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sorenzi · 3 years

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With your very detailed post on how Vanitas and Noe are being paired in a romantic light where do you think the author will take their relationship? Especially with her past history of writing tragedies.

Hi Anon, Mochijun be prepping us for a whole new world of pain~

In all seriousness though, I think back to Mochijun’s interview about wanting to try things she wasn’t able to in Pandora Hearts. There’s plenty of fans who feel it’s a disrespect to compare similarities/differences PH with VnC, but contrary to this opinion, I think it a really great way to analyze her work as an artist/writer.

Mochijun only had 3 official works that she’s done both art and story lines for (Crimson Shell, PH and now VnC), PH was her first series that became notable on its own for it’s twists and turns, complex character development and relations. She was a new mangaka at the time too I think.

PH definitely wasn’t perfect, but it was a huge stepping stone for her career and her answers to the VnC interview tells me that she‘s fearless in her approach to storytelling while being intentional in her message to us. As a previous reader of her’s, I appreciate the methods of her delivery to us. When I read PH, the characters‘s passions and emotions seems to be asserted onto us already before the end when the 100 year mystery was being unraveled. When we are given a backstory for the characters, I definitely feel like there could have been more to explain, but due to the plot’s course, allusions to the Alice in Wonderland theme and multitude of characters, I think MochiJun knew her limits and that it would have strayed far than the Aesop she wanted to tell us. (My personal pet peeve was Celia’s character no longer relevant lol.) While some characters we can feel sympathy for because we relate to their situation, it was very impersonal until they met their ‘end’. This is an ‘end’ that Mochijun has described as a ‘meaningful death’ after they gave a final monologue or met a personal goal described in the VnC interview.

In VnC, it’s much different. It’s told through one character’s eyes and journey, we can feel what Noe feels, and feels the emotions of the other characters when he reads their memories. His monologue gives us context if we can not empathize with those characters. There’s a slower burn in appreciating a character‘s complexity but Noe’s lack of insight without memory reading to what’s around him creates an intense curiosity on our end that pulls us in. Is it biased? Sure is, but because of Noe’s naivety, role as the narrator and the Watson, the audience is also going along the journey with him. (And harbouring his regrets too…) .

The part where I begin to answer your question sry for the long pre-text

While my shipping instincts hope for VanitasxNoe to be canon, realistically, I think Mochijun will use Vanitas as a very important lesson for Noe, rather than firmly establish a relationship for the fandom. Remember that Noe’s role in the story is that a of a student as well. That lesson ties in with Teacher’s request of him: ‘When you learn about the people around the Book of Vanitas (who they are, what they do), how will you then define the Book of Vanitas? That is what I’m curious about.’

I like to believe the lesson Noe learns from Vanitas is ‘What is love?’ and ‘What is salvation?’ To an extent, what Noe learns will be the theme of VnC that Mochijun wants to tell the audience.

What is love?

Let’s bring back Mochijun’s answers from the VnC interview:

1) Mentions that Vani and Noe aren’t ‘buddies/best friends’ (like Dante teases Vani on). They are so different but they attract each other and make up for what the other lacks. They have each other’s back that way. She’s also mentioned their relationship is inspired by Sherlock/Watson.

2) She wanted to write more action scenes, write more on how love is portrayed and ‘meaningless’ deaths.

This last part about love and death, I think will be a slow burn. There were lots of ships in PH, but the love was either already established or displayed in the lens of loyalty or devotion. Kind of like a ‘savior’ manner one character does for the other because they felt the other individual deserved/owed it and would burn the world for them or whatever.

This... I found very impersonal as a reader (this is not me down playing PH’s magnificence). However in VnC, Noe almost starts off on this note with Vanitas, but after seeing reflecting what happened at the Bal Masque, Noe changes his view with Teacher’s advice, to learn about the people around the Book of Vanitas, rather than deduct if it harms Vampires. Here, he starts to see Vanitas as a flawed human being and tries understand him, rather that how his ideals shape him as a potential savior.

