Culture x August 3, 2017
‘Castlevania’ Lays the Blueprint for Video Game Adaptations

After decades of failed attempts to adapt a video game into a decent movie, the four-part Netflix series may have finally cracked the code.

By Eric McInnis, Arcadia University


While Hollywood has successfully mastered both transforming and transcending adaptations of books, comics and TV shows, the one medium no director has been able to tackle is video games. Ever since its beginnings, with 1993’s notorious flop “Super Mario Bros.,” the subgenre of video game movies has never fixed the mistakes of its predecessors.

The highest-rated theatrical video game movie, at least among critics, has been 2001’s “Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within,” which netted a whopping 44 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and a 49/100 on Metacritic. Not a good rating, but it further underscores the problem when discussing video game movies.

Whether it be straying too far from the original source material (“Super Mario Bros.”), being too inaccessible for newcomers (“Warcraft”) or just flat-out being awful (any film directed by Uwe Boll), not one director has been able to figure out how to take something people play on their Playstation and adapt it into an amazing, or at least decent, film.

But, there may be hope for the future, as one adaptation of a popular video game has managed to succeed and may finally right the many wrongs of the past. After years of struggle, Netflix’s “Castlevania” series may not be a masterpiece, but it has finally laid the groundwork for how to make a video game movie good.

While it seems strange to consider a television series as the key to help Hollywood’s video game movie crisis, the animated action show wasn’t always intended to be on TV. In 2007, the script for the first season, written by Warren Ellis, best known for creating the comic book mini-series “Red,” was originally the script for a direct-to-video adult animated feature, as well as the first part of a trilogy. But, after completion of the script, production stalled and the project was stuck in development hell, and the project was on-again, off-again for the next ten years.

But finally, after negotiations with Netflix, Ellis’ writing was finally brought to life through a four-episode TV season that roughly equals two hours. And at last, gamers finally got a Hollywood adaptation that was action-packed, fun, smart and entertaining throughout.

The first thing that really captures the audience is the series’ story. Adapting the basic story from the NES game “Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse,” while still having its own original story, the ongoing storyline involving Dracula’s army of demons and minions destroying the kingdom and its citizens and the reluctant hero Trevor Belmont attempting to save the world is rather compelling. The writers managed to tell the story of “Dracula’s Curses,” but also expanded upon many of the ideas. Because most video games focus more on gameplay rather than story and characters, the wise decision was to give depth to the original blueprints.

Dracula isn’t some evil bad guy, but a tragic figure who curses the kingdom of Wallachia because of what the church has done to his beloved wife. Trevor Belmont isn’t some generic protagonist with zero personality, but a snarky, sarcastic alcoholic who is more or less forced into stopping Dracula. Even the supporting characters, like the magician Sypha and Dracula’s son Alucard, have a lot of personality and likable traits. Add some phenomenal voice acting, particularly with Richard Armitage as Belmont, and audiences have a fantastic set-up for some compelling characters.

Some interesting commentary is even thrown into the picture, as the season’s true antagonist is the Bishop. He not only sets the course for Dracula’s takeover of Wallachia, but he abuses his power and his people’s insecurities and fears and tries to use Dracula’s demons in a way where he can still impose his power and threats to his citizens. The show tackles the horrors of religious extremism in a way that might not be anything groundbreaking, but still offers an engaging and somewhat thought-provoking look at how churches used to prey on common people’s fears to attack those who wish to challenge them.

But the most important thing of any video game movie is good action scenes, a common pitfall when adapting to feature films. Video game franchises like “Assassin’s Creed” and especially “Mortal Kombat” are famous for their gruesome attacks and deaths, which made them become extremely treasured amongst gamers. Their movies strayed away from that, as they were stuck with a PG-13 rating, meaning fans never got to see the Assassin use his hidden blades against the necks of the Templars or see Scorpion rip off an opponent’s head on the big screen. The things that make the games great were neutered in favor of making things more “commercial,” but it ended up disappointing fans and bored newcomers.

“Castlevania” throws the commercial idea out the window, and allows fans gruesome fight scenes that are well-choreographed and full of bite. The ending climactic fight scene with Trevor Belmont and Alucard in particular is a great highlight, with smooth character animation and a few solid one-liners. At times, the show uses unnecessary gore for the sake of shock value, which definitely will take some viewers out of the show, but it still doesn’t discredit the incredible effort the animators put into each action sequence, and it’s almost cathartic to see a video game adaptation go more “Game of Thrones” after years of generic fight scenes.

But, for all the kudos I give to the series, this first season is far from perfect. Again, the gore can definitely take viewers out of the show and the storyline is rather cookie-cutter and doesn’t really offer anything creative and new. The show also has some awkward pacing at times. Since the season was originally supposed to be a movie, it often feels like the endings to each episode are rather abrupt, as if Warner Ellis had to hastily rewrite parts of the script in order to make it more suited to television.

Then there are other times when backstories are revealed too quickly or without much detail. We don’t know much about the Belmont family and why the Church specifically ostracizes their clan, and although Dracula’s an interesting character he only appears in the first episode and his backstory and why he wreaks havoc does feel rushed.

The season also has a pretty disappointing ending, as the season finale kind of just…stops. There’s an ending fight scene, then the two characters make up, then they decide to become allies, they ride off to the sunset and then it ends. Obviously, the ending scenes were intended to be a cliffhanger for the upcoming second season, but there’s no real excitement or pull to the ending that really makes you go “I can’t wait for the next season.”

But, in spite of my complaints, this show is still pretty decent and is a good example to show Hollywood movie directors how to make a good movie based on a game. Expand on the original lore, add dimension to your characters and be more open on having some grit in your action. In spite of the failures of the past, there are plenty more theatrical adaptations of popular games in the future, with next year’s “Tomb Raider” and “Rampage,” alongside plans for films based on “Sonic the Hedgehog” and “Minecraft.”

For all I know, a film based on “Deus Ex” or “Dead Space” might be in development. Hopefully Netflix’s “Castlevania” will lay out a good blueprint and lead to a video game movie that isn’t just a good movie, but possibly a cinematic masterpiece in the future.

Review: Castlevania (Season 2)
2018-10-17 11:00:00 by Jesse Lab


Let us go out this night for exposition

(Note: This is a spoiler-free review of the first six episodes of Castlevania Season 2, however there will be spoilers for Season 1)

The first season of Castlevania was a surprise that I'm not sure many people were expecting. It was a solid, albeit short, four-episode season that did everything you would expect from a Castlevania animated series. There were dozens of monsters that needed to be killed, a Belmont, and a pissed off Dracula that wanted to exterminate all human life. Still, its short length really hampered any enthusiasm I had for the season. Just as things were started to get good, the season was over. It felt more like a proof of concept than anything else.

Thankfully, we have a second season that gives us eight episodes and expands the story way more than the first season. If the first season was all about action and grizzly entertainment, then season two is more determined to get across the plot and character motivations. Unfortunately, this approach means that the series never hits the same high points in action as the first, though makes up for it with a deeper examination of Dracula, his cause, and his chosen allies.

Castlevania (Season 2)
Showrunner: Adi Shankar
Release Date: October 26, 2018 (Netflix)

The second season picks up immediately after the first season, with Trevor beginning his journey with Alucard and Sypha to stop Dracula once and for all. Trevor still isn't the biggest fan of Alucard, partly due to him being Dracula's son and mostly because Alucard just tried to kill him, but they're going to have to put their differences aside for their upcoming battle. Meanwhile, Dracula is assembling his army of vampires, monsters, and human sympathizers to lay waste to the human world, not realizing that his eradication of all humans may cause some dissent in his ranks from monsters that need humans to survive.

I know that there were some comparisons to Game of Thrones that could have been thrown at the first season, but now the Game of Thrones comparisons are front and center. We spend more time this season dealing with military planning and possible GoT styled betrayals, garden scenes included, than actual action this time around. The majority of the second season is centered on expanding on the cast of characters and their relationships between each other, which I'd normally be for, but when the first season was so focused on over-the-top action instead of telling its story, it makes the second season really feel like a different show at times.

Not to say that any of that is bad, given how excellent the voice cast is. Graham McTavish and Richard Armitage, who play Dracula and Trevor Belmont respectively, deliver their lines with such impact and conviction that I don't mind hearing them exposit their backstories and histories. Most of the season is dedicated to delving into Dracula's state of mind and how he's just tired of everything that happened with his wife's murder and his desire for vengeance. We get the sense that Dracula feels no joy in what he's doing, but his hatred is the only thing that's keeping him going. I could listen to Graham McTavish explaining how lonely Dracula feels and how apathetic he is about his own war for days.

As for our heroes, we spend a fair amount of time just watching them travel together and see the chemistry between the three of them. All three of them gel together very well, especially when they're just given time to sit around and talk to each other. Alucard and Trevor's relationship in particular is pretty damn funny, with the two of them throwing insults at one another yet being forced to play nice just to get the job done. Sypha is usually the mediator between the two of them, but she's just charismatic enough to hold her own with the two boys, despite how little screentime she has compared to the two of them.

As for the action, I wish that we had more than we got. When the action happens, it's just as bloody as you would expect it to be. Heads get crushed, people get stabbed, hearts get pulled from still living bodies, monsters get burned alive, and Dracula lives up to his Tepes name with pride. Those fantastic moments are so few and far between though, with an entire episode going by without any major action set pieces. When they do appear, they're usually brief and are too short to fully appreciate them. When you have an army of vampires laying waste to the countryside and drinking the blood of their victims for fun, you should spend more than a minute and a half showing off the massacre is all I'm saying.

The animation and art style hasn't changed all that much from the first season, and that's a good thing. I enjoyed a lot of the character designs and the new characters fit in right at home. The weirdest thing that I noticed as I watched the first six episodes was that all of the vampires have super long fingernails. Like, almost as long as their actual fingers. It's an odd little detail, and I don't know why it was so memorable to me, but it stuck out like a sore thumb to the point where I noticed it every time a vampire appeared onscreen.

If you were looking for more Castlevania references that pop up during the season, then season two has you covered. There were references to the original game, Symphony of the Night, Super Castlevania IV, and even Curse of Darkness that will leave fans quite pleased. I know that I definitely geeked out early on in the season when a group of famous monsters appeared to cause some havoc for our merry band of vampire hunters and even when a few characters popped up that fans may know.

The expanded episode count does do the series plenty of favors, allowing each episode to have its own time to breath and not feel like a rushed action movie, but there are a couple of moments of dead air between several characters, mostly Dracula's generals. Several conversations between them just felt like they were repeated information that we already knew just so that each episode could pad out its runtime to 24 minutes. I'm all for more episodes to flesh out a story, but you need to do something with them to justify the added episodes. I was getting a lot of Preacher season 2 flashbacks where most of the season took place in one location with barely anything happening until the finale, which is unfortunately true here for both our heroes and villains.

Castlevania's second season still carries over the same Gothic atmosphere and its ultra-violent anime roots, but it's a different beast in nearly every other aspect. The action is played down for more exposition, and character motivations are given the spotlight. For characters like Dracula, that's fine and dandy, but when it's spent on uninteresting supporting characters, it just feels like a waste of my time. If all of this was in service of having more eyeball goring action in the finale and future seasons, then a slower-paced second season is fine by me as long as the results are as satisyfing as the first season's.

Netflix's Castlevania Season 2 Review: Intrigue In Dracula's Court

Last updated by Michael Rougeau on Oct 18, 2018 10:02 AM


The first season of Netflix's Castlevania show was really more of a teaser than a full season. Over just four short episodes, it established the main characters and conflict and gave us a taste of the action, with the promise of more to come at a later date. In the portion of Castlevania Season 2 sent to press--six of the eight new episodes--that promise has yet to be fulfilled.

Castlevania Season 2 follows characters on two fronts: Dracula's court, and the small crew fighting against him. The latter consists of familiar faces: Trevor Belmont (Richard Armitage), Alucard (James Callis), and Sypha (Alejandra Reynoso), all of whom we met in Season 1. Like much of Castlevania, the chemistry among the trio has potential, but it's yet to bear fruit, even three quarters of the way through Season 2. Unfortunately, they spend almost the entire first six episodes simply sequestered away in a massive library researching ways to take Dracula down.

That probably sounds boring--because it is. And it's made even more so by the distinct lack of action; where Alucard and Trevor clashed blades at the end of Season 1, now they're content to simply trade childish barbs, much to Sypha's (and likely the audience's) frustration. Granted, they are on the same side now, but their dynamic gets old quickly.

