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briebysabs · 2 years

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I’ve been thinking about vanijeanne and how confusing they are. But there is a direction mochijun could go with their relationship that honestly has me HOOKED

Let me rant like usual.

I’ve said this before but the set-up for their relationship is odd to me. I won’t say it’s bad, depending on whether what I say will happen, but it’s something that I felt could’ve been formed a lot differently. We’re moving very quickly for a supposedly canon ship, leaping if you will. So. I think this thing they have could go in a “learning experience” for both of them. None of them know what the fuck they’re doing and honestly, neither of them should enter a relationship to begin with.

Here are stuff I think is happening: Vanitas is infatuated with Jeanne. Vanitas genuinely likes Jeanne, I have no doubts on that. He doesn’t love her though. What he feels isn’t love and who knows, maybe it’s something that’ll develop over time. But love is something that involves a lot. One of them is being vulnerable with the other person. I do not think Vanitas is willing to be emotionally vulnerable with Jeanne. They could kiss, go on dates, possibly more, but there will always be a divide.

And it’s understandable, given his trauma and what not. Opening up will be a pretty big problem, maybe he’ll get there. Maybe he won’t. Then we get to Jeanne, which is where I get a bit lost. Because she didn’t “love” Vanitas until their date. So it’s like, girl, babe. Do you love Vanitas? Or do you love the idea of Vanitas? You like the idea of being in love? Because there is a stark difference that matters A LOT.

Love isn’t this romanticized fairytale that she’s imagining. It’s bumpy, there are tears every now and then. It’s a beautiful feeling but it can also hurt. So when Vanitas isn’t showering you with compliments, gifts, and blood. When he’s at a low point, can you handle that? Do you love Vanitas as a person? Because this person right......is kinda fucked up. Life kinda scarred him in more ways than one and I don’t think Jeanne realizes how broken he is. And Vanitas, refusing to open up to Jeanne, won’t tell her that. Won’t share that.

So this combination is either going to go up in flames in the most chaotic way. Or sizzle out until they both come to the conclusion that this cannot work. And if mochijun goes this direction, first of all, excellent writing. It’d be a fresh turn on the main boy gets with main girl trope. But y’all KNOW I got the popcorn ready 😙🍿

#the case study of vanitas #anime #vnc manga #les memoires de vanitas #vanitas no carte #jun mochizuki #vampires #vanitas #jeanne #jeanne the hellfire witch #vanijeanne #ships #ship analysis #pls go in this direction #trauma #relationship #Mochijun I know you want to #love

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bonnievoyage · 1 year

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man if i see one more person compare v.nc to p.h i'm gonna turn into a vat of acid

#like i get that you cant help but compare a creator's work w smth youre already familiar w #but v/nc fans act like that's all she knows how to write so it's gonna be Just like p.h which #i havent seen it or read it ngl but as a writer that just comes across as super insulting #esp since mochijun said that she wants vn.c to be better than p/h bc she doesn't have as much holding her back #and she feels that it's flawed and she can do better #like yes there's gonna be some inevitable easter eggs and similar vibes #but that's called writing things that you like and having a style it doesn't mean the plot is 1:1

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ecoamerica · 2 months

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izartn · 1 month

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Not the Vanitas vol. 11 cover equaling Noé's desire for tarte Tatin locked behind the mirror, unable to touch it, for his desire for Vanitas.

(EDIT: SPECIAL VARIANT COVER! NOT OFFICIAL COVER!)

Bc Vanitas is the center of the cover, focus et all. It's the homemade by Vani Tarte Tatin and how it symbolizes their budding relationship and feelings. Vanitas serious face incongruous with Noé stars in his eyes. His clothes which aren't the typical he wears but his secondary/emergency ones, which we saw on that chapter he and Dominique commiserate about their feelings for Noé and the clothes thing is very heavily linked to identity and specifically a sense of security for Vani.

Holy shit. Vani is not dressing as Vanitas for this cover. He's not smirking or putting a front. He's holding up that Tarte Tatin as himself.

I'm gonna start clawing, climbing my walls. Mochijun!!!!??

The sandtimer earring is completely insignificant when usually is super prominent for Vani artwork! It's there but you miss it on first sight.

Murr is also behind the window/mirror with Noé! SUS! IT'S SO SUS!

Am I paranoid or just suitably scared of Mochijun ability to foreshadow? Who knows. Not me for sure.

I'm still reeling about how obvious this cover makes Noé attachment to Vanitas and viceversa. Come on! The way we all know those stars in the eyes are for the Tarte Tatin, but also Vanitas blood and the relationship Noé has/wants with him.

Mochijun!!!!!!!

#the case study of vanitas #vanitas no carte #vnc meta #meta #my thoughts #vnc vanitas #vnc noé #vannoé

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grassbreads · 4 months

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Also on the subject of Mochijun and master/servant relationships, I remember seeing MDZS takes a few times that draw on the idea that Jiang Cheng wanting Wei Wuxian to be his right hand man (and therefore arguably subservient) their whole lives means he looked down on him, and I just. I read Pandora Hearts at a formative age and fictional master/servant relationships have been irreparably romanticized in my brain forever now. Sorry if the same thing didn't happen to you.

Even if Wei Wuxian did end up as Jiang Cheng's right hand man and/or servant, I know it would've turned into a "you work for me, so that means it's my job to protect and be devoted to you" type deal. A mutual obsessive devotion in which the power dynamics have become a bizarre web. Or at least that's what JC dreamt of. You read enough Mochijun manga at age 14/15 and those dynamics just come naturally to you.

#it's okay JC I see you I understand you #I think Jiang Cheng should read pandora hearts. I think that would do something to him #wwx too for that matter #and yeah OBVIOUSLY I know this same framework doesn't apply to every fictional servant situation. but when it does. man #VERY similar vibes too from zy and bl from ts #I think my guy bl would be right at home among the likes of gil wil and jj #invasion of the frogs

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neversetyoufree · 30 days

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I started vnc way back when there was only one volume, stopped, and only restarted it last week 🙈 since then, I have reread it twice and will again, once I'm done with exams, as it has turned me insane. And since no one I know reads it, I just wanted to ask what your thoughts are on my theory that the reason not 'didn't reach out to vanitas' thus leading to his death is because of Ruthven compulsion on him? Cuzco after the 'ill never set you free'thing, I just can't see noel not reaching out tonight purpose. Your blog is a joy to read through, and I love your meta!

Hello!! Thank you so much! It's always great to see another person having fun with my favorite manga :D.

My thoughts on Vanitas's eventual death are. complicated. If we keep going down the path we're on now, I honestly suspect Vanitas's death is going to be more assisted suicide than murder. IE, Vanitas asks for Noé to kill him because it's preferable to the alternative.

