(L) Violet Evergarden (Winter 2018) Anticipation

[Stark700]

Official site is up. Winter 2018 premiere.

http://violet-evergarden.jp/

Also, staff announced
http://manga.tokyo/news/violet-everg...sly-worldwide/

[rulfo]

Oh. Screening in AX. Now I have a reason to go there.

[moodie]

With early production, we are safe to assume that this might be the best looking kyoani series. Remember its not about the budget but about time management when it comes to anime. So if they are taking longer than usual we can all relax and enjoy the high-quality animation. However, kyoani isn't the best when it comes to storytelling, especially their novels. So, I am very cautious in that front.

[Julio C]

Somebody posted this on youtube:

Director: Taichi Ishidate (Beyond the Boundary)
Series Composition: Reiko Yoshida (Koe no Katachi)
Character Designer: Akiko Takase
Sound Director: Youta Tsuruoka (he doesn't do the music by the way)

They picked the lesser of the three directors from Kyoani to do direct the show since the other two are busy with the Sound! Euphonium movies. I'm a bit worry about this. At least it will look pretty for sure.

[AB079]

Yui Ishikawa for Violet? that's a good choice, especially for the way how she behaves most of the time.

I have no doubts that Kyoani will deliver something visually amazing with this one, my only concern is how they will adapt this LN, the record of the last years shows that they sucks at it especially with their own titles (Phantom World for example). Hopefully everything goes right.

[blakstealth]

that key visual is beautiful.

[germanturkey]

half a year hopefully more of the novel is translated between now and then.

[IceHism]

Originally Posted by AB079

Yui Ishikawa for Violet? that's a good choice, especially for the way how she behaves most of the time.

I have no doubts that Kyoani will deliver something visually amazing with this one, my only concern is how they will adapt this LN, the record of the last years shows that they sucks at it especially with their own titles (Phantom World for example). Hopefully everything goes right.

have you read it? The last review i read of this LN is that it is a mess because of a lack of cohesiveness.

[AB079]

Originally Posted by IceHism

have you read it? The last review i read of this LN is that it is a mess because of a lack of cohesiveness.

The entire first volume, the second and final volume only some chapters + summary of what matters (the ending).

It can be a bit off topic so I'll put it on spoiler. Please anyone who do not want to know more about this, don't read it and in case someone is willing to do it, make a LN thread.

Spoiler for Opinion:

The Novel itself is good but it has many flaws that affect the way how someone can enjoy the story.

For starters this might look amazing but for people who read a lot is easy to spot where this fails. While the argument of lack of cohesiveness is 100% true, the Novel shines for Gilbert, Violet and Oscar, adding to that the amazing amount of detail for the backgrounds, the different places and how that's related to our main characters.

The problems can be summarized on this:
-Zero to none character development for any other character that is introduced on each chapter.
-Fanservice scenes out of place.
-Sudden jump from these episodic chapters to all the background of Violet and Gilbert (not going to spoil any of that here)
-The plot sometimes is all over the place without pointing something in particular, in fact, after reading some chapters you can think "why is this here?".

Despite those problems I think this is still good, but I won't lie this has some massive flaws and is up to Kyoani to keep them or change the story, which is not a good thing considering what they did with previous titles. Amagi is another case that worked but that was because the author was involved.

[Marcus H.]

Fanservice scenes won't be a problem since KyoAni tends to integrate fanservice that doesn't wander off into actual exposure, unless if the source material requires it. Amagi Brilliant Park has some nudity but NO bouncing breasts, but both Musaigen no Phantom World and Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon had tons of bouncing. Hell, even Hibike Euphonium and Koe no Katachi had suggestive camera angles for certain characters.

Minimal character development would be par for the course in a series with an episodic story structure.

Now for the overall structure of the story, remember that KyoAni managed to change K-ON, a 4koma manga, into a series with episodic elements as well as an overarching plot about the band and making memories. They can handle the background of the main cast by sprinkling it around the episodic stories and/or dedicate the background to the last few episodes. I personally don't worry too much since they can do good things to the story if they really like it.

[AB079]

While I agree with you I still have my hopes down for this work. To explain myself a bit better, let me recall Phantom World, that LN has a very dark nature in the last part of volume 1 and jumped into something completely dark and heavy on the last 2 ones just to reach some sort of nice ending for everyone, but what did Kyoani with an interesting story filled with mystery and decent plot? turning it into a fanservice harem-ish series that is to this day one of the biggest flops in Kyoani's history.

While K-on! is the opposite you have to consider that adaptation belongs to the gold era of Kyoani, where they really cared about the sources and their adaptations usually improved the story, in a contrast to what you find in recent years they only add fanservice, fujobait, yuribait and anything that panders the audience for no reason instead of having a little bit more of respect for the LN's they use or at least for the authors.

