The legendary vampire Vanitas, born under the cursed blue moon, had a book of unparalleled power, a grimoire holding spells strong enough to destroy all vampires. Now, a human calls himself Vanitas and holds the grimoire, claiming it was passed down to him. Noé arrives in Paris, looking for this book on his teacher’s behalf, where his life gets entangled with the cocky and enigmatic Vanitas, in a quest against the dark powers of Charlatan that corrupt and destroy vampires.
Not a spoiler since it is stated right off the bat, but Noé introduces us to the story by stating that later on, he kills Vanitas. We know nothing of the circumstances that led him to kill the titular character. The opening sets the mood for this supernatural mystery with majestic animation, a hot main cast to die for, and an impossible duo in the center of it all, Noé and Vanitas. Let’s take a look into how the beginning of The Case Study of Vanitas fares.
Aesthetic Excellence: Vampires in Steampunk Paris
Yes, vampires, steampunk, and Paris are all in the same sentence, and they create a unique blend that sets The Case Study of Vanitas apart from other Summer 2021 anime series. This is a universe so enticing we just want to jump into a time machine and travel to this parallel reality. Vampires and humans populate the earth, with vampires having their own elaborate social structure, education system, as we see in Noé’s flashback scenes, and natural enemies, the Charlatan who corrupts their names and leads them to a deranged state.
Noé’s reaction upon setting foot in Paris for the first time was so much fun to see, in contrast to the darker side of the city we experience later on. The Case Study of Vanitas balances horror with comedy and seriousness with chibi gag reactions. The sky is strewn with beautiful airships and the characters are dressed in sleek outfits. Studio Bones have once again outdone themselves and we can’t wait for more.
Vanitas the Trickster
The word is about the mysterious protagonist Vanitas since so far we don’t know anything about his past, how he got hold of the grimoire, and why he has inherited the name and power of the original Vanitas. Vanitas has a cruel side, we see him teasing Jeane, cornering and kissing her during their fight. He also offers his blood to her, to help her regain power and save her master. His motives are unclear, until a few episodes in, where during the vampire masquerade ball we hear him vowing revenge to the original Vanitas. We hope to learn more about his past and motivations!
Final Thoughts
The Case Study of Vanitas is a delight to watch and we are anxiously waiting for the new episode released every week. We are happy that a second season has been already confirmed and want to see more cute interactions between Noé and Vanitas, before disaster strikes.
Are you infatuated with Noé like us? Do you love or hate polarizing trickster Vanitas? Let us know in the comments below, and let’s keep watching anime!
Author: Andromache Kokkinou
Recommended Post
