I had problems with Netflix’s first attempt at bringing the Castlevania series to the small screen, but no matter how annoyed I was by some of the clumsy pacing and dialogue that often made me cringe, It’s hard for me to do that either. Denial that it’s still considered one of the most successful video game adaptations we’ve ever seen. When it’s successful, it’s successful, so it’s no surprise that Netflix and Powerhouse Animation Studios would try to build on that success by adapting some of the more beloved titles from the franchise’s classics. into a brand new sequel series: Castlevania: Nocturne. Furthermore, Warren Ellis’ recent run-in with the consequences of his allegedly inappropriate behavior with fans means that his time with the series has come to an end after Castlevania’s fourth season . With an entirely new writing team working with the Deats Brothers (Sam and Adam) and the rest of the Powerhouse team, the big question for Castlevania: Nocturne is whether it can live up to the standards of predecessor or not.
First, the good news: Castlevania: Nocturne isn’t as good as the original Castlevania at its best; I think it’s usually better. I think much of this belongs to the new team of writers who took Ellis’ place this time, including Clive Bradley, Zodwa Nyoni, Temi Oh and Andy”Will”Brooks. Before any naysayers of the first season get too excited, you should know that the show’s dialogue still features many colorful scenes, full of profanity and current-sounding quips grand. However, they are significantly reduced compared to some of the things Ellis offers when left to his own devices. More importantly, the new cast of characters all manage to be incredibly realistic and engaging, even if the plot sometimes sidesteps key moments of development or revelation to get us all to the endgame. .
I think special praise should be given to the unique perspectives that Nocturne was able to bring in thanks to its more diverse approach both behind the scenes and on screen. I’ve seen a lot of bad-faith whining going on because the show decided to turn Annette (Thuso Mbedu) a completely nameless girl into a powerful black warrior participating in into violent slave uprisings in Haiti. Of course, these concerns are all unreasonable because, if nothing else, it makes Annette a much more interesting character than she was in the original game, and the parallels between the Haitian Revolution and the French uprising made for some deeply thematic storytelling.
Anyone would be concerned that she is somehow “stealing” the attention from “real people”.” The heroes should also stop worrying because Richter (Edward Bluemel) and Maria (Pixie Davies) both have Get many interesting and exciting moments throughout the season. Maria can be a bit sassy and more political than expected. Still, she’s a great partner for Richter, and seeing her adorable (and villainous) spirits come to life again is a fan’s dream come true. Richter has his own appropriately tragic and heroic backstory. His story culminates with an incredibly satisfying action sequence in an episode that also features my only favorite in-depth mention of the games we’ve released to date (those GBA Castlevania fans, rejoice!), along with an incredible spectacle that rivals the original show’s epic “Bloody Tears” game show. That’s amazing stuff.
However, this is a Castlevania story and that means the forces of darkness and destruction must be able to cope with all the butt-kicking our heroes can dish out . On this level, Castlevania: Nocturne is just as worthy of its predecessor, even if Count Dracula is sidelined due to the events of the original show. The secondary villains in particular will be incredibly entertaining given how much you hate them. A mysterious Aztec vampire named Olrox (perfectly voiced by Zahn McClarnon) haunts Richter’s nightmares even as he demonstrates his powers among other villains. Abbot Emmanuel (Richard Dormer) is this season’s stand-in for clerical villains like Rondo from Blood’s Shaft, though he has much more depth, which makes his choices worthwhile. much more disdainful as the film goes on. Drolta Tzuentes (Elarica Johnson) also makes for a great recurring villain, serving as the gentle yet still incredibly dangerous second-in-command to the season’s Big Bad: Erzsébet Báthory.
The show’s most egregious flaws would be those that have always been present in this Castlevania series, such as the animation that sometimes looks clumsy or the voice actors’ line delivery that sometimes sounds awkward. out-of-place and muted makes you wonder if they used the wrong rehearsal scene. Other than that, the only real gripe I have with the show is the use of Erzsébet Báthory itself, or rather, lack thereof. By all means, she’s not a terrible villain, but the “I am a god!” shtick is a bit pale when comparing her to the likes of Dracula and other villains from Castlevania. She gets a chance to develop into a more memorable and terrifying threat by the end of the season, which only adds to the impression that the best part of this story is yet to come.
I don’t want to hear any complaints about this not being a “faithful” port of the game because that would involve a lot of terrible dubbing and about a dozen hours of Richter and Maria running constantly to the right while swinging the weapon in all directions. Castlevania: Nocturne knows that it must succeed as a good TV show above all else, and changes to the source material can be a good thing if done right. In that regard, this new generation of Netflix’s Castlevania is an incredible success. It takes everything the original show did right, eliminates much of what it did wrong, and brings some much-needed new blood to the proceedings. I can’t wait to see more of it
