…. Violet kind of looks like Winry…. Maybe there’s a connection!? Haha! Just kidding!
Lastly, he action sequences in Violet Evergarden are forever burned into my memory. Sure, they may not be as exciting as watching superpowered high schoolers taking on other superpowered humans or watching various characters wave around inhumanly large swords, but these scenes were haunting. The infiltration of the cathedral during the last fight had me holding my breath because I knew bad things were coming from previous flashbacks. I was amazed by Violet’s precision and ability to use a gun, as well as Gilbert’s strength in combat, as well. What lingered even more was Violet’s first battle where she stabbed enemy soldiers and soundlessly scurried up towards them before landing a quick and fatal blow. These combat scenes were what we were all waiting for because it would mean that Violet’s past would be revealed and that the story would pick up, but they still hurt to watch because of what we already knew. I grimaced watching as Violet’s arms shrivelled up and fell from her shirt sleeves dropping on the blood smeared stone floor. Sad thing is, I truly do enjoy watching violent and graphic anime. I may have written in the fall of 2016 about how much I loved Yuri!!! On Ice, but the true winner for me that season was Drifters. Those action scenes may have been some of the most disturbing and gruesome I have ever seen, but it was a satisfying change from my usual fluffy romances, dramas, and comedies. Even throughout Violet Evergarden there wasn’t a lot of action in the first half because of Violet’s career change, but the origin episodes and the final conflict between the heroes of Leidenschaftlich and the rebel forces were a nice change of pace despite adding extra weight to an already heavy story.
Overall, I really and truly loved Violet Evergarden. Some portions of the plot were predictable, but despite knowing what was coming I, and likely plenty of other viewers, broke down in tears over either how sad or beautiful the plot became. Episode 10 hit me the hardest because I admit to being a Mama’s Girl and love my mother so much it hurts. I had this gut feeling I knew what was going to happen in that episode, yet I couldn’t keep it together. I watched it twice, too, because I loved Violet Evergarden so much that I watched both the Japanese and English versions. It was even more painful in English because of the voice actors and their flawless performances. Honestly, even if you hate English dubs, this has to be one of the best series that Aniplex USA has provided voices for. I’ll get into that in the Voice Acting section, though.
This was just a beautiful series where everyone is messed up no matter how happy or calm they may seem on the outside and I felt reality weighing over me as I watched. The thing is, I want to watch this all over again, so I will. I’m even going to try to convince my anime hating mother to watch it with me. We’re both writers who lack confidence, so why not curl up on the couch and watch troubled animated writers together?
Characters
Violet Evergarden has a lovely cast of characters who are quirky, charming, and terrifyingly relatable. Some people may argue that they have a hard time connecting with Violet because of her robotic mannerisms and straightforward answers, but she is fighting an inner battle. We all have our personal wars going on, so watching as Violet tries to overcome and fight on left a deep impression on me. Her clients, as well, because they have tragic backstories and uncertain futures ahead that teach lessons about the crap that life throws our way and some possible solutions on how to ease the pain.
I’ll talk about the main characters in detail and write a few sentences on the minor characters. There were a lot of characters in Violet Evergarden and most of them appeared in one episode as the main focus and then appeared later on with few lines or none at all. Still, they made a major impact on Violet’s growth, so they deserve to be mentioned and explained.
Violet Evergarden
The titular character. I basically mentioned all I could about her in the Story section, but I can try to delve a little deeper into Violet. A few characters confuse her with a real doll because of her striking beauty and composed face. Violet is very serious and takes people literally, which leads to her getting into trouble while working as an Auto Memories Doll. At first, Violet didn’t show much interest in anything other than locating Major Gilbert Bougainvillea, but working at CH Postal and interacting with various clients and employees causes her to take an interest in the world around her and learn how to express love and her desires. I was so happy to see her getting excited while helping out playwright, Oscar Webster, who asked for Violet’s typing services to help him write his next play. As he verbalizes the story, Violet keeps interrupting and begging to know what happens next or questioning his decisions when she doesn’t agree with the turn of events. Violet’s personality develops with each passing episode and she becomes more friendly with her coworkers, but once she hits a rough patch it becomes hard to bring her back from her dreary thoughts. I was also touched by how protective Violet was towards her coworkers from the start. She saved Erica from a hostile customer and was more than ready to put her life on the line to protect Cattleya and Benedict from dangerous rebels. Violet even went as far to rescue the rebels she has knocked out from flying off the roof of the train they were fighting on. We saw how protective Violet was even before she began her new life as she was shown trying to drag Gilbert to safety, but her failure to do so was likely a factor in her development. Overall, I thought Violet was an interesting character to follow and I loved her emotional journey, but her instability had me on edge. I was afraid of her snapping and going on a murderous rampage, but she proved me wrong and did the opposite…. In more ways than one. I cried when she tried to take her own life out of grief, but felt so much relief when she realized that she couldn’t do it. Good! For one to repent for their actions they must live and give back to humankind. I want her to properly atone for her transgressions and so far she has done a great job bringing people together or to closure through the art of writing letters. A hero who saves through writing…. This is my kind of superhero story and my favourite type of heroine!
