Status Updates From ヴァニタスの手記 4

(cont.)

they’re both stubborn and quick to act and steadfast in their beliefs, and so they both shine as individual characters instead of one totally drowning the other. and when they do manage to work together???? they’re unstoppable

this is a great example of why noé is such a fantastic main character bc a lesser author would have him get swallowed up by the force that is vanitas, but mochizuki refuses to let him sit idly by or be passive if it goes against his motivations or morals. noé pushes back CONSTANTLY and that’s exactly what makes him the perfect foil to vanitas. (cont.)

this repeated/mirrored joke of “stop making that face” is hilarious first of all but also!!!!!! noé is in a constant state of wanting to understand vanitas, which frustrates vanitas, while vanitas is in a constant state of resisting that understanding and putting on an apathetic act to hide his pain, which frustrates noé. even the stupidest of gags in this story are rich with character it’s truly remarkable

(cont.)

both are maladaptive coping mechanisms, both can only grow through coming to truly understand (and love) the other

and this is the big difference between noé and vanitas and why their developing relationship and journey to understanding one another MUST be the crux of this entire series. noé sees the good in everyone, human or vampire or dham, until proven otherwise. meanwhile, vanitas sees the worst in everyone until proven otherwise (and sometimes even then) (cont.)

LOVE the difference in their poses here. noé is leaning slightly forward like he wants to step even closer to vanitas, which aligns with how he’s pressing for more info to try to understand him better. while vanitas is perfectly straight-backed and still, his mouth a thin line. calculated aloofness, just like his words as he speaks about hating humans and vampire equally

it’s striking that the panels underneath vanitas’ dialogue about his past are just black rectangles. like there should be images there but they’ve been redacted. even though he’s opening up a bit to noé here, he’s not doing it in a way that allows noé or us to actually picture any of it. it’s his classic way of revealing info: absolute bare minimum, impersonal, and purposefully devoid of sentiment

this “gearing up” sequence ending with vanitas ripping off the cross necklace is SO GOOD in context with the bow theory. he’s creating his costume, donning his armor, and with that, he decides that the necklace is one element of the chasseur costume that he is not willing to inhabit. ripping it off is another way for him to exert ownership over the costume, and power over this very traumatic setting and outfit

(cont.)

it’s also not lost on me that this is how we’re starting the volume whose cover portrays jeanne being tied and led around by a bow……one that vanitas is clearly holding off page……..so i’d say the bows are significant!!!! they def represent his need for control and how that extends to his appearance and image as well as his relationship with jeanne

(cont.)

a bow makes every outfit of his more like a costume, one that he had a hand in creating himself, meticulously and purposefully. inwardly, it’s yet another desperate reach for control, and outwardly, it’s a way to signal to potential threats that he’s put together and above it all. he ties a bow in the same sequence as he takes his weapons out. it’s armor

on today’s episode of “sof reads into everything even the tiniest quirks that could just be there for comedic purposes”: why does vanitas NEED to tie a bow when he’s reconfiguring his chasseur outfit? why does he seem to like bows at all? they take extra care and effort to create, much like vanitas’ entire image. the theatrics that he leans upon so heavily to make himself feel in control of his life (cont.)

it’s that time yet again, continuing reread number 3??? i think???