| “ | "I'll do as I please. And, no matter what you want…" I've decided I'm staying with you, Vanitas. | ” |
|
Introduction
|
Noé Archiviste (ノエ・アルシヴィスト, Noe Arushivisuto) is a central protagonist of Jun Mochizuki's The Case Study of Vanitas. A Vampire raised in the rural French village of Averoigne, Noé is sent to see Paris for the first time to complete an assignment given to him by his Teacher. Instructed to locate the Book of Vanitas and discern its "true character," he encounters Vanitas, the human owner of the Book and a self-styled "Vampire medical specialist." Despite his distaste for Vanitas, he agrees to serve as his companion, seeing Vanitas's mission to cure Malnomen as noble, and hoping to complete his research on the Book.[1]
Noé is the narrator of The Case Study of Vanitas, and the series as a whole is composed of his memoirs on why he killed Vanitas.
This article contains plot and/or ending details for The Case Study of Vanitas.
Read at your own risk.
The sole survivor of the Archiviste Clan, Noé has no memories of any of his biological family. Instead, he was first found by an elderly human couple he called his grandparents. They lived happily together for several years, despite their difference in race, and Noé came to regard Vampires and humans as equally good creatures. However, his family would die of natural causes when he was still quite young. Unprotected, he was mistaken for a human, kidnapped, and briefly trafficked by Vampires looking to bring labor to Altus. There he met his Teacher, who recognized him as a Vampire and took him in as his disciple.[2]
Soon after, he met Louis and Dominique de Sade, his Teacher's two youngest grandchildren. The three quickly became close, Noé referring to them as his "first friends." While Dominique usually lived in the city with her parents, Louis stayed with Noé and his Teacher, supposedly due to an illness. Over time, Louis would grow more distant from Noé and Dominique, concerning Noé greatly. When he, Louis, and Dominique were in their teens, a failed attempt to rescue a child in the final stages of Malnomen resulted in the corruption of Louis's True Name and his death by decapitation.[2] After receiving a posthumous "present" from Louis, Noé developed strong guilt for failing both to save Louis and kill him as Louis had wanted. This fueled his personal investment in cases of Malnomen, even towards people he barely knew.[3]
Appearance[]
Noé is a tall, well built young man at the age of nineteen. He has dark skin, a long, angular face, thin, purple, almond shaped eyes, and thin eyebrows. His hair is short, white, and fluffy, going just past his ears. Though his hair usually stays out of his eyes, his bangs are parted at the right, causing some of his hair to fall onto his face. A portion of his hair lies over the rest at the front, to the left part. Jun Mochizuki jokingly calls this "a lid." Like all vampires, his eyes will occasionally turn red.
Noé's detailed reference sheet, from the third volume.
Though Noé changes outfits several times over the course of the series, his usually outfit consists of white pants, a black long sleeved shirt, a black bow tie, and a lightly-colored vest. This vest has a dogstooth pattern, but for the sake of visual clarity, this is rarely drawn. In addition, he usually wears a black belt, white gloves, and white boots which do not quite reach his knees. He has two coats he will often wear — a white, mid-length trench coat, and, in the event the first gets dirty, a short white tailcoat. As Noé is not particularly interested in fashion, his clothes are usually chosen by Dominique or his Teacher.
As a child, Noé's outfits would vary considerably, in one panel even shown in girls' clothing. His hair was styled slightly differently, bangs parted at the center instead of at the left. When he was first taken as his Teacher's student, he seemed to have sustained some injury to the left side of his face, his left eye covered with bandages for many of his early childhood appearances.
Personality[]
Noé is "a simple country bumpkin who is several varieties of unfortunate because of his tendency to blindly follow any road that interests him," according to Dominique de Sade. All he sees is new to him and he is easily amazed by spectacular sights. He is often described as childlike by others, due to his tendency to get lost and be easily distracted — such forgetfulness often results in him leaving behind his cat, Murr, who in turn tends to scratch Noé in retaliation for being forgotten. Noé is also extremely kindhearted, as shown by his willingness to help Amelia during her imprisonment and execution, and his general care for the well-being of others.
At heart, Noé holds a deep determination to save those close to him, and make sure that they don't befall a horrible fate like his friends when he was a child. Noé recognizes that he was unable to save Louis, Mina, and the other children, but wishes to prevent any such deaths in the future.
