Sofie’s Reviews > The Case Study of Vanitas, Vol. 3 > Status Update

noé getting a kick out of vanitas meeting his match in roland’s undying good nature is SUCH married couple behavior. and the ellipses in “i’ve started to rather like…….HIM” is so pointed wtf was THAT translation choice???? was noé about to say that he’s actually starting to like VANITAS because of everything he’s begun to understand about him????? i’m gonna read it that way for my own enjoyment

“he wants to use me as a shield, but he doesn’t want me to shield him of my own accord?” THIS REALIZATION FROM NOÉ IS WILD!!!!!! so much of this volume is him starting to understand vanitas’ strange, usually contradictory, actions, and this is a massive step in solving that puzzle. agency is EVERYTHING to vanitas. if he’s decided to risk his life, then he doesn’t want ANYONE standing in his way

fantastic how this volume is pretty much bookended with noé standing between vanitas and ruthven and then vanitas standing between noé and roland. AND both of them being pissed at the other for being too careless with their safety. for vanitas i think it’s a general lack of care for his well-being and for noé maybe it’s more naïveté? he hasn’t seen much REAL combat and cruelty in his life yet

love that the moment that roland mentions luna and pities vanitas for being taken in by them, THATS when vanitas instinctively shoves him away and claws at his face. he could handle roland assuming that the vampires were forcing him to cure them but as soon as pity gets involved??? he lashes out like a wild animal

noé waiting for vanitas in the middle of the night cause he just KNOWS he’s gonna try to sneak out and investigate all by himself???? saying that he’s not FOLLOWING vanitas, he’s going WITH him????? and vanitas repeating “do as you like” from the bell tower scene as a way to keep some distance and use the excuse of passivity while still accepting the company and help?????? the bond is bonding

i am obsessed with the character quirk of vanitas hanging out on the roof whenever he can and always finding the highest spot to perch himself on in any situation. he wants the high ground as a tactical advantage so he can’t be ambushed, but also so he can be as far away from the catacombs as possible, and then ALSO so he can feel some semblance of freedom even if it usually means isolating himself. brilliant

noé has no idea how charming and gorgeous he is and it is Infuriating

there’s definitely something deeper to the fact that vanitas’ excuse for not dancing with jeanne was because he didn’t want to step on her toes and then noé steps on HIS toes at the end of the chapter!!!! vanitas doesn’t want any real feelings to blossom between him and jeanne, he doesn’t want to overstep the boundaries he’s set. but noé??? he’s all about challenging vanitas and wanting to KNOW him

“i have absolutely no interest in the sort of person who would fall for me” i could run laps over this line and these gorgeous panels. vanitas is SO traumatized that he really believes that he’s better off never being loved and never fully being vulnerable with someone in an equal relationship like that. AND he hates himself so much that he wouldn’t like anyone who fell in love with someone like him anyway

LOVE seeing more of noé challenging vanitas and his viewpoints. this entire aspect of their relationship is really where vanoé seems like the obvious choice over vanijeanne to me. noé questions how vanitas operates, how he’s closed himself off, how he lies and grandstands whenever things get too personal. but he doesn’t know what love is!!! he knows what fear is!!! a cheap thrill to overwrite his past trauma!!