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Although I have no interest in BL whatsoever and in fact disdain it utterly, I will apply my awesome and infinite knowledge and analytical skills to tackle its relation to gender, sexuality and other terms, trying to pry some form of wisdom from the ravings of pornsick fujoshi. I will not read anything other than the words of people with similar critical attitudes, as works penned by anyone with even slightly positive attitude towards BL show repugnant bias towards it. Similarly I will not actually watch or read BL, instead reading detailed reviews and analysis of such.

Without preamble, we shall analyse this titan of the yaoi genre, which manages to show the shallowness of the fujoshi’s mindset, the disgusting fetishisation and misogyny present in these fandoms, the massively influential oeuvre that is:

-Jun's Comment-

​If someone were to ask me, "What kind of story is PandoraHearts in a single sentence?", I would answer, "It's a story of Oz finding himself."

​Since it was my first long-term serialization, I thought that even if I failed to portray everything due to my lack of ability, I had to completely draw Oz's journey no matter what. I felt that if I could achieve that, at least within myself, PandoraHearts would be a success.

on today's episode of "sof overanalyzes everything, even the tiniest character quirks that could very well just be there for comedic purposes": why does vanitas NEED to tie a bow when he's reconfiguring his chasseur outfit at the beginning of volume 4 (ch. 16)?

so at this point, their cover is totally blown and there's no need for false pretenses anymore. vanitas even directly states that when he assumes that noé is talking about his weapons. this is how we're starting the volume, how we're reentering this arc with vanitas, and the first thing we see him do is take his weapons out and tie the chasseur sash/belt thing into a bow. pairing these actions together and placing them right at the beginning here clearly frames this seemingly innocuous sequence as him gearing up for the fights ahead. the weapons are for the physical fight, but i believe that the bow is acting as armor for the mental and emotional fight, whether vanitas is conscious of it or not.

vanitas as a character is deeply obsessed with control. it's what he is perpetually grasping for during any and all stressful or triggering situations, precisely because the vast majority of his trauma centers around a forced lack of autonomy. and his preferred method of achieving that sense of stability and power through control is through theatrics, whether it's reciting a speech about how he is but a simple human who vows to save the vampires whether they like or not, or playing with jeanne's emotional naivety by professing his undying love for her after a single (nonconsensual) kiss and continuing to play up the casanova act despite (because of) his own deep-seated fears and ignorance of intimacy and love.

and it's not just in his actions that he dons these dramatic masks as armor, it's in his clothing as well. the gloves he wears are fitted with nail tips not just for practical defensive reasons, but also to make him LOOK more like a predator (and more like luna). he wears their hourglass earring for the same reason. i would even argue that his sharply cut bangs are meant to signify a level of danger to potential threats. he is a mosaic of calculated sharp lines and edges. so with that, a bow seems kind of counterintuitive to his aesthetic, right? but vanitas is not only concerned with portraying himself as a force to be reckoned with. he is constantly flip-flopping between intense emotional instability (akin to a cat fluffing up its fur to look more threatening than it actually is) and cool, calm, and collected aloofness. he wants to be seen as dangerous and violent and unpredictable but also calculated and detached and above it all. and so i think the juxtaposition of all of his sharp edges with a pretty bow at his collar is the perfect way to symbolize those warring factions within himself and his coping mechanisms.

so taking this all back to the chasseur outfit. he originally donned these new clothes as a disguise, but that plan is foiled now. less sneaking, more fighting. it's also becoming increasingly clear to vanitas that he will have to face moreau alongside noé, and knowing him, he will have a ton of prying questions that vanitas is dreading having to answer. more fighting. so what does he do? he takes his weapons out and he ties a bow on his costume, transforming it into something more like armor. if he ties this bow, he is in control of these clothes and the memories that they're attached to, not the other way around. if he ties this bow, his enemies will see someone who is capable and unaffected and put together, not at all like a collection of frayed edges on the rags he wears when he visits these catacombs in his nightmares. if he ties this bow, he has the strength to answer noé's questions about his past as if he's retelling the story of some other terrified kid in some other costume with some other life.

What up dawg

Is Vanitas' reaction to finding out about Noè's childhood and how he was sold on the market.

Vanitas knows this, he learned this about Noè from Domi, and yet he never brought it up, never asked Noè himself, doesn't pry or push despite the fact he definetly has questions about this himself.