Major Gilbert Bougainvillea
A young man from an aristocratic family who becomes Violet’s guardian. Originally, Violet was a gift from Gilbert’s older brother to use as a war tool due to her exceptional combat skills and stealth, but Gilbert was disgusted by the idea of using her in this way. Instead he took her back to his personal home and educated her in reading and writing and tried to keep Violet away from the war, but Gilbert’s superiors forced him to bring her along to the frontline.Watching Gilbert and Violet’s interactions was a hard task because of the pain on Gilbert’s face whenever Violet shows subordination and undying loyalty towards him. All he ever wanted was for her to live her own life and make decisions for herself, but Violet becomes his right-hand throughout the war and hangs on to his every word and accepts his every order. The way he looks at her makes me wonder if his “I love you” even had romantic feelings behind it. The scene where he gives Violet the brooch was somewhat romantic, but I don’t see that much in the other scenes between them because of that pained expression and glimmer in his eyes. It almost looked like he was watching his younger sister spiral downward into a violent pit of no-return and he didn’t want that for her. Still, Gilbert showed Violet warmth and kindness despite his obvious fear of her and sadness over her inability to function without receiving orders. I thought he was so sweet and I sincerely hope that he is alive. I want to know the meaning behind that “I love you” because I want to know if his feelings were romantic or if Violet is a precious person to him in a non-romantic light. There’s a difference, you know. I truly hope it’s romantic, though. Gilbert’s so sweet and would treat Violet well, so I would love for him to be alive and healthy. Violet’s come a long way because of him and the others in her life, so I’m sure he’d love to see the product of these efforts. Also, Gilbert is quite handsome to begin with, but his disheveled hair and roughed up appearance during the final battle was quite appealing to me….
Claudia Hodgins
To start off, Claudia Hodgins is a man. His parents really wanted a girl, so they bestowed this cruel name upon their baby boy. Poor Hodgins can’t seem to catch a break, but he’s brought some of these issues upon himself. Gilbert Bougainvillea entrusted Hodgins with Violet’s well-being if he didn’t survive the war, so after Gilbert was presumed dead, Hodgins checked in on Violet while she was recovering in the hospital after the war. He noticed Violet’s undying loyalty towards Gilbert and couldn’t bring himself to tell her that Gilbert likely hadn’t survived that night in the cathedral’s collapsing stairway. Cattleya, whom Hodgins is “very” close to, keeps nagging him to tell Violet the truth after she comes to work for him, but he’s hesitant. I feel that one reason behind this may be because he has seen Violet’s “work” on the battlefield and that he may fear a violent relapse from her. Then again, I also believe he sees Violet like a daughter or young sister and the last thing any good father or big brother would want is to see their loved ones in pain. The thing is, Violet still believes that Gilbert is alive until she hears otherwise from an acquaintance of Gilbert’s family, so she is suffering more because she’s getting her hopes up. At least once she hears of Gilbert’s apparent death does she move through the stages of grief and eventually come to terms with it. Hodgins really should have told her right away. His judgement may be poor, but he has a heart of gold and wants the best for his friends and employees. You really can’t hate the guy, despite his secrecy, because in everything else Hodgins is an honest man. He even delivers some bonafide advice to Violet, telling her that the past will always be there to haunt her, but she’s done incredible things through her work as an Auto Memories Doll which she should be proud of. From there on, Hodgins and Violet have an honest relationship. Well, more so from Hodgins. Violet does sneak out to take on a dangerous job from a client that Hodgins doesn’t approve of, but he forgives her in the end. To end with, Claudia Hodgins is a funny guy because he can be easily flustered, especially through Cattleya’s teasing. It’s a nice change to see because he’s normally quite serious and somewhat composed. Cattleye just knows which buttons to push. Appearance wise, he’s quite handsome!
