The aesthetics are a giveaway it’s a work by the same author. Just as Pandora Hearts, the visual direction of Vanitas no Carte is classically beautiful. Set in a glorified Belle Époque Paris, with a striking cast dressed in aristocratic fashion.
You can also tell it’s the same writer by the complexity of the plot. There way too many morally grey factions and subplots to summarize in few sentences … but I’ll try.
There’s flamboyant main hero Vanitas, who saves vampires from a curse, which causes them to lose their minds and run berserk. The exact nature of said curse, inflicted by a shadow dubbed “Charlatan”, remains a mystery. Futhermore: Vanitas, self-absorbed and cunning as he is, is hiding why he’s hell-bent on saving vampires in the first place; when Vanitas is a human, a race at odds with vampires. His motivation can be back to another man … a vampire also named Vanitas, the original bearer of Vanitas’ curse-healing grimoire. So far, so complicated.
Deuteragonist Noé is good-natured vampire that joins Vanitas’ cause of healing vampires early on. While functioning as a mere sidekick at times, he retains his own important relationships and plot lines. There are certain vampires who, unlike Noé, are openly hostile towards humans and wish to rekindle the war between races. Oh, and there’s also something wrong with the queen of all vampires. And Noé’s mentor is an extremely shady character (who isn’t, in this show?). And there’s active vampire hunters amongst humans aligned with the Catholic Church, and …
Yeah, as I said: the setting is complex, carried by withheld information and grey morality. Season 2 further ups the complexity of the conflict, as three factions (Vanitas and Noé, vampires, the Church) hunt after a wolf-like beast, which is alledgedly responsible for many civilian deaths. Needless to say, the allegiance and identity of the wolf-life beast also starts out as a big mystery … sigh.
The characters are a strong point of Vanitas no Carte. Mochizuki knows how to write characters: they’re all conflicted, vulnerable, mysterious, acting one way on the outside and feeling another way deep inside. No single character is one-note, everyone has several layers of emotion.
Vanitas no Carte also heavily relies on character dynamics. The two male leads remain in a tsundere relationship, making the show appear like Yaoi bait. But surprisingly, we also get lots of *hetero*sexual action early on. As Vanitas meets female vampire Jeanne, the two just can’t keep their hands (and mouths … and bodies …) off each other for long. It’s a refreshing and fun relationship to watch: mostly based on lust, yet not deprived of psychological depth, as both are broken people. Even side characters get treated to meaningful relationships which illustrate why they’re acting the way they do. Almost everyone is sympathetic to some degree.
So, what could possibly hold Vanitas no Carte, a story with immersive visuals and brilliant characterization, back? Well, there are some issues.
For starters, the complexity of the story I mentioned several times. At times, the plot is more convoluted and directionless than it is rewarding. The very fact Vanitas constantly fights the very vampires he’s wishing to save, the fact it’s never made clear what exactly he’s saving them from, or why he’s even doing it … makes for a confusing read, at times. The forces moving the plot forward remain shadowy and undefined and so does the plot itself. The power scale and magical system remain mostly vague as well, so battles feel superficial. Chibi-style comedy is forced into scenes it doesn’t quite fit in.
Despite these fundamental drawbacks, Vanitas no Carte is still a work I sympathize with. I simply don’t find it as flawless as Pandora Hearts was.
