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4 Reasons The Case Study of Vanitas Is the Best Anime This Summer


Credit: Bones

Summer will soon be behind us, and so will the Summer 2021 Season. Many excellent titles are slowly wrapping up, and while it's hard to choose a single best one, The Case Study of Vanitas is definitely among those you can't pass by. Created by Studio Bones – a guarantee, with titles such as Fullmetal Alchemist – and based on a manga by Jun Mochizuki – author of Pandora HeartsVanitas no Karte has definitely found the recipe for success. Here are some reasons why it's the best anime this summer.

1)The Beautiful Art

4 Reasons The Case Study of Vanitas Is the Best Anime This Summer
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Credit: Bones

From the extremely detailed Book of Vanitas – the grimoire in question – to the illustrations of the cool things it does and the character designs, The Case Study of Vanitas is an anime you will want to keep looking at.

Both relaxed, uneventful moments and fast-paced action scenes are drawn beautifully, with extreme detail and care. And, of course, it's impossible not to mention the character expressions.

Understandably, several viewers like their anime to be more realistic, without exaggerations, but if you enjoy some good old comical character reactions, these are drawn adorably. You can't help wanting to hug the annoyingly optimistic, starry-eyed Noé. But, of course, good art isn't everything, so we've gathered more reasons for you to watch the anime.

2)Combination of Tried Formulas with Bold Storytelling

In many ways, The Case Study of Vanitas uses a very well-worn formula; an idealistic main character teams up with another, very enigmatic character to tackle a threat of the supernatural sort. You can apply this to many anime, and not only.

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Credit: Bones

The great thing about Vanitas no Karte is that it also moves beyond the linear action-packed plot. Already from the first episode, Noé reveals that he killed Vanitas at the end of their joint journey. Even if the plot gets a bit predictable at some points, then, you can't help going on, because you want answers. I might be a bit biased here but knowing in advance that something tragic is going to happen, and reading/watching to find out why and how is my favorite sort of storytelling.

And, of course, the flashbacks so far have been great. If you weren't sure about Noé, you can't help feeling sorry for all that he went through when his foster brother, Louis, became afflicted by the very thing he now tries to fight against. Even when things feel a bit dull or pointless initially, you soon find out that it is not so, and I do love a good subversion.

At this point, you can't immediately tell whether the characters and the narrator are entirely reliable. Vanitas' reasons for saving vampires don't exactly persuade us, and, despite the many cases of foreshadowing, you will reach a point of wishing Noé's narration is false somehow. Like the book of Vanitas itself, the characters are not open books. Figuring them out is an ongoing process you'll love.

3)The Character Interactions

No action story can stand by action alone if the brief pauses where the characters just sit together and interact aren't just as enjoyable. You have to care for them and see them as people before you can be invested in action scenes involving them.

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Credit: Bones

I won't lie, The Case Study of Vanitas doesn't have the most unique characterization. We have a starry-eyed idealist and a harsher, enigmatic figure as the main duo. Both tropes have been seen before, but the key here is that the creators have made them, and the ones around them, a joy to watch.

When Noé and Vanitas sit at the roof together we have to Noés, so to speak: the young vampire who is utterly puzzled and eager to solve the enigma that is the person next to him; and the more mature narrator, who has killed this person – if he's even a reliable narrator. When Noé interacts with his foster sister Dominique, you feel things, especially after the flashback episode. When Vanitas and Noé interact with Roland – perhaps Noé's only equal in naivete, you laugh.

It's not just the cast. Sometimes, it's the chemistry between them, and The Case Study of Vanitas is really good at it.

This is not to say that the anime is faultless, as Vanitas is a very problematic figure, especially as far as his relationship with Jeanne is concerned, but, refreshingly, the show also challenges stereotypes and heteronormativity is surprising ways.

Related:How Many Episodes Will Season 1 of The Case Study of Vanitas Have?

4)The Worldbuilding and Aesthetics

If you've read Pandora Hearts you know that Mochizuku's worlds look amazing and they're fun to explore. Sure, both Vanitas no Karte and Pandora hearts draw from aesthetics you've seen before, but there's a reason why these are so popular.

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Credit: Bones

The vampires' Paris is absolutely fascinating, and while French-inspired fantasy is by no means new, it does feel fresher than a Steampunk London, for instance, would feel.

The vampire society in The Case Study of Vanitas is layered; they do drink blood, and often desire it, but, unless their true name has been corrupted, they're actually very civil. The invention of the Red Moon vampires versus the rare Blue Moon vampires is one I'm keen to see further explored. Even the bad things that happen, such as the attack of Charlatan, have this steampunk aesthetic quality that makes you want to find out more.

This is a world that keeps expanding, and, even when everything feels conventional, it probably isn't. Sure, a vampire becoming friends with a vampire hunter is comical, more than anything else, but it also tells you that the familiarity should only lure you to watch; it shouldn't fool you. It's hard to predict the exact workings of this vampire society – you must watch instead.

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