Per Ruthven's compulsion, I definitely think it's going to come up, and I do like the idea of Ruthven trying to force Noé to hurt or kill Vanitas, but I don't think it's going to be how Vanitas dies. In a way, I think that would feel somewhat cheap.

Noé killing Vanitas because of his oath to Ruthven would make sense on a plot level. It's a nice, logical explanation for why Noé would kill someone he so clearly adores. I can see why it's a lot of people's theory! However, that explanation wouldn't really deliver on an emotional level. It's just not interesting for Noé's characterization.

For one thing, making Noé kill Vanitas when he's not in control of himself would strip away all of Noé's agency. With VnC's opening chapter, Mochijun sets us up so that the entire time we're reading, we're asking ourselves "but why will Noé kill him?" It's a big source of intrigue and suspense. And to me, finally resolving that suspense with "It's not his fault! He was artificially forced to!" feels like a major letdown. It adds nothing to Noé's character. It's answering that all-important "why" with "There is no reason why. He didn't actually want to." I think that would be a cop-out.

Through that denial of agency, I think this ending would also risk losing out on a lot of potential character development for Noé. The core of Noé and Louis's tragedy is that Noé desperately wanted to save Louis, but the only kind of salvation Louis wanted from him was death, and Noé couldn't give him that.

Now Noé has another person close to him that is also seeking salvation through death. If Noé kills Vanitas, but he's not in control of himself when he does, that misses out on a big opportunity. Has Noé come to understand salvation through death? Has his worldview changed since Louis made that request of him? Does he have it in him to kill a loved one if that's what they ask? If Vanitas's death is forced by Ruthven, then we're much less likely to get answers to those questions.

Personally, my favorite hope/theory for how Ruthven's order will play out is the idea that Ruthven will order Noé to hurt/stop/kill Vanitas, but Vanitas will manage to snap Noé out of it in the same way Noé broke Vanitas's self-hypnosis in the amusement park. There's nothing I love more than a gay little parallel.

I can see a scenario where Ruthven's oath is what pushes Vanitas close to death? Maybe Noé will be ordered to try to kill Vanitas, and that will set off whatever horrible chain of events pushes Vanitas to ask for death that final time. But even if Ruthven does order Noé to hurt Vanitas (which is a big if), I don't think it will be what causes the killing blow.

#I think I remember posting some of these thoughts before years ago #but I'm having trouble finding any relevant posts. so here's this instead.#anyway I always feel a little bad when people send me their theories and I end up arguing against them #thank you for the ask genuinely!#it's an interesting theory and I do see why people like it. even if I don't want it to happen for the listed reasons #vnc #vanitas no carte #the case study of vanitas #ask #anon #theory #the vanoé agenda #<<this isn't a ship post but that's my tag for everything about their relationship lol

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ozwuv · 4 months

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How did you learn to draw hands?

HANDS I'm a freak who loves drawing hands... This is going to sound odd, but it's another thing that ties into being autistic for me kfdsjkfsd I have poor facial recognition skills and generally avoid eye contact, so I tend to identify people by their hands. I couldn't reliably visualize my own mother's face if my life depended on it, but I sure do know exactly what the back of her hands look like. As a result, I have hands burnt into my memory lol. But more importantly, I love to draw character interaction, and hands are sooo integral to that. If I force myself to enjoy something or at least hold a lot of interest in it, it'll be easier to learn long term and I think that's something a lot of people can relate to.

More under the cut bc I'm longwinded

The other thing is something nobody wants to hear, but tbh just studying them lol. Short gesture drawings are best for this (think 60 seconds max), but tbh Mochijun's way of drawing hands really inspired me when PH was still running in the last quarter of the manga. I wouldn't suggest studying purely from one person's illustrations, but it helps to pick out a few artist who draws hands in a way you love. Nowadays Hoshino's (DGM's mangaka) way of drawing hands inspires the heeeell out of me.

Like are you seeing this shit? The way she draws hands fucking rules lol

I wouldn't stick to 100% studying irl hands or 100% studying drawn hands -- a mix of both is great, bc you can have all the knowledge in the world of how to realistically emulate hands, but studying how others stylize hands can be helpful for actually drawing them. This goes for anything in general because not having an idea of how to incorporate something you're studying into your art can be really frustrating. For example, the thing I enjoy most about how Hoshino draws hands is how the fingers are not just straight lines -- they have dips and jut out to indicate knuckles/joints and such. I find the way she draws hands to be so expressive, unique, and beautiful.

Another thing to keep in mind: don't focus on the details. Just get the general silhouette down for a bunch of different poses -- details can come later. This is why gesture drawing is so useful, it forces you to get the key points down so you don't over-detail something you don't fully understand yet and wind up making things look awkward/stiff.

Also, never forget you (most likely) have two hands right in front of you that you can reference any time! Take pics of your own hands from various angles if you must. Really useful!

Btw: Quickposes a really useful resource for gesture and figure drawing. It has options specifically for hands (!), humans, animals, landscapes, etc, with time intervals as short as 30 seconds, and an option for custom intervals. Line of Action is also great, but it's limited to just human options.

I haven't used either of the above in a while since I'm too lazy to draw anything but anime lol but if they're still as good as I remember, I would highly recommend them.

OH ALSO SONIC FANART you have to git gud at drawing hands if you want to draw sonic characters they got bigass hands. Sonic also taught me how to draw shoes kfjDOIWGJI

ALSO PT 2 just trace shit. Literally. People act like tracing is evil but it's a great way to learn. You can even trace other artist's work, just don't post it and claim it as yours lol

#THANK YOU for asking about this i really adore drawing hands. AND YOU CAN TOO!!!#yip yap

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ecoamerica · 1 month

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aguacerotropical · 2 months

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The Count de Saint Germain as Paracelsus (or His Corrupted Foil), and King Basilio

There's a theory floating around that I've mentioned before, and that I did not come up with but can't remember who did, about The Shapeless One being (literally or figuratively) a corrupted Paracelsus. Well, his outfit always reminded me of something, and I just realized it's a magician's outfit complete with a wand (that has stars at the end).

Again, the direct reference is the weird eccentric alchemist, musician, magician, obscurantist and probable conman the Count de Saint Germain, but the possibility of a secondary reference is interesting. At the very least, it might be playing as a foil to the creator of Babel.

The idea of him as a magician is also kind of cool when you take into account the Marquis Machina's speech to Ruthven after the Gevaudan Arc. She/he/they also recalls magic, and possibly shows how alike they are.

