Violet Evergarden takes its time drawing you into it's fictional, post-war world. It invests you in almost all of its characters. It earns each and every emotional character moment and doesn't hold back tugging at your heart strings.
If you ask what the central theme of the show is, it would have to be "loss". 80% of the episodes deal with loss and how individuals cope with it. Other themes could include "self discovery", "love", and even "PTSD". There's a lot to swallow when you watch this show, so prepare your heart for a good tuggin'.
When it comes to storytelling, and how the showrunners move the plot along, there's really no better studio than Kyoto Animation to handle this. They, over the years, have become masters of the art of "Show Don't Tell." There are so many significant character moments that aren't explicitly stated, but are understood by the viewer without a single word being spoken. They take their time to show us the important things, and they do so in a way that ensures you will understand. Occasionally they play mean tricks on us by making us assume one thing only to turn the tables and subvert our expectations. This anime is a marvel of storytelling and is worth studying for anyone aspiring to be a writer.
Music is the force that drives any good show, movie, or anime forward. Without music a show says less than it could. Violet Evergarden has one of the best accompanying compositions I've heard in an anime since Akagami no Shirayuki Hime (Snow White with the Red Hair). Just a orchestral masterpiece that not only builds upon the world, but packs a serious emotional punch when played at just the right moment. The moment I finished the show I IMMEDIATELY purchased the soundtrack - this was a no brainer and a worthwhile purchase that will enrich my musical library.
Characters and pacing was handled superbly, as we have come to expect from KyoAni. The progression of our protagonist (Violet) is apparent as the show rolls on from episode to episode. We see her overcome numerous hurdles and learn to cope with her complex emotions -- and of course deal with loss. Even side characters are given plenty of attention. Each episode has a nice arc with a pleasant payoff by the ending credits.
Overall this show gets a solid 10/10 from me. I plan to purchase the Blu Ray of this - I want a physical copy by all means necessary! I cannot recommend this show enough. Bring tissues, watch on the highest resolution display you own, and prepare for one of the best shows of the past few years.
This show gave me that feeling -- you know the feeling. That void. The "I'll never experience anything quite like it again" feeling. Yeah, it's that good.
--- EDIT ---
I wanted to append this to the end of my review. I've been reading a lot of the other reviews, and I think there's a silly trend. One thing that I never do when I look at an anime, is I never compare it to its source material (if it's an adaptation). I judge it on its own merits -- i want the anime to stand on its own two feet. To me, there's no sense in taking a perfectly fine anime and saying "well it's not the visual novel". Of course its not the visual novel. If that's what you want then just read that. I came to see an anime, and when I wrote my review I judged the ANIME. It honestly upsets me when I see someone discredit an otherwise good anime because it's not 100% loyal to whatever source it came from. But hey, to each his own am i right? Everyone's got their opinions, and now you know mine.