Cattleya Baudelaire
Cattleya is an Auto Memories Doll and the highest doll in demand not just at CH Postal, but in all of Leiden. She is an amazing writer and has the ability to understand her client’s feelings, always writing the perfect letter for them. During the war, Cattleya worked as a dancer, but agreed to work for her old friend Hodgins once he opened CH Postal. Cattleya warms up to Violet, being the only one who welcomes her in the beginning and offering her advice. Violet soon reciprocates these feelings and comes to hold Cattleya in high regard and trust. Cattleya is like a breath of fresh air in this series because of her positive outlook and playfulness, which the other characters seem to lack. She’s on good terms with the employees of CH Postal and is happy to help where she is needed, especially when it comes to helping Violet. I loved watching their relationship develop, especially during the episode with the royal love letter exchange. Cattleya takes to joking around with Violet, to which Violet responds with friendliness and smiles, which was something we hadn’t seen before. I’m curious about Cattleya’s backstory with Hodgins, though. She says some pretty suggestive things to Hodgins at a few points and they do seem close to one another. Was it ever confirmed if they are in some sort of physical relationship? Do they love each other? I hope so! They look so cute together! The one issue I had with Cattleya, though, was not with her character, but with her design. I know she was a dancer and that she’s older than the other Dolls, but must she dress so provocatively? Compared to the others, Cattleya shows a lot of skin with her short skirt and exposed cleavage and it makes me wonder why, when all the others dress more professionally, does Cattleya have to walk around like this? It takes away from the series’ charm just a bit because of everyone else’s classy Victorian/steampunk appearances and then there’s Cattleya strutting around with her tiny dress and big boobs hanging out of her top. Violet Evergarden was a lovely series, but these minor perversions just didn’t seem to belong.
Captain Dietfried Bougainvillea
Gilbert’s jackass of an older brother. Violet somehow came into Dietfried’s possession where he treated her like garbage and forbade his servants from treating her like a human being, which likely led to some of Violet’s barbaric behaviour. It’s unknown how Dietfried could be so heartless and come to hate Violet this much, but his hatred burns hotter after Gilbert is missing in action and Violet survives. One clue is that Violet did, at one point, kill some of his crewmen, but it’s never mentioned as to when she did it. After Violet takes up her position as an Auto Memories Doll, she encounters Dietfried around Leidenschaftlich as she travels and even goes to him at one point to confirm whether it’s true or not about Gilbert’s death. They meet again on the train bound for the peace treaty negotiations where Dietfried is in charge of protecting Cattleya and Benedict, to which the two butt heads more than once. He constantly hurls insults at Violet, calling her a murderous tool and heartless, then calling her an idiot for allowing herself to get hurt, and to top it all off, he screams at her how she should have died that night at the cathedral and failed to protect his little brother. I hated Dietfried up until the final episode because of his harsh words and immediate cruelty towards Violet. He even trashes her in front of her colleagues, which is just the ultimate in rudeness. However, Dietfried did come to Violet’s rescue when she was just about to be killed and he does show his admiration after she nearly sacrifices herself again to destroy the bombs on the bridge. He is just one of those people who can’t give or receive affection, so he comes across as a jerk no matter what they do. I did forgive him, though, when he brings Violet back to his family home to meet his and Gilbert’s mother. He becomes very emotional witnessing their pleasant and tearful exchange, which was a nice change. Once again, Violet Evergarden was able to get through to someone, and it was one of her enemies this time. Still, I can’t fully forgive him for his previous treatment of Violet. After the war, it’s understandable because Dietfried is grieving the loss of his cherished brother, but before the war, there is no excuse for that.
Benedict Blue
Benedict delivers mail for CH Postal and is a good friend of Claudia Hodgins. He likes to wear high heeled boots and flashy strapped pants, which other employees have commented on as being unsuitable for his job. Benedict is a no nonsense type of guy, but he gets along with the other employees, especially Hodgins and Cattleya. I feel sorry for this guy since the other employees are always on his case or teasing him. Even when Benedict tries to be kind to Erica and Iris and offers to share his lunch with them, Iris turns on him and insults him. He even tries to help Violet when she is confused, but she turns him away. He’s kindhearted and helpful, yet he’s treated badly. I just want to to hug Benedict. His role wasn’t very large until the final two episodes where he accompanies Cattleya to the peace negotiations to ensure her safety. He doesn’t participate in any of the scuffles that take place on the train, but shares responsibility with Violet for destroying the bombs on the bridge. He always catches Violet before she falls into the water below and brings her to safety. I was pleased, in the end, to see that one character had developed a romantic interest in Benedict and was gathering up the courage to tell him. After the way he’s been treated and all he went through on the train, I think Benedict deserves some happiness. Disregarding his odd fashion choices, Benedict’s physical features are boyishly handsome. It’s those bright, blue eyes! I still can’t stop laughing over his first encounter with Violet when she is first tasked to make deliveries with him and he tosses her a uniform. Violet starts taking off her blouse and he absolutely flips! First he covers his eyes in shame, but then peers at her through his fingers to sneak a peek. Again, I don’t think any part of this series needed to be sexualized, but it was still a funny, lighthearted scene.