Belmont and crew's preparatory storyline is really the B plot so far this time around, as the meat of Castlevania Season 2 follows Dracula (Graham McTavish)--or, more accurately, those in his vampire war council, since the Dark Lord himself does literally nothing in all the episodes we've seen so far. There's one medium length flashback in which he massacres a council of merchants who offended him, but it's not like that moves the story along. Dracula is actually extremely morose and depressed throughout Season 2 so far--an enormous sea change from his force-of-nature rage in Season 1, the reason for which is unclear, since these episodes seem to pick up shortly after the last batch.

Instead, we follow the intrigue in Dracula's court, which includes the bulk of new characters we meet: Godbrand, a hilariously brutish, hard-living, hard-killing vampire lord voiced with relish by the distinctive Peter Stormare; Carmella, a power-hungry female vampire who immediately starts to question Dracula's rule; and the human-hating-humans Hector and Isaac, who Dracula appoints to lead his war effort. This doesn't go over well with Godbrand, and Carmella seeks her own ends, so there's no end of drama among Dracula's generals.

Hector and Isaac are particularly well fleshed out, as we get flashbacks and monologues that describe both why they hate other humans, and how they came to be in Dracula's service. Isaac is a former slave whose master was excessively cruel, while Hector is a "Forge Master" who uses magic to imbue dead things with life, making him the architect of Dracula's demon army. There are other vampires among the war council, and they certainly look cool during the handful of action scenes they take part in during these episodes, but they're not named or fleshed out.

One thing Castlevania Season 2 definitely does have is buildup. All the intrigue and tension is leading somewhere--there's never doubt of that. By the end of the sixth episode, with just two more to go, the pieces seem to finally be falling into place. Belmont is fighting demons, Sypha is doing magic, and Dracula is--well, Dracula is still brooding, but the rest of his forces are finally at war. The action is still creatively executed, and fights look cool.

But with eight episodes instead of just four, there was hope that Castlevania Season 2 would feel like more of a complete thing. Instead, it feels more like Season 1 was the first act, and this is simply a continuation, and the extra room has been spent developing new characters while the old ones tread water. We'll learn for sure whether it will all lead to a satisfying conclusion when Castlevania Season 2 hits Netflix on October 26.

Meg Shields | October 20, 2018

'Castlevania' Season 2 Review: Blood, Guts, and Backstory
Some brooding vampire lords just want to watch the world burn. But mostly brood.

When the first season of Castlevania swooped into our Netflix queues last year, it defied expectations by turning in a critically-praised thrill ride that did right by its source material. Where most video game adaptations amount to dramatized Wikipedia articles, Castlevania successfully captured the gothic timbre, gore, and feel of the Konami series, while bringing a crackling wit and dark charm all its own. The only (or at least, the loudest) complaint was that it was too short. And lo: our demands were met. The second season of Castlevania, with a doubled total of eight 25-minute episodes, will be available for streaming on Netflix, come October 26th.

Note: what follows is a review of the first six episodes, with light spoilers.

Having incurred the wrath of Vlad Dracula Tepes (Graham McTavish) by burning his human wife Lisa (Emily Swallow) as a witch, the bodies continue to pile up as Eastern Europe is (quite literally) torn apart by supernatural hordes intent on wiping the human race off the map. We pick up where the first season left off, with Trevor Belmont (Richard Armitage), the last surviving member of the infamous monster-slaying Belmont clan, having abandoned his lone wolf ways, joining forces with good-hearted sorceress Sypha (Alejandra Reynoso) and Dracula’s own half-vampire son Alucard (James Callis), to devise a way to save humanity from an increasingly unstable, grief-stricken Dracula.

While Castlevania’s first season was certainly not for want of compelling characters, its focus rested squarely on the shoulders of Trevor and his reluctant discovery that he does still give a shit about other people. With season two, folks looking for a retread of the Trevor Belmont variety hour will come up (mostly) empty-handed. But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Rather than forefront Trevor’s antics a second go-round, season two uses its newfound elbow room to shift its attention to the larger cast, bringing new recruits into the fold and taking time to explore motivation and backstory. As far as our heroes’ storyline goes, the focus is on their ability to work as a team. Rather than force dramatics and set back narrative progress, the trio takes the hangout movie approach and feel out their oddball alliance with snark and verbal spars as they go through the motions of saving the day. The grade of these scenes is gentle, revolving mostly around lighter character faults than any telenovela reveals or literal fisticuffs. Alucard is well-tempered but vacant. It’s Sypha’s first time away from her nomadic family. And Trevor, while charming, is still an asshole.

It’s a stark contrast to the drama going down at Dracula’s castle, where the majority of the season takes place, as the larger vampire community is fleshed out and we are granted a more intimate look at Vlad himself. In the first season, from the vantage of the terrorized streets of Wallachia, Dracula had the boundless rage of an old testament god with a penchant for heavy metal album covers. Peeking behind the curtain of Dracula’s undead operation, season two does not find an operatic big bad reveling in humanity’s decimation, but a man broken by grief to the point of self-destruction. Humanity’s suffering is incidental — he just wants them gone. Dracula’s instability as a leader and the potential for his “fuck it” war to starve all vampire kind to death is a central plot point, with his apparent softening catching the attention of many, including a very fun Viking vampire played by Peter Stormare (!!!), as well as Carmilla, an opportunistic high femme dynamo and mainstay from the games. Other familiar faces from the Konami series include Hector and Isaac, two human generals in Dracula’s court capable of necromancy who hate mankind for reasons beyond basic bloodlust. Their backstories and dynamic within the court are a season highlight, as well as a refreshing complication to the series’ misanthropic throughline.

Thematically, the first season centered on the conflict between superstition and science, as well as subtler threads of class politics and the failings of monopolized power, be it the church’s stronghold, old families like the Belmonts, or Dracula’s horrid of scientific know-how. The consequences of such isolation, be it of power or of oneself, are at the forefront of season two. Rejecting the world, we’re told, it’s easy to fear difference, and for the wounds caused by malice and grief to corrupt and be exploited.

Without the time crunch, the first six episodes of season two move exponentially slower than season one, particularly the hero storyline, where things tend to drag.

That said, I would caution viewers equating a change of pace with boredom. For my money, to accuse Dracula of narrative stagnancy kind of misses the point of his depression, and Graham McTavish is compelling as sin even when brooding the house down. To boot, with a double runtime, we’re treated to world-building cheques the first season simply didn’t have the time to cash. Insinuating a reach of vampiric activity beyond Wallachia, Dracula’s court is wonderfully diverse, if criminally under-utilized. The exception being Isaac, who, unlike his design established in Curse of Darkness, is of African descent. Without giving anything away, we’re also given a clearer sense of the scale of vampire politics outside Dracula’s court, which plays to Castlevania’s oft-cited Game of Thrones vibes (now compounded by the show’s lack of central protagonist).

Three-quarters of the way in, season two feels like more of a compliment to the first season than a cut and dry continuation. The violence is creative and hard-hitting and the animation is beautiful, but at times it feels like the second act to season one. An expanded world and more thoroughly developed cast is a fine thing, but on the downside, many familiar faces (particularly our heroes) are left treading water while others play catch up.

All told the expanded episode count does the series more favors than faults, and the pieces seem to be aligned by the end of episode six for some much-needed payoff. Whether they it all comes to a head satisfactorily will have to wait until Castlevania season two hits Netflix on October 26th.

Feature: Castlevania Season 2 Review: Drac's Back In A Vastly Superior Second Series

Read our spoiler-free review of Netflix's second blood-sucking season

Damoby Damien McFerran

The first series of Netflix's gore-soaked and expletive-packed Castlevania adaptation went down a treat, as you'll know if you read our exhaustive review. While it was a little on the short side, it did an utterly superb job of setting the scene and fleshing out the main characters: the troubled anti-hero Trevor Belmont (The Hobbit's Richard Armitage), the brattish and grumpy half-vampire Alucard (James Callis from Battlestar Galactica) and the plucky but determined Sypha Belnades (Alejandra Reynoso of Winx Club fame) – three individuals thrown together by fate to meet the impending threat of Dracula (Graham McTavish from Outlander), the lord of all vampires who, following a brief period of peace encouraged by his human wife (and Alucard's mother, Lisa), has gone mad with vengeance after his aforementioned bride is murdered by members of the Church.

The shortness of series one was mitigated by the news that it had been commissioned for a second, longer series, which goes live on Netflix today. Comprised of 8 episodes that are around 30 minutes in lengths each (give or take), this sophomore season packs in a lot more plot, action and characters than its predecessor, while allowing the existing cast far more room to breathe and evolve. Alucard and Dracula – both of whom were given a criminally small amount of screen time in series one – are regulars this time around and that's a definite plus; McTavish in particular really gets his chance to shine here, imbuing the tortured Count with a deep sense of humanity (ironic, you might say) which is only hinted at in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Torn between his late wife's wish to heal the world through science and his boiling, near-uncontrollable hatred of the humans who put her to death, he's a real bag of emotions throughout, yet still finds time to deliver some of the wittiest lines in the whole production.

The series kicks off with Dracula meeting with his council of war in order to determine the best course of action following his unexpected defeat at the close of the previous season. He assembles his vampire generals from around the world – including the comical Viking Godbrand, voiced with relish by Peter Stormare (Fargo), and Castlevania series regular Carmilla, played by Jamie Murray (Dexter) – and broods within his fortress, his desire for revenge the only thing driving him forward. However, by far the most interesting additions to the cast are the Devil Forgemasters Hector and Issac, both of whom originally appeared in the PlayStation 2 title Castlevania: Curse of Darkness, which means that this new group of episodes borrows not only from Castlevania III, but also from another entry in Konami's long-running franchise.

Curse of Darkness is set at the same time as the third NES outing and Trevor Belmont actually appears in it, so it makes sense to include Hector and Issac in the story. Hector – voiced by Toby James (The Divergent Saga) – looks very much like he did in the 2005 PlayStation game, while Issac (Adetokumboh M'Cormack) sports an altogether different look and backstory; he's a former slave whose ill-treatment has convinced him that love simply does not exist in this world. Both of these characters are human rather than undead, but they hold a coveted position in Dracula's army thanks to their ability to reanimate corpses and turn them into troops to swell Vlad's undead ranks. We won't spoil the individual character arcs for the pair, but suffice to say, the story takes some interesting twists and turns – and the addition of Hector and Issac is perfectly natural, rather than tacked-on. It truly feels like they were made to be part of the Castlevania's story's wider narrative – which wasn't always the case when playing Curse of Darkness, it has to be said.

Dracula's plan to wipe humanity from the face of the earth is thrown into disarray when his authority is challenged, but a more pressing concern for him is the knowledge that his son and a member of the Belmont family – long considered extinct – are conspiring against him; our three heroes spend a large portion of the series exploring Trevor's family home in hope of finding secrets or weapons they can utilise against the Count. Because of this need to put all of the pieces in the right place at the right time, the middle section of the season does sag ever so slightly, but it more than atones for this by the time you hit episode 6. From this point on, the series builds to an incredible climax; a payoff that will more than pacify those who complained about the conclusion of the opening season.

Netflix's Castlevania is dripping with fantastic dialogue. Legendary comic book scribe Warren Ellis returns to pen the script, and we honestly lost count of the sheer number of incredible lines on offer. There's also plenty of swearing (again) and lots of welcome humour; Ellis shows once more than he understands these characters perfectly; their motivations, their desires and their regrets. At a time when Hollywood and other media makers seem to totally miss the point when it comes to adapting video games for film, TV or animation, it's refreshing to see a production which is so clearly invested in – and respective to – its source material. There are even references to other games in the series; a portrait of Lament of Innocence's Leon Belmont hangs in the family home, and Trevor goes on to discuss this important ancestor in a conversation about his lineage. In another scene, Slogra and Gaibon – a pair of monsters seen in Symphony of the Night – fight Alucard, and there are numerous other visual callbacks to the games, such as the items which are found in the Belmont's underground vault.

