Kyoto Animation’s visual feast Violet Evergarden might appear, at a superficial glance, to be just an anime that stands out with its impressive animations and touching story. However, when explored deeply, this work offers a profound examination of emotional intelligence, trauma, and human connections. The journey of a young woman raised as a war tool discovering her emotions provides viewers an opportunity to reflect on their own emotional worlds.
Understanding Emotions: Going Beyond Words
The central theme of Violet Evergarden is the protagonist’s effort to comprehend the meaning of the words “I love you.” This simple but powerful expression drives Violet’s entire journey. Once merely an “instrument” that carried out orders, Violet now transforms into an individual striving to understand emotions.
The series emphasizes that emotions are not just to be defined but are complex experiences that need to be truly felt and understood. Violet’s work as an Auto Memory Doll, helping others put their emotions into words, actually enables her to explore her own emotional world as well.
This presents a lesson of great importance in today’s world: Emotional intelligence develops not just by recognizing our own emotions but by being able to understand others’ emotions too. Violet’s journey shows that emotional intelligence is a skill that can be learned and developed.
Trauma and Healing: Mending the Wounds of the Past
Violet Evergarden offers a striking examination of the effects of war trauma. Violet has been physically injured in the war (lost her arms) and has also suffered deep emotional wounds. Her healing process demonstrates the complex nature of trauma and the non-linear path of recovery.
The anime emphasizes that healing after trauma is not just a matter of time but requires active effort. The care and attention Violet shows while writing letters is actually part of her process of healing her own emotional wounds. Each letter, each client, and each experience helps her confront her past and take steps toward the future.
This process, called “post-traumatic growth” in modern psychology, is perfectly embodied in Violet’s character. Traumatic experiences can break us, but they can also offer a unique opportunity for growth and transformation.
Empathy: Finding Ourselves in Others’ Stories
Violet’s job is to understand others’ emotions and put them into words. In this process, she witnesses the lives and stories of different people. Each episode, while telling the story of a different client, shows how Violet’s capacity for empathy develops.
Especially the episode with Anne’s letters to her daughter or the story of the opera artist who separated from her lover shows how Violet internalizes others’ pains and joys. These experiences also help her understand her own emotions.
Empathy is one of the fundamental components of emotional intelligence. Violet Evergarden shows that empathy is necessary not just for understanding others but also for understanding ourselves. We find ourselves in others’ stories, and this helps us better understand our own story.
Communication: The Power of Unspoken Words
Throughout the anime, the paradox that words can be both inadequate and incredibly powerful is explored. As Violet struggles to grasp the meaning of the words “I love you,” she actually learns that love is too deep a feeling to be fully expressed in words.
Yet, letters and words serve as bridges connecting people. The letters Violet writes transcend distances, transcend time, and sometimes even transcend death (like Anne’s letters to her daughter). This emphasizes the critical role of communication in establishing emotional connection.
In our modern world, in an age dominated by digital communication, Violet Evergarden reminds us of the value of thoughtful and meaningful communication. It’s easy to send a message, but expressing our true emotions and establishing a real connection with others requires a deeper effort.
Love: The Most Complex and Simplest Emotion
At the center of the series lies the question of what love is. For Violet, the words “I love you” are initially an incomprehensible puzzle. But throughout her journey, she sees many different forms of love: romantic love, parental love, sibling love, friendship, and even self-love.
Violet Evergarden shows that love is both the most complex and the simplest emotion. It’s difficult to define, but easy to recognize when felt. Violet’s love for Major Gilbert is the starting point of her journey to becoming human, but this love becomes deeper and more complex over time.
This reflects one of the ultimate goals of emotional intelligence: not just recognizing emotions but being able to experience them deeply and derive meaning from this experience.
Though Violet Evergarden rightfully has a reputation for its visual beauty and touching story, its true power lies in the deep reflections it offers on emotional intelligence. The journey of Violet transforming from a war tool to a complete human reminds us all of the importance of understanding our emotions, expressing them, and establishing meaningful connections with others.
Perhaps this is why this anime evokes such a strong emotional response in viewers from different cultures and life experiences. Violet’s journey to develop her emotional intelligence reflects our own efforts to explore our emotional worlds.
What about you? Which character or story in Violet Evergarden touched your emotional world the most? How did this anime help you reflect on your own emotional intelligence?