This is the love I think Mochijun wants to show us this time. Love as in the process to feel and bond throughout a period of time, rather than being established on what you believe the other to be or think should be. In short, can you learn to accept the other person for who they are and the changes they go through?

Important to note that Noe is/was raised without distain between the races. He doesn’t understand what ‘love’ is either. Although I keep bringing up that dance of romance in Memoire 12 for shipping discussion, there’s the look he gives when Vanitas said he’s not interested in the kind of person that would fall for him. Noe says ‘I don’t understand him’ and ‘I wouldn’t understand the feeling in my chest until much much later.’ Since then until the most recent Memoire, Noe repeats that he doesn’t know much about Vanitas’ past or even still, but has since learned the kind of person he is. Because Noe tries to see people who they are without prejudice, we are there to emphasize with his version of who Vanitas is in that moment. Although he can’t word his feelings, we know his moments with Vanitas mean something and became something too, despite Vanitas’ coldness toward him.

This is a turning point where Noe is experiencing love’s tenderness and pain even though he doesn’t know what it is. Love as in, the process it takes you to understand what means to you and who can share that with you, whether that be as a dear friend that you can rely on, or a devoted romantic partner to walk through life with for life.

A side note, Noe’s current understanding of ‘love’ is his tenderness and warmth towards things and individuals he cares about (maybe to his favourite dessert tarte tatin too). He’s doesn’t have exposure to romance at all due to being isolated in a forest with the occasional friends and Louis/Domi.

What is salvation?

The second thing about love is salvation, and to extension... death.

I mentioned ‘salvation’, as this is the second thing in the manga Noe says he doesn’t understand. But, the difference between love and salvation is that this is something that he’s already defined in his own terms before realizing that it could mean something else for another individual. Salvation to him, and still seems to be, is to be saved from death. Death to him, is a miserable end as he couldn’t bring it upon himself to kill Louis, yet is haunted by his execution and disgust of being saved by Teacher.

Noe’s discussion of salvation is brought up 4 times as much as I can recall.

First time is when Noe confronts Vanitas at Bal Masque (Vanitas turns Catherine to dust at her request)

Then at Ruthven’s office when he says Loki (Luca’s bro) doesn’t need to be cured as it doesn’t guarantee salvation to him but doesn’t delve further so Noe doesn’t bring it up again.

After they escape Moreau’s lab, Noe wonders if Vanitas, the one who keeps talking about saving others, is the one who wishes to be saved the most. But doesn’t push it further.

Lastly in Gedauvan, where he tells Vanitas he doesn’t know what salvation may look like to Chloe + Jean-Jacques, but he doesn’t want them to leave without trying out to cure them first after Vanitas says Chloe became a curse bearer of her own will

Noe‘s naivety, curiousity and idealism is a weakness, but he’s stubborn and before he wants to be proven wrong or give up, he will try until the very end and convince others to go with him, unless it causes significant danger to others. As far the story goes, he uses this as a driving factor to accomplish goals of granting salvation for others with Vanitas to cure curse bearers. This is his challenge to learn about the different perceptions of a deeply held belief and how he will react to it.

Lessons of Love vs. Salvation - Will Noe have to choose one over the other or will someone make that decision for him?

Truthfully, given Mochijun’s twists and unexpected turns, I don’t know where their relationship will head. Sometimes, I will routinely make up theories and what not, but I thought I should enjoy her work and mindfully keep in check my shipping tendencies and hyper vigilant theories.

But this also makes me think about the themes as she said she wanted to write about. What pain did Noe had to experience himself to write a whole memoire about this journey (other than Teacher influencing him)?

I wonder if Noe will encounter an issue where someone’s concept of salvation is love? If this individual has such a twisted concept of both that is beyond Noe’s understanding, what will he do and how will he define it?

^^^^^WHICH, brings me to Vanitas! Remember these two iconic quotes about love and salvation he tells Noe in their personal discussions?

‘I’m not interested in the person who would fall for me.’

‘I’ll do as I please, use the methods I choose and no matter what you people want, I will save you Vampires without fail!’