Ironically, the highlight of the entire series – for us, at least – comes from Trevor Morris' soundtrack, which we were rather critical of in our review of season one. Morris has dramatically upped his game here, and his original compositions are more memorable and effective. However, it's during an epic battle in episode 7 that Morris really outdoes himself, adapting the iconic 'Bloody Tears' theme from the video games in such a wonderful manner than we genuinely rose from our seats and punched the air – no word of a lie. Considering Morris ignored Castlevania's rich selection of music in series one, it's brilliant to see him use one of its most famous tunes so superbly in this second season. We can't be sure, but we think we also heard hints of other famous tunes elsewhere, proof that Morris has really done his homework this time around.

Unfortunately, there are still some niggles to discuss. As was the case in the previous series, there are episodes where the animation becomes almost unforgivably choppy; while it never ruins your enjoyment it does rob some sequences of their impact. Thankfully, this isn't a common problem and there are certain scenes which boast beautifully smooth animation – the titanic encounter which takes place right at the end of episode 7 springs to mind, as it not only looks amazing but also tugs on the old heartstrings at the same time. Some viewers may also take issue with the level of gore on display, despite the mature nature of the subject matter, but that's very much down to personal preference. Needless to say, this may be animation but it's not for kids.

Netflix has already confirmed that series three is in production and will launch next year, which may come as a surprise when you get to the end of episode 7, which appears to wrap up the whole story. However, Hector and Issac's tale is arguably only just beginning, and we assume the Forgemasters will become the key focus on the next group of episodes. They're excellent, well-written and impeccably-portrayed characters, so we truly relish seeing their tales expanded.

Despite some minor niggles then, series two of Castlevania is perhaps better than we ever expected, which is really saying something when you consider how much we enjoyed the first season. It's so rare to see a video game property transition to an entirely different medium with this level of skill and faithfulness, and the only real negative here is the wait until the third season in 2019.

‘Castlevania’ Season 2 Review: Bigger, Bloodier, and with More Bite Than Ever
by Dave Trumbore October 26, 2018

castlevania-season-2-reviewThe only complaint I’ve heard levied against Season 1 of Netflix’s Castlevania adaptation was quite literally this: “It’s too short.” Everything else about the dark and violent animated take on the classic Konami video game series was high praise. Executive producers Kevin Kolde, Fred Seibert, and Adi Shankar delivered on their promise to bring about the best video game adaptation ever seen, and I’m happy to say that Season 2, now available on Netflix, continues that trend and satisfies fans’ needs for more of everything. More episodes, yes, but also more mythology, more bloodletting, and more sharply-written dialogue, political intrigue, and social commentary from the inimitable Warren Ellis.

If you missed out on Season 1, not to worry; not only are there only four half-hour episodes to catch up on, but there’s also an excellent recap at the front of Season 2. I’d highly suggest starting from the beginning, however, since this excellent series opens with a four-episode prequel of sorts that establishes Dracula’s grudge against humankind and the trio of heroes who rise against him. That being said, this review will go into some spoilers (for those who aren’t caught up with Season 1) so go ahead and bookmark it for a later return.

When last we left Castlevania, the newly united trio of complicated warrior Trevor Belmont, Speaker/magician Sypha Belnades, and the half-vampire, half-human dhampir Alucard had managed to survive an assault from Dracula’s forces on the small town of Gresit. The story picks up from there (after a lovely flashback sequence featuring the dearly departed Dr. Lisa Tepes when she was in her prime, treating an old woman before being hauled away to her death by the bishop) and is split into two tracks: One follows the trio as they amble across the Wallachian countryside in search of Trevor’s ancestral home (or what’s left of it), and the other focuses on Dracula and his generals, whom he’s gathered as part of a war council.

Perhaps surprisingly, it’s the vampire’s side of the story that’s more compelling in the early going. Dracula, played exceptionally well by a somewhat detached but menacing-when-he-needs-to-be Graham McTavish, is hellbent on wiping out the plague of mankind and is giving his generals–vampire and human alike–free rein to do so. But this version of Dracula is not quite the same one we saw in Season 1. His anger over Lisa’s death has turned from a raging fury to a simmering irritability, and it’s becoming clear that he’s emotionally compromised, leading him to instability and madness. This lack of strong leadership from Dracula allows dissent to creep in among the ranks of his generals. The disagreement between loyal human generals Hector and Isaac, each with their own gifts as Devil Forgemasters, soon turns to discord, spurred on in part by the newly arrived Carmilla, and to a lesser extent by Godbrand.

Jaime Murray‘s performance as the manipulative Carmilla is so good that you’ll find yourself nodding along with whatever she suggests, while Peter Stormare‘s insane, bloodthirsty, Viking vampire Godbrand is an unhinged delight, as you might expect. More subtle performances come courtesy of Theo James‘ conflicted Hector and Adetokumboh M’Cormack‘s loyal-to-a-fault Isaac, both names that should be quite familiar to Castlevania fans. There isn’t a weak link in the voice cast here, even if there are some gaps starting to show in the armor of Dracula’s leadership through fear and unbridled power.

On the heroic side of things, viewers will get a break from the bloodshed and the political maneuvering as they get to enjoy the burgeoning camaraderie among Trevor, Sypha, and Alucard. The last surviving member of the Belmont clan has cleaned up his act a bit this season, but he’s still a brooder; not quite as “cold” as Alucard’s brand of brooding, as Sypha would put it, but a brooder, still. Alejandra Reynoso‘s Sypha brings some levity into the mix by playing the boys off of each other and teasing them along the way. And while the writing this season, especially the dialogue, is as strong as ever, it’s Richard Armitage‘s Trevor and James Callis‘ Alucard who get the most direct, playful one-liners. “Eat shit and die,” one teases, to which the other responds, brilliantly, “Fuck you,” before both of them share a laugh. It’s simple dialogue like this that eases the tension and brings some humanity to characters that are both more and less than human.

Let me spare one more thought to the dialogue in Season 2 because it’s exceptional. When Godbrand wakes from a dream of hunting humans alongside his Viking brethren, he says, “Fuck your eyes, man! Bring me blood and beer!” Earlier, Hector says to him, “Godbrand, you’ve never met anything you didn’t immediately kill, fuck, or make into a boat,” to which he responds, “I’m a fucking Viking! We make boats!” This tells you all you need to know about him. In a flashback sequence, Matt Frewer‘s excellent delivery as the bishop brings us such lines as, “Satan’s tools. Make fire. Clean it out.” And I will never tire of Trevor calling Alucard a “cockwart.”

Swears and insults aside, Castlevania also makes time for those interesting asides in Season 2, like an earnest discussion among the vampire generals about whether or not vampires can cross running water and if it will kill them or not. There’s just as interesting a conversation on the other side of Wallachia, as Sypha asks Trevor about his family name and the origin of his first name, both questions which lead to some expositional dialogue that explains and takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to the long history of Castlevania characters, especially the Belmonts. This season even has an undercurrent of ecological management and proper methods for the conservation of species, so it’s not without a side stream of social commentary, though thankfully it’s done with a light touch. All of this heady material slows the pace down a bit, but the excellently animated action sequence (of which there are plenty to enjoy) give each episode a nice punch-up.

All in all, these eight new episodes of Season 2 will give you everything you wanted from Castlevania and more. I just can’t wait to see what happens next.

Rating: ★★★★★ Excellent

Castlevania Season 2 Review: A Bloody Good Time in Dracula's Castle
While not quite as good as the remarkable first season, Castlevania season 2 is still an excellent adaptation of the video game classic.

Castlevania Season 2 Review
Review John Saavedra
Oct 26, 2018


This Castlevania review contains spoilers.



In 2017, writer Warren Ellis, director Sam Deats, and producer Adi Shankar accomplished the impossible. Like a lone Belmont entering Dracula's castle armed with nothing but a whip, this team set out on a mission many thought would end in failure: to create a worthy video game adaptation that celebrated the source material while also taking it seriously. But when Castlevania season 1 dropped on Netflix last year, it defied the odds and became the first truly great video game adaptation.

With Castlevania season 2, the show continues its excellent adaptation of the classic platformer series, as Trevor Belmont (Richard Armitage), Sypha Belnades (Alejandra Reynoso), and Alucard (James Callis) prepare to storm Dracula's castle while the Count (Graham McTavish) readies his forces to obliterate the world of man. The season also introduces three new major players to this drama of monsters and magic: the loyal human-hating Forgemasters (kind of like necromancers) Hector (Theo James) and Isaac (Adetokumboh M'Cormack) as well as the villainous Carmilla (Jaime Murray).

Like with the trio of heroes in season 1, the show takes its time to flesh out these new characters, exploring their motivations as well as the trauma that led them all to the service of Dracula, who also gets a lot more screen time this time around. Hector, Isaac, and Carmilla are all welcome additions to the cast, giving this universe a sense of a larger world beyond Wallachia. While they're all supporting characters in this dance between Dracula and the trio of hunters out to kill him, we get to see plenty of their own conflicts play out as well as the start of new ones by season's end.

I was especially intrigued by Hector and Isaac, two damaged humans who have allied themselves with Dracula after years of abuse by other humans. The show does not shy away from these traumas. The first time we actually get to spend any time with Isaac, he's self-flagellating, inflicting pain on himself to keep his body focused. Isaac revives dead, half-eaten pets to make up for the childhood he never had after burning his unloving parents alive as a kid. Even though they're the leaders of Dracula's army and mean to destroy their own race (in Hector's case, he wants to harvest humans as food for his vampire overlords), it's hard not to sympathize with them as we witness the events that turned them into sociopaths in the first place.

Carmilla, on the other hand, is a wild card who will keep you guessing until the very end. While Dracula is billed as the villain of the series, Carmilla quickly steals the show. Her story, while not as fleshed out as the others (I suspect they're saving that for season 3), is captivating. Although she's a powerful and merciless vampire, Carmilla is still a woman in a man's world, so she has to deal with plenty of bullshit from the squad of vampire bros whom Dracula has designated his war council. Carmilla is too smart and ambitious to take any bullshit from the other vampire generals, though. They bicker incessantly about the war effort while Carmilla is actually getting shit done. Her ultimate plan might not be in their best interest...

The story does get a bit bogged down when it comes Dracula, who spends most of the season sitting in a chair in his study not doing much at all. While this might be true to the Dracula of the games, who doesn't appear until the final stage of most entries, this doesn't make for incredibly entertaining television. In fact, Dracula might actually be the weak point of the season, as he spends most of his scenes reflecting on his loneliness after the death of his beloved human wife, Lisa. The Count isn't even all that interested in taking part in his evil plan to kill all the humans, a point he makes several times, which doesn't exactly make him a more complex character but a more pointless one. Why write so many Dracula scenes about him doing nothing but sulking?

In general, the first four episodes are an incredibly slow burn, full of way too much exposition and philosophizing. Given the extended episode count of season 2, Ellis has the time and space to really go long on these characters and their world, but that's sometimes to the detriment of the show. There are whole episodes dedicated to two or three conversations, and there are one or two episodes that make you wonder whether the showrunners forgot that there's supposed to be action in a Castlevania story.

Still, it's impossible to deny how much respect Ellis has for the source material. He loves these characters and their drama, and even when the pacing feels completely off, it's in an attempt to elevate this story to a Shakespearean level that other video game adaptations have never enjoyed. Besides, the last four episodes more than make up for the first four.

The last hour and a half of the season, like the final third of a film trilogy, is action-packed, as all of the different sides converge on the battlefield. The action sequences are stunning, soaking the screen in gore while heads and limbs go flying in the background. I have to note that Castlevania season 2 has some of the most violent scenes I've ever watched in an animated series. Heads are crushed into the mud, necks are chewed on with relish, and I lost count of how many characters get skinned alive throughout the season. Castlevania season 2 will make you cringe in disgust more than a few times if you're not used to its level of gore.

All that said, it's clear that Castlevania doesn't quite enjoy the same budget other, more popular animated series do on cable when it comes to animation. While I wouldn't call the quality of the animation distracting or a dealbreaker, there are moments when the visuals dip below even the anime shows the series is attempting to emulate. This is most evident during fast-paced action sequences, which never quite look the way you hope they will and come off as stiff. This is a minor complaint, though. Castlevania looks mostly good, and even when it doesn't, the visuals are serviceable.

The voice acting is mostly great (with one major exception we'll leave you to discover on your own), especially when it comes to Armitage, Reynoso, and Callis, who have a chemistry that really elevates their scenes together. These moments, which are often hilarious or heartwarming, add a more comedic flavor to the show. Alucard and Trevor's angst and animosity towards each other are often played for laughs while Sypha balances them out with her more lighthearted personality. To put it another way, Sypha is a delightful departure from all the emo dudes trying to figure their shit out.

