Every so often there is a show that has me smashing my head into my desk going 'I want to like you, why don't you like me back?'. The Case Study of Vanitas is one of these shows. It starts with a great introduction to the lore of the vampires of this world. For some reason, a Vampire born under the Blue Moon is seen as a bad omen, and the Vampire Vanitas was shunned in some form or another, no exact details are given, and decides to seek revenge and eradicate the rest of the Vampire race. Somehow this power is passed down to a human named Vanitas, who wants to use the power to save the vampire race. It's an interesting idea, and the show does a really good job at handling the intrigue.
The first issue here is this show has no idea how to handle its comic relief. I will describe one scene of the show, and with this description, I will highlight the antagonist, the premise of how a vampire is corrupted, and the show's ability to crush its own tension. Noe, the vampire who is helping out Vanitas, has a unique ability to dive into the memories of those he drinks blood from. After Vanitas cures someone of Corruption, to see what she saw before it ever happened, Noe drinks her blood to see the moment she was corrupted. He witnesses an otherworldly creature corrupt the true name of the girl, and as a result, also feels the same emotions she was feeling as her very nature was altered. He comes too, in reality, screaming in agony, and is extremely distressed from the experience. Suddenly his childhood friend busts into the room claiming to be his fiance, and he just goes 'No she's not in a cold and matter-of-fact way, acting like he didn't just experience one of the most horrifying things of his life. Moments like this happen fairly often, and it does a disservice to otherwise well-crafted scenes.
It's the show's insistence on comedy bits that hurt the watch, especially when paired with the main character, Vanitas, being one of the most unlikable protagonists I can think of in an anime. He's kind of an idiot, he's rather cruel for no reason to various people, and he is acting on malice in his quest. The only thing that keeps me interested in him is the story they are building is fascinating, but come season end we don't know enough to gauge if we feel the show has earned writing him like this. Once the reveal happens and we learn his backstory, that is when it will become apparent whether or not you can sympathize with his shitty attitude, and who knows how long it will be until we have a second season to make that judgment.
I do find myself liking Noe though, and most of the side-cast is pretty interesting. There is the group of Vampire Hunters for the church, the villains who go by Charlatan, and the rulers of the Vampire World. There are a lot of factors going on in the world, and each group has people who are interesting and stories that seem to tie together.
The visuals in the show are pretty fantastic. The actual designs of the villains are pretty inspired, and they stand out compared to the rest of the characters. Scenes like the previously mentioned memory viewing are genuinely unnerving to watch, and there are more than a few pieces of this show crafted that well. Yeah, the music doesn't always match which can ruin the mood a little, but I give the show plenty of credit for the great design.
Overall the show is a frustrating watch. I want to get into what's going on, and I am genuinely curious as to what the series is building too. At the same time, far too often the show manages to ruin its mood and doesn't give me a character I want to root for. I can't recommend this show right now, though if the second season manages to pick up, it could be a show to watch out for.