Noé is instinctive and has high emotional intelligence, usually using his gut feelings towards things to guide his actions. On occasion, Noé can be impulsive, especially when fighting what he perceives as wrong, and has a moral opposition to doing acts he sees as dishonorable — such as when Vanitas suggests taking Maria as a captive, or allowing Moreau to pluck out Vanitas' eye. Noé’s current sense of morality has been highly shaped by his late adoptive grandparents and his Teacher.
While Noé's idealism and morality earned him many allies, it also prevents him from acting decisively. He failed to quickly defeat Astolfo, despite being far stronger than him, due to his apprehensions regarding battle with children. Johann states that Noé sees violence as a tool to get others to follow his will, but refuses to "dirty his hands," preventing him from killing others even when the alternative put himself in danger.
Powers and Abilities[]
General: As a Vampire, Noé has far greater strength, speed, and endurance than an average human being by strengthening his physical abilities with interference of the World Formula. He is able to fight off multiple enemies such as other Vampires at once with ease,[3] and on multiple occasions has handily beaten his foes while protecting another vulnerable person.[1][4] Thus far all the times in which Noé nearly loses a battle it is due to outside elements, such as his own internal struggles[5] or a lack of information on his foe,[6] rather than his strength being inferior or lacking in any way. His strength is so great that Naenia has openly admitted to being unable to take his True Name the way she wishes due to his power.[7]
Combat: Noé prefers to fight hand-to-hand, with a strong tendency to deliver powerful kicks.[8] Though he prefers close quarters combat and being able to move with his hands freed, he is resourceful when need be and skilled at finding makeshift weapons of whatever is at hand for him. He is also very perceptive and keen, able to detect, analyze, and comprehend his enemies' movements and fighting styles in seconds even while in the midst of a deadly battle.[9] He was taught how to fight by his Teacher, who drilled him until he could produce as much strength as he does now.[10]
World Formula Interference: Though he was also trained to rewrite the World Formula by his Teacher, he has no aptitude for it. He can do the bare minimum of reinforcing his body during fights, but anything extending outwards he has great trouble with. With great concentration he can rewrite gravity and stand on the wall or ceiling, but only momentarily[6] and even that much causes him nausea.[11]
Memory Reading: As a survivor of the Archiviste Clan, Noé has the ability to read others' memories by drinking their blood. Using this ability, he can dive through a person's memories and view them in the shoes of the person in question. If he concentrates, Noé is able to dive deep into someone's consciousness, pick individually which memories to to see, and view memories that even the person themselves have forgotten.[12] However if his mind has been addled with drugs[13] or he is in great psychological distress,[14] Noé's reading of memories is far less concentrated. Without his control, the memories he views will encompass a vast stretch of time, usually spanning the person's entire life, with some scenes playing out, others being skipped over or muddled, and sometimes even playing out of order. As a child, Noé was far less capable and could only glean the person's vague emotions regarding their memories.[2]
Quotes[]
- “That… was the beginning. This is… 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.”[1]
- “I am not helping you. You are helping me!!”[15]
- “But whether you ‘can’ or not and whether you ‘did’ or not are completely different issues! Even if the Book of Vanitas truly was made in order to destroy Vampires, it’s an undeniable fact that you saved Mademoiselle Amelia back then! To me… that sight was something overwhelmingly ‘right’!”[16]
- “This is revenge!! When I heard him say that… it felt as if, quite abruptly… it all made sense.”[4]
