Story focuses on two MCs: Noe and Vanitas. Very early on Vanitas is shown sexually assaulting a woman, and later emotionally manipulating her, only for his victim to fall in love with him. Lazily lifting all the worst cliches from vampire romance antiheroes. Meanwhile, Noe’s backstory is crammed into half-an-episode, and paints him as a compassionate and naive blank slate; a male version of the born-sexy-yesterday trope.
Not much of consequence ever really happens story-wise. There’s a blood disease afflicting vampires which Vanitas can cure, and various actors get in the way, but motivations are never clearly established for any side. It never feels like there are any stakes (no pun intended). Other than several steamy vampire-make-out-scenes, there’s nothing even bordering on evocative. That is however one other thing that this show gets right: capturing the super steamy, naughty passions vampires embody: temptation, seduction, etc. That said, lacking a coherent story or compelling characters, The Case Study of Vanitas was an overrated disappointment.
