My reason for this review is a simple one at best, comparing the styles between Moriarty the Patriot and The Case Study of Vanitas. These styles have something that sets them apart from other anime. It’s not just its style and time period. While it is a big factor I think there’s something else going on here. And I wanted to explore that. And highlight the idea of what a Detective should be. So put on your thinking caps and grab your pipes as we explore why 18th-19th century aesthetic is one of the coldest and visually appealing in all of cinema.
Moriarty: An Evil Perception
We will start with Moriarty because of its simplistic nature. When it comes to many shows in cinema character design and clothing play a massive role. Typically, in anime you rarely see main characters or even side characters change their clothes. It can become expensive and tedious to go through many alterations of a main character’s design. Looking back at older anime shows this pattern. Take example of HunterxHunter.
This matters because Moriarty has many characters all with their own different and unique designs. Upon watching Darwin’s game again, I became privy to a line that was said. I think the biggest reason we enjoy shows that show older times is the romanticized power differential. Currently life is too fair. Think about it, the average man has the opportunity to become a tycoon in industry.
The line in Darwin’s Game is Paraphrased in the following sentence: “The reason Darwin’s Game is as popular as it is for people who play it is the abilities it gives. The idea that you are unique and powerful enough to kill someone in your way. That people have become too complacent. And those who fight to be the strongest lord that power over the weak.”
The reason we enjoy the style of Moriarty and Vanitas is they resemble a time period where classism was abundant. The everyday peddler against the noble with their fancy clothes and extravagant wagons. Moriarty more than Vanitas embodies this. Even as a Detective strange as it sounds humans enjoy power. We enjoy being stronger than others because it makes us feel important. Its almost instinctual.
But we also hate the hierarchy. The upper echelon that hold power to make the lives of the weak miserable. So seeing the nobles fall by the working class is gratifying. And that’s the hook. Not the fact there is a fall. But the fact we are hypocrites who yearn for power but despise those who have it.
Because let’s be honest, if everyone is in power. Then no one is.
Vanitas: The Jovial Detective
Now what about Vanitas? A detective that simply does as he pleases. It doesn’t have the same messages. So why does this one hit just as hard? Romanticization. The extravagant clothing, the futuristic yet old style technology. The way the streets are littered with people wearing clothes that flow with the wind. We romanticized the beauty of the time period. It was still a dirty place in the real world with many problems. But I think with how simple life has become now a days we yearn for a time that is extravagant.
Humans like shiny things. We’re similar to crows in that manner. However, we prefer to wear and flaunt them. Once again, the class has romance to it. And when we realize that we can understand we can never escape the class system that these shows represent because they’re alive today. Just hidden under fake smiles and well-placed words. So, we watch a time where things weren’t hidden so we can figure out how to spot it in our lives.
We learn from everything we watch, and these show’s very cleverly weave messages in between subtext to allow you to make the decision and comparisons for yourself. Funny isn’t it. The tycoons supplying the ammunition to the everyday people.
Now there are many ways to view this interpretation. I have been in a mood of rebellion from a couple movies I’ve watched recently so my perception is reasonably skewed. But give them a watch and see if you can see what I see.