Violet Evergarden 

Last, but certainly not least, is Kyoto Animation’s slice-of-life drama, Violet Evergarden. Much like its feature film, A Silent Voice, this anime is a tear-jerker.

After the grisly war between two powerful nations finally comes to an end, Violet Evergarden, a soft-spoken soldier, starts her new life as an “Auto Memory Doll”— a person who transcribes people’s feelings into words and ghostwrites letters for them. Along her journey meeting folks from all walks of life and sifting through their trauma to write their letters, Violet must come to grips with her own trauma–specifically her survivor’s guilt following the loss of her commander and lover, Gilbert Bougainvillea.

Each tale in Violet Evergarden is as beautifully heartbreaking as it is wonderfully animated. Throughout the series, Kyo Animation maintains feature-film animation quality that perfectly accentuates the sorrow and opportunity for hope that comes with loss.