I have seen The Case Study of Vanitas (Vanitas no Carte) featured on a ton of "Bromance/Anime with Yaoi vibes" recommendation lists. That is exactly why I decided to pick this up after contemplating it for lord knows how many times. Now that I have finally watched Season 1, I can put this thought to rest once and for all: it is a dark shounen fantasy with a hint of bromance bait, but it is not a true bromance anime.

P.S. This article contains spoilers for Season 1.

What is the story about?

Set in an alternate, steampunk-infused 19th-century Paris, the story revolves around a world where humans and vampires co-exist uneasily. The plot kicks off when a cursed blue-moon vampire creates the Book of Vanitas, a legendary grimoire capable of driving vampires insane.

Our human protagonist inherits the book and takes the name Vanitas. Instead of using it to destroy vampires, he uses it to heal them of a spiritual malady known as malnomen (malice name). Along the way, he crosses paths with Noë Archiviste, a powerful vampire sent to investigate the book's true nature. Together, they form an uneasy alliance to save vampire-kind from an impending dark conspiracy.

Main Characters

• Vanitas: A chaotic, cunning human wielding the blue-moon grimoire. He is deeply cynical, emotionally guarded, and driven by a complex savior-revenge complex.

• Noë Archiviste: A naive, pure-hearted vampire of the Archiviste clan. He has the rare ability to see people's memories by drinking their blood. He is physically strong but emotionally driven.

• Jeanne: Known as the "Hellfire Witch," she is a lethal vampire executioner. Despite her fierce reputation, she becomes the primary romantic interest for Vanitas, leading to heavy canonical romantic tension between them.

Is “Vanitas No Carte” A Bromance Anime?

A big no.

I mean, you can definitely ship Vanitas x Noë if you choose to become completely delulu, but it is honestly better if you don't.

Don't get me wrong—I completely get why it is difficult not to ship them. The animation studio (Bones) deliberately tries to stage the two in incredibly intimate, stylized setups. Just take the opening theme song sequence, for example; it feels completely like calculated fujo-bait designed to make the fandom swoon.

The bickering dynamic between Vanitas and Noë heavily reminded me of the 2016 hit Korean drama Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, specifically the chaotic, petty relationship between The Goblin and the Grim Reaper. They constantly annoy each other, live under the same roof, and complain about one another, yet they make a lethal team on the battlefield. If you loved that specific dynamic in Goblin, you will definitely appreciate the comedy here.

However, the reality is that the show splits its focus. Vanitas has highly explicit, canonical romantic encounters with Jeanne, and Noë has his own deep emotional baggage and ties. The underlying bond between our two male leads is a forced professional partnership built on mutual convenience, not an ultimate, deeply bonded brotherhood. You are going to enjoy this anime infinitely more if you walk into it expecting a dark, stylish shounen fantasy and not expecting deep bromance vibes—let alone BL.

Final Verdict: 2.9 / 5

This lower score is honestly only because of my own bias and idiocracy. I didn’t do full research before jumping straight in, which completely ruined the experience for me because I was looking for a specific type of connection that the show never intended to center on. If you want gorgeous animation, vampires, and dark mysteries, watch it! Just leave your shipping goggles at the door.

References 

• [MochiJun Fandom] – The Case Study of Vanitas (Anime Database)