Erica Brown and Iris Cannary
I’m lumping these two together to save space. Erica and Iris are the other two Dolls working at CH Postal. Unlike Cattleya, these two don’t take an instant liking to Violet and are confused as to why a 14-year-old girl who displays little emotion is joining their ranks. I can see where they are coming from, but I’ve learned through personal experience that you can’t judge someone by their age or by their social conduct. What matters is how they work. Anyway, after spending time getting to know Violet and allowing her to help them through their personal dilemmas, Erica and Iris come to consider Violet as a friend and come to her aid when she’s in despair over Gilbert. I felt a connection with both of these ladies because of their dreams, their struggles, and partially because of character traits I share with them. To start off, I share Iris’ dream of becoming a well-known writer. I don’t wish to become a famous ghostwriter like she does, but we both daydream about our futures and how one day our names will be spoken publicly. I want to be known for my writing abilities and celebrated for it at some point in this short life, which Iris mentions time after time. My similarities with Erica come from our mutual insecurities and shyness. Erica has trouble understanding her customer’s feelings and tends to use the wrong words when writing letters, which have caused a few uproars at CH Postal. Still, she wants to mature through her writing and become the best Auto Memories Doll she can be. I wish that Erica had more screen time because of the connection I felt with this character and just because of how cute she is. I was very happy to see that she had developed in her writing towards the end of the series and her personality had developed, as well. She was aloof at the start, but due to Violet’s influence and her increasing inner strength, she’s matured into a lovely woman. Even Iris came a long way. She’s still brash, but she is kinder to Violet and the other Dolls and even managed to mend her frayed relationship with her parents. It warms the heart to see that Violet wasn’t the only Doll to mature.
Minor Characters
Here are the characters who Violet met along her journey who she helped and who helped her in return.
Luculia Marlborough was Violet’s fellow student in typing school and her first true friend. Luculia’s parents died in the war and her older brother blames himself for their death, so he becomes an alcoholic to cope. Violet writes Luculia’s feelings towards her brother down in a letter and gives it to him, which repairs their strained relationship. Luculia reappears every once in a while working as an Auto Memories Doll and still shows Violet the same warmth and respect she had for her since the day they met. Friendship goals, right here. I love their friendship and how much Violet has taken a liking to Luculia’s natural sweetness. Opposites attract.
Violet’s first job away from the office was helping the princess of the kingdom of Drossel, Charlotte, who had to “write” love letters to her betrothed before their wedding. Charlotte is uncertain of her fiancé’s feelings towards her and wonders if he even remembers their first meeting a few years before. I didn’t like this episode or this character very much because Charlotte is a spoiled princess whose biggest issue is whether or not her prince is in love with her. I realize that true love is something that everyone wants, but when you think about to the other characters, Charlotte’s problem pales in comparison. There’s also the issue of her moving away from the life that she’s known since childhood and also the fact that she’s barely even a teenager and she’s getting married, but her story ends happily. No, I don’t like Charlotte the whiny princess.
Violet’s next adventure leads her to Leon Stephanotis, a staff member working at an observatory. He’s a cynical young man who doesn’t believe in love and scolds those who are obsessed with the idea of love. The observatory staff tend to pick on and shun Leon because he’s an orphan, but once Violet comes along, the two find comfort in meeting other orphans and form a friendship. I found Leon less annoying than Charlotte, but he was still a pain. He acts as if he’s smarter than everyone and is quick to judge others, immediately hating the group of Auto Memories Dolls arriving at the observatory to work. After working with and listening to Violet go on about her devotion to Gilbert, Leon is inspired to go out and look for the parents who never came back for him and he accepts that love isn’t such a foolish notion after all. The change in him was sudden, but it bettered Leon’s character. There’s only so much I can take of a cranky, spiteful character like this guy.
