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Introduction
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Murr (ムル, Muru) is a character from Jun Mochizuki's The Case Study of Vanitas. He is the pet cat of Noé Archiviste, having been with him since his childhood alongside the de Sades and continuing to accompany him all the way to adulthood. Murr seems to have been originally owned by Louis and resided in Averoigne alongside the boy, his grandfather, and Noé who had been taken in as the latter's student—up until his owner's untimely death, by which Noé came to be his primary caretaker. Thus when Noé receives an order from his Teacher to travel to Paris in search of the Book of Vanitas, Murr follows.
Throughout Noé and Vanitas's journey to save every curse-bearing Vampire they can, Murr remains their grumpy yet faithful companion.
This article contains plot and/or ending details for The Case Study of Vanitas.
Read at your own risk.
Appearance[]
Murr is an adult cat of average size. His body is slightly fat with a noticeably chubby belly, his fur is long and silky and fluffy, his tail possessing the most impressive volume, he is colored a perfect snowy white, and his eyes are heterochromatic, the right purple and the left blue, identical to the heterochromia of the Teacher's. His face is smushed up in a perpetual frown, and though this conveys Murr's similarly perpetual grumpy mood, this may also signify his breed to be Persian.[1] He is always seen wearing a purple ribbon around his neck as a collar, with a round purple jewel with a scalloped bezel in the center of the bow. When he attended the bal masqué alongside Noé, he wore on his face a small cat-sized eye mask that matched the lacey mardi gras style of mask worn by Dominique.
Personality[]
Murr seems to be in a constant state of annoyance in regards to everyone and everything around him. He often ambushes others and will even scratch his owner Noé. He allows himself to be held and doted on, although he maintains a frown of irritability throughout it. Murr prefers the company of women to men, escaping from his cage so that Amelia Ruth can cuddle him upon their meeting. He seems to enjoy spending time with Count Orlok, Manet, Nox, and Amelia. He also seems to have had a good relationship with Louis.
Plot[]
Murr's surprise appearance.
Murr is inside of a cat carrier throughout Noé’s journey to Paris on the airship. After spying Amelia Ruth he easily escapes from the carrier and delightedly cuddles with her.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Longevity: Murr is seen playing with Louis as a full- grown cat approximately ten years before the start of the series, and has not appeared to age in any way since then.
- Intelligence:
Relationships[]
Noé Archiviste[]
Murr has a surface dislike for Noé, often scratching him and ignoring him. Despite this, Murr seems to care for Noé at some level, tolerating his company and excitability, and often perching on his shoulder.
Vanitas[]
Murr seems to enjoy Vanitas' company, being occasionally seen sleeping or sitting on his lap. Noé has also questioned why Murr likes Vanitas so much, going so far as to ask if Murr was bribed or if Vanitas was actually a woman. Apparently, Vanitas is the type of person who doesn't care about cats, so he gets attention from them instead.
Amelia Ruth[]
While aboard La Baleine, Murr escaped from his carrier and accosted Amelia. Amelia was initially frightened, but after recovering from the surprise, she was delighted to have his company, commenting on Murr's warmth. She later greets the cat again after being freed from imprisonment, happy to see him.
Nox and Manet[]
Having been left behind when Noé and Vanitas left to track down Thomas Berneux, Murr went back to Galerie Vivienne where he was discovered by Nox and Manet. Nox and Manet initially were going to remove Murr from Count Orlok's presence out of fear that the count would find him noisy. They held him roughly, causing Murr to attack them out of aggravation. After being scolded by Count Orlok for their poor treatment of Murr, they joined the count in fondly doting on the cat, playing with Murr and feeding him, and eventually becoming great friends.
Parks Orlok[]
Count Orlok scolded Nox and Manet for not treating Murr properly and proceeded to dote on Murr, using cat toys to play with him. The two are now great friends.
Louis de Sade[]
Louis and Murr seem to have been friends while Louis was alive. Louis is seen interacting with Murr during a flashback, and when Dominique pictures Louis as an adult, Murr is perched on his shoulder.
Flute[]
Murr and Flute.
Flute is the small black cat that lives in Hôtel Chouchou. Murr has a big crush on her, but she always takes him very lightheartedly. However, they can be frequently seen hanging out together.
Appearances[]
- Mémoire 1: Vanitas — In The Event of Rusty Hopes (First Appearance)
- Mémoire 2: Noé — In the City of Flowers
- Mémoire 5: Archiviste — Fangs That Reveal Blood
- Mémoire 6: Altus — Other World
- Mémoire 7: Bal Masqué — Night Of Sneering Masks
- Mémoire 13: Glissando — Glissando
- Mémoire 14: Catacombes — Where The Dead Sleep
- Mémoire 19: Serment — Spell-bound
- Mémoire 23: Au Pas Camarade — Pace
- Mémoire 24: Forêt d'argent — Chance Encounter
- 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 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)*
- Entracte: Jours Bruyants — Tales of Lost Children
- 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 1: Vanitas -In the Event of Rusty Hopes- (First Appearance)
- 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 8: Catacombes -Where Death Slumbers-
- 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 19: Canorus -Snow Flower-
- Mémoire 20: Mal d'amour -The Incurable Disease-
- 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[]
- "Murr" is a reference to the titular character of The Life and Opinions of the Tomcat Murr,[2] a satirical novel by Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann written from the perspective of a cat who has learned how to write.