I think that was the first real shift in Vanitas attitude changing towards Noe, most likely because it reminded Vanitas of his time with the Docter and his own childhood, he saw something similar reflected in Noè's past and thus it led him to actually concider Noè's situation, that he wasn't just another wealthy and sheltered Vampire.

BUT what fascinates me, if their characterisation from this. Noè is a character who constantly asks questions, he always wants to understand, he wants to know everything about someone, and so him wanting to drink vanitas blood is less about the taste I think and more about his desire to understand Vanitas as quickly as possiable withiut realising that he himself hasn't even opened up to Vanitas at this point.

While Vanitas is/was at the beginning, a character who kept everything a secret, he didnt want people to get close, he didnt want them to understand because I think deep down what he fears most IS being understood.

That's where his obvious dislike of Archivistes comes from, why we saw him switch up when he first learned what type of Vampire Noè was.

Because I think, Archivistes are naturally curious, more so than the average vampire, we even see this reflected in the marquies and her interest in machinery and engineering, its also reflected in how Noè loves tk read and learn.

It is their job to be Archivists, their job to understand where others fail to.

And that must be terrifying to someone who does not want to be understood.

All this just to say, I think the eradication of the Archivistes was based in that fear. The fear of someone/something knowing you better than you know yourself, even knowing your weakness and hiw the mind can make you beleive they could use it agaisnt you at any moment.

People also fear the truth, anither thing Archivistes would be able to see with ease.

I am a firm beleiver that Archivistes have more abilities than we currently know of, that they can read the emotions of people better, can sense intent better than the average vampire. We just haven't seen it, because Noè wasn't raised by Archivistes himself.

What he knows is only what his teacher allowed him to know, and its clear thr book of vanitas and 'seeing its true character' is a test of some sort.

Its also no secret that a reoccurring theme in this story is how people perceive others, and how that perception can change when you try to understand them yourself.

I don't see so much talking about Teacher has got one blue eye like Vanitas and Misha.

Can he be a Luna's kin too? But their relationship had a fallout in past for this Luna shown some regret about concept of creating kin.

Especially because the teacher is giving me stalker/creepy vibe around Luna 's figure.

Ex lover who got rejected?

But being Luna' kin explains why Misha trusts him so completely as good person and potential another big brother/parent.

Maybe Teacher told him " I am blue kin like you and lover of Luna", and because Misha is very vulnerable about family concept he didn't ask why Luna never talked about the count at all.

We are the dark, we are the saints of blood at night We hear the call, when the moon shines red We grab your body, in the morning all we are Satisfied when you are dead

We drink your blood When the midnight sky is red We drink your blood And we call the sanguine saints

Ive been back on the rolivier grind! I really missed making comics so I’m glad I managed to finished this

I have so many thoughts on Olivier and Roland’s relationship so I wanna do more of these just to show how I imagine their relationship developing

I think Johann isn't Mr. Spider, but he is still doing some shady business by Marquis Machina.

My theory is Johann and Paola, the faceless but mentioned dhampir, are secret Machina’s agents/assassins, the ones who kill people for starting the Gévaudan Act for Machina's machination.

I know Johann being Mr. Spider is the most widespread theory, but I don’t think Johann fits in that group because all leader members are the top of their own faction; Lord Ruthver treats Mr. Spider as a peer, while Johann is just a young dhampire informant broker.

The Charlatan isn’t only evil in the VNC 's world after all.

So Johann can still so something horrible without be a charlatan’ member, and I think his shady business can be with Marchise Marchina.

I think the revelation of Machina being a woman archiviste made people a little blind around her past actions and treating her as a potential ally for protagonists when she is clearly on the neutral-evil side.

Machina is a politician, a senator, and an archiviste who survived their genocide.

We don’t know yet what/who exactly happened to the archiviste clan, except they were ripped off centuries ago, which I think is already a lie because, in complexity, the vampire race is just more or less 400 years old, so the math isn’t adding up, so I am inclined to believe the Senate is lying about the archivist timeline because they are the ones who purged them.

As vampires live in Altus, and if the church was able to reach it, they would exterminate all vampires, not just a small group of them.

The only thing humans really need from vampires is astermite finds only on Altus, until humans can’t conquest altus they need vampires, therefore killing archiviste clan doesn’t benefict the church at all.

But if archivistes were killed by the Senate, how did Marquis Machina become a senator/beastia? Is she a traitor to the archivist clan? Is he a political prisoner of the Senate?

Her automaton suit, who make her unidentified, could be a hint to the Man in the Iron Mask/L'Homme au Masque de Fer, an unidentified prisoner during the time of Louis XIV. Often thought of as a political prisoner.

