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Why watch?:
If you are wanting to sob over people processing the loss of their loved ones AND celebrating the memories they left through the power of writing, then I highly suggest it.

Note before watching:
It has a SLOW START so you have to be in a mood for a slow build.

Major Themes:
Self-discovery, heartbreak, exploring and healing trauma, death, war and it's affects, familial love, finding freedom, light romance/ pining

Basic premise:
Follow the story of a young former soldier (age 14) as she learns to connect to the hearts of others through the power of words in a fictional post-war late 19th-century Western Europe. Violet Evergarden (the ... MC) works as an Auto Memory Doll (letter writer/transcriber) in a time when literacy/writing skills are not a skill everyone has. In addition to connecting to others through writing, she must use those same words to discover her true self.

Animation and Sound: 10/10
This show was a visual beauty. It was definitely the cherry on-top for this lovely tale. And the use of orchestral music during key points was exactly what was needed to highlight the gravity of delicate moments throughout the show.

Category: (No official one, but here's my personal opinion)
Because it is based on a LN, was not written to fit in a traditional manga category. There have been some arguments online about how it could be considered a shounen (media targeted to teen boys) due to it's themes of coming-of-age, action, friendship, and discovery.
But PERSONALLY, I consider it a mix of themes typically found in...
- seinen (targeted to adult men) due to the dark themes of violence and trauma from war fighting, found freedom, death, and dark internal-struggles with self.
- shoujo (targeted to teen girls) due to the lighter themes of discovery-of-self, coming-of-age, how the show represents the emotions and feelings of others, romance and pining, and heartbreak.
Again, this is just MY opinion in interpreting themes.

Origin and Works:
Based off of a Light Novel of the same name, which I have not read. Published from December 2015 to March 2020.
The anime was released in winter 2018 in 13 episodes. I watched this in April 2023.
There is also a movie sequel from September 2020 that I have yet to watch.

Cry count: 7-10
The anime made me cry during eps 7, 9, 10, and 11.
I had a stressful week and this show really helped me just.... let it out. Cry all the stress and anxiety out and now I feel more refreshed... content. I really needed this.