Next is Oscar Webster, the drunken playwright. I had cried in the previous episodes, but Oscar’s story hurt like a brick to the face. Oscar’s wife died, so he moved himself and his young daughter out to their summer home close to a small town. Sadly, Oscar’s daughter is diagnosed with what I assume is cancer and passes away, leaving him all alone. Oscar is dedicating his latest to his daughter, sending the protagonist on a grand adventure which will lead her back to her father, but he’s having trouble including some magical elements and concluding the play. Thanks to Violet’s assistance and her uncanny physical similarities to Oscar’s daughter, he is able to finish his play and a later episode shows its success. Still, it was just too sad seeing the flashbacks to Oscar’s life with his daughter and her declining health. It’s almost too real and it hurts. Oscar’s appearance threw me off, though, because he looks almost like 707/Saeyoung Choi from Mystic Messenger! It’s that disheveled red hair and those glasses!
I mentioned this next character above in the Story section, but Ann Magnolia and her mother, Clara, were the next characters with a whole episode dedicated to them. Clara hires Violet to come to their mansion out in the middle of nowhere and has Violet type up 50 letters addressed to Ann. Every year on her birthday, Ann will receive one of these letters from her mother, who is dying from an unknown illness. Ann is an only child and her father was killed in the war, so after her mother passes away she won’t have anyone close to confide in. These letters are meant to console Ann and make it feel like her mother is still there, which is a beautiful idea. Even now, as I write this, I’m tearing up. Episode 10, guys. Keep tissues and a tub of ice cream nearby if you haven’t seen it yet. Anne’s a seven-year-old girl, so obviously I would find her annoying since I don’t enjoy being around children, but I felt awful for her. She doesn’t have any friends since her home sits on a huge plot of land far away from civilization and her mother is all she has, so of course she’s a bit greedy when it comes to spending time with her mother. She said to Violet a few times that she wanted her to stop hogging her mom, but Violet was hired to do a job, so she refused. Ann has no idea that Violet is there for her benefit, so I feel torn and conf when Ann is rude to Violet or throws a tantrum. Ann’s episode just left me a sobbing mess because of her circumstances, but the ending scenes show that she turned out fine and she received her mother’s letters every year on her birthday. Seeing Ann grow into a happy and healthy young woman caused the tears to flow again because I was so glad to see her doing well. She was an annoying kid, but her tragedy and her mother’s thoughtfulness helped her grow.
The last of Violet’s clients was a soldier trying to prevent extremists from preventing another outbreak of war. Aiden Field asks for an Auto Memories Doll to come to the battlefield and write a letter to his parents and childhood friend, whom he has loved as more than a friend for quite some time. Aiden is mortally wounded when Violet arrives and there is only a short time before he succumbs to his injury, so they quickly write up a letter to send back to Aiden’s home. Aiden dies as Violet comforts him, helping him remember Maria, the friend he has confessed his love for in the letter. Aiden was in the viewer’s lives for only a few minutes, but we loved him. This episode is right in there with Ann’s and Oscar’s episodes due to how depressing the plot was and the tragic conclusion that felt like someone took a flamethrower and burned my heart to ashes. Aiden seemed like a sweet enough guy, especially through that sincere and heart wrenching letter he wrote home. Throughout the rest of the episode I was wishing for Aiden to pull through and live so he could go back to Maria, so my tear ducts overflowed again not only because my wish wasn’t granted, but because this was just too freaking sad! Rest in peace, fictional soldier boy.
Man, that was a lot of characters to cover. I don’t mind, though, since most of them were lovely. I’ll forgive those bothersome characters, too. Now, on to the next section!
Art & Animation
Visually, everything about Violet Evergarden was flawless. Kyoto Animation has done it again and created a beautiful masterpiece where every detail was taken into measure. For this section I should just put in a bunch of GIFs and let the art speak for itself because words can’t describe the art, but what kind of a writer would I be if I did that?
First of all, the characters were drawn beautifully. They all had the signature KyoAni shiny and colourful eyes and realistic movements. People are still talking about Hodgins’ tiny lip quiver in the second episode because it was slight, but showed 10 times more emotion than Violet had shown so far. That one small gesture hit me hard because it was after seeing that I began to cry. The animation hurt more than the story, in most cases because KyoAni was able to express so much through the character’s facial expressions and body language.
Then there’s the use of CGI. People seem to have an issue with CGI in anime because it usually looks tacky and out of place, but KyoAni seems to know what they’re doing when it comes to CGI. Violet’s prosthetic arms amazed me the most when it came to the CGI because they looked stunning each time Violet pulled off her gloves and began to type on her typewriter. The inner mechanics of her arms were animated to look lifelike and complex. There’s also one particular scene in the seventh episode, where Violet is trying to walk across a small stretch of water and the CGI usage here actually caused me to burst into tears. I don’t usually cry over art, but this scene was one of those rare instances. It’s just amazing!
