Is Kyoto Animation’s Violet Evergarden the most visually accomplished TV anime production of all time? Depends who you ask, but it makes a compelling case. Here, we trace the history of Violet Evergarden from award-winning novel to stunning animation, tracing the roots of the incredible talent on its staff, its transition to motion and all that entailed, and the circumstances that allowed for such a production in the first place. Hear from its creators on their journey with this work, see what makes Evergarden so special, and enjoy this look at one of the industry’s strongest showcases of its enormous potential.
Chapter Selection:
Prologue – 0:00
A Grand Prize Winner – 1:50
A Production Leader – 4:13
Two Bright Stars – 8:51
The First Steps – 14:27
Time and Talent – 19:45
The Production – 24:55
Violet’s Heart – 38:43
Dear Violet… – 45:07
This video was edited by Christopher “MrNiesGuy” Nies. If you’re interested, his commissions are open! Reach him on Twitter @MrNiesGuy.
The official fanbook interview translations were provided by @why1758 with translation checks by @karice67. Special thanks also goes out to my script editor and consultant Megax (@ultimatemegax), Studio LotuS for the novel cover animations (led by @HoldenReviews, really cool stuff!), and Evanit0 (Evanit0) and Caffeinated Telescopes (@Esharp777) for their help.
Sources:
Official Fanbook Interview – Taichi Ishidate:
Official Fanbook Interview – Haruka Fujita:
Official Fanbook Interview – Akiko Takase:
Ishidate Interview at AX:
Ishidate Interview from Shin-Q magazine:
ANN Ishidate Interview:
Animator data:
KyoAni Production Committee Spreadsheet:
KA Esuma Bunko Chart:
Evan Call Interview
Student Animation by Akiko Takase:
Kantoku vs. Enshutsu:
Fujita Staff Blog
Violet Production Materials
Information re: world premiers:
Staff illustrations and comments:
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