If there's one thing I found odd about these three, it's how little Trevor, Alucard, and Sypha actually get to do in season 2. The monster hunters aren't actually the focus of these episodes and don't really get to kill many monsters until about the last hour and a half. But when they finally get to go to war, it's incredibly cathartic. Fans of the video game series will be delighted as that battle unfolds. All in all, Castlevania season 2 is a bloody good time.

John Saavedra is an associate editor at Den of Geek. Read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @johnsjr9.
3.5/5

REVIEW: Castlevania Season 2 (2018)
Virginia Kublawi


Yesterday, Netflix dropped season two of Castlevania. The series is based on the video game Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse and season one premiered in July of 2017. I really enjoyed season one, though I found it a tad brief at four 22-minute episodes. Castlevania season 2 contains eight episodes and, beginning where season one left off, introduces a lot of new characters.

*Spoilers*

Castlevania season 2 begins with the newly united Trevor Belmont, Sypha Belnades and Adrian Tepes (Alucard) embarking on a mission to find and kill Dracula. Meanwhile, for his part, Dracula amasses an army of vampires from around the world, and his two human forgemasters bolster his forces by creating an army of the dead. The heroes make their way to Trevor’s ancestral home in search of information and tools to use against Dracula. Dracula’s general and fellow vampire Carmilla reluctantly arrives at the castle and begins manipulating him and his allies. Dracula’s human necromancers Isaac and Hector start to splinter, disagreeing about what city to invade. This, partnered with Carmilla’s scheming, leads to conflict and betrayal among Dracula’s court, as well as copious bloodshed. Sypha manages to trap Dracula’s magical castle, and Alucard faces his father, ending the three heroes’ mission and collaboration. Carmilla flees with Hector in tow. After being sent to the desert by Dracula to save his life, Isaac begins building his own horde of reanimated corpses.

Castlevania season 2

Castlevania has a gorgeous art style, and the quality is better than most animated TV series can offer. The character designs are appealing, backgrounds sport a surprising amount of detail, and buildings seem dimensional. Dracula’s castle, in particular, is imposing and creepy and has this grand, haunting air to it. Castlevania isn’t my very favorite Netflix animated series, but it is their best looking. The show’s gorgeous settings and thoughtful character animation were more than enough to cleanse my palate after Big Mouth. The music is also epic and beautiful, and at times communicates a sorrowful timbre. It goes perfectly with the visuals and story, and elevates emotional scenes as well as action sequences.

The voice acting in Castlevania season 2 is also excellent; they make a lot of unconventional casting choices that pay off tenfold. Trevor is voiced by Richard Armitage, known, of course, for the Hobbit trilogy, as well as Into the Storm and Alice: Through the Looking Glass. Trevor is unlike any character I’ve seen Armitage play before, but he does an excellent job; he pretends to be a dumb drunk at first, soon revealing himself to be an emotionally complex monster hunter. James Callis brings a truly distinct sound and attitude to Alucard. Graham McTavish, also known for The Hobbit, as well as Creed and Outlander, shines as Dracula. This is another actor in a role I wouldn’t have imagined, as I usually associate McTavish with a thick Scottish accent and surly disposition. He gives Dracula a smooth, unsettling voice with a proper English accent. While Trevor is at least recognizable as Armitage’s voice, I would have never guessed this was McTavish. Character actors are the best for animation because they just bury themselves in their roles, and the vocal performance simply becomes part of a living, breathing whole. Theo James and Adetokumboh M’Cormack portray forgemasters Hector and Isaac, and though they don’t get a ton of focus, they are nuanced performances. Alejandra Reynoso voices female lead Sypha, but all she really brings to the role is an enigmatic accent. Jamie Murray joins the cast in Castlevania season two as Carmilla, and she brings a devilish delight to the iconic figure. Murray portrayed a similar character in Stahma Tarr in Defiance, using her beauty and intelligence to control the men around her. As Carmilla, she sounds similar to Marina Sirtis as Demona in Gargoyles, and that’s just about the highest compliment I can give.

So far, I’m very impressed with the series’ characters, particularly Trevor, Alucard and Dracula. In addition to having such a great vocal performance, Trevor is shaping up to be a very complicated and multi-faceted character, and he’s my favorite up to this point. I also really like Alucard, particularly whenever he discusses his past and his family. His is my favorite character design. Dracula was more interesting in season one than he is here, but that’s natural because he’s gone from sympathetic, tragic villain to nihilistic madman. Carmilla really replaced him as the main antagonist even before his demise. Unlike Dracula in season one, Carmilla isn’t sympathetic or pitiful at all. She’s pure evil, and every step she takes is calculated to best control those around her, even Dracula himself. After all is said and done, I don’t like Hector, but the way she treats him in the season two finale made me uncomfortable. The three heroes have dealt with Dracula, but I imagine they’ll find Carmilla to be an equal challenge, if not an even greater one. Castlevania season 2

Isaac and Hector interest me quite a lot, being that they’re humans who are willing to help Dracula – and later Carmilla, in Hector’s case. The justification is that Isaac has been beaten and abused by his fellow man, while Hector was treated like a freak for bringing dead things back to life. I think these are good enough motivations and backstories, but I would have liked a more in-depth exploration of these characters in Castlevania season 2. That being said, it appears that Isaac will be a major villain in coming seasons, with Hector a pawn for Carmilla, so there’s plenty of opportunity to do more with them. Of the main characters, my least favorite is easily Sypha. I like the idea of the Speakers and her abilities as one, but this is another character I’d like to see fleshed out more. She doesn’t have much in the way of personality, aside from basic things like being nice and smart. We don’t really see her struggle with her powers, and her exchanges with her male companions are generic. She arbitrarily goes from finding Trevor rude to hugging his arm and leaning on him to sleep. Her relationship with Alucard, meanwhile is nonexistent; all the focus seems to be on the animosity between the two men and the burgeoning romance (?) between Trevor and Sypha. Speaking of that, I’m not sure if those two are supposed to be in love, or if it’s just a genuine friendship. I haven’t played the games, but to me, their whole dynamic seems unclear on top of being somewhat rote. One other nitpick I have is that the heroes spend too much time at the Belmont family home. The Dracula/Carmilla storyline was always dynamic and interesting, but these three spend the better part of Castlevania season 2 at the ruins poring over texts. I can understand that this was done to show how much information is present and how much work it took to find the necessary spells, but personally, I’d have preferred a montage to speed things up and get more action in. This is especially true since, as I mentioned, a lot of the talking between Sypha and her comrades is rather stale.

Overall, Castlevania season 2 is everything I’d hoped it would be and more. The animation, voice acting and music are slightly better than in season one. The characters of Isaac, Hector and Carmilla are very interesting and despicable additions to the cast. The story this season is exciting and interesting, even if I’d have liked the heroes to explore more locales or arrive at the Belmont ruins later. I’d have taken some of that time to develop Sypha, as I think she’s the weakest of the three leads, and maybe to expand on Isaac and Hector’s stories. But otherwise, Castlevania season 2 is creepy, beautiful and extremely competently made. I’d recommend it for anyone who likes animation, vampires, or just wants something to watch for Halloween this week.

Castlevania Season 2
Plot - 8
Acting - 9
Progression - 8
Production Design - 10
Horror - 8.5

8.7
Great

Castlevania season 2 is everything I’d hoped it would be and more. The animation, voice acting and music are slightly better than in season one. The characters of Isaac, Hector and Carmilla are very interesting and despicable additions to the cast. The story this season is exciting and interesting, even if I’d have liked the heroes to explore more locales or arrive at the Belmont ruins later. I’d have taken some of that time to develop Sypha, as I think she’s the weakest of the three leads, and maybe to expand on Isaac and Hector’s stories. But otherwise, Castlevania season 2 is creepy, beautiful and extremely competently made.

‘Castlevania’ Season 2 | Netflix Original Series Review A real pain in the neck.
by Oliver Buckley
October 22, 2018

3.5

Summary

Castlevania is back for its second season as we follow Trevor Belmont, Sypha and Alucard on their journey to stop Dracula once and for all. Alongside the normal dose of demon fighting we get more than a nip of vampiric politicking.

I’ve got a bit of a strange relationship with Castlevania as a whole. I would consider some of the games to be among my favourite of all time; Symphony of the Night is nearly flawless in my eyes. However, despite having invested many, many hours into a reasonable selection of the games, I know next to nothing about the lore behind the series. In fact, most of my understanding of the Castlevania-verse comes from Simon Belmont on Captain N: The Games Master and a novelisation of Castlevania II that I had as a child.

The first season of the Netflix Original Series Castlevania was interesting but never quite strayed over into essential viewing. At only four episodes it felt unfinished – things had only just started to get going and then all of a sudden it was over (there’s definitely a cheap joke in here somewhere). The second season does a much better job of developing well-rounded characters and actually giving everything more of a sense of scale and some stakes (pun very much intended).

Castlevania Season 2 picks up almost immediately after the first season ended, with Alucard (the half-vampire/half-human son of Dracula, played by James Callis) teaming up with Trevor Belmont (the last of a long line of vampire hunters who enjoys nothing more than a good drink and a stake, played by Richard Armitage) and Sypha (a speaker with some fairly substantial magical abilities, played by Alejandra Reynoso). The unlikely trio is pooling their resources, somewhat reluctantly, to try and take down Dracula (Graham McTavish) once and for all.

One of my biggest issues with the first season was that despite consisting of only four episodes it moved very slowly. The same is true to a degree in Castlevania Season 2, although we are at least getting eight episodes this time around. I’ve really enjoyed the series being given space to let the characters develop, but I’m still not convinced that the plot has been driven forwards enough, or satisfyingly, quite yet. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve really enjoyed Castlevania and the introduction of new characters along with a deeper look at returning favourites, but I just wanted them to actually do a little more.

Perhaps the most interesting development in this series is the focus on Dracula and his court of vampires. Dracula himself is an interesting character in that he’s not played as an entirely evil, malevolent force. Instead, he arguably has more humanity than some of the mere mortals we saw in season one. He just happens to want to eradicate humanity entirely because they killed his wife – while genocide might seem like a harsh punishment, you can at least see where he’s coming from. This isn’t an evil scheme because of… reasons; this at least feels consistent.

I had always assumed that the big D (that’s Dracula to everyone else) was the undisputed vampire king, but if Castlevania Season 2 has taught me anything it’s that vampire politics and human politics aren’t so different. There’s always somebody who wants to stab you in the back and score some cheap points. The main antagonist here is Carmilla (Jaime Murray) who is determined to whip up some discontent in the Dracula household. We also get introduced to Hector (Theo James) and Isaac (Adetokumboh M’Cormack), Dracula’s two human generals. I never actually realised Dracula even had humans on his team, let alone in positions of power. The more I learn about Dracula and the workplace environment he’s created, the more I like him – his pioneering work as an inclusive employer seems to have got lost to history. I think it’s a testament to my lack of understanding of the Castlevania lore that I had never heard of Carmilla, Isaac or Hector despite (as I’ve just learned) I’ve spent hours playing video games where they were fairly integral characters.

While Team Dracula definitely gets more screen time in Castlevania Season 2, we do get to learn a little more about our trio of heroes. There is more scope to dig deeper, particularly with Alucard, as they’re just outside of what I would consider traditional archetypes and so could cover some fairly interesting new ground. I really like the dynamic of the central trio but I still feel like we’ve only just scratched the surface.

I enjoyed Castlevania Season 2 a lot; it’s a really interesting show in its own right, and I am living proof that you don’t need to know anything about the games to enjoy it. It’s a fairly slow burn of a series, but it’s worth persisting with, and I’ll be interested to see where it can go next, providing it gets picked up for a third season.

Castlevania Season Two Review: Politics As Unusual in the Fight Against Dracula

October 21, 2018

I distinctly remember how the first season of Castlevania came to be on Netflix, dropping with little warning and hijacking my Saturday. As an unplanned viewing experience, I remember having already bought tickets to see Spider-Man: Homecoming on its weekend debut, but almost missing my movie because the curiosity of one episode of Castlevania quickly turned into four. And to be clear, four episodes was the entire first season. It was a drive-by onslaught of micro world building, myth-raising and incredible, gory action. In four quick episodes we got Dracula’s revenge on the humans for killing his wife and the introductions of our heroes fighting against him in Trevor Belmont of the almost extinct but expert monster killing Belmonts, Sypha, a magician and part of the legendary Speakers and Dracula’s own half human son Alucard. Season one was condensed between these characters and the corrupt church that set plans in motion, mostly confined to one town where the action takes place.

