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Reading the synopsis of this light novel, everyone will instantly know it is about isekai. But unlike any isekai that I've read or watched, the best thing about the main character, Azusa, is not simply overpowered instantly at the beginning of the story. She took 300 years to become so powerful that it caused her peaceful days to be disturbed.

Story:
Each author has its own way of writing, and I absolutely love how Kisetsu Morita composed the story. It has this relaxing sensation as I turn each page, yet lead me wanting to know what happens on those each page although some of them can be ... predicted. Though there's some scenes that are a little bit exaggerating, but it didn't ruin the whole theme of the story.

The story is told in first person viewpoint, which makes you feel you are the main character or you are reading her diary. The way the story is being told feels like their interaction are normal (as in how we are interacting in our daily life.

Art:
Benio has this unique character design and coloring skills that are truly representing Azusa's world and her laid-back life.

Characters:
Azusa, the main character, took 300 years to get to her highest level before any event in the novel start. Thus this is the reason the title of the novel are stated as such. This is a big win for me as opposed to most isekai main character that are instantly given overpowered magic, strength and skills. As a 300 years old, she is characterized as a mature woman with a body of a 17 years old teenage girl. This is another big favor for me because her attitude or behavior are in terms with her age. She didn't act childish and annoying but tried her best to avoid problems that can affect her laid-back life.

As for the others, they are characterized in most average characteristics that I can see in other anime series. Nevertheless they help balanced Azusa and her life.

Overall:
In conclusion, I've enjoyed what the series had offered in its first volume and I am still enjoying whatever it offer in its second volume. The author wrote in a relaxing manner and pace, and the english publisher had translated it greatly (especially in the second volume in certain part of certain chapter). That relaxing pace made me comfortable reading it without feeling too much drag and forced myself to finish reading it. Since it focuses on daily life of Azusa and her small yet fun problems, don't expect it to be prioritize in too much combat scenes.

If you are looking for relaxing stories, then you should try reading this light novel.

After trying to find a military themed anime that I want to enjoy, I can vouch that Haifuri is my one and only prefrence. Sure the plot has flaws here and there but no matter how flaw it was, I still loved it for various reasons.

Story:

Remember folks! This is not a story about girls having naval tournament like senshadou in Girls und Panzer, nor its a Kancolle "bizzarre" animation sequence anime like one person thought it was. This is a story of students aiming to become Blue Mermaid, maintaining the safety of the nation's territory from invasion and other unwanted incidents. A certain dialogue ... in an episode hinted they were trained since middle school, or perhaps even before that.

So it means that what the girls are doing are for their future professional occupation and not for playing around. So believing that this is a funny-happy-go-lucky story especially like Girls und Panzer will leave you disappointed. Also this is not about saving a school, so don't get your hopes on that kind of thing.

However there are flaws just like every other stories or animes. But I don't want to mention it here to avoid unintentional spoiler. But if you don't really mind it surely you can just brush it off. The story alternate between serious and casual. So if you want a hardcore stuff where everyone are arguing against one another in a ship, you might stop watching this kind of anime and start watching movie like Crimson Tide, The Yamato Men or perhaps real historical warfare.

Characters:

The reason I like Haifuri the most and put it in my lifetime favourite is the variety of characters; from the timid to annoying one. Surely there are a lot of anime that has this kind of variety. But having around 32 characters in a single place (ship) is a point for me because it showed how each of them compromised one another; they argue, agree, obey within the chain of command. It indirectly created the "comrades of the sea is a family" vision; they slowly become close to one another and become a "family". Almost all of them are being developed as the series went on. Only few had little development which is a little bit of flaw.

How they were assigned to their post which seems unfit may be due to their exam scores (this is just a theory). Just like Akeno who are unfit to become a captain and she herself believe that. But she had to abide the position assigned to her due to being unable to decline and change her position directly in short amount of time. So rather than thinking the problem with the characters' position you ought to see how they tried to developed their self-esteem and personality.

Warning: This review may or may not contain spoilers but I will try to conceal any spoilers as much as I can.

1. Characters:

As characters aside from Violet herself changed each chapter, I would like to describe them as major characters that helped Violet in her adventure throughout her lifetime. The reason I have such thought are due to them being the main focus of the story in each chapter instead of Violet and they are being developed more than her. Violet, in the other hand, mostly serve as a person who helped connect between those who love and those who are being loved. As all ... of those characters have different personality, I would not really go into details for each of them.

As for Violet, who is the main character in the light novel, I could only described her as a girl who are naive about the world that are new to her and especially about her quest. So it is no question to the reason she was a little bit emotionless (or a person who could not understand her emotions properly even though she could feel them). While her life journey from the past to her present as a 'doll' is more or less like a female version of Tarzan with the addition of her as a military personnel. At first I assume that she was not being developed properly but after having a long thought, I could see that she was being developed indirectly with the help of the major characters. While I have doubt whether Violet was a doll or a human (I do believe she was the latter), I still could not help myself from feeling surprised during the revelation in chapter two.

Meanwhile Major Gilbert (Gil), as far as I could think of, is a male main character who had tried to help Violet throughout her early years. Due to his military profession, he had a hard time to help her to become 'someone' while he tried to free her or to teach her about life. This was being executed properly in my opinion as the situation during Gil's time was not the good time to teach her anything other than military teachings. As a main character there was no doubt that he was the one who Violet love and Violet was the one that he love. I could not describe more about him due to one or more reason that I may mention later on.

Story:

I would have to say that while the concept used in Violet Evergarden's story is not something new and had been used, I could not disagree that the novel did succeed in making me feel mesmerized with the story. By concept I am referring to Violet's encounter with different people in every chapter, which had already been used by light novel such as Shinigami no Ballad or anime such as Shigofumi. Since they are more or less the same, I did not have any problem with how they are being executed; the pace of the story, the revelation, the development etc.

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With all the praise and positive remarks on my analysis above, someone might feel surprised and questioned as to why I gave an overall five (5) out of ten (10) score for the light novel. The problem in my opinion lies on the revelation on chapter six or seven that affected the overall ending of the story. As you can see when it comes to romance, I have a strict (or more accurately fussy) demand(s).

I was taken aback when I found out that miracle happened in the said chapter. This had affected my interest to read the novel which led me to just skim through the rest of the chapters until the end. I do understand that readers would like to see such miracle happen in the story, and I do understand the author or the publisher would not take a risk to do something different. But every time I encounter such miracle I could see that I failed to differentiate between Violet Evergarden and story like The Beauty and The Beast for example. Even though happily-ever-after ending filled other readers need and satisfaction, I was hoping for a bittersweet ending instead. That way it will make Violet Evergarden more memorable and different from the rest of the stories ever presented.

So I was disappointed with such cliche plot and ending which had made me dislike Violet Evergarden LN. Honestly I would like to give an overall score of four (4) or lower but due to the fact I like the first five chapters, I'm willing to give my score as stated earlier. But by any means it will not go above five (5). my apology goes to Violet Evergarden light novel, its author and fans.