[Highlights] Violet Evergarden 02: Under Rain or Shine

Still busy as hell…but still ended up watching Violet Evergarden. I will pay for this later. I don’t think I was as wowed by this episode as the first, but this was definitely still a solid episode.

a typewriter is a powerful weapon

• Emerging feminism! Violet Evergarden does seem to reflect many historical truths. Taking all into account, this would be something like…the late 19th century??
• Those boobs though…

That expression when somebody agrees to eat yakisoba with you

• Benedict continues to be cute. I expected him to be more embittered after being rejected so many times, but he’s a purer soul than I thought.

• The way Claudia got his name was certainly…kind of sad.
• I do ship this pair though – they’re like the parents. I always ship the “parents” in an anime with a large cast (though I’m not sure how large this cast would be). The wise people who observe and protect at a distance and are cute together in private. Well, this scene was more like harassment, but we get some insight into their relationship at the end of the episode.

Violet’s room is pretty empty

• Another image that reminds me that Violet is still a “dog.” She leaves her stuffed animal on the floor, and possibly even plays with it on the floor. I wonder if she still bites it.

That moment when somebody questions the identity of your friend

• This one really got me to laugh. I found some of the jokes around Violet’s inability to read the atmosphere a little predictable in this episode (like the incident with the love letter), but this one, especially coupled with that perfectly innocent expression, was pure gold.

• This was visually stunning. I haven’t seen such beautiful rain scenes in a while. I have to say that it beats Koi wa Ameagari no you ni, which is actually about the rain. Pathetic fallacy is such a cliched technique – having it rain when characters are confronting each other and having the sun come out when they’re done. But obviously, it works really well.
• It was nice that Violet and Erica bonded. I can’t say much about Erica’s personality right now, but she feels like someone who is potentially relatable. I enjoy Erica’s design, and hope to see her develop more.

Pretty pretty lighting!

• Same, Violet, same! I shall continue with your show.

So that was episode 2! I found some parts more predictable than the first episode, which was gripping throughout, but ep. 2 does show us some more of the cast. Hmm…it’s only going to have 14 episodes? I feel like this should really be a 24-26 episode show. That’s how I generally feel about fantasy anime that introduces its audience to its cast at a slower pace. We’ll see how it goes.