Season two is a very different animal. Given an eight episode run (for which we got to see the first six episodes of), the second season expands the series in predictable but mostly beneficial ways. The cast of characters that matter to the plot balloons significantly, exclusively on the Dracula side of things. We are entreated to Dracula’s war council: Vampires from all over the world, summoned by himself to help eradicate the humans of Wallachia. We only get a look at a couple of those vampire generals, who are drawn wonderfully as characters, but tend to be extremes in their personality, which doesn’t lend us to much nuance for the vampires as a whole. Included in Dracula’s employ are two humans with special skills and also a disdain for humanity itself. I appreciated that they both were given fully fleshed out backgrounds and motivations that both ran parallel and against each others. They both serve Dracula in different capacities and their personalities are consistently built towards their actions as the story progresses.

The biggest change between the seasons is what will separate the opinions of the show, mostly in that the action has been significantly diminished in its use to allow for a lot more political maneuvering and exposition. The heroic trio has a quest of finding the tools and means to defeat Dracula and still are involved in most of the season’s action through the first six episodes. But there is a lot more of the odd-grouping-going-on-an-adventure fare, with unease, discovery, conflict and ultimate trust in one another as the story progresses. This unfolds in pretty typical fashion, but is saved by the characters being interesting with the desire to see more of them, whether they are fighting or not. A lot more space is given to Sypha so far this season, which is welcome considering how testosterone driven the first season was.

Still, the action per minute quotient for this season compared to last is way down and makes it feel like a different show at times. Almost all of the time spent with Dracula and his court is spent on political machinations between the council for who agrees with Dracula’s quest and who don’t. There is some amazing writing around these situations with Ellis just killing it with dialogues and movement of these characters. But if the show drew you in because you fell in love with the athletic dueling of Trevor and Alucard or how Sypha could summon ice magic to crush hoards of the darkness, you’ll find this season sparse for those moments. While Game of Thrones wasn’t the first show to do it, it has become the very trend of showing higher politics and how they influence the front-line action, so now Castlevania is no different that respects. So much time is spent on alliances, betrayals and chess-like maneuvering, that you may significant periods without seeing a creature of the dark slashed to nothing by a morning star weapon.

This could’ve been balanced better for sure and considering where the sixth episodes leads off, I imagine the action will be fast and furious to end the season. But it takes a long time getting there which means the last act of the season will have to make the supplication of the politics worth it in hopefully surprising ways.

Castlevania is a hell of a series, the characters are written with an incredible depth and layering upon each other. Season two puts the sword too long and gives us a bit too much vampire congress getting a bill passed, throwing the balance of the show too far in the exposition at times. Overall, it still entreats us to some fantastic characters with fantastic abilities who are always fun to spend time with.

***All eight episodes of Castlevania Season 2 are available on Netflix on October 26th, 2018***

Castlevania's Second Season Is a Surprisingly Slow-Burning, Yet Compelling, Continuation

James Whitbrook
Friday 3:43pm

The first season of Netflix’s Castlevania took us all by surprise when it offered a short, sharp, and deliciously bloody animated take on Konami’s classic gaming franchise about eating meat hidden behind walls and whipping monsters to pixely bits. Its sophomore season is equally surprising—for very different reasons.

Unlike the bite-sized, four-episode debut, Castlevania’s second season—out today on Netflix—is twice as long, making it feel almost epic-lengthed in comparison. While a lot of what made the first season so intriguing remains, that extra four episodes of adventuring for Trevor Belmont (Richard Armitage) and his new best buds Sypha (Alejandra Reynoso) and Alucard (James Callis) isn’t necessarily utilized how fans of the first season might want it to be.

Instead of another eight episodes of high-octane animated hyperviolence, the vast majority of Castlevania season 2 is melancholic, atmospheric, character-driven tale. The brutality this season’s video game-inspired action comes in staccato strikes rather than ceaselessly gushing out like blood from some hapless medieval peasant trapped outside on a horrible night to have a curse.

Season 2 is set in the immediate aftermath of the first season—which concluded with Trevor and Sypha discovering the reclusive Alucard, the half-vampire son of Dracula (Graham McTavish), underneath the besieged town of Gresit, and agreeing to help him stop his father’s vengeful quest against humanity. Castlevania season two is less focused on the story of Trevor learning to be slightly less of a jerk and more focused on fleshing out its vastly expanded cast of characters, both heroes and villains alike.

Thes story given to our heroes is about on how this quirky mishmash team made up of a nomadic sorceress, a distant half-vampire, and a charmingly garrulous monster hunter will actually work together as a group to defeat Dracula once and for all. It’s surprisingly light at times given Castlevania’s grimly gothic overtones. Trevor and Alucard snipe at each other like teen boys and Sypha tries to make the pair get along, while they seek the knowledge they need from Trevor’s vampire-hunting family line to defeat Dracula’s hordes. But it is also surprisingly slight, which might annoy fans looking to see the trio mostly kicking ass and taking monster names—much of the heroes’ story this season is spent traveling and exploring rather than fighting. When there is a fight, it’s very fun to watch, but the action takes a backseat to the pleasure of watching these characters form an endearing bond with each other as they prepare to confront Dracula.

Trevor, Alucard, and Sypha’s story often feels more like the subplot of the season rather than its main thrust. Instead, much of Castlevania season 2's focus lies with its monstrous villains. We get to spend time with Dracula and the group of generals that lead his demon-filled armies. These generals, a mix of new characters to the show (including Peter Stormare’s Godbrand, an incredibly Peter Stormare-y vampiric Viking) and some other villains familiar to fans rooted in the intricate lore of the games—mainly Carmilla (Jamie Murray), Hector (Theo James), and Isaac (Adetokumboh M’Cormack)—form the backbone of the season’s primary drama, as all the prerequisite backstabbing and political intrigue needed of any fantastical Game of Thrones-ian court of characters comes to the fore, with each general vying for dominance and Dracula’s approval.

The backdrop to all that courtly drama, and a major presence throughout the show, is Dracula himself. But rather than the wroth-laden monster we saw tearing through peasants in the first episode of season 1, the Dracula we spend time with in season 2 is almost utterly consumed by the grief that remains of losing his wife Lisa Tepes—who was burnt at the stake for the crime of being a scientist in the show’s earliest moments. There is a melancholic sense of apathy to everything Dracula does in this season—or really, what he doesn’t, as he spends much of his time brooding alone, outside of a particularly gory flashback sequence, while his aforementioned generals squabble among themselves. It’s in equal parts an even bigger brake on the show’s already pretty tepid pace (especially combined with the quieter plotline of Trevor, Sypha, and Alucard), and a compelling character examination of just how utterly despondent and broken this version of Dracula has become, the further his wife’s loss passes deeper into time.

This slow-burning, character-driven pace and a loosened emphasis on the guts and gore of the first season might, at first, feel a bit disappointing to fans who embraced Castlevania’s kinetic, blood-curdling action. Although all that is still there, along with the show’s earnest, bordering-on-overboard, commitment to the gothic aesthetic of the games, it comes in moments few and far between these scenes of heady banter and introspective character work. And as dramatic and fun as that character work mostly is, a lot of it is ultimately inconsequential to driving Castlevania’s primary plot along.

That is, until the final two episodes, in which things finally kick into gear as both Dracula’s cohorts and our band of adventuring heroes make their moves. These two episodes have more of the first season’s grandiose action—and a few extremely great moments for fans of the games—managing to triumphantly escalate the conflict simmering across the entire season, while also setting the stage for future battles and adventures. But the highs delivered in these climactic episodes only reach so high because of the methodical-to-a-fault pacing of the rest of the show. It might take a while to get going, but when it does, Castlevania proves it still really knows its way around a twirling whip or two.

Beyond the what the back half sets up for Castlevania’s future, overall this second season marks a big evolution for the series—not in tone or style, but in scope and pacing. It’s more measured and, at times, frustratingly slow. But in slowing down a bit, the show gives us an intriguing chance to learn more—and ultimately care more—about Castlevania’s world and characters, beyond just Trevor Belmont’s simple quest to be less of a lone wolf asshole and maybe defeat some monsters (and also not get his testicles kicked in). In both Alucard and Dracula’s shared story of familial grief, and the intrigue and machinations of Dracula’s generals developed this season, Castlevania finds a surprising amount of heart in its supernaturally monstrous figures.

It comes at the cost of so strongly focusing the action and brutality that made the first season a kickass delight, but honestly, that’s a small price to pay to set up a world and characters we can actually give a damn about when the blood starts spilling all over again—and we can’t wait to see where it will go next.

What We Absolutely Loved About Castlevania Season Two

Heather Alexandra and Mike Fahey
Today 3:00pm

The first season of Netflix’s Castlevania animated series was pretty good, if a bit rushed due to a four-episode length. The second season expands with more episodes, more characters, and some amazing fight scenes. Staff writer Heather Alexandra and senior reporter Mike Fahey sat down to talk about how much they loved the new season.

Heather Alexandra: Mike! We are here today to talk about the latest season of Netflix’s Castlevania. I think it’s safe to say that we both enjoyed last season, even if I was disappointed with how short it was. We have double the episodes this time and a lot more characters. For my part, I really liked this season and found it a huge step up. What’s your immediate reaction to season two?

Mike Fahey: The first season was certainly short and very focused on a small group of characters. Now that I’ve watched season two, that first set of episodes feels like a prologue, or the opening band. We’ve tested the waters, now we’re diving.

Alexandra: Yeah, the first season took a lot of time introducing us to the core cast: Trevor, Sypha, and Alucard. Season two really expands outwards; there’s the world of the vampires, tons more history about the Belmonts, some romance, and a lot more time on Dracula himself. But because it’s not crunched into a handful of episodes, it never feels rushed. I wanted to ask about those first folks. How about those vampires, eh? GODBRAND!

Fahey: Wait, there were more vampires than GODBRAND!? I feel like we have to capitalize his name whenever possible. Which elder vampire looked at this hard-drinking, screwing, boat-building viking and thought, “Yeah, he’d be a good addition to the fam.” They used “fam” back then. He’s one of my favorite things about the new season, even if he’s not as important as Carmilla, the femme fatale who always left me craving caramel and chocolate.

Alexandra: They’re a good balance to each other. One is this loud and wild dude who just wants to drink blood, and the other plays the political game. It’s two sides of the vampire coin. We get some bloody decapitations but we also get subtle manipulations. You know what surprised me? They have Hector and Isaac in this! Two characters from the Playstation 2 games!

Fahey: Curse of Darkness, right? Threw me for a loop there, they did. I figured we’d see maybe one of them in a cameo or something, but we got both of the forgemasters in very significant roles. In fact, none of the newly-introduced characters—not counting the vampire council fodder—were wasted here.

Alexandra: Also, Isaac isn’t wearing his leather daddy pants. But yeah, it was interesting to see them added to the cast and nice that they were treated like people with actual motivations beyond being evil. It changes a bit—Hector’s a flat-out hero in the games—but it adds some complexity to the cast. Plus, we get cute undead puppies thanks to Hector’s forgemaster skills.

Fahey: Where is my undead puppy plush? Was it me, or did we spend much more time with the vampires than we did Trevor, Sypha and pouty teen goth boy this time around?

Alexandra: I think we might have, but the trio gets some fun stuff too. Trevor and Sypha are flirty, Alucard gets to brood but also act a bit like a teenager by snipping at Trevor. In the first season, it was all “Go here! Do this!” There’s still some of that, but there’s extra time for them to goof off.

Sypha wanting to call Trevor “Treffy” is the most adorable thing. And we never would have gotten that in season one.

Fahey: I suppose sitting the three of them in a library to do research for what, five of the eight episodes, did allow time for some character development. The sniping between Alucard and Trevor got a bit much in later episodes, but the first couple of swipes were perfect. “Eat shit and die.” “Yes, fuck you.” And the delivery of the lines ... just brilliant.

Alexandra: I think the library stuff pays off between those small moments and the big, blood beatdown that Trevor gives all the monsters that arrive. Because, damn, the fight scenes are great. They always were, but I feel like they’re even better this time.

Fahey: Trevor’s battles were outstanding, but for my money the best beatdown of the season was Sypha using her ice against that one biter during the final showdown. That was inspired magical battle choreography.

