Vanitas no Carte came as a surprise in every way. Never liked vampire themed stories no matter the format, I've just never been interested in this particular supernatural specie as a whole. So, the fact that I enjoyed this one so much turned out to be jaw-dropping.
ABOUT THE VAMPIRE GENRE:
For the premise of vampires, it's hard to stand out, but are the details in the humanization of vampires that make it interesting and unique. They been able to walk in broad daylight and not being all depicted with white pale skin and goth aesthetic are small details that I really appreciated. Plus, we are presented with two basic premises surrounding vampires, they're fairly common and pass as regular humans if they want to and feed on regular "human" food (one of the really few things the Twilight series got right) and second, there is another dimension, a parallel universe exclusive for vampires so they're not actually native to the human realm. About what makes a vampire stand out (other than the obvious blood-sucking) is that they're just overall stronger and faster than humans but any other type of ability is not exclusive to them as a species. "Vampires" as a concept is, here, exploited in ways we don't usually see in mainstream media.
ABOUT THE STORY:
It’s not a spoiler to say there’s been a war between humans and vampires, since it’s barely mentioned as a historic event and we’re not presented with any details about it. But it sets the concept of racism and hatred from one specie to another very well. It does make you ponder the question: what went down for the war to happen in the first place? And opens the idea enough to nurture a 45min OVA Prequel if there’s budget for it, it could totally work if the characters relate to the ones presented in this first season. But a prequel SEASON doesn’t have to go that back as it could present the story arc for Noe’s mentor’s life. He generates intrigue, but I’m afraid he borders to be a typical overpowered character. A lot of characters in different stories are tiring due to them being overpowered, but if he’s managed properly, he would make an awesome protagonist for a prequel season. The story in this first part leaves enough questions to understand and engage deeply with the world presented and still wonder what could happen next.
ABOUT CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT:
VANITAS: highly likable androgenous male character, the relationships he builds feel natural and has a personality that doesn’t necessarily tie to a specific sexual orientation. NOÉ: innocent, unexperienced, fills the qualities of a typical child, curious and mesmerized about everything about the worlds around him, again has a personality that doesn’t necessarily tie to a specific sexual orientation, he’s obviously still figuring out who he is and what he wants; makes it heartwarming to watch him learn and grow.
The story could but doesn’t feel as a shounen-ai or a yaoi and I don’t think it will get to be as explicit if it ever decides to take that path. So, it’s enjoyable for everybody no matter if your comfortable with same-sex relationships or not, the co-protagonist’s relationship feels purely friendly but can still be shippable by many. It sometimes taunts with the idea in a way that it doesn’t feel romantic or forced by tying it to the symbolism surrounding “blood”.
It’s genius how the relationships between characters end up forming a love PENTAGON (won’t say how, that would be a spoiler) without feeling unrealistic or overwhelming. The thing is there is nothing I would consider special about any character here, there good characters but not that memorable
ABOUT THE OPENING SEQUENCE:「SORA TO UTSURO」
"SKY & VOID" is a pop, soulful ballad masterpiece that ties perfectly with the characters. One being the representation of the sky and the other the representation of the void. It describes beautifully the relationship between Vanitas and Noé without ever specifying which is which. The sky can allude to bright blue eyes of Vanitas that are full of significance in and out their world but also can refer to Noé’s innocent baby blue-soul; and the void is referring to someone dealing with trauma, that could allude to both of them as well, as they both deal with trauma but in completely opposite ways. The song is pleasant to hear and merges well with the slice-of-life sequence we’re presented with Vanitas and Noé just walking around France. It’s a bit sad they didn’t exploit the art and the scenery as much as they should’ve, the art is fine but it’s nothing that special. Few stories are settled in France explicitly, so they could’ve taken advantage of it way more than they did.
For you: who is “the sky”, and who is “the void”?
ABOUT THE ENDING SEQUENCE:「0 (ZERO)」
Another soulful ballad full of sentiment, this time it revolves a more dramatic and sorrowful kind of love. The animation is fine, it could’ve had more symbolism and detail as the song allows it. The song could be interpreted in 2 really different ways. The first, and the most obvious is narrating how Vanitas and Noé’s encounter was a product of destiny. It would be no surprise that, that is the intention behind it. The thing is, in a deeper sense, it could narrate the empty promises that Charlatan makes to its victims and accomplices.
