Noe and Vanitas return from Gevaudan only to find that
their pasts have stealthfully caught up with them. A sadistic child holds Dominique hostage and
forces the two partners into a vicious confrontation. Noe is determined to save Domi while Vanitas
is determined to protect his secrets at any cost. After surviving battles with powerful Curse
Bearers, assassins and other worldly creatures, is it Vanitas and Noe’s shared
fate to meet their ends at each others hands?
At some point during the extended stay in Gevaudan, it
dawned on me that The Case Study of Vanitas still had so much left to deal with
that there was no way the Series Finale would even come close to closing out
everything.
Upon further research, I’ve
found that, for once, the Anime and Manga are both neck in neck, so it’s not
like there’s more to adapt for the time being.
With that in mind, my expectations for the finale were set to
moderate.
I mean if the series couldn’t
be concluded properly, at least it could go out on a satisfying high.
And sure enough, it succeeded.
It’s hard to say if this finale matched the
same level of excellence of the Gevaudan arc.
Heck, in some respects I’d say it did the impossible and surpassed
it.
But let’s break down Noe and
Vanitas’ more emotionally wrenching outing and see how the finale cues things
up for more adventures should the Anime or Manga wish to continue at some
point.
This giant four episode finale focused on the much
anticipated reveal of Vanitas’ mysterious past.
It covered everything I figured it would: his experimentation by Dr.
Moreau, his brotherly bond with his fellow test subject, Mikhail, and his
eventual meeting with the Vampire of the Blue Moon herself, Vanitas.
Let me tell you, if Moreau wasn’t despicable
already, seeing him actively torture Vanitas and Mikhail to get the results he
wants had me grumbling that he didn’t get his back in the first half of the
series.
By comparison, the often spoken
of OG Vanitas (as I’ll refer to her) was a saint, and a freaking gorgeous one
at that.
I love her character design:
jet black skin, silky white hair and a voice that makes you fall for her
instantly.
We even get the truth of why
Vanitas had to kill her but I feel like there’s a bit more to it than OG
Vanitas almost becoming a Curse Bearer.
And I wonder when/if Vanitas will trust Noe enough to share his side of
the story.
In a series full of detestable, self absorbed and holier
than thou characters, Mikhail might take the top spot of that list
himself.
From his cheerful disposition
to his playing the victim of a story he doesn’t fully understand, this was
Astolfo jacked up to 11 on the sadistic scale.
I get it, the kid was broken by the time OG Vanitas found him and losing
her broke him even more.
But going so
far as to kidnap Domi just to force a confrontation between Noe and Vanitas so
he could get his big brother back all to himself?
Messed up doesn’t even begin to cover
it.
He did feel dangerous the entire
time he was around and not just because he had a second Vanitas Grimoire.
His demeanor and just the way he spoke made
it clear this guy is damaged goods and it’s probably a good idea for Vanitas
and Noe to track him down before the little psycho almost brings and end to the
world just to get OG Vanitas resurrected.
The big centerpeice of this finale was the inevitable
showdown between Vanitas and Noe.
Driven
to rage for different reasons, this battle was bound to happen eventually.
After all, they may be friendly but Vanitas
and Noe have had their reasons for maintaining their partnership.
As rain fell over their battleground, both
men pushed themselves to the breaking point and it was just as heartbreaking to
see them suffer at the behest of Mikhail’s twisted quest to get his family
back.
These two have come so far since
the first episode, especially Vanitas.
The last thing he wants to do is hurt the guy who’s become his closest
friend.
Same goes for Noe, and I love
how he openly risked his life, knowing Vanitas could never go through with it, betting
everything to protect him and save Domi as well.
By the time you see them on the roof in the
final moments of the series, it’s clear that things are different now.
Vanitas even apologizes to Noe (and Dante but
really you don’t have to) for what he’s put him through.
This is a bromance for the ages right here
and I’m glad it’s intact.
The finale also dedicated a lot of time to Domi, who’s
been sidelined for much of this second half of the series.
Even after spending most of the finale as a
mind controlled hostage, we got to see the continuation of Domi’s history with
Noe following the death of Louis and wow…dammit Noe give the girl a hug and
tell her you love her already jeez.
Domi
confronting her internal self loathing and getting into the action with beautiful
winter magic was easily one of the best moments of the entire series and proof
she needs to be utilized more in future installments.
Jeanne also showed up for the final battle
but she didn’t really do too much, which is both fine and disappointing: fine
because she got to do so much in the Gevaudan Arc and disappointing because
it’s perfectly fine for both of our sexy and capable female co-stars to kick
ass together.
Naturally, while the ending was emotionally draining but
worth it, it still leaves a lot of things unresolved.
Charlatan is still out there and it’s main
contributors are a Curse Bearing Vampire Queen and her right hand man,
Ruthven.
I’m pretty certain given his
sudden appearance to collect Mikhail that Noe’s Teacher has his own nefarious
part to play (btw love how Jeanne described the guy, “the only thing that
scares me is how much I’m not scared of him).
Roland’s clearly looking to start some kind of Chasseur uprising after
learning what part the Church played in the Gevaudan incident.
And probably more importantly, there’s the
matter of Ruthven’s curse on Noe.
Remember, Noe’s narration in the first episode made it seem kind of
clear that he was going to kill Vanitas at some point.
And I don’t think it’s because of that
promise made between the two that if anything happened, Vanitas wants Noe to
kill him.
Tragic as that may be, I still
think Ruthven’s command might set that in motion…and clearly that has to be
stopped.
So yeah, a lot of unfinished business but you know what,
I still think The Case Study of Vanitas ends up being one helluva ride
regardless.
Production wise, Bones is
doing a lot of great work with the animation from the gorgeous sets and
backdrops to the creepy designs of Naemia and her creepy traveling circus.
Yuki Kaijura’s score resonates with every
scene, even if some tunes do get used a little too much.
But none of this show would work without its
two leading men.
Vanitas is the star and
one of the most complex, compelling and wonderfully demented wild cards in
Anime.
Noe is kind of the damsel in
distress by comparison but he does have his growth throughout the series and
when he’s allowed to cut loose and kick some ass, it’s worth it.
And while I do feel like they weren’t used to
their full potential, Jeanne and Dominique proved worthy of their own special
stories and not just being love interests for Vanitas and Noe respectively.
Overall, this was a fun mystery to embark on
and I’m hoping it isnt too long before we see Vanitas and Noe off on another
case.
To quote Benedict Cumberbatch’s
Sherlock, “The thrill of the chase, the blood pumping through your veins.
Just the two of us against the rest of the
world.”
Yep, I think that sums them up
nicely.
8/10
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