As I said before, Evergarden's adaptation can be hard to screw up but Kyoani managed to destroy entire stories in the recent years (not counting Koe no Katachi which was incredibly good and Hibike S2 which I said back in the days, it was really well done) and the Novel itself is flawled but still enjoyable. For what I know they're doing only volume 1 which is the best, volume 2 on the other hand... doesn't really make sense.

[Marcus H.]

Lol if you consider that it's KyoAni's fault for Amagi Brilliant Park and Kobayashi-san Chi. Shoji Gatoh is known for being a massive perv and Coolkyoushinja writes stories featuring massive knockers.

I'd rather just wait. Although I am really excited, I won't let that excitement interfere with my actual appreciation of the series when it comes.

[IceHism]

Originally Posted by AB079

The entire first volume, the second and final volume only some chapters + summary of what matters (the ending).

It can be a bit off topic so I'll put it on spoiler. Please anyone who do not want to know more about this, don't read it and in case someone is willing to do it, make a LN thread.

Spoiler for Opinion:

The Novel itself is good but it has many flaws that affect the way how someone can enjoy the story.

For starters this might look amazing but for people who read a lot is easy to spot where this fails. While the argument of lack of cohesiveness is 100% true, the Novel shines for Gilbert, Violet and Oscar, adding to that the amazing amount of detail for the backgrounds, the different places and how that's related to our main characters.

The problems can be summarized on this:
-Zero to none character development for any other character that is introduced on each chapter.
-Fanservice scenes out of place.
-Sudden jump from these episodic chapters to all the background of Violet and Gilbert (not going to spoil any of that here)
-The plot sometimes is all over the place without pointing something in particular, in fact, after reading some chapters you can think "why is this here?".

Despite those problems I think this is still good, but I won't lie this has some massive flaws and is up to Kyoani to keep them or change the story, which is not a good thing considering what they did with previous titles. Amagi is another case that worked but that was because the author was involved.

Spoiler for stuff:

I don't really think most of the stuff you listed as problems really count as problems... I was going for more of its thematic and writing aspects.
This is the review i am citing
https://mimidoshima.wordpress.com/20...tomata-review/

I have a feeling that these thematic problems in the LN won't show up in the anime because kyoani will undoubtedly be kyoani and do some changes. But i think it's rather interesting how this guy came to this conclusion on the book. Just wanted to know what you thought about it.

[AB079]

Originally Posted by Marcus H.

Lol if you consider that it's KyoAni's fault for Amagi Brilliant Park and Kobayashi-san Chi. Shoji Gatoh is known for being a massive perv and Coolkyoushinja writes stories featuring massive knockers.

I'd rather just wait. Although I am really excited, I won't let that excitement interfere with my actual appreciation of the series when it comes.

uhh? but I never complained about Amagi, in fact is one of the cases where they improved the story (thanks to the author) and Maid dragon is another one of the decent adaptations in their pockets.

Originally Posted by IceHism

Spoiler for stuff:

I don't really think most of the stuff you listed as problems really count as problems... I was going for more of its thematic and writing aspects.
This is the review i am citing
https://mimidoshima.wordpress.com/20...tomata-review/

I have a feeling that these thematic problems in the LN won't show up in the anime because kyoani will undoubtedly be kyoani and do some changes. But i think it's rather interesting how this guy came to this conclusion on the book. Just wanted to know what you thought about it.

Spoiler for reply (EDITED):

The problems I listed are some of the elements that can ruin the story sometimes and that is part of the writting problems in the Novels,
especially on volume 2.

Gonna check that review in a bit, where did got that page? also if that review is what I think it is (based on your previous post), then I have to say that many people noticed the same issues on these novels, Kyoani can improve this and there is no doubt about it but you know that sometimes the changes they do aren't for the best.
I just want to see this being an amazing adaptation, squeezing Kyoani's visual potential.

EDIT: That's an incredibly good review to be honest, and it has details about volume 2 I didn't know. I feel like is a bit too harsh on volume 1 but hey, everyone has their own opinion.

[blakstealth]

ANN's impression on Episode 1:

Most anime studios wouldn't be able to premiere one episode of a TV series six months in advance to a room of over 3,000 people, but Kyoto Animation isn't like most other studios. After releasing a PV over a year ago of 40 seconds that looked too stunningly elaborate to be a television production, news about Violet Evergarden trickled in very slowly, hinting at a 2017 release date for a while until the premiere was finally confirmed for January 2018.

While Kyoto Animation's fans are no stranger to their inimitable lighting work, hyper-detailed backgrounds, and uniquely intimate animation style, Violet Evergarden immediately stood out for its unique choice of setting. Even when dabbling in the supernatural, the grand majority of KyoAni's work has taken place in modern-day Japan, so the choice to make a fantastical pseudo period piece garnered a lot of attention. Violet Evergarden also seemed to bring a harsher edge in its choice of story, with its heroine's artificial arms suggesting a violent past tied to the war that's only recently ended in her country.