One element of the animation that wowed me was the time lapse. In each episode there was a short time lapse segment to show the time passing forward a few hours. It reminded me of the time lapses you see in documentaries or in those reality TV series. I’ve never seen anything like this in anime before, so I was amazed by it.
The action scenes were surprisingly beautiful to watch, too. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this series when I started watching it, so I was startled by the amount of blood and violence shown throughout the series. Still, the action scenes were packed with emotion due to the striking animation and from the exchanges between characters. Despite the duller colouring, minus when everything was up in flames, these scenes made an impact.
Music
The music used in Violet Evergarden had what Violet lacked; emotion! I’ve been using that word a lot, haven’t I? It’s true, though, because this music is magnificent. I’m not only talking about the soundtrack, but the opening and ending songs, as well. There’s also that lovely piece used in the trailer that captured the hearts of many before the show aired. The music team really outdid themselves.
I’ll start off with the opening theme, “Sincerely” by True. It starts off sounding lighthearted with the piano, but moving towards the chorus the passion grows. The chorus is powerful and True’s voice is so strong during this portion of the song. It ends sounding quite sorrowful, though, like heartbreak. I don’t think I explained that well, but those last few notes of the opening remind me of a heart shattering.
Here is the full version:
The ending, “Michishirube” by Minori Chihara is a melancholic song. Chihara voices Erica, so it’s a nice addition to have a song sung by one of the characters. I like the song, but it’s not one that I would play often. It’s slow, sad, and Chihara’s voice sounds a bit off in this song. Compared to other songs sung by her I don’t feel her voice is as strong and up to par. But that’s just my opinion. Truly, it is a good song, but it doesn’t suit my tastes. I do love the piano playing throughout, though. Gorgeous!
Again, here is the full version:
I hope you have been playing the OST while you have been reading along because that’s up next! I heard Evan Call’s music last summer when I watched the anime series Chronos Ruler. Truthfully, that anime was bad when it came to plot and characters, but when I heard the soundtrack playing in the background I decided to watch until the end just to hear more of the songs. I wasn’t aware that Call composed the music for Violet Evergarden until the third episode when I heard a sad piano piece playing during one of the more emotional moments. This song, “Rust,” starts similarly to a song from Chronos Ruler called “Fading Twilight,” which is one of my favourite songs from that OST. Then it hit me where I recognized the style of music from and fell in love with the music even more. Evan Call’s work is amazing and has composed the music for several anime series, including Dance With Devils and Tokyo ESP. I love the array of instruments Call works with in Violet Evergarden, especially those woodwinds and, of course, the stringed instruments. I’m not exaggerating, but this OST sounds like it was pulled right out of a beautiful European fairytale and it’s perfect for daydreaming or writing to. In fact, I bought the soundtrack and I listen to it while I write, clean, and cook.
Voice Acting
It’s been a while since I wrote about an anime series that had a simuldub. That means I have to review two casts…. I’ll try to condense this section as much as possible.
Let’s compare our titular character’s voices first. Violet was voiced by Yui Ishikawa (Attack on Titan) in the Japanese dub and Erika Harlacher (The Seven Deadly Sins) in the English dub. I’m excited because I’ve never reviewed the voice team from Aniplex USA/Netflix before, so this will be new. I can’t complain, though, because this has to have been the best performance I have heard from their voice team. I’ll be honest and admit that I preferred Harlacher’s performance over Ishikawa’s because I found Harlacher’s Violet less monotoned. I know Violet is supposed to be somewhat robotic, but Ishikawa’s delivery was robotic to the point of boring. She did well, but her delivery was standard, unlike Harlacher’s, who left a small trace of human in Violet’s speech. When Violet started to freely display her emotions both actresses gave beautiful performances, but I still favour Harlacher’s delivery. The English dub made me cry more and I watched every episode in both languages. The English just had a better script.
Gilbert was played by Daisuke Namikawa (Hetalia franchise) and Tony Azzolino (Cyborg 009 VS Devilman). Azzolino hasn’t had too many voice acting roles yet, but he’s off to a great start. I loved his Gilbert because he was able to convey this character’s different sides and properly display Gilbert’s passion. He has a soothing voice that’s nice to listen to. Namikawa, though, has a VERY nice voice and I did prefer his performance. This guy is a veteran voice actor and has played so many characters over the years. His Gilbert was just as intense and gentle and he mixed these traits well.