I also mentioned this over two years ago when I first watched the anime, but the fact that The Shapeless One wears a broken watch indicates (to me) that he's a creature out of time itself. Could simply be that he's the oldest vampire in history, except maybe for the Faustina or Luna themselves, or that he's something more than just vampire. Like Paracelsus himself.

(or a corrupted analogue to him.)

Is there a third (?!) reference to King Basilio in Life is a Dream?

And finally, almost forgot this, but I've always said that his speech about "dreams are only dreams, inevitably there will come a time when you have to wake up and face reality" from chapter 55 sounds suspiciously like Pedro Calderón de la Barca's well known "Life is a Dream" play with its famous verse:

What is life? 'Tis but a madness. What is life? A thing that seems, A mirage that falsely gleams, Phantom joy, delusive rest, Since is life a dream at best, And even dreams themselves are dreams

I don't really want to get into the full possibilities of that reference, particularly with the idea of free will vs predestination that also smoulders in the back of Vanitas no Carte's storyline. I think that deserves it's own essay (and a personal reread of the play).

But lets talk about it superficially. The play's summary goes like this: The protagonist Segismundo's father King Basilio is obsessed with science and astrology. The stars predict his son will be a tyrant, so he locks him in a tower and runs a kind of natural experiment to see if he will turn the tyrant that the stars predict when he's set free. Or if he can exercise free will and become a good king. If he's a tyrant, he locks him back up and convinces him the whole thing was a dream. There's also crossdressing. It's a fun read.

Anyways, it reminds me of The Shapeless One's experiments on Louis. He locked him up in a castle at a mythical region of France, Averoigne, to see if he would become a curse-bearer, as was his (supposedly) destiny due to being born as a twin. Or if he had the free will to break free. Obviously Louis, unlike Segismundo, lost and died. (Or maybe he's locked somewhere else, I know there's some Louis de Sade is Alive Truthers out there!). I could talk about his machinations on Mikhail and Noé as well, but this is long enough.

Astolfo also appears as a character in the play, but Calderón de la Barca lifts him from the same source material Mochijun does in La Chanson de Roland. Not sure if dear Pedro gets it directly from that epic poem or one of its derivative works though, and I'm not curious enough on that to research it.

So I can't draw a direct reference, but it would be strange that someone as well-read on classic European lit like Mochijun wouldn't know of Pedro Calderón de la Barca, probably the most famous Spanish Golden Age writer, and his version of Astolfo.

#i wonder if the whole dreams are only dreams speech is as familiar to english-speakers as spanish-speakers #spanish is a fun language sometimes because a lot of turns of phrases are linked to old Spanish Golden Age works #some of it from Lope de Vega or Calderón de la Barca. Thats what my scholarly friend says anyways #the case study of vanitas #vanitas no carte #the shapeless one #the count de saint germain #vnc #vnc meta #vnc references

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exilley · 11 months

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I do wonder from time to time who the intended audience for Case Study of Vanitas even is cuz sure you can slap whatever generic genre labels you want to stick onto it. Supernatural Shounen Action Romance might be the closest you can get to describing it in layman's terms but the four lead characters are literally just a hair short of being explicitly queer, there is a plethora of intertextual callbacks to Mochijun's previous work Pandora Hearts, like 90% of the cast are classic literature and biblical references ahoy, you need to be familiar with french history to even begin dissecting multiple different story arcs, and to top it all off a healthy dose of art history + criticism is pretty crucial to establishing a baseline understanding of the symbolic and thematic aesthetics of VnC's writing. like if you can't jump over even one of those hurdles you're deluding yourself if you think you'd be able to get anything personally meaningful out of that story especially because it puts to liberal use erotic imagery and dramatic theatrics to elicit strong emotions from the reader when often those emotions themselves don't carry much narrative substance. no one is a reliable narrator, no one is a wholly decent person, everyone is going through it all the time and the only thing you're able to speculate on is how the tragic punchline unfolds because you already know how the series will end. like of course something like that would rewire your brain a bit permanently

#exilley's diary #vnc #vanitas no carte #case study of vanitas #mochijun #guess who just finished their 4th reread of the carnival chapters !!!

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torterrachampion · 9 months

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Chloé and Jeanne's relationship is everything to me actually.

Does Jeanne know? Does she know that when Chloé was in the deepest depths of despair the only thing she wanted was to see her again? Doesn't it make you feel insane!? And in a series like vnc Chloé wanted to die with Jeanne next to her or at Jeanne's hands!?

Even more, she ultimately decided not to make Jeanne carry the burden of her life when she saw how much pain it was causing her. But Jeanne carried the burden anyway! She's a tool for killing and she couldn't even take Chloé's life when she asked for it! Saving her was beyond Jeanne's imagination, but when given a second chance she at least wanted to be the one to kill her as she once wished.

The fact she failed the first time is in itself so foul. Jeanne's deathly afraid of someone else getting hurt because she disobeys orders but who did she have to care about but Chloé? Was there even anyone else left for her to fear losing at that time? There probably wasn't anything worse than Chloé dying.

She wanted to save Chloé so much! That latent desire is probably the only reason Jean-Jacques survived her. The second she receives the support she so badly needed Jeanne puts her all into saving her! Jeanne started the arc feeling like she made a mistake not killing her and ended it feeling like she made a mistake not trying to save her!

The fact that Jeanne reaching out to Chloé was given equal weight to Jean-Jacques means so much to me. Their relationships to her are very different but they were both just as necessary to save her. There is no hierarchy when it comes to how and why they love her. Jeanne and Jean-Jacques were both necessary to get Chloé to get through to her in the way she needed.

I can't be normal about them. They carried their affection for one another for over a century based on a short, almost insignificant period in each of their lives. The small kindnesses and company they offered one another was enough to form a basically unconditional bond between them.

Also absolutely insane that Jeanne ends the arc helping Chloé find the strength to keep living then immediately turns around and reaffirms Vanitas's promise to kill her. Truly a woman of all time.

Anyway, best female friendship in a mochijun manga.

#hi I'm thinking about vampire women at midnight how are you #talk to me about chloé and jeanne talk to me about chloé and jeanne #vnc #if this is incoherent keep it to yourself as I said it is midnight #vanitas no carte

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liesweliveby · 8 months

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For character bingo: Domi and Luca from vnc

Domi:

AYYYYY BINGO ON THE FIRST ONE (c'mon she's gotta have daddy issues right? he doesn't seem to be very present with his children)

domi domi domi my most fucking beloved. favorite vnc character . baby. sweetheart. no one is going to be happy if you throw yourself off a ferris wheel. if she dies at the end of vnc (no character is safe from mochijun except noé) I am going to commit arson. she's such a well-written character - of course that goes for all of them, but she's Special to me. I love her so much. I love her bitchiness toward vani. I love her devotion when she loves someone. I want her to keep exploring other relationships with people outside of noé. I love the fact that she's a spoiled rich girl who doesn't even CONSIDER cooking because that's "the servant's job, no?". I love that she took Jeanne under her wing (and was saved by her). I love her kindness. I want her to realize that Louis never blamed her for not being the chosen twin. I want her to know how much she's loved (and the recent chapter took her a step closer to that). I love her so much.