- “From the bottom of my heart… I thought it was abominable. The fact that… even in a situation like this… I was relieved to be alive… struck me as absolutely abominable.”[2]
- “I’m sorry… Louis. I couldn’t save you. I couldn’t even kill you the way you wanted me to. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry…”[3]
- “That’s right. Things are different now. With the power Vanitas holds… he can save them!”[3]
- “I don’t understand… Vanitas… What is ‘salvation’?”[3]
- “Why should I have to listen to anything you say? I think you’ve got the wrong idea here. I don’t like you! That means I don’t plan to obey your orders… and I have absolutely no intention of helping you with anything.”[17]
- “Despite all that… (Precisely because that’s so…) You interest me as a person. (I want to understand.) This thing you’re attempting… I want to see it through to the end!”[17]
- “Even now, I vividly remember the color of the rising sun I saw then. And… all too easily, memories of the beginning summon memories of the end. The things that slipped through my fingers… The people I couldn’t protect… The regrets of that day… when I didn’t grab your hand—”[17]
- “Vanitas. I have a question. What on earth is love?”[18]
- “I would not truly understand… the meaning of the stirring I felt in my heart… until quite some time later.”[18]
- “I have no intention of following you. I’m going with you.”[19]
- “Not yet!! I don’t want to give up yet!”[20]
- “Vanitas. What are you? Why are you here right now, even though you had to go through so much pain to get here?”[20]
- “I wonder… the one who wants to be saved more than anyone… the one wishing for it most… might be Vanitas himself.”[20]
- “He tried to use everyone, and yet… he can’t stand anyone getting hurt for his sake. He’s… inconsistent.”[21]
- “He… Vanitas said… humans and Vampires were the same. He told me they were both terribly ugly, endlessly selfish creatures. When I heard that, it irritated me… and at the same time… I felt loneliness.”[21]
- “To me, ‘the enemy’ is whoever or whatever hurts someone special to me or something I want to protect. Just being Vampire or human alone could never be enough to make someone an enemy. I like Vampires. And, in the same way… I like humans.”[21]
- “…Give him back. Give him back!! Give Louis back to Domi and me!!!”[7]
- “I still don’t understand what Mademoiselle Chloé is thinking. I don’t know what she really wants… or what ‘salvation’ would look like for them. I just don’t want to leave without even trying to find out.”[22]
- “I!! BELIEVE YOU!!!”[23]
- “No matter how close you are… even if you want to protect her… she won’t know. You have to put it into words.”[24]
- “I want to save Chloé and Jean-Jacques. No matter who I’m up against, that’s the one thing… I can’t concede!!!”[25]
- “That day, on La Baleine… I’m glad the man I met called himself a Vampire specialist, not a Chasseur. Of course… I still don’t like you or anything. But even so… I’m glad you’re the person you are now. I know it’s really arbitrary… but I wanted to make sure I told you.”[26]
- “You’re always like that!! You always act as if you, and only you, know everything… and yet… you never tell me anything!! It all makes me sick!!! The way you treated people who are important to me with contempt!! The way you wouldn’t listen to a word I said!! And the way you dismissed all of that… all of it! As if it had never happened!!! Don’t you have anything to say Vanitas? Say something!!!!”[27]
- “It’s just as Mikhail said. I know nothing about Vanitas’s past. Even so… I’ve watched him. All along, my eyes were witnessing… what sort of person he is.”[28]
- “He’s bad-tempered. He always does whatever he wants, arbitrarily. He doesn’t care whether he gets hurt but he can’t abide others getting hurt for his sake. He tries to isolate himself by pushing everyone away. —I see. When he says ‘free’… does he mean ‘alone’?”[28]
- “My name is Noé!!! I am not ‘that Vampire’!!!! Listen to me, Vanitas. I refuse to be what you want me to be. I will never set you ‘free’!!!”[28]
Appearances[]
- Mémoire 1: Vanitas — In the Event of Rusty Hopes (First Appearance)
- Mémoire 2: Noé — In the City of Flowers
- Mémoire 3: Jeanne — The Hellfire Witch