For Claudia Hodgins, the two men voicing this guy were Takehito Koyasu (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure franchise) and Kyle McCarley (Mob Psycho 100). Both gave amazing performances, but even though many might disagree, I preferred McCarley’s higher-pitched delivery over Koyasu’s deep voice. The English voice just seemed gentler and more guardian-like over the Japanese, which was gentle, as well, but still a bit intimidating. Then again, Hodgins is a former soldier. Still, I love McCarley’s voice!
Cattleya’s actresses, Aya Endou (Queen’s Blade) and Reba Buhr (Knights of Sidonia) were both incredible! Their voices sound alike to me, which is great casting choices on both ends, and they both brought life to the flirtatious and wise Cattleya. I recognize Endou’s voice because she voices Sasako in Shirokuma Café and I adore that show, but I haven’t watched anything where Buhr has provided a voice, yet. Still, I can’t choose one over the other because both actresses delivered beautiful performances.
Erica was voiced by Minori Chihara (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya) and Christine Marie Cabanos (Puella Magi Madoka Magica), Iris by Haruka Tomatsu (Sword Art Online) and Cherami Leigh (Fairy Tail), and Benedict by Kouki Uchiyama (Devilman Crybaby) and Ben Pronsky (Oh! Super Milk-chan). I can’t compare Tomatsu and Leigh because they have played the same character before and they have similar, amazing voices! Both did incredible jobs bringing out the fiery, confident Iris and her sassy mannerisms, but also her sensitive side, too. I preferred Cabanos over Chihara because I have never heard Cabanos give a performance like this before. Her voice was lower and calmer than I have ever heard it and I had a hard time trying to figure out who was playing Erica. I was shocked when I learned it was Cabanos because most of her characters are young, cheerful, and chatty, but I liked hearing a different side to her voice. Chihara’s performance was lovely, too, but not mind-blowing. Uchiyama’s delivery was easier to listen to because he sounded more youthful and livelier compared to the deep voiced Pronsky. Pronsky still gave a wonderful performance, but if I had to choose, my love would go to Uchiyama’s vocal chords.
As for the rest of the characters, the Japanese team performed wonderfully despite their lacking script. That can’t be helped on their part, but they worked with what they had and poured their hearts into it. The English team had some great actors working on this project and performed magnificently! I’m more familiar with English voice actors and can’t always remember the names of Japanese voice actors or pick out their voices like I can in English, so it doesn’t feel right to comment on the minor character’s Japanese voices. The English version produced for Netflix had a star-studded cast, though, and I recognized quite a few voices. Sadly, the entire cast list hasn’t been revealed, but I’ll do my best.
My favourite had to be Cassandra Lee Morris’ (ToraDora!) performance as Ann Magnolia. Morris has a high voice suited for young girls roles and she played spoiled Ann perfectly. She nailed that tantrum! Keith Silverstein (Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir) took on the “villain” role of Dietfried Bougainvillea and I just loved his delivery. He’s great at playing angry, tortured, strict men and flings insults with ease. I didn’t much care for Stephanie Sheh’s (Sailor Moon) performance as Princess Charlotte mostly because I’m not a big fan of hers, but I will admit that she also nailed this bratty princess’ tantrums. That must come from her roles as Usagi Tsukino and Akira Kogami. I can never seem to recognize Kira Buckland’s (Accel World) voice, but I was amazed when I heard her as Luculia Marlborough. She sounded so sweet and pure, unlike many of her other characters. Wendee Lee (Lucky Star) played the short-lived character, Clara Magnolia, and her performance had me crying harder, especially during the reading of the letters. Thank you, Wendee! Lastly, Johnny Yong Bosch (Code Geass franchise) can do no wrong, so his role as Aiden was perfection. I can’t seem to find who played Oscar or Leon, but whoever those actors are, they also performed wonderfully. Oscar’s actor, especially, because of how well he pulled off the more emotional scenes.
This wraps up the full-length review of Violet Evergarden, the most touching and overall beautiful anime series I watched throughout the winter of 2018. Now I’m going to type a few sentences about the other series I watched over the course of the season and there were quite a few! I’ll admit that there were a lot of cute shows in here. Winter 2018 was the season of adorableness and fluffy storylines! Also, spoiler warning is still in effect.
School Babysitters: A sweet slice of life story about orphan brothers and their quirky friends at a school daycare centre. Ryuuichi and Kotarou’s relationship had me laughing and crying, but most of all it reminded me to treasure my family and prioritize my friendship with my older sister. I still don’t like children, though. Sure, the kids in this show were cute, but anime isn’t real and real life children are still little devils in my eyes. Nice try trying to convince people to have kids, Japan! Can we have a real life Saikawa-san, though? Also, this series had some of the funniest moments throughout the whole season, so if you like to laugh give this series a try.