Alexandra: I straight up got chill when they started playing “Bloody Tears” before that fight.

Fahey: I teared up a little. This is an adaptation that really knows its stuff. The characters, the setting, the music. It gets us.

Alexandra: There’s a ton of detail in that fight but it’s also creative. You mention Sypha’s ice magic—they could have just made her chuck icicles but she’s using them to deflect attacks, making that big sheet and then using it to slice that dude. I’ve been thinking a lot about Alucard leaping in and punching folks while his sword zips around.

Fahey: It’s just so casual and effortless. There goes Alucard. There goes his sword. People dying. And while we’re talking about spoiler alerts, they managed to make Alucard’s fight against the rabble look easy; they turned around and made it feel like he was really struggling against his father. The base in my sound system went nuts with every hit between those two.

Alexandra: That fight is brutal. In general, this season does a really good job with Dracula. Both as a character but also as, I guess, the big, final boss.

Fahey: But the true star of Castlevania is the castle. Leaping violently from street to river, decimating entire armies via blessed tsunami, proving what an absolute magical powerhouse Sypha is. I love that castle so much.

Alexandra: castle big

Fahey: To quote Carmilla, “What the fuck just happened?”

Alexandra: So we get all that fighting. “Bloody Tears,” giant castle, Carmilla betraying everyone, Alucard vs. Dracula, and badass magic. It feels like the season could have ended there, but it gives us an entire epilogue episode that I was really grateful for.

Fahey: Wasn’t that lovely? We don’t get enough epilogues these days. It’s almost like a “Next season on Castlevania,” only an entire 28 minutes. Plus I am pretty sure we got Gideon Emery, voice of my Destiny 2 boyfriend Devrim Kay, as the leader of the bandits harassing Isaac.

Alexandra: Bandits that Isaac truly and utterly fucks up before starting to create his own undead army. And yet! The season ends quietly. Alucard, all alone, weeping after everything that’s happened. Not what I was expecting, but it makes sense.

Fahey: Oh, he’ll be better next season. Trevor and Sypha will pop by and he’ll be quipping with the best of them. I have high hopes.

Alexandra: I’m curious to see what happens. I think another series might time-jump ahead to give us a riff on Simon’s Quest but I’m not sure. But overall, this was really great and I want to see more. My one nitpick is that it wasn’t as funny as the first season, but it rounded out everything else that felt rush before. Fantastic stuff!

Fahey: I just hope they give the castle more lines next time around. Otherwise, excellent.

Film Review: Castlevania


Lee Russo
December 23, 2018


If you asked me what I think is important about Netflix, I’d say it’s willingness to take risks with its original programming, my favorite being the Castlevania animated series. The long-awaited second season finally dropped last week, and after bingeing it within two days, I can safely say it’s one of the best animated shows on Netflix.

Based on the long-running video game franchise by Konami, Netflix’s Castlevania follows Trevor Belmont, the last of the infamous vampire hunting Belmont family, as he teams up with a female mage and half-vampire prince in order to kill Dracula. The series was produced by Frederator Studios (Fairly Odd Parents, Adventure Time) and animated by Powerhouse Animation Studios; its first season premiered in July of 2017. What’s surprising is that it only consisted of four 25-minute episodes, but it amassed a huge fan following and a second season was put into production.

There’s so much I love about Castlevania, but the first thing I want to discuss is the level of voice acting talent. Richard Armitage as Trevor Belmont brings a coolness to the character, but also a level of exhaustion and sass that keeps him fun. Among the new characters, Adetokumboh M'Cormack as the forgemaster, Isaac, brings a cold, dedicated and very self-sacrificing nature to the character. However, Graham McTavish as Vlad Dracula Tepish will always be my personal favorite. He is especially exciting to listen to and is able to bring volume and fear in the calm, quiet tone that the centuries old vampire speaks.

With the amount of talent in the characters and voices, you’d think that it would be enough to carry the series, but Castlevania’s greatest strength lies within it’s fluid animation and incredibly well-choreographed fight scenes. I love a good fight scene, weather it’s in an anime, kung-fu movie or superhero blockbuster, and Castlevania manages to knock their fights right out of the park.

The most important things I look for when watching a fight scene is one, how creative and inventive can this fight be and two, what winning/losing means to both of these characters. Castlevania has a good grasp on both. Seeing Trevor Belmont’s whip fly across the screen is gorgeous to watch, but seeing it used in ways besides a whip is what makes the fight truly exceptional.

The same goes for a lot of characters. How Alucard can levitate his sword off the ground, or how Sypha’s mastery in magic can lead to some very inventive encounters. Seeing her weave and generate ice and fire is especially exciting, as you can never quite predict how she’ll utilize it to her full advantage. Season 2, episode 7 had some of the best fights in the entire series, ending with the climactic showdown between our three heroes and Dracula. Dracula and Alucard’s long-awaited encounter left me with chills.

Netflix’s Castlevania also has a great handle on the amount of writing that goes into the show’s villains. The first episode of season one is entirely set up for Dracula’s reason for hating humanity, and by the end of it, we sympathize him. We don’t agree with his actions, but we can support a man who has lost his wife, a woman who believed in science, helping people, and was able to see the goodness in a man who puts skulls on sticks outside his door.

Then there’s Camula, one of the best female villains I’ve seen in a very long time. Camula is not only malicious and sadistic but smart and patient. She knows what Dracula’s thinking because she’s seen a man go into a downward spiral before, so she doesn’t want to be dragged down along with him.

But that’s not to shy away from the show’s heroes. What I think works so well about Sypha, Trevor and Alucard is the banter between them. They’ve only known each other for a few weeks, but they talk like a group of old friends in the middle of a Dungeons and Dragons campaign. I love seeing Trevor and Alucard trash talk each other and how Sypha lectures Trevor; it’s unfortunate we don’t get to see more of it.

For the better part of season 2, the three of them are in one location, and I think it may have worked better to see them as they traveled across Wallacia. Other than that, the only other noticeable issue I had with season 2 is the unfortunate lack of voice actors. The additional new characters of Isaac, Hector and Camula are all wonderful additions to the cast, but several new characters had also been introduced who had not even a single line of dialogue. It’s unfortunate to see characters with such amazing character designs not be able to be given a voice or personality, but I imagine the studio wasn’t given a bigger budget and therefore couldn’t afford more voice actors to add to the roster.

Castlevania had no right to be as good as it ended up being, being by far one of the best video game adaptations of all time. The series combines my favorite parts of Game of Thrones, Cowboy Bebop and Naruto: Shippuden. With both seasons on Netflix consisting of only 12 episodes total, it’s a must-see show for anyone who’s a fan of anime, dark fantasy settings or compelling character drama. It has it’s pacing issues, but I still found it incredibly enjoyable; it’s still one of my favorite shows on Netflix. If you were at all curious about the series, I highly recommend checking it out now.

REVIEW: ‘Enter the Anime’ is Little More Than a Netflix Anime Ad-Roll

08/06/201908/06/2019 - by Kate Sánchez - 2 Comments.
Reading Time: 4 minutes

I love anime. I love anime so much that I sit down with one of my friends twice a month to record a podcast on it. But beyond my love, the Japanese animation I saw growing up shaped my ideas of storytelling as much as any Western animation style. A product of Toonami, I’m a weeb like many of the millennials who grew up with Cartoon Network.

Plus, with so many conventions across the United States built around anime and the use of it in popular culture, from movies to musical lyrics, you would think that we were done with viewing it as something “crazy” or something for “misfits.” You would think, that when analyzing anime in Japan as a piece of Japanese popular culture the topic would be treated with respect and like it’s a normal part of life and media consumption. But then Alex Burunova decided to pick up a camera and do none of that in the Netflix original documentary Enter the Anime.

While I am all for the uninitiated learning about anime and coming into the anime fan fold, Enter the Anime is orientalist at worst and reductionist at best. Burnuova’s narration is condescending to fans of anime and the Japanese creators behind the animation. In addition, while I applaud her embracing her lack of knowledge, it’s done to the point that she shapes the entirety of anime culture as something to be frowned on, using the word “crazy” to describe anime and its fans multiple times throughout the hour-long documentary.

Instead of chronicling the long history of what Anime is, she rushes to hit every genre Netflix has a show for, reducing what could have been a documentary to get people involved in the culture to nothing more than a 60-minute ad-roll for Netflix animation. And sadly, when it isn’t an ad for Aggretsuko – a section that grossly misunderstands “kawaii culture” – or 7 Seeds it’s nothing but narration that focuses on the eccentricities of anime culture and others it, the same way the middle school mean girl did when I showed up in a Dragon Ball Z tee-shirt on free-dress day.

Even when focussing on the true standout of Netflix animation, Castlevania, Enter the Anime is a cringeworthy look into it’s creator, Adi Shankar, and ultimately feels shot to mock him. Now, Shankar is eccentric, to say the least, but the way Burnuova frames the questions and shots, it does more to put his anime fandom on display as something childlike and wrong, instead of leading to what is one of the best Western anime to come out. Even when recording “otaku,” die-hard anime fans and the creators of the anime they love, Burnuova treats them like animals in a zoo and it is frustrating, especially given the long history of orientalist studies on Japanese pop culture.

Enter the Anime

From calling manga tonkōban “comic books,” to making comments about Japan’s “stoic” nature, and seeing anime itself as one of “Japan’s contradictions,” it’s clear that Burnuova is making this documentary as a paycheck and not out of curiosity. This is even more evident given that the only anime mentioned are Netflix properties and are all recent releases – with the exception of anime classic Neon Genesis Evangelion, but that only exists because of Netflix’s re-dubbing and ownership on the US distribution rights.

The glimpse of hope in Enter the Anime comes when creators talk about their work and we don’t hear Burnuova’s attempt at irreverent humor. But sadly, even a dive into the history of Toei Animation, Burnuova is frustratingly condescending. While there is some good info here, overall the moment she begins her narration and analysis it is unsalvageable.

In fact, Burnuova has the opportunity to interview the voice of one of the best anime openings in existence: Yoko Takahashi, singer of Neon Genesis Evangelion’s “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis.” Instead of focussing on fandom or emotion of the performer, it’s all about the show, the spectacle. And instead of seeing Takahashi perform a large concert, and seeing people across Japan sing to anime openings, and drawing the conclusion that anime is a normal part of Japanese pop culture, Burnuova continues to other it.

While Netflix anime isn’t bad, in Enter the Anime it’s treated as a larger than life phenomena, when within anime circles it really isn’t. While many love it, platforms like Funimation and Crunchyroll remain king of anime distribution. Honestly, had this documentary focused on exploring the world of anime just on Netflix, it could have worked. Instead, it claimed to present a high knowledge of anime as a whole.

Enter the Anime is one of the worst films I have ever seen on anime culture, in fact, it’s one of the worst analysis of it and overall should have never happened. Burnuova was out her depth, and her irreverent humor, while it works from people within the culture, it’s less about laughing with us and more about laughing at anime fans.

Rating: 1/10

The Best Adult Animated Series On Netflix Right Now

Jessica Toomer 08.05.19


Last Updated: August 5th

Good news guys, cartoons aren’t just for kids anymore.

Over the last few years, Netflix has jumped on board the animated series trend, churning out comedies, kids shows, and anime at a rate that makes us seriously question the need for anything live-action these days. Along with some critically acclaimed dramedies like BoJack Horseman and Big Mouth, the streaming platform is also home to some lesser-known fare. Japanese cartoons about death metal-loving pandas, a bear voiced by SNL star Bobby Moynihan who’s trying to make it in San Francisco, a medieval fantasy from Simpson’s creator Matt Groening — they all exist and they all can be found on Netflix.

Get ready to add some more titles to your queue because these are the best animated series on Netflix right now.


BoJack Horseman

5 seasons, 60 episodes | IMDb: 8.5/10

Netflix’s best series just so happens to be an animated comedy about a depressed celebrity horse struggling with fame and addiction. Set in a world where anthropomorphic animals and humans live side-by-side, BoJack Horseman is about a horse named Bojack (Will Arnett), the washed-up star of the 1990s sitcom Horsin’ Around. After a decade boozing on his couch and sleeping around, Bojack tries to resurrect his celebrity relevance with decidedly mixed results. His agent and on-again, off-again girlfriend is a Persian cat (Amy Sedaris); his rival (Paul F. Tompkins) is a golden labrador; he’s in love with a human woman who works as a ghostwriter (Alison Brie); and he has a layabout roommate (Aaron Paul) with whom Bojack has a co-dependent relationship. On the face of it, it’s a zany satire of Hollywood and celebrity culture. What’s unexpected, however, is that Bojack Horseman may be television’s most honest and thorough examination of depression. The writing is sharp, the jokes are layered, and the situations are hilarious, but there’s a melancholy undercurrent to the series. Despite being a horse, Bojack is also one of the most human characters on television.


