Amidst the bustling and loud night in Downtown Los Angeles, lines snaked outside every entrance of the Peacock Theatre. On Feb. 15, fans waited anxiously for doors to open for Violet Evergarden: The Concert. One of only three stops in the United States, the performance in Los Angeles featured all three vocalists of key tracks in the anime’s original soundtrack: TRUE, Aira Yuuki and Minori Chihara.
Among the buzzing sea of excited fans, cosplayers donned Violet Evergarden’s iconic blue and white outfit, hair adorned with red ribbons. Some were wearing T-shirts and merchandise of other anime, such as “Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End,” whose soundtrack shares the same composer, Evan Call.
“Violet Evergarden” originally began as a light novel series, before being adapted into an anime series and two movies: “Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll” and “Violet Evergarden: The Movie.” The anime series is set in a steampunk-adjacent world inspired by 20th-century Europe right after a war between two countries.
The story follows the journey of Violet Evergarden, a young girl who was raised to be a ruthless soldier, as she struggles to live in a post-war society. Having lost her hands in battle, she wakes up with her hands replaced with prosthetics.
She soon begins to work as an Auto Memory Doll, a typist who helps others turn their thoughts and feelings into letters. Throughout the show and the movies, the audience follows Violet as she navigates society, forms bonds with those around her and learns what it means to be human.
Conductor Thanapol Setabrahmana standing next to TRUE, Chihara and Yuuki on stage. (Photo courtesy of James Chen)
James Toy, an attendee from Fairfield, California, recalled that many people had recommended the show to him in 2017.
“It’s amazing, it’s beautiful. The story is very powerful and sad at the same time. As soon as you hit episode seven, you’re bawling just because of the stories that come out,” Toy said.
The aforementioned episode features one of Violet’s assignments: a playwright struggling to finish his latest work, which requires her to uncover his family tragedy.
In conjunction with the story and visuals, the soundtrack of “Violet Evergarden” greatly contributes to the themes the series conveys and creates memorable moments.
“[The soundtrack] conveys the emotion that’s happening in the scene that, whether it be the beautiful landscape set, or the emotion that Violet Evergarden is feeling at the time, or whoever she’s writing the letters to, it just brings it out,” Toy said.
From left to right, pianist GIM Kanokpak, Yuuki, TRUE, Chihara and Setabrahmana at Peacock Theater. (Photo courtesy of )
At 8 p.m., the lights dimmed, and the orchestra was washed with a soft, blue light. The theatre was filled with applause as TRUE glided gracefully onto the stage. The original singer for the series’ opening theme song “Sincerely,” TRUE was donning a floor-length dress with flowing sleeves, its white and blue reminiscent of Violet Evergarden’s dress.
Filling the room with her gentle yet powerful voice, the orchestra behind her only cushioned and lifted her vocals. The screen behind them displayed key scenes from throughout the series
The concert was split into two parts, separated by an intermission, with the first part being the tracks from the anime series and the second part featuring tracks from the two movies. As particular familiar scenes unfolded on the screen, sniffles could be heard throughout the otherwise silent audience.
Yuuki, TRUE and Chihara and waving as the crowd applauds the performance. (Photo courtesy of James Chen)
In a current anime landscape dominated primarily by Shōnen, a type of series that tells the action-packed story of a male protagonist, such as “Demon Slayer” or “Jujutsu Kaisen,” “Violet Evergarden” captures the attention of a different audience. The appeal of “Violet Evergarden” comes from its moving storytelling and soundtrack.
As someone who also enjoyed action-focused anime such as “Dragon Ball Z” and “Initial D,” attendee Samuel Holthaus said when it came to anime, it all boiled down to whether it looked interesting to him.
“A good story draws me in,” Holthaus said. “The overall arching theme of ‘Violet Evergarden’ is just learning to really understand the meaning of the words ‘I love you’, not just at face value, but also the more emotional aspect of it too.”
During the intermission, Holthaus admitted the concert had already made him cry three times, describing the soundtrack as “familiar, but spiritually unique.”
As the lights dimmed once more, the orchestra began the second act of the night. Progressing onto the soundtrack of the movies, the orchestra played a medley of highlights from both films. Minori Chihara and TRUE, who were also featured in the recorded version of the opening theme of “Violet Evergarden: The Movie,” “Futarigoto,” started off the second act of the concert.
Yuuki, TRUE, Chihara and Setabrahmana take a group photo commemorating the event. (Photo courtesy of James Chen)
To close off the night, the three vocalists shared the stage for the finale, “Mirai no Hito e,” which served as the ending theme for “Violet Evergarden: The Movie.” Yuuki also graced the stage once more for an encore, performing “Violet Snow” in English. All three vocalists, along with the orchestra, took their bows and curtsies amidst the crowd’s standing ovation.
After the Los Angeles performance, the symphony concluded its tour in New York, bringing the Violet Evergarden Live in Concert USA Tour to a close.