I had hoped Vanitas no Carte might have me ready to commit after its second episode, but it hasn’t worked out that way.  After a very good but not great premiere, I liked this second episode less.  Not by a lot, but measurably.  There was too much exposition by explanation, too many chibi intercuts, and the humor (which hasn’t been the strength of these first two eps) missed as often as it hit.  As well, director Itamura Tomoyuki’s Shaft genes seemed more dominant than they did in the premiere, to the point where I found the St. Vitus’ Dance directorial style a bit distracting.

That’s not to say I didn’t find this entertaining, because I did.  The art direction and music continue to be standouts, and as you’d expect Mochizuki Jun seems to have created a very interesting premise here.  There were a couple of twists and turns I wasn’t necessarily expecting, like Vanitas (the current one, not the legendary one) turning out to be a human.  That should have been obvious in hindsight I suppose, but it honestly never occurred to me watching the premiere – all I can say is this guy is seriously reckless and possibly made of rubber.

That tidbit of information came courtesy of Count Orlok (Yamamoto Itaru), the one who gets Noe and Vanitas sprung from prison.  There are more hints (and some overt infodumps) here about the uneasy truce between vampires and humans.  And Orlok restates the position that “curse-bearers” like Amelia must be killed in order to maintain it – that once their name is corrupted, it can never be fully restored (which seems to run contrary to the evidence of the premiere).  It’s the desire to save Amelia that more or less convinces Noe to team up with Vanitas – starting with a mission to capture and cure the vamp who’s been on a killing spree in Paris in order to prove to Orlok that it can be done.

Vanitas’ book appears to be a double-edged sword, capable either of causing the curse disease or (apparently) curing it, depending on how its used.  After their encounter with the killer (as I said, made of rubber) Vanitas and Noe are accosted by a boy named Luca (Shimoji Shino) and a woman named Jeanne (Minase Inori).  Luca says that both are vampires and demands that Vanitas turn over the book – repeating the mantra that it’s the cause of the curse-bearers’ affliction.  He needs it, Luca says, to cure his elder brother who currently suffers from the curse (and may or not be the Paris serial killer – I wasn’t clear on that).

At this point things segue into battle mode, as Jeanne is revealed (another infodump) to be the wielder of a magical gauntlet that she used to kill the 1000 vampires who sides with humans in the great war between the species.  This is nicely done, if a bit too reliant on jump cuts (that Shaft thing) for my tastes.  It’s interesting, but not really gripping – all the chibi stuff and the gag humor undercuts the overall vibe rather than embellishing it.  I’m still hopeful about Vanitas no Carte, as there are a lot of talented people involved here, but at this point I’m still very much on the fence.