Gevaudan becomes a battleground resembling Hell on Earth
as Chloe’s attempts to kill Naenia unleash a power greater than any
expected. With the Grimoire of Vanitas
powerless to assist them, Vanitas and Noe must use whatever they can to halt
the chaos, even if it means joining forces once again with Roland and the
Chasseurs. Despite the odds stacked against them, there might just be a slim
chance Vanitas and Noe can do the impossible and heal Chloe, Jean Jacques and
all of Gevaudan. Will this be the case
that costs them everything to solve?
There’s so much about the seven episode arc in Gevaudan
that it feels like it could be a Case Study of Vanitas Movie.
There’d have to be some trimming sure (and it
can be done, trust me).
But the scale of
this mystery and the intensity of the character study all gets dialed up to 11
and it shows all throughout.
Last week’s
Gevaudan intro set had its flaws but was otherwise kicked off very well.
In the second half, it scores the goal and
while some confusing things did happen, I’ve gotta say I’m happy with the end
result…even realizing that with only four episodes left there’s a lot of ground
to cover on various Vanitas plot points that might not be resolved.
But that’s for next weeks finale.
For now, let’s get into how Vanitas and Noe
closed the biggest case of the series.
The entire Gevaudan affair ended up being a tale of
tragedy and redemption for Chloe and Jean Jacques.
Chloe had been presented with this alluring
and ethereal yet menacing vibe in her opening episodes, you knew this girl was
in charge.
Turns out, deep down, she
just wanted to make things right not just in Gevaudan but also with the man
she’d come to love, Jean Jacques.
This
led to that brilliant “wait what?” cliffhanger of Chloe revealing she wanted to
bring Naenia into physical form so she could kill her for the trouble she’d
cause them all.
It was a good twist but
let’s face it, no way was the creepy Charlatan envoy gonna be dispatched so
easily (as much as i’d like it to be).
We’ll just ignore that fact that Naenia is the Curse Bearing form of the
Vampire Queen herself cause the show decided to push that bombshell to the side
for now too.
But yeah, everything came
down to Chloe and Jean Jacques wanting to save each other from their pasts and
have a shot at living in a future together.
Good intentions, poor execution of plans, but otherwise, I’m glad
everything turned out just fine for these two lonely souls.
Jeanne also got her fair share of development during this
arc as well.
We got to look into her
history as a Bourreu, a warrior who deals with Curse Bearers, and saw that
she’s been just as lonely as Chloe, if not more so.
Jeanne has been warned that if she strays
from her duties, she will suffer.
Now
that guideline is about to be tested big time as Jeanne realizes she’s 100% in
love with Vanitas (and vice versa but we’ll get to that comedic gold in
time).
I’ve criticized the show using
Jeanne’s romance with Vanitas as negating how much of a bad ass Jeanne can
be.
Here though, her scenes with Vanitas
throughout the Gevaudan arc have been building to their eventual realization of
how they feel.
Vanitas for all his jokes
and crass has broken through to Jeanne and broken an isolated chamber around
her heart and soul, showing her he’s there to help her and not for his own
personal gain.
Lovesick Jeanne did come
back but I’ll admit, I liked her freaking out over her realized feelings (and
poor Luca having to know the woman he crushes on is definitely off the table).
Vanitas and Noe came away from Gevaudan both changed
men.
For Vanitas, it was about pushing
past the odds and his own realistic views to give Chloe and Jean-Jacques (and
by extension Jeanne) a happy ending.
Even being without the Grimoire for much of this story, Vanitas tapped
into a side of himself I don’t think even he knew existed to pull off what
amounts to a freaking miracle and earning a bite, kiss on the cheek, and so
cute it must be protected at all costs smile from Jeanne.
Icing on the cake, Vanitas being unable to
admit he’s actually in love was one of the funniest episodes of the series and
a nice breather between the Gevaudan arc and what’s coming next.
As for Noe, I had been yelling for him to
actually do something other than be the damsel in distress during this arc and
he finally got the message.
His showdown
with Astolfo was something I feared we wouldn’t see much of, but we did.
And I’m sorry.
Astolfo might have a tragic backstory but if
he’s pulling a Shinn Asuka from Gundam Seed Destiny and using that grief as an
excuse to kill everything and everyone just to kill Vampires, he needs an ass
kicking.
And Noe gave him just that
(though is he gonna get that hand reattached at some point?)
Not everything in this stellar set was perfect
though.
As I said, the reveal that
Naenia is the Vampire Queen’s Curse Bearing form didn’t seem to strike the
important chord it should have.
I mean
that’s a pretty vital plot development and it doesn’t even get mentioned after
Gevaudan.
Given that she’s the first
Vampire of the Crimson Moon, it explains why she might have the power to reach
out and corrupt other Vampires of the Red Moon too…but no we’ll just leave that
be for now, no biggie.
The Chasseur’s
also came back and ugh, they served no purpose than just to show up and take
Astolfo home after Noe kicked the mess out of him.
Roland continues to annoy the heck out of me
and even during his hilarious chat with Vanitas over his love reveal, much like
Vanitas, I wanted him to shut up.
I
don’t know, the show builds up Roland way too much and he hasn’t done anything
worthy of that kind of hype.
There’s one
other thing that I hope isnt the case but I’ll find out next week and that
something to do with Domi.
She’s back
after being gone for so long trying to ease Jeanne into her newfound love for
Vanitas.
But there’s something darker
going on with her and well…yeah it feeds into the next threat teased and I hope
my favorite Vampire Goddess isnt getting the axe now or ever.
The Case Study of Vanitas finished off a movie level
event in grand fashion and even delivered a happy ending none of the characters
expected.
All of this was punctuated by
stellar character writing, off the charts visuals and Yuki Kaijura’s magic
working overtime to deliver a beautiful finish.
It was one heck of a ride but with four episodes left and a lot to
cover, is The Case Study of Vanitas even getting a definitive conclusion?
Signs point to “no” but we’ll see how that
does (or doesn’t) affect its final score when we look at the Series Finale Next
Monday right here at the Gundam Anime Corner.
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