Luca:

the thing about luca is we know so LITTLE about him. I want to know more about him. I want to know more about his relationship with his brother. I want to know more about him outside of his relationship with Jeanne. I want to hear more about how he struggles under the pressure of his position. I want to know how he feels about his brother being chained up. I WANT TO KNOW

#thank you for sending this I love asks #dominique de sade #luca oriflamme #asks

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briebysabs · 8 months

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Since I am such a normal individual I’ve decided to attempt breaking down vanoé’s character song “Le Formidable”. I don’t hear much talk about it but the lyrics are just as cryptic and wild as the OP/ED.

Before we get into it, in terms of translation, I could only find one on YouTube that thankfully color-coded the lyrics so I could decipher who sings what. If anyone has any other translations, I’d love to know please. So a bunch of the lines you can kinda figure out who’s singing but here’s how it’s gonna be:

Vanitas =💙

Noé =💜

Vanoe= 💙💜

Simple enough let’s get into it :)

💜: /I want to stay in bed feeling the warmth of the sun and drift in and out of this sweet dream/

Already we’ve mentioned dreaming, a running theme in this song. There is the well-known line Teacher says in chapter 55...

Sleeping, specifically in regards to Noé, is something mochijun makes the audience take note. He can’t sleep without holding something. When he can’t fall asleep, it is highlighted like the night Vanitas rejected Noé drinking his blood. He doesn’t want Vanitas to disappear and I personally like how in the recent chapter, Vanitas stays by his side for a while. Almost like callback to that moment on the train but I’m getting carried away. You get the correlation I’m making, it’ll get very important later on.

We also have those warmth and sun connections to Noé, a large part of his character and Vanitas’ gravitation towards him.

💙: /With this grey weather today, this day will go by without any harmony/

We see Vanitas’ pessimistic outlook on life; grey, cloudy, devoid of color. Devoid of comfort and obviously these two contrasting people will clash but mix together throughout the song.

💜: /Tarte Tatin, Altus Paris! Endless interesting things!/

💙: /It’s always like this! Here and there, endlessly losing sight./

This seems pretty straightforward, Noé is getting distracted by all the wonderful things as usual and Vanitas chastises him. But let’s frame this another way, Noé is choosing to not focus. It’s simpler that way. He’s turning his focus elsewhere to better things, more pleasant things. And Vanitas is trying to wake him up. I’ll explain more in my theory soon.

💜: /What to look for today from this city/

💙: /Ah with all these things/

💙💜: /There is no time to rest/

Simple lyrics here. No comment.

💙💜: /Le formidable! Le formidable! It’s really easy. Just colliding, rolling down, and repeating again/

Here we are entering the chorus. There’s a common thread of repetition in every OP and ED in VnC. Like clockwork, these two have fallen into this pattern.

Colliding- Vanoé meeting, two worlds learning how to come together, joining as one

Rolling down- their downfall, incoming despair and tragedy

Repeating again- they find themselves back where they started, fated to be born and to die

Let me say the first part of my theory and keep this in the back of your head while remembering the lyrics: VnC is not a time loop in the traditional sense but rather a loop of memories. Also keep in mind the first ED Zero: “Now I remember, oh I have never lived a day without you. Untie the layer of memories...”

💙: /This worthless-/

💜: /wonderful-/

💙💜: /world we are walking on. Even not knowing is sometimes nice, right?/

Again, vanoé with different outlooks on life meet each other. But more importantly, we see the display of ignorance or blissful unawareness. We the audience have a vague idea on how this story ends and in a way, so do they. Vanitas knows very well he is doomed and has already entrusted Noé to end his life if it comes to it. But we also don’t know the specifics of their downfall and neither do they.

So this line has a double meaning that refers to the characters and the reader. As yeah it is nice to read vnc and enjoy the happy moments without knowing the painful details of what’s to come.

💜: /Over there something is flapping their wings/

💙: /And these uncountable days pass by. It’s not worth worrying about. So many unknown things, without meaning/

💜: /Escalier! I want to see the bright colors beyond!/

Noé, again giving his attention to supposedly insignificant things as Vanitas tends to see the larger picture, not caring for the mundane. Uncountable days can be matched with the grey weather mentioned earlier. But that also means things are murky, blur together, cloudy. They don’t make sense to Vanitas (such as love, his self-worth, the nature within people) while Noé wants to experience all the brightness of the world.

💙: /I told you to be quiet today, yet here we are!/

💜: /Now you loud person!/

💙💜: /I told you I hardly have time to breathe/

So, hypothetical scenario if we take this song literal: Vanoé is exploring the city because Noe wanted to Vanitas couldn’t say no. Vanitas is fed up and Noé thinks his complaints are aggravating. But this part shows a lack of understanding. They’re yelling about their own hardships but don’t see the other’s perspective.

💙💜: /Le formidable! Le formidable! It’s a simple thing. It’s just finding, losing sight and repeating again/

💜: /I want to dream/

💙: /It’s just a dream/

💙💜: /The world keep walking while not knowing the truth at this point/

Ok there’s a lot to dig our teeth in here. First of all, the finding, losing sight, repeating is another way of describing the colliding and rolling down said prior. Vanoe find each other, they lose each other, it’s fated to happen all over again. Now the big piece here, I want to dream/It’s just a dream. Surface-level interpretation > another instance of their differences. Noé wants be surrounded by dreams and wonder. While Vanitas looks at that beauty and scoff at it, since it isn’t real therefore not worth caring for. But if we read into this carefully, Noé wants to dream. He wants to stay in these memories, he doesn’t want to live in a world without Vanitas.

Let’s go back to OP 1: “I love this world and the light only you give me.”

We know OP 1 is Noe’s POV so let’s ask ourselves why would the Noé we are seeing, the one smiling at all the colors of the world say Vanitas is the only light he has (emphasis on “only”). Because the Noé singing the first OP is operating with far more knowledge and despair. We don’t know the truth at this point. “This world” is not real.

Allow me to offer what I think is happening. Noé and Vanitas meet, they go on this journey of understanding, trust, and love, Vanitas reaches his end and is killed by Noé. Noé lives on. We can tell the Noé writing this story is full of regret and sadness. But why is he writing this all down? He’s retelling the memories, putting them down physically on paper. Two things happened:

a) He exchanged his name with Naenia, wishing to remain in a world with Vanitas in it. Because that wish is still very present, Naenia has great interest in Noé. She mentions seeing him before in Louis but it could be a classic mochijun misdirect and it’s actually from receiving his name in a different iteration. There is that official art with Noé wearing Vanitas’ coat with that goat entity he saw in Gevaudan, pinned to his vest.

