Manga: The Case Study of Vanitas Vol 2

The Case Study of Vanitas Volume 2 
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Now installed at a hotel in Paris with the help of Count Orlok, Noé and Vanitas take their awkward partnership on the road...to a vampire masquerade ball! The order of the evening may be small talk and hobnobbing with fellow guests, but the mystery of the curse-bearers is never too far behind. The intrigue swirls as quickly as the dancers twirl, a blue moon ascends upon the guests...and all hell breaks loose! 

I looooveeeeeeeee this series. I swear I say it every single time but I really freaking love this series! It's definitely my favourite ongoing one right now, and considering how much I love Fairy Tail...that's saying a lot! I just fell in love with this when I read the first volume. I've recently started to read Pandora Hearts too but to be honest....so far it isn't a patch on this one. Sorry Pandora fans! With this volume....Vanitas continues to be my favourite manga ever right now! 

I love steampunk, and in this manga we get a steampunk Paris, and I completely love the world that has been created for this manga. Not to mention the fresh take on vampires. Let's be honest they've all been overdone in every genre ever, but I'm really enjoying this take on them and I'm so curious about them and the curse-bearers. 

The story is engaging and entertaining, and each chapter leaves me wanting more and eagerly turning the page. Which is great until you get to the final chapter and then it's like nooooo I have to wait so long for the next volume! WHYYYYY. I'm so intrigued by this story, and where it's going to go and what's going to happen next. There's some many little intricacies and mysteries and intrigues to keep you hooked and guessing. 

The characters are so much fun, they're lively and entertaining and brilliantly created! When I read the first volume, I so badly wanted to know more about Vanitas and Noé and this volume delivered! We find out more about Noé and his past and his childhood and I'm even more intrigued to be honest! Noé turns out to be an Archiviste, a clan thought to have died out and he has a rather interesting power. Poor guy. We seriously get so much backstory on him but I don't want to spoil you guys so I wont' say anymore! Vanitas kinda takes a backseat in this volume, we still see him a lot, but this volume is all about Noé if you can't tell from the cover! 

We get a new character this volume too! Dominique. Domi is Noé's childhood friend and I loved her so much. She's kind of overdramatic but she really cares about Noé and looks out for him. She's kind of sweet, and kind of amusing with it at the same time. Like threatening Vanitas. There are some interesting connections between them as well as her grandfather is Noé's teacher so we find out more about that as well! OH and we're all friends with Lucius now too, seeing as he finally saw reason! 

Now, I already mentioned how much I love the world of this manga, but in this volume we take a trip to Altus Paris...the Vampires world and I'm so curious about it! I want to see more of it and get to explore it and the differences between it and the Paris of this world. We get to learn a load more about the history of the world and it's so rich, I love it. Not to mention the science of the world and how it came to be as it is and the differences after a certain event and so on. 

If you can't tell from the stunningly eye catching and colourful cover, the artwork in this manga is gorgeous. You're reading it and there's all these little decadent touches to it. But there's so much detail, the artwork is genuinely so stunning. The first volume had a stunning airship, this volume has some stunning cityscapes...and a masquerade ball scene that has such amazing detail to it. Decadent is literally the only word I can think of to describe the artwork and it fits the vibe and the world of the manga so well! I was a bit sad there weren't as many full colour pages as volume 1 because they where so stunning but this volume was thicker than the first volume so I'll forgive it for now! I just love how colourful the covers and colour pages are! 

The Case Study of Vanitas volume 2 picks up from the morning after the events of Volume 1 and it ends leaving you wanting more. Again. This series gets better and better with each volume, and I get more and more obsessed with each volume. Part of me wants to read the individual chapters but part of me wants to stick it out for the volumes so I  can read loads in one go! 

Vanitas is one of the most stunning and intricate manga's I have come across, and it's so much fun and so easy to dive in to and get lost! There's plenty of intrigue, the characters are memorable and the world is fascinating. Plus....stunning art work! I'm so excited for volume 3 already, I can't wait to see where it goes and find out even more about the world and characters, there's so much to be explored!  I'm just completely in love with this manga okay. CHECK IT OUT RIGHT NOW.