'Violet Evergarden' Episode 6

This episode takes place in an astrological institution that is preserving texts that are on the verge of decay and loss. Violet and 79 other Dolls are brought to the institution and is paired with one of the keepers of knowledge so that the text can be decoded and written with minimal time lost, and by the time the deadline for these transcripts come about. Violet meets some Doll’s that were in the same class as she was in, one of them being Luculia. For the remainder of the time that Violet is going to be staying and working, she is to be paired up with Leon, a loner with seemingly only one friend in the entire institution. Having watched the episode again, it is interesting how Leon is actually Rey from Star Wars from a character perspective.

Leon is waiting for his mother to return with his father, who was lost during an expedition. After the search for the father was given up as a whole, his mother went in the hopes of finding him herself leaving Leon behind to end up being an orphan. This manifested in him having a cynical outlook on the world, and despite this he is unable to let go of the hope that one day his mother would return for him. As a result of this paradox he is stuck in the place he finds himself in, both physically and mentally, unable to leave as a result of this false hope, and not wanting to for fear of being hurt again. What this really illustrated is the strong emotions a child feels towards their mother.

While Leon starts off not too inclined to give Violet a second thought, when she is approached by a couple of the other members of the institution that invite her to be around them instead of Leon, we see how the negative opinion others have of him really affects him emotionally. However, he is surprised to hear that Violet herself has had a life that is very similar to his own, and with this knowledge slowly starts to open up to her and think highly of her the more he gets to know her. This illustrates how we are able to feel a kinship with those that have had a similar life to ourselves. Leon feels so highly about Violet that he invites her to watch the passing of a comet with a two hundred year cycle with him. His longing for this moment is perfectly expressed by the way the passage of time was edited.

It is during the time when the comet is passing that we get to learn a lot about the two characters. For instance how they are in fact both feeling lonely. A loneliness felt by feeling so strongly about someone that when they are not close to you, despite being surrounded by people, you feel lonely. Which in turn depicts a love so strong that you would be willing to drop everything and go be with the person that you love if they are in a bad place. As Violet is not able to decipher the emotions within herself, it is actually Leon that recognized this, and while we as the audience knows this, he is the first to figure out that Violet is in love with Gilbert.

What this comet scene portrays beautifully is that these rare moments, moments that should be cherished, are moments that could only be compared to as a miracle that they ever happened at all. Moments that change your entire outlook on life, and change the direction you are heading in. In Leon’s case just to start moving forward at all, to think about what would be best for him, follow his passions, and not be tied down to the hope of something that deep down you know is never going to happen. How a chance encounter has the ability to change who you are. The joys of meeting new people.

Looking at the episode in hindsight it is interesting how each of the dolls all have a unique design and a unique set of clothing that helped each of them stand out, while the members of the institution all wore the same thing, emphasising the brotherhood that they are a part of and their shared goal. This highlights how Leon is one that is looked at as an outsider because on a subconscious level he is wanting to break away and be his own person. This is a great episode that tells you, with a little help from the last place that you would expect it to come from, you have the power to change the course of your life with a single decision, and most importantly, to love yourself and what you want to do to make yourself happy, rather than dwell on something from the past that brings you pain.