However this can only work if Naenia is still around and isn’t resolved/defeated in the memoirs.

b) This is more likely in my opinion. Noé uses the Books and the memoirs act as a catalyst for him to have the world become his memories or for him to live in them. I know only those with blue blood or something can use the books.

Which is why Dr. Moreau had those experiments with Vanitas and Misha. Don’t worry, I already have a theory that Archivistes are some form of blue moon vampires but that is a whole other discussion. Point is, I think the Books of Vanitas are like an Elliot sword situation. Yes, Elliot owns the Nightray sword and carries it around but you don’t know its true purpose in the story until Leo wields it.

Noé causes these memories to replay, perhaps to save Vanitas or simply to dream again. Go back to when he was last happy. But here’s the thing, the Noé in this memory is unaware or ignorant of this, sees his present world as the real one and undergoes the events of the series. Vanitas dies, he lives on, and creates a memory world for himself. Rinse, recycle, repeat. Essentially, the first ED gave it away. The entirety of VnC is a layer of memories. Even the narrator Noé we are hearing is a memory that is trying to manifest a world of his own.

Reality and dreams are all intertwined now and Noé got lost in it. There are leaks in the cracks, for example when Vanitas cries and tells Luna his mother died at childbirth why would he call to her. Initially, you can read this as he’s just missing what he never had. But what if Vanitas’ mother was present in his life 9 memory loops ago but because these memories get further from the truth the more it happens, Noé simply forgot that detail when making the memoirs at some point in time. So now, in the memory layer #52 Vanitas has no mother.

💜: /We will see what we “cannot see”/

💙: /We will know what we “don’t know”/

💙💜: /The final stop of this world that seems to be changing, seems only further ahead/

Noe’s line possibly goes into his Archiviste nature and how he experiences reading memories. It can as well build back into the dream/memory loop thing, he’s seeing things he can no longer “see.”

Vanitas’ line can be drawn to what Noé said during their fight.

Vanitas acts like he has the final word and has a full grasp of how this world/himself works. But he really doesn’t and Noé is living proof of that, proving him wrong on several occasions that there’s still hope, they can’t give up yet, he won’t leave him etc. The final stop of this world is changing, but it’s further ahead. This is a story, a preserved section of time from the past. We gotta ask ourselves... why would the last stop be changing? Again, Vanitas’ death is the final stop but it’s changing, perhaps from the countless iterations we’ve gone through Noé writes the memoirs in a way that delays the ending. So he could remain just a little longer…

💙💜: /Le formidable! Le formidable! Everything is fine. While forgetting, hiding, and repeating it/

💙: /This worthless/

💜: /wonderful/

💙💜: /world we are walking on/

💙: /I don’t know but even so/

💜: /If it can make you smile.../

After this, it ends the song by repeating the first chorus with the colliding-rolling down part so I’ll make this the cutting point. The “everything is fine” totally doesn’t stick out in a story where we know everything will not be fine. The forgetting and hiding goes back to my dream-memory theory, Noé is hiding from the truth in these stacks upon stacks of memories and is possibly forgetting things as they really happened as a result. We already know he isn’t the most reliable narrator. But Noé wants to see Vanitas’ smile.

If it can make you smile again, if it can replay your laughter, why would I ever leave this wonderful lie? In OP 1: “Your laughing was reflected by a daydream”.

I’ll conclude this by saying two things. If you want to get even deeper, you can interpret Vanitas in this song as the voice in the back of Noé’s head. Its just a dream, this world is actually worthless, and Noé is trying to drown out those thoughts. Because yeah they sing lines together but the only time they’re directly speaking to each other is when Vanitas scolds Noé and Noé shouts back, calling him loud. Finally, I could be wrong in all this. I am aware how crazy I may look and I'm so thankful if you read this far.

But yeah if this is anywhere near canon, mochijun must be the most unhinged, absolutely cracked author I’ve ever seen. We’re going into Pandora Hearts levels of intricacy here. I hope you enjoyed my insanity 👍🏼

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fivekrystalpetals · 1 year

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ahfjsjkksl I haven't yet finished processing this arc but I am stupid giggling over here bc I am so thoroughly fed with my guilty pleasure ship like mochijun is feeding me large spoonfuls of delicious spicy content *here comes the airplane aaaah*

I totally screamed when he popped out of nowhere and this happened:

(mochijun really said the next time they meet, they are gonna be dressed up so grand and pretty. this is the most dapper I have ever seen Break (out of that school boyish clown costume. finally.))

honestly, they should leave all this Pandora and Isla Yura and whatnot business and go out on a date come on he left emily behind on purpose bc she'd only be a cockblock lmao

I am gonna post every crumb of them here just watch me

("met" apparently. and ofc you did, how can I forget?)

Break is so funny; he is like: um... Miss Lottie... isn't it? We MeT iN SaBLier laST TiME, rEmEmbEr? as if he met her at a ball or something lmao. Break, you have a sword at her throat. is this any way for a gentleman to greet a lady? Lady Shirley would be so disappointed.

also, something my brain thought of: he can't see in this arc. he did not know those 'false' Baskervilles were wearing red until Lottie happens to point this out (otherwise he'd never have known). and just before this scene, it's all Isla Yura screaming like the drama queen he is; nobody called out her name or anything. then how did Break know it's her?

my hopeless shipping brain: her perfume 😏

please go on "telling her all the things" you want just forget about Reim he is simply playing catch with Lily and her doggo nothing bad happened there

(ah yes me my enemy and her six ton pet lion.)

in a second, they went from being enemies to killing enemies together. enemies to this-situation-calls-for-it allies, 30 sec speed run.

also I am cackling omg Break isn't even all that tall but the way these panels are framed he appears tall enough to give me that sweet height difference I love in my ships

side note: Lottie's dress is so pretty <3

I didn't know his hair was done up like that he has more bobby pins in his short hair than she has for her long hair lol

(well then, until next time!)

this panel tho. the amount of unspoken words ahgshfjjkkl;; the whole dilemma of is-he-gonna-come-after-me? should-I-go-after-her?

so in a matter of a few panels they went from the-sword-at-your-neck to making small talks to allying for a split second and taking down common enemies to letting-my-enemy-escape-for-now.

who knows what the future might hold? 👀

#pandora hearts #retrace lii #xerxes break #lottie baskerville #charlotte baskerville #may-reads-ph #should i tag this post as a ship post?#break x lottie #brottie #pandora hearts reboot when? i wanna see these scenes animated >.<#giggling twirling my hair lying in my bed kicking my legs #enemies to lovers 💓#i am hopeless #whenever i see enemies with this kind of dynamic my brain switches to ship!#who knows what the future might hold i say but i already know everything is ruined now #break seemed to have made up his mind about somehting the reason he let her go #maybe next time he'd have been more civil and they could have talked more ;-; is what i thought #but now they are back to full on enemies again all the baby steps towards an alliance gone to null #well anw i am full #even if i get no more interactions between them #i am happy mochijun gave me this much i didn't expect even this much at all!

