Kyo Ani artists made sure that the anime heroines’ emotionally evocative locks are possible in real life too.

Pretty much every anime produced by Kyoto Animation features an emotionally moving story and gorgeous artwork, but even within the rarefied standards of the studio’s output, Violet Evergarden is special. The series’ synergy of complex emotions and elaborate arrangement is arguably on its most artful display in the hairstyle of its titular heroine, whose array of braids, bangs, and tails can appear competently composed, freely flowing, or despairingly distressed, as the scene requires.

Or, if you choose to describe it in a more direct, Violet’s hair just looks really, really pretty.

As an added bonus, unlike some other famous anime hairstyles, Violet’s is actually possible in real life. During the recent Japanese TV broadcast of the Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll anime movie, the series’ official Twitter account shared the character design sheets for the character’s hairdo, which walks you through the steps to do it yourself.

Starting at the top left, the first pair of illustrations show Violet’s hair, from both the side and back, prior to any braiding. Underneath that, Step 2 says to form a half braid on either side of your head, starting near the top and moving down right behind your ears. Once you get to the base of your cranium, stop braiding and gather your remaining hair into twin tails, tied off with elastic bands.

Instead of leaving the twin tails as they are, though, you’re going to braid them too, as shown in Step 3 (the bottom left illustration). For Step 4 (top right), roll the braids up at the back of your head, moving in an inward direction (i.e clockwise for the braid on your left, and counterclockwise for the one on your right).

In Step 5, you’ll need four U-shaped hairpins to pin the two rolled braids in place, positioning the pins as shown in the middle right illustration. Finally, Step 6 is to tie ribbons at the base of the rolled braids, and you’re done.

“There are many scenes in Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll where the characters’ hair is a focus. We wanted to make the hair look very realistic, so we decided on how exactly Violet’s hairdo is put together. Can any of you actually do your hair like this?” tweeted the account, and a few fans have shared their very impressive results.

Of course, with anime being a medium in which artists can make things look like whatever they want, Kyoto Animation didn’t have to go these lengths, but this is yet another example of how seriously Kyo Ani’s artists take their craft.

Source: Twitter/@Violet_Letter via Otakomu
Top image: YouTube/Netflix Japan
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