- Mémoire 4: Femme Fatale — Love
- Mémoire 5: Archiviste — Fangs That Reveal Blood
- Mémoire 6: Altus — Other World
- Mémoire 7: Bal Masqué — Night of Sneering Masks
- Mémoire 8: Louis — Sinking in a Pool of Blood
- Mémoire 9: Réminiscence — Friends*
- Mémoire 10: Salvatio — Uncertainty
- Mémoire 11: Deux Ombres — Point of Departure
- Mémoire 12: Pause 𝄻
- Mémoire 13: Glissando — Glissando
- Mémoire 14: Catacombes — Where the Dead Sleep
- Memoire 15: Chasseur — Those Who Hunt Crimson
- Entracte: Chambre d'enfants — A Dream of the Sound of Rain
- Mémoire 16: Galop — At the End of the Riot
- Mémoire 17: Cicatrice — No. 69
- Mémoire 18: Dos à Dos — The Shape of Salvation
- Mémoire 19: Serment — Spell-bound
- Mémoire 20: Serment — Promise (Part One)*
- Mémoire 22: Hurler — A Calling Voice
- Mémoire 23: Au Pas Camarade — Pace
- Mémoire 24: Forêt d'argent — Chance Encounter
- Mémoire 25: Endroit Approprié — Melee
- Mémoire 26: Dissonance — Creaking Laughter
- Mémoire 27: Cage de Neige — Dregs
- Mémoire 28: Dal Segno — Question Mark*
- Mémoire 29: Château de Sorcière — The Witch and the Youth
- Mémoire 30: Strascinando — Tremolo
- Mémoire 33: Cauchemar — Rumble
- Mémoire 34: Jean-Jacques — The Vampire of the Chastels (Part One)
- Mémoire 34.5: Jean-Jacques — The Vampire of the Chastels (Part Two)
- Mémoire 35: Louisette — Pillar of Justice
- Mémoire 37: Vengeance — Hands That Touch a Nightmare
- Mémoire 38: Naenia — She Who Harbors Death (Part One)
- Mémoire 38.5: Naenia — She Who Harbors Death (Part Two)
- Mémoire 39: Poupée Fissurée — The Essence of the Witch
- Mémoire 40: Avec Toi — Alone Together
- Mémoire 41: Canorus — Snow Flower
- Mémoire 42: Encore une Fois — Love
- Mémoire 43: Encens Restant — Lingering Scent of the Dream
- Mémoire 44: Mal d'Amour — The Incurable Illness (Part One)
- Mémoire 45: Mal d'Amour — The Incurable Illness (Part Two)
- Mémoire 46: Un Autre — Scar
- Entracte: Jours Bruyants — Tales of Lost Children
- Mémoire 47: Hétérogène — Sneering Laughter
- Mémoire 49: Douleur — Kind Child
- Mémoire 50: Petrichor — The Thread That Reels in the Past
- Mémoire 51: Tempest — A Silent Scream
- Extra: The Case Study of Vanitash!!!! —Expanded Edition— (Non-Canon)
- Mémoire 52: Sens Unique — Fall
- Mémoire 53: Pleuvoir — Rain Which Doesn't Know the Sky
- Mémoire 54: La nuit sans lune — Dark Night (Part One)
- Mémoire 54.5: La nuit sans lune — Dark Night (Part Two)
- Mémoire 55: Après la pluie — His Wish (Part One)
- Mémoire 55.5: Après la pluie — His Wish (Part Two)
- Mémoire 56: Faire un gâteau — Bittersweet
- Mémoire 57: Au Revoir — Again, Someday
- Mémoire 58: Observation — The Darkness in Between
- Mémoire 60: Bonne journée — Sweets, Complaints, and Reconciliation
- Entracte: Couche — On Clothing
- Mémoire 61: Jeu de paume — Court Tennis (Part One)
- Mémoire 61.5: Jeu de paume — Court Tennis (Part Two)
- Mémoire 62: Bourdonnement — Wingbeats of Scattered Thought (Part One)
- Mémoire 62.5: Bourdonnement — Wingbeats of Scattered Thought (Part Two)
- Mémoire 1: Vanitas -In the Event of Rusty Hopes-
- Mémoire 2: Noé -In the City of Flowers-
- Mémoire 3: Archiviste -Fangs That Lay Bare Blood-
- Mémoire 4: Bal masqué -Night of Mocking Masks-
- Mémoire 5: Réminiscence -Friends-
- Mémoire 6: Salvatio -Questions-
- Mémoire 7: Femme fatale -Love-
- Mémoire 8: Catacombes -Where Death Slumbers-
- Mémoire 9: Chasseur -Those Who Hunt Crimson-
- Mémoire 10: Cicatrice -No. 29-
- Mémoire 11: Serment -Promises-
- Mémoire 12: Deux Ombres -Point of Departure-
- Mémoire 13: Forêt d'argent -Chance Encounter-
- Mémoire 14: Château de Sorcière -The Witch and the Young Man-
- Mémoire 15: Oiseau et ciel -The d'Apchiers' Vampire-
- Mémoire 16: Chasse aux Vampires -The Beast-
- Mémoire 17: Vengeance -Hands Upon a Nightmare-
- Mémoire 18: Avec Toi -Just the Two of Us-
- Mémoire 19: Canorus -Snow Flower-
- Mémoire 20: Mal d'amour -The Incurable Disease-
- Mémoire 21: Un Autre -Scars-
- Mémoire 22: Rencontre -Blue Night-
- Mémoire 23: Pleuvoir -Tears like Rain-
- Mémoire 24: Après la pluie -His Wish-
(*) - Denotes that the character did not appear physically, but as a part of another character's memories.