They both have no idea what ‘love’ is, but have a personal firm concept of what ‘salvation’ is. Vanitas is more liberal in his view though, as in if someone chooses their own salvation, he’ll grant it to them (or if the situation calls for it, he give it to them in his own manner regardless what that person wants), where Noe will try until the end to prevent death.

Johann has also mentioned that Noe has never killed anyone and has deducted that he just uses violence to shut someone up when he tries to have a civil discussion and is the type to hold back before fatally injuring the other. So we know Noe is not the type to deliberately hurt/use anyone. He cannot stand the idea of suffering and will do anything to help, we see him use up time to have the civil discussions which annoys Vanitas, but it works (so far).

Throughout the series, Noe gives a bit of affection and emotional support (’love’) to Vanitas where he needs it. This is the ‘process’ of love as I discussed above. The ‘salvation’ he may provide Vanitas may be that death he tells us about at the end of that journey, and perhaps remember who he was as he writes out VnC for us with his status as an Archiviste.

On the other hand, Vanitas who has issues with love and a complicated relationship to salvation, is slowly warming up to Noe, but the audience only sees snippets of this care in small increments and this is given more push for context from other characters like Dante and perhaps Jeanne (who romance with Vani might actually be canon). So the process of ‘love’ given by Vanitas will not be easy for the audience to experience alone as Noe’s since he is VnC’s POV narrator.

Hence, Vanitas’ actions of love and salvation towards Noe will be delivered in climatic point of the storyline which could be at the time when Noe will kill him. While other readers speculate or hope that Vanitas could cheat death with the Blue Moon’s power (rewritten into something), some ominous revival may happen, or some spiritual thing, I suspect Vanitas will actually be dead for real. Mochijun is not playing with us this time… but not like she ever was.

Remember the quote bubble from Memoire 1?

‘Noe, I won’t die Noe, even if I’m no longer here.’

This line I suspect, will be Vanitas’ display of love and salvation for Noe.

Vanitas knows Noe can’t stand death as an option for salvation without trying. He might have made a decision to die alone for whatever reason (ironic that he hates that) but doesn’t want Noe to feel the pain of killing another, or losing someone close to him again due to external factors or his own actions. (Noe’s abandonment issues). His quote takes the burden of responsibility of his death away from Noe. This part is the ‘love’ he offers to comfort Noe that he won’t ‘die’ and make it sounds like a goodbye instead, which kind of sounds like a blatant lie and a little cruel. That’s what Vanitas’ experience with love is like: cruel and painful. Noe, who’s love is gentle and tender, Vanitas returns it in the purest form he’s most familiar with in the most twisted scenarios.

The ‘salvation’ in Vanitas quote, is to cease additional despair, self-blame and burden for Noe who still laments the death of loved ones. But he does it in his own way (use the methods I choose, no matter what you want kind of deal) to tell Noe that he has to let go of these haunted thoughts, such as Louis’s death. To let go of him. Otherwise, Noe will eventually be harmed if he doesn’t, so I guess this may be a wake up call to him as Vanitas is gone. I think Vanitas might make that decision of love and salvation for Noe at the very last moment.

Noe’s lesson is to accept that, or learn to acknowledge that love can be cruel, painful and that salvation will have forms of sacrifice. Noe will have to learn to let go, accept the ‘consequences’ of the decisions he made and live well. This won’t be a happy end for either of them. Or us.

Yeah, I suspect this might be a defining point of the VnC that Mochijun wants to understand about ‘love’.

Umm this was long ramble, but thank you for the ask anon! I got lots of thoughts running through my head but I think this is enough for me to get back to other life responsibilities in the mean time before Memoire 55 comes out.

#Daily rambles #answering asks #noe x vanitas #vanitas no carte #the case study of vanitas #les memoires de vanitas #noe archiviste #Vanitas #vnc vanitas #Mochizuki jun #Analysis #book theories #vnc spoilers #vnc theory #Otp 2.0 #thank you for reading my essay

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