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• Studios: Bones
• Source: Manga
• Genres: Historical, Supernatural, Vampire, Fantasy, Shounen
• Synopsis: “There once lived a vampire known as Vanitas, hated by his own kind for being born under a blue full moon, as most arise on the night of a crimson one. Afraid and alone, he created the “Book of Vanitas,” a cursed grimoire that would one day take his vengeance on all vampires; this is how the story goes at least. Vanitas no Carte follows Noé, a young man travelling aboard an airship in 19th century Paris with one goal in mind: to find the Book of Vanitas. A sudden vampire attack leads him to meet the enigmatic Vanitas, a doctor who specializes in vampires and, much to Noé’s surprise, a completely ordinary human. The mysterious doctor has inherited both the name and the infamous text from the Vanitas of legend, using the grimoire to heal his patients. But behind his kind demeanor lies something a bit more sinister…” -MAL Rewrite

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First Impression:

I was pretty skeptical about the story when I first read the synopsis and to be completely honest…I’m already invested with the show after the first episode! The premise of vampire isn’t too enticing but the lore, setting, and characters along with the pretty slick character design and animation has me hooked! Let’s dive in!

This slide doesn’t do the animation justice…but I wanted to put it in here anyway! The slow zoom out from the bulletin board to show the entirety of the common area of the large aircraft where the story takes place. Normally I would do an animation check point but it would take to many frames to really get the idea! The animation is so smooth and the subtle movement of the different elements within the scene really made this opening scene very eye catching!

While we’re on the topic of background, let’s take a moment to appreciate the depth and quality of the spaces within Vanitas no Carte! As the story takes place around Paris you can expect a large number of French landmarks (the opening alone features quite a bit!). The French architecture is a crucial and important detail in really creating that European setting and it’s breath taking!

On one hand we have the gorgeous backgrounds, and on the other are these funny chibi scenes which help express the playfulness that the story expresses throughout to help lighten up the mood! The characters are quite eccentric, Vanitas does things on a whim and Noe is easily excited by just about everything! There’s never a dull moment and the art style change helps express the comedic dialogue!

While the art that we’ve seen so far is nice and pretty, let’s not forget the about the story that this anime revolves around. Vampires are show in a new light (hahahaha get it?!), where they aren’t normally violent…only when they lose their true name do they start thirst for blood. It’s uncanny the way they’re drawn and I absolutely love it!

It’s a complicated plot line with a lot of complex terminology (I assume these words have a latin origin?) and will take some time to get used to but it’s all just so intriguing! I also can’t get over the character designs…I MEAN LOOK AT VANITAS!!!

Recommendation:

YES

Vanitas no Carte is a MUST this season. From the intricate background art to the complex plot line and all the way to the character designs and the voice acting! The first episode showcases a heap of potential and with a huge cliffhanger at episode 1 who wouldn’t want to keep watching?!

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