Kokkoku (Moment by Moment): I had to stop watching this show for a few weeks because of how much the philosophy discussed hurt my head. Those cliffhangers at the end of each episode were cruel, though. It always ending on the most dramatic part and it drove me crazy! The concept itself was quite interesting, but the plot was hard to follow along with. The last episode was painful to watch because I was desperate to find out Juri’s fate along with the people she forced out of Stasis. The main characters weren’t overly loveable, either, but I’m glad they all managed to survive. What was with the grandpa in the end, though? Did he die? Oh! The opening song? Best opening ever!
How to Keep a Mummy: This was definitely the cutest show of the season! The concept sounded stupid to me at first, but after seeing a clip of Mii-kun and receiving his tiny homemade knife I just had to watch. The mythical creatures that appeared were just as adorable and I want my own tiny unicorn with a galaxy butt! The story, despite following the typical slice of life up until the later episodes, seemed anticlimactic in the end because we never really found out what that odd flash of light that halted Tazuki in the tenth episode was. That was my only issue, though. I’m glad there was some intense drama and character building to end such a sweet anime.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride (second half): My gosh, what an incredible second half! Absolutely captivating! I knew from the start that this series would be dark, but the story kept moving further and further into the shadows. I was amazed by how much the characters grew and how Elias and Chise’s roles flipped from time to time. In the end, I think that they are perfect for each other and hope that they have a long, happy life together before more crazy dark magic stuff happens again. I’m also glad that Chise was able to make so many friends. There’s hope for all of us who struggle to make friends! To finish, I also found a few things left untouched, such as the fate of Chise’s father and little brother. I hope the manga goes beyond the anime’s ending and tells us what happened to them. Their lack of presence had a huge affect on the main character, so shouldn’t this be further addressed?
Pop Team Epic: I never planned on watching Pop Team Epic, but I was sucked in each week wanting to hear Funimation’s dubbed version. The actors in both versions outdid themselves, but I loved the English team’s directing and creative take on such an odd show. The best part was reading comments on Twitter by the week’s actors and hearing the stories about recording their episode and reading about all their confusion.
Dame x Prince Anime Caravan: I also didn’t plan on watching past the first episode, but somehow I ended up watching until the end. The concept, the characters, and the jokes were so stupid that it was somehow hilarious and I’m ashamed by this. The turnout of events was so ridiculous, as well, that I feel like I wasted my time tuning in each week, but at least the catchy ending songs made up for the disappointment. Also, the characters had awful catchphrases that they overused, but it was Ruze’s and Vino’s that made me angry because they just wouldn’t let up. Sadly, I found myself relating to Mare, a shut in who hates the light and spends his time obsessing over a comic book character. Now I feel even more ashamed.
The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. Season 2 (first half): It’s just like the first season, but with more characters, which means extra hilarity! Honestly, I can’t wait for the English dub because I love the cast and because the characters speak a little slower. The Japanese cast seems to have mastered warp speed talking and, even though I’m in awe of it, it does make it hard to read the subtitles. I’m not a speed reader. Other than that, I’m loving the new characters and the old characters are even more charming than they were last season.
After the Rain: This was the other series I was contemplating for the full review, but Violet Evergarden applied more to my life than this story did. Akira, a former track star, takes an interest in the middle-aged manager of a family restaurant and begins working for him. Over the 12 episodes we see Akira’s admiration for her boss, Mr. Kondo, grow and he comes to respect her in return. I loved their somewhat awkward, yet wholesome interactions, but I was genuinely confused as to whether or not I should be hoping for a romance to develop between them due to the 26 year age gap between them. Akira just seemed to be using Kondo as a distraction since she can no longer run on the track team, but I think her affection was true in the end. What I love about After the Rain is Kondo’s struggling writing career and how much he regrets giving it up to marry his now ex-wife. As a struggling writer myself who keeps seeing a bleak future ahead with limited options, I know how he feels. Thankfully, both Kondo and Akira decide to pursuit their dreams again at the end of the anime, so it gave me a bit of hope for myself, as well.
And that’s it! That’s all I have to say about the anime from 2018’s winter season! Thank you for sticking with me and for reading my thoughts on all these lovely anime series. I apologize for this review coming out so late, especially since most of these shows concluded over a month ago. There’s so little time to write these days with work and me trying to decide the next steps in my life.
Until next time!
mabiesomeday.wordpress.com 