'Violet Evergarden' Premiere: A Doll Designed for Battle Searches for Her New Purpose Post-War in Upcoming Anime Series
"Violet Evergarden" is a new anime series that is scheduled to premiere early next year. It has, however, already premiered its first episode at this year's Anime Expo that was held on Sunday, July 2, at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
The upcoming anime is based on the Japanese light novel of the same name written by Kana Akatsuki and illustrated by Akiko Takase. It is about the so-called Auto Memory Dolls, which are dolls created to perform military-related tasks.
However, the original Auto Memory Doll was designed for a much tamer purpose. A scientist named Professor Orland created the first dolls to aid his blind wife to write her novels. The dolls' main function is to generate voices into text, and they were later on rented out to other people who may be of need for their services.
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But then, a second group of people started a company that created and rented out Auto Memory Dolls, which are designed in the image of beautiful women, who are also able to perform military-related missions. Violet, the series protagonist, is one such doll.
Violet has known no life other than the one she has been reared into: as a soldier executing the order of her commanding officer Major Gilbert. But after she was injured and sent to the medical ward, the war ended in her absence with no clear news of her Master's status or whereabouts.
Instead, a certain Lt. Hodgins is sent to tell her that she has been discharged from duty. Hodgins also takes Violet to the Evergarden Estate, which is her Master's childhood home. There, she will have to learn to live a life beyond the war-torn world she has been brought up to. She will also eventually develop an instinctive desire to go back to the basic function of an Auto Memory Doll, and that is to transcribe letters.
Violet, who only understands words but never their true meaning, will try to make sense of her new world. She will also learn to understand other people's feelings as well as her own as she embarks on a journey to find new meaning in life.
Kyoto Animation, who published the light novel, is also responsible for bringing its anime adaptation to life. Voice actors that are involved in the series include Yui Ishikawa, who does the voice of Violet, and Takehito Koyasu, who does the voice of Lt. Hodgins.
Other voice actors include Daisuke Namikawa, Aya Endo, and Kouki Uchiyama.
The series will officially be released in January 2018.
