Viewing and Reviewing “Aishiteru”: Letter as a Vista at the Crossroads of Doll and War

This talk will explore visuality of background scenery in the animation series Violet Evergarden produced by Kyoto Animation and released in 2018-20, based on the 2015-16 novel of the same title by Kana Akatsuki.  After discussing how sexuality is significantly subdued in its visual elements of characters and narrative expressions, in contrast to popular features of Japanese animation, including KyoAni’s other works, Dr. Mitsutoshi Oba will argue how the highly detailed and thoroughly naturalistic landscapes in the background of Violet Evergarden evoke emotions, spirituality, and even sexuality.  Various styles and movements in landscape paintings in history will be examined. Dr. Oba will correlate four seemingly disparate terms representing three explicit themes of the animation series and one implicit: letter, doll, war, and vista, to approach its central theme, which could be defined as semiology of “aishiteru.”