Her actions in the manga show, indeed, she is minding her business.

She is responsible for creating the weapons that are supplied to Bourreau, child soldier slaves who she is entitled to use, as she says to Jeanne.

Marchina is hiding her identity as an archiviste while sitting at the table of power (the vampire senate).

Her friends are Teacher and Lord Ruthver, who are not good guys.

She also has a sexual relationship with Veronica, who is openly sadistic and racist, meaning sharing her values or not being bothered by them.

She almost executed the dhampir trio for messing with her astermite trade and territory; only because Dante was able to negotiate and fascinate her, the trio is alive.

And last, she is responsible for the Gevaudan beast act by copycating the murders of the beast.

Therefore, we can easily hypothesize Machina is doing some terrible plans behind the scenes.

Let's be real: Marquis doesn't really need dhampirs as her broker informants; she is, after all, an archiviste. She can just read the memory of people, plus an ancient vampire like her should already have informants.

The Shapeless count implies her bees do more than just collecting information.

The Real Purpose of Dante's Crew.

They aren't Machina's primary source of information; they are her smokescreen, Johann and faceless Paola are her secret agents.

Agents who aren’t controlled by the vampire senate, like bourreau.

In the last chapter Johann has slipped, calling all dhampir community members Dante's and Riche's family but not his own.

It might be guilty because it is hiding himself and the true purpose of the Dante’s crew.

This is unfortunately like in real life, where minorities are used by criminal organizations because they have few choices.

Dante and Beatrice are looking for earning a place in light, legally and safely, but Johann is doing the dirty work.

In fact, I always find it extremely significant that Johann isn’t named after Vigirl despite the dhampir trio being based on the Divine Comedy. Riche is Beatrice, the ideal. Dante is a traveler, but Johann?

Like he has never been part of a trio.

But strangely, there is a name that is associated with John as duo: Paul.

John and Paul = Johann and Paola.

Saints John and Paul were two brothers, Roman soldiers, saints and then martyrs who worked for the empire while hiding their Christian faith. They were killed secretly, and their bodies were hidden in their home, as they were too popular for their good deeds, so the Roman Senate knows killing them in public is a terrible idea.

During the meeting in Dhampir Safe House, a name but no face was dropped: Paola.

In the dhampir safe house, one of the children comments he will bring dinner to Paola, meaning she can’t come to the dinner. Was she hurt? Working? Disliking outsiders (Vanitas, Noe, and Domi).

Johann looks to him with a worried expression, strongly implying there is something wrong with Paola, and Johann and she share something privately.

So Machina covers the role of the Roman employer while her “saints” act in secret.

If I am right, Johann has ability to be a spy/assassin.

1) Johann isn’t new to violence. When Dante and Riche met him the first time, his shirt had some blood spots but no injuries. Machina guards used more force on him than other dhampirs after being captured.

2) During the flashback Johann had a long staff, probably, which he used as a weapon.

3) He is athletic enough to keep up with the mission; he also has good control of the battlefield. As in Gévaudan Act , he was able to capture several hunters by surprise with only a net pistol or by having sharp instincts.

4) Dante called him a protector, and he is not bothered by scary and graphic comments from Johann, knowing the dark side of his friend. We can see Johann often acts as the physical protector of the trio.

5) Johann can hide his feelings so perfectly that his friends don't have an idea he hates Noè's guts. Johann always acts polite and servile like a person who worked in hospitality for 12 hours and is near to murdering everyone in the room but needs a job, so they keep the perfect mask on.

This last personality trait would make an assassin/spy perfect, because they work in a stealthy way rather than a noisy one. An assassin doesn’t let anyone know they are after all.

But Johann's violence is hidden under smiles, but it is easily close to being triggered.

During the Gévaudan Act , Vanitas threatened the lives of Johann and Dante while Dante tried to calm down the situation, but Johann, the coward, promised Vanitas death. Vanitas doesn’t look impressed but he doesn’t underestimate Johann either. Vanitas has sharp instincts that identify Johann as a true menace.

But before this interaction, Jeanne and Johann presented each other.

Jeanne asks what Johann is; he answers, "A dhampir", in rather mocking tone than his usual, and Jeanne, the hellfire witch, sweats coldly.

Johann noticed immediately, and he tried to justify his intensity by saying he disliked staying away from Dante. When Dante arrived, he jumped and aggressively cuddled Dante in front of Jeanne and Vanitas. Johann adores Dante, and he is flamboyant, but this behavior after Jeanne's instinct put her on guard is suspicious, like Johann was trying to pass for helpless.