So it's safe to say that nobody in the packed Main Events hall today knew what to expect when director Taichi Ishidate, lead actress Yui Ishikawa, and opening theme performer True finished their introductions for the first episode to begin. What followed was easily the most visually impressive TV episode KyoAni has ever produced, indistinguishable from their feature film work in ways that might seem impossible to sustain for a full cour of animation—which might explain the series' unusually long gestation time. Rather than using familiar Japanese settings for reference, Violet Evergarden faces the challenge of re-imagining early 20th-century Western Europe as a place that seems otherworldly, an ostentatious and luminescent sort-of-Switzerland that seems to exist inside a gold and emerald bauble. KyoAni must have spent a lot of time developing the right technology and techniques to give this world such a unique sense of deep focus detail, allows the intense light saturation so familiar to their work not to over-blur the minute details of the artwork. The setting itself is as much a starring presence as the titular Violet, and the director assured the audience that Violet would be spending many episodes traveling over its peaks and valleys despite taking up a new job in a quiet town in this premiere. The technology of this familiar-yet-alien world is comparable to Fullmetal Alchemist, with WWI-era transportation and weaponry existing alongside shiny chrome robotic limbs for wounded soldiers.

This brings us to the actual (spoiler-lite) story of Violet Evergarden, which rings both unique and rote all at once. Like many KyoAni productions, this series takes place in the peaceful countryside, but this peace is relatively new, especially for Violet. After losing both her arms in a devastating battle that turned the tide of a war, she's been shuttled off to live at the Evergarden estate under the late orders of her MIA commander, Gilbert. His former subordinate Hodgins knows better than anyone that Violet, who's known nothing but the battlefield since childhood, won't be able to adjust to peacetime so easily, so he suggests she take a job at his postal service sorting the mail. Violet soon takes an interest in the business of transcribing letters for illiterate customers, when she begins to suspect that she is emotionally "deficient" due to her tragic childhood, desiring now to understand feelings like love and compassion through the words of others.


That sounds like a lot of info, but that's just the basic premise, leaving out plenty of sordid juicy twists for fans to discover for themselves once January finally rolls around. The story unfolds very naturally, with clever choices in storyboarding and editing that allow viewers to really stew in each emotional realization and foreshadowed gut-punch. Along with the stunning visuals, this deft execution is the strongest feature of the episode, while the characterization of Violet as a textbook Rei Ayanami-alike may be its weakest. The director's statement on her character was extremely straightforward: "Even though she has been through a horrible war, emotionally she is like a baby, she is at zero. As you all watch her become a grown woman, I want you to think of her as if she were your own daughter and protect the feelings she comes to understand." Plot details aside, I feel like that tells you everything you need to know about Violet's personal journey going forward, which might be underwhelming for some anime fans who have heard this kind of story many times before.


The premiere concluded with a special performance of the opening song by True (the first time she had ever performed the song live), and hundreds of fans in the crowd brought their glowsticks in advance to cheer her on. Violet Evergarden is sure to make a big splash when it premieres at the top of next year, and I can't wait to see what everyone thinks of KyoAni's bold new choice of material when they finally see it for themselves.

https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/fea...emiere/.118349

[AB079]

I wont trust that review so much, is always the same with every series made by Kyoani and smells like promotion on may ways. Is better to wait and see if that's true or not.

And ...

Spoiler for spoiler:

They used the end of volume 1 right away?

[darkchibi07]

If a quick Twitter search is in any indication, everyone's on par with Jake's first impressions especially in regarding to the animation.

[moodie]

No way in hell am i going to trust a bunch of rabid fans who waited hours to watch this. Of course, their bias view is going to conflate w/e truth is behind the episode they watched. Not going to make this an anti-kyoani post but that fanbase has proven that they will eat up anything kyoani has to offer.

I'll wait for some more PVs.

[germanturkey]

hmm, if that's true, i don't like that they give an explanation for Violet before everything starts. Part of why the first novel is great is because we jump into her story, and pick up pieces of her past before it dives fully into it in chapter 6.

either way, still completely hyped for this.

[AB079]

Originally Posted by moodie

No way in hell am i going to trust a bunch of rabid fans who waited hours to watch this. Of course, their bias view is going to conflate w/e truth is behind the episode they watched. Not going to make this an anti-kyoani post but that fanbase has proven that they will eat up anything kyoani has to offer.

I'll wait for some more PVs.

A bit harsh but I couldn't agree more with you. In my case I prefer to watch the entire product, PV's from Kyoani are misleading too.