If you're looking for a timeless, moving anime, give Violet Evergarden a chance. But what is the best Violet Evergarden watch order?
RELATED: The Best Romance Anime With a Female Lead
Violet Evergarden Is a Quest to Understand Love
Violet Evergarden is based on the light novel series of the same name, written by Kana Akatsuki and illustrated by Akiko Takase.
The titular heroine is a former child soldier in a pseudo-20th-century Europe.
Violet has been treated as a weapon her entire life, and only her Major, Gilbert, ever treated her kindly.
After a devastating battle, Violet loses her arms in an explosion. When she recovers, she's called to adjust to civilian life for the first time.
Not knowing what happened to Gilbert, and having no social skills, Violet struggles to assimilate and make friends.
Despite seeming ill-suited for the role, she decides to work as a ghostwriter, helping people across the country pour their hearts into their letters.
In doing so, she hopes to learn about all the emotions she was denied and finally understand Gilbert's last words to her: "I love you."
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Is Gilbert Alive in Violet Evergarden?
Here's the Best Watch Order for Violet Evergarden
Apart from the main anime, Violet Evergarden has an OVA, a spinoff movie, and a sequel movie that concludes her story. The best way to watch these is in chronological order, as they happen in-universe:
1) Violet Evergarden anime episodes 1-4
2) Violet Evergarden OVA
3) Violet Evergarden anime episodes 5-13
4) Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll
5) Violet Evergarden: The Movie
Of course, there's nothing wrong with waiting to finish the original anime series before watching the OVA.
Just note that, chronologically, the OVA takes place between Episodes 4 and 5, even though it got released a few months after the 2018 series.
Should You Watch the Violet Evergarden OVA and Movies?
In theory, the anime series is enough to give you the full Violet Evergarden experience. The series details Violet's life from the end of the war up until a later point by which she's embraced the full range of human emotions.
The OVA and movies are, of course, totally worth watching if you have time.
Violet Evergarden's OVA is essentially just like another Season 1 episode, following the usual format of Violet meeting a new client and learning about life by assisting them.
The first movie, Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll is a slightly longer story in which Violet's job sends her to a boarding school to help a girl train as a debutante.
This film isn't absolutely essential, but we love Violet's development and the bittersweet plot.
As for the final Violet Evergarden movie, it's essential if you want to see our beloved heroine's story come to a close.
In this movie, we also find out if Violet and Gilbert end up together.
Want the latest on all things anime? Make sure you follow us on X (Twitter)!
READ NEXT: The Saddest Anime Movies Guaranteed to Make You Cry