Trivia[]
- "Noé" is the French form of the name "Noah," the name of the biblical figure at the center of the Genesis flood narrative, who built the Ark which would save himself, his family, and all land animals from being killed by the Great Flood, which killed all else as God's punishment for "humanity's wickedness."[29]
- Upon learning Noé's name, Vanitas identifies the meaning as "Child of the Ark" (
方 舟 の子 , Hakobune no Ko).[1] This confirms the parallels between Noé and the biblical figure Noah to be intentional and meaningful.
- Upon learning Noé's name, Vanitas identifies the meaning as "Child of the Ark" (
- "Archiviste" is a French word that translates to "archivist" in English. An archivist is a person who works with information—assessing, collecting, organizing, and preserving records and archives.[30]
- Noé shares a character song with Vanitas, Le Formidable!, sung by their Japanese voice actors and composed by Sasanomaly.
- According to Jun Mochizuki, Noé is a rough sleeper, and has trouble getting to sleep if he isn't hugging something.[8] Before Louis’s death, Noé had no problem going to sleep in whatever position, but after Louis’s death he became unable to sleep without holding something.
- Noé is also a heavy sleeper, frequently falling out of bed during the night but never waking up after doing so.[21]
- Noé is abysmal at cleaning up, and had often needed the help of Dominique and Louis to do so.[8]
- Noé is awful at cooking, and has the gift of believing that nearly everything he eats is delicious.
- He uses the French name "Gilbert" (in Japanese, ジルベール, Jirubēru) as an alias around the Chasseurs. This is likely a reference to Gilbert Nightray (using the English pronunciation, in Japanese, ギルバート, Girubāto), a central protagonist of Mochizuki's previous series, Pandora Hearts.
- In the earliest drafts of The Case Study of Vanitas, Noé was a human and Vanitas was a vampire. Jun Mochizuki changed switched their fantasy races because she thought it was too boring.[31]
- Furthermore, Mochizuki said she changed his name many times before deciding on Noé — one of those names was revealed to be Chester (チェスター, Chesutā).[32]
- His dynamic with Vanitas is influenced by that of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, with Vanitas as Holmes and Noé as Watson.[31]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Mémoire 1: Vanitas
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Mémoire 9: Réminiscence
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Mémoire 10: Salvatio
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Mémoire 8: Louis
- ↑ Mémoire 25: Endroit Approprié
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Mémoire 15: Chasseur
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Mémoire 30: Strascinando
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Volume 3 Additional Content: Noé reference sheet
- ↑ Mémoire 35: Louisette
- ↑ Mémoire 4: Femme Fatale
- ↑ Mémoire 16: Galop
- ↑ Mémoire 5: Archiviste
- ↑ Mémoire 34: Jean-Jacques
- ↑ Mémoire 47: Hétérogène
- ↑ Mémoire 2: Noé
- ↑ Mémoire 3: Jeanne
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Mémoire 11: Deux Ombres
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Mémoire 12: Pause
- ↑ Mémoire 14: Catacombes
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 Mémoire 18: Dos à Dos
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 Mémoire 19: Serment
- ↑ Mémoire 34.5: Jean-Jacques (Part Two)
- ↑ Mémoire 38.5: Naenia (Part Two)
- ↑ Mémoire 40: Avec Toi
- ↑ Mémoire 41: Canorus
- ↑ Mémoire 45: Mal d’Amour (Part Two)
- ↑ Mémoire 52: Sens Unique
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 Mémoire 53: Pleuvoir
- ↑ Wikipedia: Noah
- ↑ Wikipedia: Archivist
- ↑ Volume 11 Special Edition Booklet