The Case Study of Vanitas episode 17 is out with a major reveal that literally shook all of Gévaudan to its core! Last week, the twist was that Chloé had planned to kill Naenia all along for corrupting Jean-Jacque’s true name. I think we can all agree that this was a very badass moment, and you just gotta respect Chloé for it! However, Naenia — the Death’s Keeper — turns the situation from bad to worse.
As it turns out, Naenia materializes to her true form — the first vampire of the blood moon, Queen Faustina. (Wait, what!?) If you can recall, Vanitas and Noé were kicked out of Atlus by Ruthven because Vanitas made the bold claim that, “Queen was the source of Cursed Ones…” and added, “Is that Queen of yours even still alive?” It seems that Vanitas had his suspicions and yes, he was right all along!
However, it still doesn’t explain whose body was on the Queen’s bed, or how the malnomen known as Naenia came about. The only thing this episode confirms is that the Queen was involved with the Charlatan, and now she is a curse-bearer searching for more names to corrupt. Scary, right? Ah yes, it’s all coming together.
The tables have turned on Chloé’s grand plan, and now she’s overpowered by the other vampire. There’s something about that humongous hair and doll-eyes that makes her so chilling. (Her nose is absolutely nightmare material.) To make matters worse, Naenia/Faustina triggers Chloé’s malnomen by force causing the alteration device, the castle, and the whole of Gévaudan to break apart. Many miles away, Ruthven, Marquis Machina, Orlok, Luca, and his brother, Loki, feel the awakening pressure of the first vampire.
I always love seeing the banter between Noé and Vanitas. One minute they’re good and the next they’re headbutting and kicking each other. Noé is mad and he has reason to be because Vanitas withheld important information from him. It brings up once again how Vanitas shuts people out, even acting as a lone wolf sometimes in many of their quests. Vanitas doesn’t trust Noé enough and says that Noé “‘wouldn’t have believed him” anyway.
Of course, this hurts Noé and, a headbutt later, Noé makes it clear that he believes in Vanitas. Because how can a partnership work without trust, right? It makes me think how wholesome and kind Noé really is. Vanitas definitely needs some work on letting people in.
Another person who strongly believes in Vanitas is Roland! The idea of more Chasseurs was scary so it’s a relief to know that it’s actually Roland. His aura, smile, and trust radiate a lot of good energy. (Unlike the stubborn and intense Astolfo.) With Roland’s help, Vanitas and Noé have enough time to save Chloé from destroying Gévaudan. On another note, hold up — Olivier’s Hauteclaire’s weapon is a steampunk chainsaw!? So badass.
Meanwhile, we get another look into Jeanne’s tragic backstory. She is given the weight of the “sins of her parents” and as a tool for killing. This explains her loyalty to Ruthven, and how twisted the man really is. All the signs point to him as one of the players on the villain’s side. I can’t help but really feel bad for Jeanne because none of this is her fault, and yet she’s led to feel so guilty about it. (Somebody hug her, please!)
All of this leads up to an emotional finale for The Case Study of Vanitas episode 17. We now understand Jeanne’s pain and internal conflict. And then, a voice and blue light comfort her, and it’s none other than Vanitas. At this point in the episode, I melted into an emotional blob. I know that we all see it — they care deeply for each other …maybe even more.
All in all, I have to say how well The Case Study of Vanitas episode 17 keeps up with its tension! While it had a lot of scene shifts, it also put into perspective a lot of pieces to the puzzle. For example, there’s more light on Jeanne’s backstory, the motivations of Chloé, and how all the vampires, chasseurs, dhampirs play into this entire fiasco. For the larger mysteries, there’s the question of Faustina’s fate, Ruthven’s morality, and even the Paladin’s knowledge. This turn of events is full of twists and compelling developments, one after another. It just keeps getting deeper… and interesting!
Personally, the plot and pacing are just hands-down, amazing. It’s a great collection of characters in this show! I also can’t fangirl enough about that eerie music and visuals. Faustina’s short but haunting appearance is definitely something to remember. This Gévaudan arc is definitely a major point of the story. There’s a lot to look forward to, but I’m ultimately hoping that Vanitas can not only save the curse-bearers but the Bourreau as well.
The next episode will release on Friday, February 18, at 24:00 JST. The English subtitled versions will also be available later on Crunchyroll, Funimation, and Bilibili in select regions.
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Images via Bilibili
©Jun Mochizuki/SQUARE ENIX, “Vanitas no Carte” Production Committee