The gates of this garden are finally starting to open.

Earlier today, the official Violet Evergarden anime website updated with a new promotional video, as well as a key visual and early cast and crew details.

We break these down below:

Promo Video

The 43-second promo features a slow pan up to Violet, looking over a bustling landscape below. The video then cuts to text confirming Yui Ishikawa as Violet, as well as a January 2018 première.

Key Visual

The visual is an expanded version of the shot shown off in the promo video, with Violet looking over the cityscape below.

Cast

Yui Ishikawa will play the titular Violet Evergarden in the series.

Staff

Taichi Ishidate (Beyond the Boundary) is directing the project at Kyoto Animation, with Akiko Takase providing character designs. Reiko Yoshida (K-On!! franchise, Girls und Panzer) is in charge of series composition.

Other confirmed crew members include:

  • Sound Director: Yota Tsuruoka
  • Opening Theme: TRUE
  • Music: Evan Call

Violet Evergarden is based on Kana Akatsuki’s and illustrator Akiko Takase’s novel series of the same name. The book hit Japanese bookstores in December. title, which was published under KA Esuma Bunko’s imprint, won the grand prize in the fifth Kyoto Animation Award program’s novel category in 2014. The win was significant, as it was the first time that any work took top honors at the Kyoto Animation Awards.

Anime Expo describes the project as:

There are words Violet heard on the battlefield, which she cannot forget. These words were given to her by someone she holds dear, more than anyone else. She does not yet know their meaning.
A certain point in time, in the continent of Telesis. The great war which divided the continent into North and South has ended after four years, and the people are welcoming a new generation.

Violet Evergarden, a young girl formerly known as “the weapon”, has left the battlefield to start a new life at CH Postal Service. There, she is deeply moved by the work of “Auto Memories Dolls”, who carry people’s thoughts and convert them into words.

Violet begins her journey as an Auto Memories Doll, and comes face to face with various people’s emotions and differing shapes of love. All the while searching for the meaning of those words.

Source: Ota-suke