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sangdelune-archive1 · 2 years

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OKAY SINCE Y’ALL ASKED FOR IT. Stella’s unhinged and unpopular takes about V/NC.

Full disclaimer that this can get pretty discoursey and I’m usually not one to post these things but this is more directed at the fandom and the direction of the story itself rather than any hate or dislike of certain characters or ships. But when I mean unpopular, I mean UNPOPULAR. I also haven’t read P/andora Hearts so this is my first exposure to Mochijun’s writing so I’m not entirely sure if this is typically how she handles things.

SO FIRST OFF. The fandom treats Misha like absolute garbage. I’ve seen the worst takes on t/witter about him ( which, yes I am aware that’s my first mistake lol ). I’ve seen ‘ Oh Misha is manipulative because he cried in chapter 55.5 and stopped ‘. Like if children don’t get what they want, they’ll EVENTUALLY stop. That goes for ANY child, abused or not. Misha IS manipulative to a degree but it’s important to realize that all of his actions have been driven by his desire for his family and also CRYING AND SHOWING GENUINE EMOTION isn’t the reason he’s manipulative. Then I’ve seen ‘ Noe calls Vanitas by his birth name and Vanitas cries because everyone who knew his birth name is dead ‘. You cannot tell me that in the several years that Vanitas and Misha grew up together, Vanitas did not tell Misha his birth name. He ( most likely ) didn’t even get the Vanitas name until after Luna’s death. And then I’ve seen ‘ Vanitas’ and Noe’s dynamic is a healthier version of Vanitas’ and Misha’s ‘ and those are two entirely different dynamics with two entirely different people. One cannot just replace the other or be an X version of the other. I always see things that either villainize Misha or blatantly disregard his existence / impact on Vanitas’ life for the sake of shipping. Shipping is fine and all but I really do not like it when people disregard certain aspects of characters or hate on certain characters because it ‘ gets in the way of a ship ‘. If it was Jeanne and not Noe, I’d still feel the same exact way; just with Jeanne.

If it was just the fandom though, it wouldn’t be a big deal but TO ME it feels like the current route of V/NC is taking the same approach. I didn’t entirely agree with Vanitas’ actions of leaving Misha behind in chapter 55.5 but I could still see his points of not wanting Misha to go through the act of killing him and see that there was an emotional reasoning behind it; as poorly executed as Vanitas’ actions were. But then chapter 56 showed that cute scene of the Blue Moon family baking together and then directly showed the parallel with Noe and Vanitas baking together afterwards ( which I think made the weird Vanitas and Noe dynamic post come in ). I’m HOPING that Mochijun isn’t trying to push the message that Noe is Misha’s replacement.

Recently too, someone posted a translation of the bonuses for one of the DVDs and it shows Vanitas not caring at all about Misha being scared of ghosts. And then someone else posted a plausible theory that Vanitas doesn’t regard Misha as a human being anymore and that the current Misha is completely different. Which ... I can actually agree with IN REGARDS TO THE MISHA ISN’T HUMAN PART. But at the same time, it’s still clear that Misha cares deeply about his family and that he’s being manipulated. He might not be human / entirely human and might have actually died / been brought back to life by the Comte but his feelings are definitely still his own. Otherwise, I think he’d be far more brainwashed and it’s clear he’s only in the Comte’s plans for his family’s sake when he said he ‘ didn’t know and didn’t care ‘ about what the Comte was doing. He’s VERY MUCH AWARE he’s being used and abused but he’s purposely allowing it because of the desperate hope he has of bringing Luna back.

It just feels really strange and really wrong to me that Mochijun put so much effort into not only setting up this wonderful found family story, making it the MAIN CHARACTER’S backstory, but is now just throwing it all away and making Vanitas act like a royal piece of shit. This is the same man that baked sweets for Misha, let Misha sleep in the same bed with him to keep him warm, and sacrificed so much of his well being for Misha. And even in the carnival arc, he still cared for Misha. He even reached out for Misha when he was struggling and in pain. And before anyone says ‘ oh but Misha tried to attack him after that ‘, he was under the Book’s control and clearly regretted much of his actions afterwards and made certain Domi didn’t get in trouble for what he made her do. They still both cared for each other so much, despite everything they’d gone through. The current way the story is going just seems so ... well, I can’t say out of character because they’re Mochijun’s characters but it just doesn’t feel good. There definitely are ways to still keep BOTH Noe and Misha in Vanitas’ life and I could understand if Mochijun still wanted to keep the conflict going on between Comte/Misha and Vanitas but ... it just seems more callous like there’s a purposeful neglect of Misha rather than an emotional approach like in chapter 55.5.

Maybe I’m WRONG and this whole thing between between Misha and Vanitas will be sorted out in later chapters and it would have been too soon for them to make up in chapter 55.5. That I would be okay with. I don’t care what characters or ships are endgame, really. I’m not a person that gets overly invested in that sort of thing. It’s probably too much to ask for Misha and Vanitas to have a happy ending since ... you know. Vanitas dies at the end. But all I want for them is to talk and forgive each other and love each other again. That’s literally the only thing I want out of this series.

#abuse tw #child abuse tw #negativity tw #discourse tw #// POSTS ONE HOT TAKE AND NEVER POSTS AGAIN #// the dash is dead enough for me to post this KJSDLKFJSLDJF #° ⁺ . ☾ The blue moon. ☆ OOC.

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izartn · 1 year

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Hey, was Noé from Auvergne? Bc that's where Lestat is from. Mochizuki Jun, señora, I know you watched the IWTV film but did you read the books too? Are you watching the new TV series? Is Louis de Sade name an homage?!?! Just a min.

OK, so yes it's Auveroigne in Altus, which the vampire counterpart to the historical province. In the wiki, in Noé page says:

Averoigne is a fictional counterpart of a historical province in France, detailed in a series of short stories by the American writer Clark Ashton Smith.[1] The province is considered "the most witch-ridden in the entire country. The location is frequently used in Smith's stories as well as his close friends'.

