The Case Study of Vanitas Vol 4
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!
Deep within the bowels of Paris, Noé and Vanitas race through the catacombs with an elite team of chasseurs, the Church's anti-vampire unit, in hot pursuit. Their search for the missing vampires takes the pair down a path all too familiar to Vanitas, bringing them face-to-face with not only an overwhelming curse-bearer, but also with Vanitas's past. Confronted by the horrific menace, what will Noé and Vanitas fight for, and whom will they save...?
Volume 4 is quite the chunky volume so I don't mind the fact I've waited a million years for the latest volume to finally be released!
We rejoin Noe and Vanitas right where we left them, lurking in the catacombs of Paris in search of the missing vampires but as we start the volume the Chasseurs are in pursuit.
I have to say...I fully cackled at one Chasseur being 100% dead serious as he said "It's like we're the one's being hunted" I could fully see that line being said in the trailer for Jurassic Park or something, or a horror movie. Then shortly after I fully died laughing when we cut to Noe losing his lunch because apparently going full Dracula and walking on ceilings makes him nauseous. Priceless.
This volume is full of plenty of funny moments, and Noe and Vanitas do make me chuckle a lot with their banter although Vanitas sees Noe as quite naive so it was nice to see him take charge of the battle against Roland and try to talk things out with him after his little display. Things could have been sorted a lot earlier however, if Vanitas had just opened his mouth and spoken but he "didn't want to". Interestingly we did glean a little more knowledge of his past and get to see glimpses of it and more pieces are falling in to place.
Roland is one of my new favourite characters, he's fully Team Vanitas and him wanting to be friends with Noe and Noe's reaction to it is freaking hilarious. Bless him. We also meet Dr. Moreau who is....interesting. And totally cray cray. He provides even more clues to this whole scheme and some connections are made. The plot definitely thickens but some of it is starting to come together.
Our good old pal Lord shady-ass Ruthven pops up again. I'm not even surprised by his involvement anymore. We all know he's up to no good and unfortunately he does something nasty to Noe that I can see coming back to bite he and Vanitas in the future, all while Vanitas is getting asked out on a date by Jeanne. Come on man, help your bro out?! It would also appear the same thing has happened to Jeanne, but it's a matter of Vanitas putting it together at this stage.
All through this volume we've seen allusions to someone from Vanitas' past and it would appear the low-key cliffhanger ending is bringing that character in! We're getting more pieces of the puzzle and more pieces of his past, this volume has a steady pace to it with doses of intrigue to go with the action and humour. Not to mention the gorgeous art work and rich storytelling.
The Case Study of Vanitas Volume 3
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!
The masked ball has ended, but the music plays on. As Noe and Vanitas return disgraced from Altus, the curtain rises on a new battle. News of kidnapped curse-bearers sends the pair to the catacombs beneath the streets of Paris, where a melody of intrigue echoes and a superhuman foe awaits! Humans or vampires: Who will be the hunter, and who the hunted?
I've told you guys that this is my favourite manga right? I literally sit with each new volume and savour every single page. It's so. Freaking. Good! The stunning colour pages, cover and art should be framed, I'm not going to lie. I'm forever blown away by the detail in the art, the castle in particular is stunning in this volume!
Ruthven takes Noe and Vanitas under his protection after the chaos at the masked ball comes to a close. Ruthven and Noe are equally nerdy and it turns out he has a connection to Noe's teacher...and the teacher doesn't like him which should be interesting. I'm intrigued by Ruthven but I really don't trust him. He's shady, despite how well we get to know him.
I really love the developing friendship between Noe and Vanitas, their bickering is hilarious and in this volume, Noe decides he's sticking with Vanitas....and thus a bromance is born. Which would have been cute, and I totally would have been squealing over it if there hadn't been an ominous voice over to go with it that gives me the shivers. I have a feeling this manga is going to emotionally traumatise me....eventually. The waiting for it to happen might push me over the edge!
We learn some very interesting information about Luca...Ruthvens nephew. He really doesn't like poor old Vanitas...but it's going to be interesting to see how much of a presence he's going to have in the series after the reveal about who he is. I was actually quite surprised plus he gives away another interesting tidbit.
Vanitas knows Jeanne's secret and is kind of keeping quiet on a couple of conditions...I wouldn't go so far as to say blackmail but he's not very far off so I'm expecting to be seeing more of her and quite probably Luca. Vanitas is such a little sod and I can't work out if he's being genuine with Jeanne...if he is there's the potential for some romance in this volume. But the voice over is giving me pause.
Noe and Dominique also have a little bit of a moment which was kind of cute...so there's potential romance on two fronts. I do actually really like Dominique, and I'm itching to see more of her. She's a badass and she's funny too...and to be fair, she and Noe are cute! But there's also some hints about the future and it's not looking good, particularly for Noe and Vanitas. Something bad is going to go down but it's just trying to figure out what so you can prepare yourself!
As usual, there's some really nice historical details and touches throughout this volume. There's even some specific historical information about certain things from the volume. I know more than I ever knew before about Tarte Tatin. I feel like I'm quite the expert now.
We're provided with some clues and hints about the plot and the mysteries presented to us. One of those clues involves the Queen and Vanitas....charmer that he is, ignites Ruthven's rage and manages to get them booted out of Altus and back in to the human world. So a good chunk of this volume is set in Paris. We get an excellently drawn outing to Notre-Dame Cathedral, and the ever creepy Paris catacombs. Seriously. Way to make a drawing exude creepiness.
Vampires are going missing, and our little duo arrive back in time to get pulled in to it. I get some very Sherlock and Watson vibes from the two of them in this volume. We also get introduced to the Church's anti vampire unit...and what a bunch of charmers they are *eye roll*. They're a new player/force in the plot and Roland is, quite frankly, super creepy. Like seriously. Make him go away!
There's also a shadowy new figure introduced who happens to be linked to Vanitas and I'm sure we're heading towards getting some answers about him! Dante and co aka the Dhamphir trio make an appearance and I do love their banter! Vanitas and Noe are quite the team, when they're not bickering, and this volume really showcases that.
We're steadily being led towards the next part of the story, presumably finding out more about the missing vampires and having another plot thread tied off! The plot is so intricate with the main plot, and some side plots that tie in smoothly and provide little tidbits and clues. The new plot threads introduced in this volume serve to flesh out the story and characters more, and add some more intricacy to the rich world of this series!
Each volume of this series is such a joy to read, there's action, humour, a rich world and plot...and lively, intriguing characters who interact with each other in interesting ways. If you haven't checked out this series yet, then you're really missing out! It's one of the best ones out there! I genuinely find it hard to put in to words the awesomeness of this series! This volume adds more detail, more characters, and more mystery and intrigue! Each volume takes things deeper, and pulls you in more and more.
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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.