Big Mouth

2 seasons, 21 episodes | IMDb: 8.1/10

We’re not sure how Nick Kroll’s animated coming-of-age comedy manages to be so disgustingly filthy and heartwarmingly-sweet at the same time, but we do know it should be required viewing for anyone who’s gone through, going through, or will go through puberty. (Read: EVERYONE.) The show centers on a pair of pair of bros named Nick (Kroll) and Andrew (John Mulaney), who go through some of life’s most traumatizing and hilarious happenings — think bat mitzvah meltdowns and inconvenient boners. Those embarrassing issues are usually caused by Maurice, Andrew’s own Hormone Monster (also voiced by Kroll) who takes pleasure (literally) in abusing the poor kids. As painfully accurate as the show is, if you’re lucky enough to be removed from that angst-ridden era of life, you’ll probably appreciate the humor in all of it.


Disenchantment

1 season, 10 episodes | IMDb: 7.3/10

Simpsons creator Matt Groening’s latest work of genius is this relatively new animated comedy ordered by Netflix. It follows a rebellious princess (voiced by Broad City star Abbi Jacobson), who decides to eschew her royal duties in favor of adventure (with a good-natured elf and her own personal demon in tow). The series looks like it hopes to be a medieval fantasy riff off Futurama, which should entice a wide variety of cartoon addicts, and with Groening at the helm, expect the show to conjure enough comedy and magic to earn more than just one season.


F is for Family

3 seasons, 26 episodes | IMDb: 8/10

Set in 1973, this Netflix animated series from Bill Burr is based on his childhood experiences in Massachusetts, and while it is not a particularly original family sitcom, it’s deceptively smart, hilariously profane, and pays great attention to the details of the 1970s. F is for Family will appeal to anyone who shares Bill Burr’s worldview — dark, unapologetically politically incorrect, and honest. Despite its vulgarity and crude animation, the series also boasts a few poignant turns that border on heartbreaking. For people of Burr’s age, F is for Family really captures what it was like to grow up in the early 1970s.


Castlevania

2 seasons, 13 episodes | IMDb: 8/10

Even those unfamiliar with anime are likely to have heard of Castlevania, as the franchise is one of the jewels in Konami’s crown. The anime series is produced by Netflix and boasts a voice cast including Graham McTavish as Count Dracula, who vows revenge against Wallachia after the death of his wife, and Richard Armitage as Trevor Belmont, the last of a clan of monster hunters, who leads the fight against him. There’s blood aplenty, and a nice balance between monster and man as per most gothic horror stories — as well as a somewhat romantic aspect, as Dracula is portrayed as a sympathetic villain. The series is also just gorgeously animated, and with two short seasons available, it’s well worth your time.

Castlevania: Trevor and Sypha, sitting in a tree…or are they?

by Wade Wainio
1 week ago Follow @wade_wainio

Netflix series Castlevania left us with a subtle, “Will-they-won’t-they?” cliffhanger in season 2 between Trevor and Sypha.

With a 10-episode third season in production, Castlevania fans probably wonder where things are headed. One of the most interesting questions is about relationships, which we might as well recap here. Where are these characters headed? As noted by Screenrant, the Castlevania video games have already established marriage between main characters Trevor (Richard Armitage) and Sypha (Alejandra Reynoso). The question is: How different is the Netflix series from the game’s universe in this regard?

Castlevania was never a simple love tale. It’s main villain of seasons 1 and 2, Vlad Dracula Tepes (Graham McTavish), had loved his human wife, Emily (Emily Swallow). However, he swore revenge on humans after she was burnt at the stake for witchcraft! What ensued was an elaborate plot to devour humanity, failing to consider what Emily would have wanted. In other words, Castlevania is built largely on the premise that love is a dangerous game.

Also in the first 2 seasons, Trevor Belmont was never the romantic sort, and in fact was tough to get along with, especially due to his “lone wolf” nature. Similarly, Sypha never came across as a hugely romantic person, being committed instead to thwarting Dracula’s misguided and sinister plans. It’s possible that their relationship won’t go any further, or that Trevor will say or do something to bungle the whole thing.


Still, the end of season 2 hinted at love being in the air, which is almost a refreshing change after all the death, depression, demons and gore throughout the series so far. Of course, it’s unlikely that their relationship (such as it is) will be interrupted, as the vampiric Carmilla (Jaime Murray) has her own plans for a humanity-enslaving future.

Similarly, one of Dracula’s ex-servants, Isaac (Adetokumboh M’Cormack) is threatening to forge his own army of the undead and may blaze his own independent path against the human race. Perhaps the most interesting question, though, is if someone like Isaac can change. Could he somehow find love and redeem himself? There is a precedent for that in the series, as Dracula was initially humanized (or something like it) by his wife, and relented in his evil by season’s end.

Finally, there’s the question of Dracula’s son, Adrian “Alucard” Tepes (James Callis). He was last seen brooding in a castle, like a vampire stereotype. It would be rather interesting to see him find love, too, and one wonders what form that would take. It seems unlikely that he’ll just sit there forever. Granted, there isn’t likely a dating service for someone like Alucard, but it seems like he needs a renewed sense of purpose.

“Castlevania” Season 3 Is the Netflix Series at Its Best and Bravest

on March 2, 2020

By Daniel Kurland

Castlevania returns with its best season yet as the demon-slaying animated series pushes its characters and story to delirious new heights.

“It’s us against the world. Same as it always was.”

Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest has turned into a famous meme as the game’s hero complains about “what a terrible night to have a curse” it is, but let’s disabuse the notion that there’s still some kind of “video game curse” when it comes to adaptations. Sonic the Hedgehog was the top film in the United States, The Witcher TV series went far beyond expectations, and now Castlevania has just delivered another excellent season to what’s already been a sterling adaptation of the long-running gothic horror video game series. Castlevania’s television series has been so impressive that it truly caught audiences off guard. It’s far better than one would expect it to be, both in terms of a video game adaptation, Castlevania animated show, and an action-horror hybrid series in general. Each season of Castlevania has been increasingly polished and brought even more to the table, and that’s even truer this season, which is easily Castlevania’s best yet.

The third season of Castlevania begins in a unique position with the death of Dracula now in the show’s rearview mirror. Dracula’s death easily could have marked the end of Castlevania, which is what makes its appearance so early in the series such an exciting surprise. This malevolent tyrant was built up to be the ultimate evil and now that he’s out of the picture, the next big challenge for Castlevania is to follow-up Dracula with a villain that’s as entertaining and powerful. Fortunately, there are literally dozens of Castlevania games with unbelievable evils to pull from and it’s not as if death has ever held back Dracula from making a return in the series. Many shows of this nature can stumble during this transitory period, but thankfully Warren Ellis’ scripts and Sam Deats’ direction for the show’s third season immediately have a vision in mind that doesn’t lose momentum from what’s come before it.

This season is also Castlevania’s longest at a respectable ten episodes. The season definitely doesn’t squander this extra time and as a result the show is able to craft its most impressive and layered story yet. It’s satisfying to see the series get this upgrade and even though the show’s second season doesn’t disappoint, this “full” season makes what has preceded it feel like an extended prologue in some ways. The Dracula chapter of the story is over and now Castlevania can really begin.

Season three of Castlevania functions as a loose adaptation of the game Curse of Darkness, which is canonically set after Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse. A month has passed since Dracula’s demise and Trevor and Sypha find themselves making an extended stay in the little hamlet of Lindenfeld. However, their travel destination seems to be ripe with a sinister underbelly and suspicious figures, most of which are associated with the priory and the church. Prior Sala and the other church members are eager to find those that killed Dracula and resent that his death has closed them off to a certain aspect of existence. As Trevor and Sypha head forward on their journey, they must also avoid the suspicions of those around them and make sure they don’t trust the wrong people. Dracula’s death has caused a lot of instability in society and Trevor and Sypha carefully try to figure out how to navigate through these changing times.

It’s also rather fascinating to see how Alucard’s isolated new life wears him down and just how seriously his level of guilt consumes him. It’s not surprising to see that he doesn’t exactly cope well with this slowed down existence, but his madness takes on some unexpectedly comedic turns. In fact, this season’s sense of humor is in prime form. Castlevania has never struggled to see the inherent silliness in itself and doesn’t miss the opportunity to be the butt of its own joke. This season leans even harder into that angle and it’s kind of remarkable how much of a punching bag Trevor becomes to everyone’s insults and how he’s just learned to accept it. Several of Sypha’s barbs towards him even made me laugh out loud. There’s no shortage of action and monster slaying, but the carnage flows even better when it’s juxtaposed against this silliness.

Trevor, Sypha, and Alucard are seasoned experts when it comes to demon annihilation and Castlevania makes that clear from how they mock their opponents and dispense just as many quips as they do attacks. They’ve fallen into a bit of a routine that they’re eager to shake up, but it’s the perfect tone for Castlevania. It’s easy to have so much fun with all of this gothic adventuring when the characters themselves have such a ball with it. The chemistry between these characters is off the charts and the romance between Trevor and Sypha has never felt more genuine and tender. Both Richard Armitage and Alejandra Reynoso are now even more comfortable in these roles and it’s so satisfying to see how much they’ve made these characters their own at this point.

Alucard turns into a reluctant mentor to some other impressionable demon hunters, which helps give him a focus and purpose in lieu of his father’s passing. This turns out to be just as much of a learning experience for Alucard as it is for his new protégés. It’s yet another inspired way that this season finds fresh angles on its characters before they begin to feel tired. This material is wonderful, but it maybe would have been even better if they went with two characters that actually have histories as demon hunters from the video games, rather than creating two original characters. This is a minor complaint, especially with the work that the season does with Alucard’s trainees, but it still could have been fun to see characters like Maria Renard or John Morris in those roles instead.

Carmilla, and her vampiric sisters, Striga (Ivana Milicevic), Lenore (Jessica Brown Findlay), and Morana (Yasmine al Massri) make up the ruling council of Styria, but more importantly, they’re the Head Vampires in Charge who are power hungry for domination with Dracula now out of the picture. Carmilla was a decent threat in her own right last season, but the addition of this family dynamic to her evil plotting takes her character to some exciting places and helps expand on the show’s cast. Carmilla turns into a surprisingly layered character and she’s empowered by this return to her family. Her retreat home may come across as a defeat of sorts, but she ends up much more empowered this season. This season builds a lot of empathy towards the struggles that they face as they consider expanding their empire, and actually finds reasons to make the audience care about these mass murderers.

At the center of all of this is also Hector, who’s forced to be Carmilla and her vampires’ helpless slave when the season begins. This places Hector in a very interesting position in the middle of this war. He could become a major player, but his body and mind are so worn down that Hector remains a wild card through the season. His lot during all of this is easily the worst out of anyone and greatly calls back to classical vampire and Dracula lore. Lenore is the member of Carmilla’s clan that gets staffed to manage Hector and his Forgemaster abilities. She’s one of the most entertaining additions to the series and her complicated relationship with Hector is so rich and rewarding. She really rises forward as Carmilla becomes more of a supporting player to her larger scheme. In Hector’s absence, Isaac goes on a pursuit to track him down and save him from Carmilla’s clutches, but he has no idea of the changes that his friend has been going through and his journey may be in vain.

Narratively, it’s impressive to see how this season splits its focus between Trevor and Sypha’s journey, Carmilla’s plans for conquest, Isaac’s mission to save Hector, and Alucard’s quest towards redemption. That’s a lot to handle and while past seasons of the show have felt disjointed with less on their plates, the series is now in a place where it’s laid the groundwork for all of these threads to come together. These storylines each intersect with each other and while they do develop on their own, it makes the moments when they cross over hit with greater impact. This season of Castlevania handles the serialized aspect particularly well. Each episode adeptly introduces new ancillary threats and it adds a very JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders aspect to the series, which is such a perfect fit for this show.