One of the main themes tackled in the stories of Averoigne is vampires. The forests of Averoigne are said to be infested with vampires as well as werewolves.

Which means that Mochijun, who has done her research very well for Case Study of Vanitas, would likely have come across this (which seems to be the kind of stories that also got Anne Rice to choose Auvergne for Lestat???) but given that Mochijun has also said (the translation of that interview is somewhere in my vnc tag) that she watched IWTV and all the multiple references to other vampires and Gothic stories and fairy tales scattered in Vanitas I wouldn't put it pass her to put Auveroigne as a wink.

Also here you have the Wikipedia for Averoigne.

I am obssesed by this btw. The stories and worldbuilding couldn't be more different but Vanitas does occur in France, mainly Paris and has vampires so the association was a bit unavoidable in my mind.

If you have read/watched both case study of vanitas and interview with the vampire I want some crazy talk here.

#meta #the case study of vanitas #vanitas no carte #vampire chronicles #iwtv #lestat the vampire #bc the info is given there #noé archiviste #lestat de lioncourt #omg those two names side by side is a trip #the vampires in the chronicles are so evil they'd eat the cast of vanitas for breakfast #evil and more powerful lol like I said the lore is super different in the two stories #but noé abilities being the power to see memories in the blood like the vc vamps????#mochijun I'm begging you have you read the books???? or watched the series? if you say no I'll believe you but please #vnc meta #noé does have a thing for depressed suicidal brunettes too doesn't he #that's a popular archetype so I guess it could be coincidence #sunny loving life chara VS pessimist realist learning again thanks to sunny chara #but its a bit funny with all this in mind

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seoafin · 2 years

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Following your advice I ended up catching up to the latest available chapter of VNC and i’m dying !!!! Murr best character of all times. Roland and Noé are my two big favs with Domi following close behind but everyone is so good, there’s no one I dislike. Mochijun’s power is atounishing,,,,, I love all the researches that have been done about French history and whatnot, it shows in the manga that they’re not going in with a subject they’re ignorant about. The Chasseurs being based on Knights of Charlemagne/Matter of France, I pray that Roland and Oliver won’t die like as in The song of Roland because of Ganelon/Gano ‘s betrayal but 😭 with Gano’s character introduction it is not looking good for them 😭😭

(Admittedly, I started reading Pandora Hearts because VNC was my first time reading Mochijun’s work. I was that swoon though I’m also curious if Mochijun is the type to kill off their characters HAHA)

The church absolutely sucks but Roland’s Christianity is so refreshing, I think VNC and Vinland-saga are the two rare stories in which it makes me take Christianity/Religion a bit more seriously. If you were ever to write that Roland fic please know I’ll be your most excited reader!! Esp given the lack of VNC x reader content (Tho of course don’t force yourself, only if you want to ect ect)

I think your interview is/was today so GOODLUCK I hope everything goes well for you!! Capitalism and work sucks but at least we can travel. Please have fun in Cuba/Italy whenever you get there (I think those were your current destination?) !!!

yes!!!! you caught up!!! mochijun is so good....i'd trust her with my life. i get upset when ppl talk about female mangakas and leave her out considering PH did extremely well in japan. all her characters are >>>> even the antagonists are vv compelling and even then there's never a outright villain bc mochijun likes to play with perspectives and unreliable narrators/narratives a lot and it's great to see that in vnc too!!

fortunately! mochijun isn't as trigger happy as some other mangakas (cough) but there's a reason why all her series are marked tragedy 😭i'm already preparing for some deaths that are definitely going to break my heart 😭😭

my interview was a couple of hours ago and it was a lot more professional than i was expecting (the store is union backed surprisingly) so thank you and everyone else for your good wishes :D

#how are you enjoying pandora hearts??? i think it's one of the greats i bawled my eyes out to it #and YES i need to complete that roland fic i have some BANGER lines in it #plus when else am i going to be able to write a vampire mc!!!#straightpridesatoru

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neversetyoufree · 11 months

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in the last ep of the anime, i noticed that it cut out to the ending directly before vanitas could actually take noes hand, and i wondered if that was referencing what noe said about vanitas at the beginning.

Oh that's such a good catch! You're absolutely right anon, and I think we can take your idea even further than that.

I've talked about this in a previous post, but VnC's running refrain of Noé reaching for Vanitas's hand is really symbolic. Noé has saved Vanitas from literally falling multiple times, but their entire relationship is also one big metaphorical outstretched hand. Vanitas is "falling" down toward his inevitable doom as he self destructs via his revenge, and Noé is grasping out desperately as he tries to catch him and save him from that fate.

"That day when I didn't grab your hand" (which I assume, along with killing him, is what you mean by "what Noé said about Vanitas") might refer to a future event in which Noé will literally fail to catch Vanitas. But more importantly, it's a reference to the larger truth. By Noé's definition of salvation—in terms of preventing his death, Noé is going to fail to save Vanitas. No amount of reaching out can prevent his ultimate fall.

Within this metaphor, then, the scene on the rooftop after the amusement park can be summed up simply. It's the scene where Vanitas finally lets himself reach for Noé's offered hand.

I mean this in three ways.

The first way is the literal way. The scene ends with Vanitas reaching up to take Noé's hand and be helped to his feet. And despite the sheer frequency of Noé reaching out for or trying to catch Vanitas, this is only the second time we see Vanitas actually reach up and take Noé's hand to be helped of his own accord. The only other time is in the catacombs, right before he decides to tell Noé about Doctor Moreau for the first time.

In the catacombs, Vanitas taking Noé's hand works as a symbolic gesture of trust and an acceptance of Noé's help with the Moreau case. Noé has been forcing his help on Vanitas up until this point, staying up late by the door just to follow him out, but taking his hand is the moment that Vani starts to willingly bring him into the fold. The literal is never just literal with these guys.

The second way comes when Vanitas tells Noé that he's "given up on making him do what he wants." As I said, Noé has spent the entire manga reaching out and trying to save Vanitas from his "fall." One major facet of that is his recurring refusal to let Vanitas isolate himself. He makes a willful declaration of staying by his side when Vanitas tries to dismiss him in the bell tower, and when Vanitas tries to cut Noé out of his life by the blade of a knife, Noé comes back with "I will never set you free." Vanitas wants, or at least claims he wants, Noé to leave him the hell alone, but Noé says no every time.

"Giving up on making Noé do what he wants," then, means that Vanitas has finally let himself accept that he wants Noé by his side. There's no more pretending he doesn't want his help or his presence. No more trying to shove Noé away every time he's upset. At least in this moment (though we'll have to see if he holds himself to it), Vanitas has admitted that he wants Noé and Noé's supportiveness in his life.

