Violet Evergarden’s four “shadow protagonists” – people who are essential to the protagonist’s growth

The anime “Violet Evergarden” has been the talk of the town, with its beautiful visuals and moving storyline that even adults have been known to “break down in tears. The theatrical version of the series has been running for a long time and has attracted a lot of attention from the entertainment industry as well. Here are four of the “main characters” who supported the main character, Violet, in the anime.

In February 2021, “Violet Evergarden the Movie” will be awarded in the “Animation of the Year” category at the Tokyo Anime Awards Festival 2021, an international animation film festival. Violet Evergarden”.

　The film is set in a port town where the war has just ended. The protagonist of the story is Violet Evergarden (CV: Yui Ishikawa), a beautiful girl who was active on the battlefield as a soldier. Violet is an orphan who doesn’t even know how to speak, and since she has been on the battlefield since she was a child, she doesn’t have a lot of emotional ups and downs, but she keeps thinking about Gilbert Bougainvillea (CV: Daisuke Namikawa), her superior officer who she calls “Major” and who she was separated from during the war. 　

　The story depicts the days when she writes letters on behalf of Gilbert, using an automatic writing doll service called “Doll” to find out the meaning of “I love you” that Gilbert said to her at the end of his life.

　In this article, I would like to introduce you to four of the “shadow protagonists” who are essential to Violet’s growth.

|Major Gilbert entrusted me with the idea of a “good-natured president” who would gently support my growth.

■Claudia Hodgins (CV: Takehito Koyasu)

Claudia Hodgins, an old friend of Gilbert’s from his officer’s school days, left the military after the war to found the C.H. Post Office. She was one of the benefactors who went to the hospital to pick up Violet, whom Gilbert had entrusted to her, and introduced her as an adopted child to the Evergardens, Gilbert’s relatives, and introduced her to their business.

　He also went to pick up Violet, who was lost and alone in the ruins of the war, after learning of Gilbert’s death. Hodgins, who supports and watches over Violet as she grows up, has many wise words to say.

　In the first episode, he said to Violet, “You’ll learn a lot from now on. It might be easier to live without knowing. You don’t know yet that what you’ve done has set your body on fire and it’s burning up.

　Also, at the end of episode 9, Violet, who has overcome Gilbert’s death, asks, “Is it okay for me to be an automatic diary doll?　Is it okay to be alive? I can’t erase what I’ve done. But you can’t erase what you’ve done as an automaton either, Violet Evergarden,” Violet, who had made so many people happy with the letters she had written, replied gently while holding back her tears.

　I wonder what would have happened to Violet without Hodgins. …… He is an absolutely indispensable “main character in the shadows.

|The “big sister” of the signature doll who always worries about Violet, and the “big brother” who takes good care of her.

■Cattleya Baudelaire (CV: Aya Endo)

One of the dolls who works with Violet at the C.H. Post Office. She has a reputation for being able to express delicate feelings that the client cannot put into words, and has many fans. It was impressive that she gently and carefully taught Violet the work of a “doll” and how to use a typewriter for the first time.

She is one of the most beautiful characters in the series, and since she and Hodgins are described as more than friends, I was curious about the truth of her relationship.

She is worried about Violet, who has withdrawn into her room after learning of Gilbert’s death, and keeps asking her to show her face, even if it’s just for a little while. In addition, there was a scene where she blamed Hodgins for telling Violet that she had been burned, saying, “It was unavoidable, considering her situation! Hodgins, who told Violet that she had been burned.

Hodgins is the “main character” who helps Violet to become a full-fledged doll.

■Benedict Blue (CV: Koki Uchiyama)

She is an old friend of Hodgins and works at the C.H. Post Office. She works not as a doll but as a postman (delivery person), and is Violet’s first senior in the series, having been assigned to the postman position soon after joining the company. Her trademark is that she always wears heeled boots for some reason.

When he first appears, he gives the impression of having a bad tone and attitude, but he is a “big brother” who teaches Violet everything from uniforms to work details. Also, in “Violet Evergarden: Gaiden – Eternity and the Automatic Writing Doll”, Amy, a girl who escaped from an orphanage, respects her and calls her “Master”, making her a popular character who is always willing to take care of anyone.

Even after Violet becomes a doll, she is an indispensable part of the “main character in the shadows,” soothing Violet when she is depressed, or saving her life from falling off a bridge in the 13th episode of the anime with her unparalleled physical abilities.

■Rodanse (CV: Yukari Nozawa)

The last one is from outside the C.H. Post Office. Ms. Rodense, an instructor at the prestigious Automatic Handwriting Doll Training School that Violet attended. She was famous for her strictness, and taught Violet what a doll was.

Violet’s grades were good, and her typing speed was fast and accurate, but her writing skills were not so good: “This is a report. He taught her that “a good doll is one who scoops up the true heart of a person from the words he or she is speaking,” and refused to allow Violet to graduate if she could not transcribe people’s thoughts.

However, after reading a letter that Violet wrote to her brother from her good friend and classmate Lucretia Maulvala (CV: Azusa Tadokoro), Instructor Rodense highly evaluated her “feelings for her brother that she had been unable to express for a long time” and approved her graduation.

In “Violet Evergarden Special”, a popular opera singer who was highly praised for Violet’s ability and was recommended by Instructor Rodense, “She might be able to write a love letter that can reach people living in the present”, asked her to write a love letter on his behalf.

[speech_bubble type=”drop” subtype=”L1″ icon=”surprise.png” name=”Nazuna”] I’ve introduced the four “main characters in the shadows” who are essential to Violet’s growth, but there are many more I’d like to introduce, including senior dolls such as Erica and Iris, and veteran postman Roland. Which character is your favorite? [/speech_bubble]