When I read the first chapter of Vanitas no Carte, I was instantly hooked. Action sequences, incredible costumes, everything was drawn with extraordinary attention to detail and with a good deal of style. The relationship between the main two characters was funny and felt real to me, and the mangaka has some serious guts to reveal how the entire manga will end at the end of the very first chapter. It sunk its teeth into me as soon as I read that.

In short, I think it's one of the best opening chapters I've ever seen. Which is why I'm mystified how it all got so muddled so quickly to make me drop it. I think too many plot points and too many characters were introduced too quickly, until it reached a point at which I started flipping back pages to try and remember who was who. The art often has style overpower substance to the extent that I can't figure out what's happening, only that it's being done with great panache, until reading the manga feels like riding a very attractive but still out of control roller coaster.

Secret organizations of vampires operating in steampunk turn-of-the-century Paris should be a slam dunk, but in the end not even Vanitas' pretty smirk can save this.