One of the more eccentric and passionate new characters that Trevor and Sypha encounter in Lindenfeld is Count Saint Germain, who’s voiced by freaking Bill Nighy. Nighy is having a blast in this role and his character is an extremely extroverted grifter of sorts who seeks to infiltrate Lindenfeld’s priory and expose a much larger conspiracy. The priory are convinced that both Dracula and his wife are alive in Hell and are determined to find a way to make contact. Saint Germain often acts as a rogue agent and independent of Trevor and Sypha, but his goals nicely align with their own and he makes for an enjoyable, albeit odd, ally (and another fun reference to Curse of Darkness).

Another pleasant new character comes in the form of a ship captain who Isaac temporarily accompanies. Some of the season’s more esoteric and philosophical moments are reserved for their thoughtful conversations as they’re alone at sea. The Captain is largely a cipher who’s meant to help Isaac work through some of the larger questions in his life, but he makes for such an entertaining foil for him that calls back to classical storytelling. Much of the success of this material has to do with Lance Reddick’s thoughtful performance in the role. This entire season does a remarkable job with the arcs for all of its new characters and how well it integrates their stories. No one here feels superfluous, unlike Godbrand or any of the derivative members of Dracula’s army that held back the first two seasons. Every single character gets a triumphant moment to shine and it feels like a true ensemble this season.

At this point Trevor and Sypha have killed enough monsters in elaborate ways that Castlevania knows that it needs to try a little harder now to make its fight scenes still have impact. This season impressively sets battles in unique and complex environments that lend themselves to some very creative fight choreography. A lot of the time, even the moments of pursuit and evasion manage to be as thrilling as the actual combat. This season also shows off more of the extended powers and the true strength of vampires in frightening new ways. On the other end of the spectrum, there are some remarkable sequences where Isaac and his army of forged night creatures just decimate everything in their wake. There’s such variety in the beasts that the chaos feels like the climax of Cabin in the Woods.

In addition to the fights, it’s also just exciting to see the savvy new ways that Sypha applies magic physics to her combat style. There are moments throughout the season where she flies around and operates like Iron Man and it’s extremely bad-ass. It’s a brilliant use of magic that turns the practice into something far more powerful than merely fantastical projectile attacks. It’s almost unfair how overpowered she is and what mastery she has over whatever environment she’s in. This also means that most of the best scenes from this season are reserved for Sypha’s stunning displays of magic. Of course, Sypha does eventually meet her match, but she remains the show’s MVP, even in moments of distress.

This season of Castlevania also doesn’t disappoint when it comes to the monsters that are on display. There’s a varied bestiary from the history of the games and it’s not just the same repetitive vampires or monsters ad infinitum. They really try to mix it up and push themselves, even with the random encounters that happen throughout the series. Creatures like minotaurs, werewolves, Cenobite-like demons, and vampire Samurai get into the mix and there are plenty of deep cuts that get featured, too. This season even plays around with the idea of freaking aliens.

The gore factor is also turned up even more this season and monsters’ brains and internal organs readily fly around with nobody batting an eye. Limbs get twisted into angles that shouldn’t be possible and so many bones get broken in ways that will guarantee cringes, even though these characters are numb to it all. It verges on humorous when Trevor often opts to kill a creature in a needlessly brutal and painful way, just to be spiteful and to do something different. It all adds to the extremely stylized and over the top nature of the show.

When it comes to the animation in Castlevania, season two was an upgrade from the first season, but the quality that increases this year is even more drastic. The jankiness that was present during previous seasons is now gone and the framerate is also higher. It’s not just the fight scenes, monsters, or magic that look stunning here, but episodes will spend time just focusing on nature and scenery and it’s a pleasure to take in. The series legitimately looks gorgeous now and it’s gratifying to see that the larger episode order hasn’t resulted in any kind of lack in quality.

The major free-for-all battle that the finale revolves around is easily the best work that the show has put together and establishes a new benchmark as the series moves forward. The same can be said for a segment that explores a fantastical Quantum Realm-esque gateway known as the “Infinite Corridor” and how it brings an unprecedented level of cosmic horror to the series. It’s one of the examples of how this season becomes even more supernatural in nature than before and succeeds in expanding the series’ point of view in ways that have big repercussions.

Castlevania remains a show that’s about killing monsters, as well as demons from Hell who want to take over the world. However, Warren Ellis’ scripts are elegant and go to philosophically and theologically challenging places. Episodes will take the time to slow down and have meditative thoughts on the “smell of Hell” or debates on faith, love, and spirituality that add as much flavor to the series as the creatures and fight scenes.

The first two seasons of Castlevania had a tendency to kill just as much time as they did monsters and there was a lot of unnecessary filler present. Castlevania’s third season feels like the complete opposite. In spite of the longer season, there’s no time that’s wasted here and each episode tells a worthwhile, satisfying story that contributes to the larger picture. At the same time, a larger sense of dread also builds as the events of the season culminate in a finale that exposes Trevor, Sypha, and company to the largest threat that they’ve ever faced. It’s an incredibly apocalyptic conclusion to a thrilling season. These episodes are extremely satisfying from a character and action perspective, but they also find a great story to tell that really builds suspense and pathos.

Castlevania has never been better, more confident, or in need of more episodes. Oddly, the end of the show’s second season felt like Castlevania’s end in many ways, but the conclusion of season three fills the series with tons of future possibilities. It just hopefully won’t take another year and a half to happen. That would truly be Hell.

Castlevania Season 3 Goes Darker, Deeper and Stranger

by Sam Stone – on Mar 02, 2020 in CBR Exclusives, TV, TV Reviews

Over a year since new episodes hit Netflix, Castlevania has returned for a third season continuing the acclaimed animated video-game adaptation. Boasting a higher episode count and production budget than the preceding two seasons, the new season ventures into fresh territory after the previous two loosely adapted the story of the 1989 video game Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse. In doing so, series writer and executive producer Warren Ellis goes darker, deeper and weirder than the earlier seasons, while still delivering the bloody thrills that have made the animated show one of the most popular original series on Netflix.

Taking place a couple months after the Season 2 finale and defeat of Dracula, Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades have left to explore the Transylvanian countryside while Dracula's rebellious dhampir son Alucard resides alone in his father's castle. While the vampiric lord may be dead, however, the surrounding areas remain in bloody chaos, with stray monsters from Dracula's army still on the loose. Meanwhile, Dracula's former associates have their own plans to take advantage of the power vacuum, either allying together or operating alone.

Running at ten episodes, as opposed to the second season's eight or the first season's four, the series is able to take advantage of the additional real estate to proceed at a more deliberate pace than previous seasons. Virtually every episode still contains at least one action set piece to keep viewers' attention -- with the first skirmish particularly unflinching in its violence to remind viewers that this cartoon isn't for kids -- but there is a slower, more philosophical undercurrent running through the season. There is a surprising amount of introspection and debate, and the main characters appear more haunted than ever as the battle for Transylvania intensifies.

Fortunately, the more methodical pacing and divergent storylines following different characters never make it feel like the series doesn't know where it's going or cause it to wander aimlessly in its own narrative. Season 3 asks its audience for a little more patience than they may be accustomed to, but it provides enough thrills to keep them invested in the proceedings. And the cast of characters continues to expand, with returning vocal talent Richard Armitage, Alejandra Reynoso, James Callis and Theo James joined by newcomers including Bill Nighy, Rila Fukushima, Jason Isaacs, Jessica Brown Findlay and more.

While the star-studded voice cast does effective work bringing their respective characters to life, the season's biggest weakness is perhaps how smugly self-aware it can be at times. The first two seasons of Castlevania certainly delivered the self-assured sass and sarcasm in full, but it feels dialed up in Season 3, at times to the point of obtrusiveness. Some jokes definitely land, and being able to laugh at one's self is rarely ever a bad thing, but when the jokes fizzle or feel out of place, they feel especially glaring.

Castlevania Season 3 is more ambitious, charting new territory for the animated series' ongoing narrative while taking the time to really examine its lead characters as it largely places them on different paths. While the bloody action and monstrous behemoths are still a constant presence, the video-game adaptation isn't afraid to take more storytelling risks as it forges beyond the original source material. While this self-confident swagger can be distracting at times, overall, the series feels more daring and original than ever as a world without Dracula proves no less deadly for Trevor Belmont and his friends.

Castlevania Season 2 on Netflix stars Richard Armitage as Trevor Belmont, Alejandra Reynoso as Sypha Belnades, James Callis as Alucard and Graham McTavish as Dracula. Season 3 premieres on March 5.

Netflix's Castlevania Season 3 Review - Extremely Metal In Every Way

Castlevania Season 3 is exactly what fans want.

By Michael Rougeau | @RogueCheddar on March 2, 2020 at 2:13PM PST


With its third and longest season, Netflix's animated Castlevania show has finally hit its stride. At 10 episodes, Castlevania Season 3 is a far cry from Season 1's truncated feel. And with a tighter plot and cast, more and better action, and just generally improved pacing compared to Season 2, it feels safe to say that Castlevania has cemented itself as the most awesomely metal show around right now.

Season 3 picks up within a few months of Season 2's finale, which saw Alucard (James Callis) defeating his father Dracula, while Sypha (Alejandra Reynoso) and Trevor Belmont (Richard Armitage) hit the road together following the battle at Dracula's castle. In Season 3's first act, Alucard deals with his loneliness, while Trevor and Sypha, having begun a romantic relationship, enjoy adventuring with one another, slaying demons, and helping townsfolk.

These storylines go in very different directions in Season 3, as a pair of new characters complicates Alucard's solitude, while Trevor and Sypha arrive in a town that appears to have been infiltrated by Dracula-worshipping cultists with a nefarious plan. These disparate groups of characters don't intersect at all throughout the season, which is unfortunate--although it's still far more interesting than the time the three protagonists spent cloistered in a library during Season 2. Season 3 does a better job of mixing in other characters, including existing ones like the Forgemasters Isaac (Adetokumboh M'Cormack) and Hector (Theo James), as well as new characters like Carmilla's vampire sisters (particularly Jessica Brown Findlay's Lenore) and the residents of the village Trevor and Sypha visit. Season 3 strikes a healthy balance among its multiple separate storylines, devoting just the right amount of time to each. This goes a long way in offsetting the mild disappointment when they don't actually converge in the end.

That will come, it seems, should Castlevania get a Season 4. Plenty happens throughout these 10 episodes, but the season also puts a lot of work into setting up later events. That makes the ending feel a bit abrupt, but all the pieces are in place for the future nevertheless.

Anyway, you'll be too busy soaking up Season 3's ample sex, debauchery, and carnage to wallow too long in that mild disappointment. Netflix's Castlevania is extremely metal in every way. There are whole episodes that feel like extended Dethklok music videos, or like modern versions of those animated Heavy Metal movies from the '80s. Trevor puts his family's mythical whip to good use, while Sypha's spells are more varied than ever, and all the season's action is animated in the show's signature, unique style blending elements of anime and video games. Demons pour out of portals to Hell, and then usually get exploded, shredded, sliced, diced, and/or bludgeoned in various spectacular, brutal, and hilarious ways. One character goes on an episode-long side quest to defeat a powerful magician who's enslaved an entire city; the fight escalates into a full-on war between red-glowing demons and ensorcelled townsfolk wearing glowing green mind control crowns, eventually incorporating body horror Megazording action as the thousands of magical slaves conform into one kaiju-sized mass of pulsating, writhing, flying human flesh. And that's the B-plot for that particular episode.

In the show's animated form, the sex scenes can be somewhat uncomfortable. And although they may largely feel gratuitous, they usually tie back into the plot in some way, from a beautiful vampiress using sex to manipulate a gullible human, to the other way around. Castlevania often blends sex and violence together--sometimes cutting rapidly between battles and sex, and sometimes in the same, single scene--in ways that are discomfiting, but if you have the stomach for it, the depravity can also be a delight. There's certainly nothing else quite like it on TV at the moment.

Netflix's Castlevania is absolutely a guilty pleasure; a grindhouse cartoon for adults who grew up playing Symphony of the Night, listening to metal, and watching shonen anime. But it's also an exceptionally well-made guilty pleasure, with a fantastic cast, unique animated action, mature tone, decent writing, smart pacing, and generally gorgeous look, feel, and sound. In the end, you'll want to pick up a controller and revisit your favorite game in the series, which, in the troubled landscape of video game adaptations, is maybe the biggest compliment one can pay.

Castlevania Season 3 hits Netflix March 5.