“You must never let anyone steal your true name. Your true name is the formula that shapes your very being. It is your life itself.” – “The Case Study of Vanitas” – Chapter 1 

“The Case Study of Vanitas” was initially published on April 22, 2016, in Japan and was published in English in December 2016.

The manga was illustrated and written by Jun Mochizuki and was very on and off with updates due to her health. There is also an anime available, but it has not finished yet. It was initially released on July 2, 2021 with Studio Bones animating it. There are 24 episodes available and in English on Crunchy Roll, Hulu, Disney +, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV. 

For those interested, the genre of this story is historical dark fiction with a steampunk atmosphere and vampires. The story follows protagonist Noe Archiviste as he embarks on a journey alongside human doctor, Vanitas, in an effort to understand the Book of Vanitas. The first chapter lures the viewer into it with the quote from Noe at the end of it saying, “This is the beginning of the tale of how I met Vanitas and how we walked together.”

“Of all we gained and lost, and of how at the end of that journey, I would kill him with my own two hands,” he finished. 

This quote really foreshadows the ending that hasn’t happened yet, but entices you well enough to keep you hooked. It also makes the viewer wonder how the relationship between the two will blossom throughout the series. 

Noe makes for an interesting protagonist. He has it in his mind that he wants to learn more about the Book of Vanitas, but inadvertently has to learn about the human that the book has been passed down to. 

We get to see his personality and how he grew up with his vampiric outlook. Our secondary protagonist is really the one that brings a lot of hot button questions into the story. 

The mystery of Vanitas himself haunts the narrative and brings more questions than already provided by the developing story.

It leaves some interesting questions such as: Why was the Book of Vanitas passed down to a human? Why does the human use the book to save vampires instead of for its intended purpose? Why does Noe agree to travel with this human “doctor?”

If you want these questions answered, then this manga is definitely worth your time to pick up. There is plenty of time to catch up on it with its 66 chapters available. 

To read this manga online for free, there are a couple of sites available, but https://thecasestudyofvanitas.com is a really good one to use to keep up with the series, but you’ll have to dodge some ads on this website.