Mochijun even uses a flashback panel to be sure we know exactly what Vanitas means here. It's that important.

Giving up on trying to push Noé away is one very significant way in which Vanitas has accepted the metaphorical outstretched hand. He's admitting he wants Noé, and Noé's presence means the presence of love and help. It means the end of self-isolation as a maladaptive coping technique. Of course he's going to reach up and accept Noé's literal offer to help him to his feet in the same scene that he finally tells Noé he'll stop trying to get rid of him.

The third way is, of course, when Vanitas says that he wants Noé to be the one to kill him.

Now, this is not how Noé wanted Vanitas to interpret his outstretched hand. Unlike his loved ones, Noé does not see killing and being killed as a way to show love or to save someone. His offer of salvation is meant to be an offer to save Vanitas from his self-destruction. But Vanitas does not want to be saved that way. And given that the manga begins with the statement that Noé will kill him someday, we know that Vanitas cannot be saved by Noé's definition.

However, Vanitas does not share Noé's definition of salvation. I don't know if Vanitas himself could even put words to his personal idea of salvation. But we know from multiple examples that it can sometimes include the gift of a kind death to prevent a worse life. That's the kind of salvation he offers when he returns a curse bearer's True Name despite knowing that it will kill them.

I have a lot of thoughts about the kind of salvation Vanitas could find in Noé, but for the purposes of this scene, this idea of a preferable death is a big one. Vanitas would rather die than lose his humanity, and this is an extremely vulnerable thing for him. Saying that he wants Noé to kill him is, in his own way, accepting Noé's unspoken offer of salvation. He's saying "I want you to be the one to save me in the one way that I can accept."

Vanitas cannot envision a life for himself, and thanks to the way Luna's Mark is rewriting him, it's likely that a long life as his human self would be impossible even if he weren't suicidal. But though it's still not healthy behavior, his request for death is, in his own terms, taking up the hand that Noé has extended. It's a grasp for salvation by a man that cannot admit that he wants to be saved.

And that brings me back to your original point, anon. Because Vanitas reaches up for Noé's hand, and that is incredibly important, but in both the anime and the manga, we do not get to see him take it. The meaning of this depends on what definition of salvation you analyze the scene through.

By Noé's definition, we know that Vanitas cannot and will not be saved. As he says in the beginning, Noé is going to kill him someday. There will be a day when he will fail to grab his hand, and Vanitas will finally fall to the gravity of his doom. So in that way, it makes sense that even in the most optimistic of scenes, we have to cut away before Vanitas can actually take Noé's hand. He might be letting himself reach for it now, and that's a good thing, but Noé is never actually going to be able to pull him up. To show us otherwise in a scene so full of symbolism and foreshadowing would be a lie.

However, as I keep saying, Noé's definition of salvation isn't the only one at play. As much as Vanitas's death will not be prevented, the fact remains that he is still finally letting himself reach for salvation in some form. So perhaps we can cut away as soon as he starts to reach not because he'll never be saved, but because the thing that matters in this scene is the reaching itself. Noé has become a supportive constant in Vanitas's life. He's just reaffirmed that he won't change, that he'll continue to support Vanitas from beside him.

We don't need to see Noé take Vanitas's hand once he starts reaching because that is a foregone conclusion. It's Vanitas's decision to reach that needs the emphasis of being the final shot, because that's the heart of the moment.

In the manga, Vanitas reaches up, and we cut to the sunlit sky. This whole scene, in addition to the running thread of reaching hands and salvation, has an overarching symbol in the end of the rain. Vanitas and Noé's horrible fight was in the storm, the rain patters to its end as they make up, and the sun breaks through the clouds as they reaffirm their pledges to one another and Noé re-offers Vanitas his hand. It's simple but effective pathetic fallacy.

So to that end, Vanitas reaches up to take Noé's offer to help him stand (reaches up to take some version of his promise of salvation), and we cut to the sunlit sky. Noé has brought the sunlight back as he offers his hand to Vanitas. Joy and light and hope return as Noé's love for and desire to save Vanitas are reestablished. Then Vanitas reaches toward that light, and we cut to the sunbeams to make sure you know just what he's reaching toward.

This works well for the end of a story arc! The weather symbol has been a constant throughout the whole amusement park arc, so of course the chapter that marks its end has to be capped off with an image of the clouds breaking. It's a closing note that pulls together Vanitas's reaching for salvation, the weather symbolism, and 55.5's general tone of relief.

Meanwhile, the anime switches things so that we see the sunbeams first, and then Vanitas reaching for Noé's hand is the final shot of the whole entire show. And for once, I actually really like this little change! The manga's order of images works well as a resolution for its chapter and its story arc, but the anime's version works really well as a possible end for the story overall.

The VnC anime may or may not ever get another season, so for the foreseeable future, Vanitas reaching for Noé's hand is the end of the show. This gives that shot a lot of emphasis. In fact, it kind of makes it the meaning of the whole thing.

Noé spends the whole anime reaching out and trying to offer a hand of salvation to Vanitas, and the final shot of the whole thing is Vanitas letting himself reach up to take it. We don't end on the shot of their clasping hands, but the shot of the reaching, because Vanitas's decision to accept some form of salvation is the thing the whole show has been building towards. It's the decision to reach up that makes the whole story.

So though they go about it in very slightly different ways, the manga and the anime are still both making meaning out of the simple act of Vanitas reaching. That's the core of the whole thing.

And overall, though I've framed "we cut away because Noé won't actually be able to stop his fall/grab his hand" and "we cut away because the decision to reach is the important part" as two opposing interpretations, I actually think their co-existence is key. Vnc's whole story is a conflict between Noé and Vanitas's definitions of salvation. The tension of their relationship isn't "will Noé find a way to save Vanitas from death?" (He won't). The tension is "will Noé find some other way to save Vanitas before his death?" and "will he be able to recognize that alternate salvation as salvation if/once Vanitas claims it?"

VnC is a story about a doomed man who might in some way be saved. Chapter 55.5 cuts away before we see Vanitas actually take Noé's hand because he is doomed to fall someday and not reach that hand when it matters most, but also because the thing that matters in this scene is that he decides to reach up at all. Vanitas is going to die, so any hope and optimism in his story must make peace with the doom of him. His healing from his trauma and accepting love and help happens while he is hurtling rapidly toward his ending. That's the beauty and the tension of Vanoé's relationship (and the beauty and tension of VnC as a whole).

So to answer your question anon, yes. We cut away before Vanitas reaches Noé's hand because, as we're told in the beginning, he will not ultimately reach Noé's salvation. But at the same time, the whole point of the rooftop scene is that Vanitas does want to accept some kind of salvation, and he just might manage do it. It all depends on how he can be saved.

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