A surprise hit from the Summer 2021 season, The Case Study of Vanitas takes a unique spin on the concept of vampires. Set in 19th century Paris and full of beautiful animation and steampunk gothic elements, this shonen takes a look into a world where vampires supposedly no longer have to drink blood to survive.
The story is told through the perspective of Noé Archiviste, who recounts why he had to kill his traveling partner and self-proclaimed savior of the vampires, Vanitas. Using a grimoire called the Book of Vanitas handed down by his former teacher, Vanitas uses this ancient tome to heal vampires of a blood-thirsty disease called malnomen. With Season 2 of The Case Study of Vanitas just getting underway, here are the key points to remember from Season 1.
The legend of the Book of Vanitas and its former owner, Vanitas of the Blue Moon, have a horrible reputation for wanting to eradicate the vampire race. However, Noé realizes these rumors aren't true when he first encounters Vanitas while boarding an airship to Paris as he heals a curse-bearing vampire named Amelia. After realizing Vanitas is human and inherited the book from his teacher, the real Vanitas, Noé is visibly excited.
Vanitas asks to join him on his journey to save the vampire race, but Noé declines and then faints before he can leave. He wakes up in a cell next to Vanitas, discovering that Amelia had poisoned Noé. Shortly afterward, they are released and invited to meet Count Orlock, the Queen-appointed mediator between vampires and humans in Paris. He summons the two in order to prove the book's healing powers.
During their journey, the duo run into Luca Oriflamme and his protector Jeanne, the infamous vampire executioner known as the Hellfire Witch. After she admits defeat when Vanitas figures out her weakness is Luca himself, Vanitas kisses her instead of killing her. After Jeanne and Luca bashfully escape, they return to Count Orlock's office. Vanitas asks Amelia about seeing the Parade of Charlatan, entities that other curse-bearers describe seeing.
Amelia denies it, but Noé drinks her blood -- activating his power of being able to access people's memories -- and confirms she is lying. Dominique de Sade then enters the room, proclaiming she is Noé's fiancée and has heard everything. She insists Noé escort her to a masquerade ball, crossing the barrier that separates the human and vampire worlds with the goal of isolating Noé and Vanitas.
Dominique's sister Veronica tries to kill Vanitas and Noé at the ball, exclaiming that they used to book to spread the curse. She is quickly interrupted by the host of the party, Ruthven, who wants to take Noé and Vanitas under his wing. Noé faints and wakes up to find a visibly angry Vanitas at the bell tower. After a heated exchange, Noé vows to stay by Vanitas' side because he is intrigued by him and wants to see the outcome of his labor to save all vampires.
While reuniting with Ruthven, Vanitas asks to see the queen, stating she hasn't been out in public and wondering if she's even alive. Gravely insulted, Ruthven attacks Vanitas in a blind rage. Noé and Vanitas are sent back to the human world where the latter reveals he did all this to gather information about Luca, who had reacted differently than the other vampires when he made his outrageous statement.
After being kicked out of Orlock's office, Vanitas runs into his former partner Dante and tracks down a curse-bearer tied to the Church's anti-vampire unit, the Chasseurs. Vanitas and Noé go into the underground catacombs of Paris in order to find the Chasseurs and run into Roland, hellbent on saving the human Vanitas. Roland ambushes Noé upon realizing he is a vampire, but Vanitas and Noé escape using a flash bomb.
Vanitas reveals his ulterior motive of finding Moreau, a madman who was kicked out of the Chasseurs for obsessive vampire research. Moreau conducted human experiments, and Vanitas was one of them. When Roland catches up again, Noé stages holding Vanitas hostage. In a twist of fate, Roland realizes Noé is different from other vampires and asks to be friends.
The team enters Moreau's lab as he reveals he wishes to become a vampire himself. A member of the Charlatan, Mosieur Spider, appears to tell Moreau to destroy his lab. The curse-bearer they were hunting appears and is revealed to be a shadow that devours all life forms in front of him. To defeat it, Noé and Vanitas jump into the shadow's mouth and use the book. Everyone escapes in time for the lab to explode.
After Jeanne realizes she's in love with Vanitas, Dante comes with news that the Beast of Gévaudan lives and they've found five bodies. Vanitas sets off to see if it's a curse bearer or not, but Noé is distracted by his strong desire to drink his partner's blood. Vanitas tells Noé that if he ever uses his powers to access his memory, he will kill him. Nonetheless, he agrees to let Noé taste his blood as long as he doesn't use his Archiviste powers on him. The season ends with a mysterious vampire being hugged by Naenia, stating that her time for vengeance is now.
Season 1 was packed full of action and rich worldbuilding, skillfully accented by beautiful animation. Will Season 2 be able to live up to the fantastic first impression? Being one of the most anticipated anime for the Winter 2022 season, fans are hopeful. The Case Study of Vanitas airs every Saturday on Funimation and Crunchyroll.