Especially because after this scene, Vanitas threatens Dante and Johann, and Johann is ready to kill Vanitas.

Might Johann be an archiviste?

Another possible factor that Johann might be a good assassin of Machina and her true secret assert is that, if like the utent @noes-pillow theorized, Johann might be a child of Archiviste because he has white eyes and purple eyes, both characteristics that are present in Noé and Machina.

In VNC the ability to read memory doesn’t depend on a world formula but on archiviste biology, so if dhampirs have fangs too, hypothetically a dhampir born from an archiviste would be able to see memories too.

If both hypotheses are correct, Johann would be the perfect spy for Machina; his ability can take secrets from Machina's enemies without her exposing herself.

Then Machina used Dante Broker Company as an excuse for how Machina has these information: "My dhampirs found it ."

This also explains why Machina needs a duo of assassins; during the memories, while drinking, the archiviste is completely vulnerable. They need to be protected, so Paola is the one who guards Johann while he steals information from their targets.

Being an archiviste put a lot of stress on Johann and his imposter syndrome around the Dhampir family.

Dhampirs are seen as an annoyance but not a danger. Being an archiviste but a red moon dhampir passing allows Johann not to be killed immediately but means a stressful life to keep lying for his safety.

It explains his negative opinion around Noé. Noè is privileged by his position as an adopted member of the De Sade family, blind to it.

While other archivistes were killed, survivors were enslaved or forced to do worse for living. Noè can preach about pacifism without understanding survival takes priority over it if the other part is actively trying to hurt you.

Noè's privilege is manifest in the diplomatic shield that allows him to abuse his physical power when his pacifism doesn’t work. In the second chapter we see Noè breaking the count's desk in a moment of rage, but Noè doesn’t face consequences for it.

It mirrors perfectly Johann leaving with Dante and Riche after Count Orlok gave them the ultimatum. Johann doesn’t hide his sarcasm, but he is forced to be polite and servile and accept the threat.

I think Johann might have lived with his vampire mother because he shows some vampiric behaviour; in the series, the vampires sometimes nuzzle/rub other people/animals, which makes sense after all, as vampires have superior noses, so smell is part of unwritten physical communication.

Johann does this continually with Dante or Riche nuzzling, but one time he did it on Noè Noè's shoulder johann was hurt. It starts with Johann nuzzling Murr than resting his face on Noè's shoulder.

In cat behaviour, a cat would rub itself on a stronger member of the group when it is hurt.

Notice Noè is confused, but he doesn’t remove Johann. Johann might hide his smell as an archiviste, but he still looks for comfort from pack members. Noè might have been able to feel Johann is part of archiveste clan on a physical level. This explains they are comfortable on a physical level despite not being close, but Johann still hates Noè.

Johann hates being around Noè because of his sheltered idealism/pacifism, especially around the vampire senate. What if Johann is literally a survivor of the purge? Which explains also his dislike around Jeanne.

While Jeanne isn't responsible of archivistes purge because she was sleeping, she is still a Bourreau, senate's weapon used during it.

His name might be a reference to John the Apostle, the one who wrote the Apocalypse.

What if Johann survived the Archiviste genocide/purge, amking him a witness of an apocalypse?

Who is Paola?

It is impossible to say without other information than her being quoted, but I think she might be N70.

Like @astamite theorizes chapter 69 might show Morue again, as number 69 is connected to Vanitas, so following this example, n70 can be the introduction of n70 with its Paola identity.

If Paola is a Moreu’s victim, it might also explain why Paola and Johan were able to copy the murders of the beast because her time in the lab horribly turned her into something else.

But I don’t think Machina forced Paola and Johann to work for her. In the Beast act, Johann was pissed off with Machina and situation, saying Johann shouldn’t bring Dante with him.

There is no fear, only annoyence. What if that man, Johann was angry with himself to bring in dante in Gévaudan because Johann already knew how much situation was a mess because he had been already there.

Dante struck a deal with Machina because she is bored; her conditions are clear, especially for what she can offer. For a survivor archivist and Morue's victim, Machina is someone who gives them tools for their goals (Johann revenging his clan and protecting the dhampire, Paola tracking down Morue) in exchange for being her agents.

I don’t think the main dhampirs are going to die in this act.

I strongly believe that Dante will cut Vanitas off from his life after Vanitas puts the dhampir useless in danger and some of the children will die as consequence.