Last year Netflix broke the stereotype for video game based film adaptations with Adi Shankar and Warren Ellis' CASTLEVANIA. A faithful yet inventive adaptation of the 1990 Nintendo game, CASTLEVANIA III: DRACULA'S CURSE, violent, brutal, beautifully animated, showcasing a stellar cast of actors, the series won over critics and audiences alike. The only common complaint among viewers seemed to be the brevity of the season. Four episodes around twenty minutes each. Not long after the series premiered it was announced that the show had been picked up for yet another season.
For me, seeing Castlevania come to life in such style was a dream come true. The first season, although brief, set a high standard for the show going forward, not to mention for future video game adaptations. My only desire, aside from the renewal of the series of course, was to see this same standard of quality maintained in the following season.
Castlevania Season Two is finally here! And the filmmakers have answered the complaint of so few episodes with a season twice as long as the first. But will it maintain the same level of fidelity and execution as the first season?
THE PLOT
After giving Dracula's hordes their first taste of defeat, Trevor Belmont, Sypha Belnades, and Alucard journey to the ruins of the Belmont estate. Hidden beneath the rubble is a secret vault containing generations of knowledge and artifacts for combating the supernatural. Meanwhile the leaders of the various vampire sects have gathered at Castle Dracula to continue the war against humanity. With the arrival of Carmilla, discord and dissension spreads among the vampires when Dracula assigns his Devil Forgemasters as the generals, two humans, in charge of the war. As the vampire lords fall to rank and base treachery, the time has come for Trevor and the others to attack.
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
The greatest strength of season two lies easily within the character moments. The tenuous relationship between Trevor and Alucard is delightfully juvenile and endearing. There are exchanges between them that you can't help but smile upon hearing them. Sypha remains the most grounded and well rounded of the three protagonists, serving as the glue keeping the heroes together. Seeing these three come together in the end is a pure joy to behold. Richard Armitage, James Callis, and Alejandra Reynoso imbue their characters with power and personality.
The character moments don't stop with the heroes. Dracula's vampire generals and forgemasters comprise a large portion of season two, each with their own charming or irritating personalities. Hector and Isaac, the Devil Forgers, are fully formed characters in their own right, each with backstories and unique personalities. And then there's the wonderfully perverse vampire lord, Godbrand, played with relish by Peter Stormare along with the devilishly deceptive Carmilla voiced by Jaime Murray. And Dracula too is given a surprising amount of screen time and a character arc for the season as well. Graham McTavish delivers a genuinely sympathetic portrayal of the dark lord and, in an amazing feat, makes the viewer care for Dracula.
Delving deeper into the greater Castlevania story, season two begins bringing in elements from surrounding games. Hector and Isaac are the central characters at the core of CASTLEVANIA: CURSE OF DARKNESS (which takes place three years after Castlevania III), a game featuring Trevor Belmont that expands on the Castlevania III narrative. Carmilla, whose had a number of appearances in the games, arrives and is positioned for a larger role in the future. And the history of the Belmonts is briefly alluded to with a portrait of Leon Belmont (hero of CASTLEVANIA: LAMENT OF INNOCENCE) looking as if it were painted by Ayami Kojima herself.
There's even several little appearance of signature monsters from the Castlevania games. The devilish duo of Slogra and Gaibon make an appearance which is 100% faithful to their likenesses from the games. A towering Minotaur and a monster who may or may not be Karamusan, king of ravens, make notable appearances as well. There's even a little reference to the Bone Dragon King, a boss from Castlevania III, as well as a host of others monsters from the games.
For Castlevania purests and nerds like myself, this is a dream come true.
One aspect sorely missing from season one was the musical presence of the classic Castlevania themes. The scores of the Castlevania games were not merely midi files used and immediately forgotten after the game. Many of these themes were recurring throughout the series and became as much a part of the Castlevania experience and character of the series as the setting and protagonists. To my utter delight, in episode seven of season two, a classic Castlevania theme is used to epic effect. Strangely it is the signature theme from Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, as opposed to the main theme from Castlevania III. I have no problem with this choice of themes however as "Bloody Tears" is my favorite Castlevania track.
If there is a central problem with this season it arises with pacing. The majority of the season comprises character backstories, vampire war councils, and the heroes engaged in research. Season One had a similar pace, tackling the inciting incident and the campaign in the town of Gresit. Here the problems fall on episode seven where the siege on Dracula's castle and the battle against Dracula himself starts and finishes within that single episode. The final episode then comprises the resolution and fallout from the previous events.
To anyone who has ever played a Castlevania game, getting to Dracula's castle is the prologue (if that), and the main event is traversing the horrors of the castle. Traveling from the front door to Dracula's throne is an epic adventure in itself. Strangely, as amazing as episode seven is (and it is AMAZING!) it feels like an afterthought almost. And while including classic monsters from the games, several key characters from the series are missing. Where were Death and Medusa? Death is perhaps the one character, heroes or villains alike, that has appeared in the most Castlevania games. And what's a Castlevania experience without a Medusa head flying at you? The vampire lords are set up as bosses and or replacements for Death and Medusa but are dispatched with relative ease, almost as annoyances rather than boss events themselves.
Had the season been solely the heroes and villains preparing for war, ending with the heroes just getting through Dracula's front door, it would've been fitting and in keeping with the pacing of season one. An entire third season dedicated to traversing Dracula's castle and facing him (in all his multiple forms sorely missing here) would've done more justice to the games and felt more in line with the pacing of the first ten episodes of the series. As is, suddenly we're at Dracula's castle and the final battle is upon us. It feels as if the filmmakers were designing the second season for a longer narrative, but as they finished episode six, they were told by Netflix that they wouldn't receive a third season. The last two episodes thus became a scramble to finish the story.
I also understand that, perhaps, by ending yet another season having just begun the main event, would've possibly burned a little audience goodwill. As is, however, we spend an absorbent amount of time with characters like Godbrand and Carmilla, both plotlines of which ultimately result in very little. That time could've been better spent focusing on the heroes and their ascension through the castle. There are many pieces of evidence suggesting that this season was, at one time, planned to continue the long form narrative, rather than the abrupt (albeit awesome) ending that resulted. Should the series fail to be renewed for another season, which would be a crime, at the very least we've received a completed story.
THE VERDICT
With pacing issues being the main stumbling blocks, season two maintains same the beautiful animation, endearing character moments, and fidelity to the source material present in season one. The greater Castlevania mythology is explored and the final battle ensues giving viewers the completed story. The strange and possibly unstable climate of Netflix may be the reason for the pacing issues and narrative choices made. Regardless, the voice actors deliver great performances and the story is drawn to a satisfying if quick close. If this is the end for the Castlevania animated series, then I am grateful for every episode we've received. This show should be the bar with which all video game adaptations should be measured against from here on.
Overall Ranking: 8 out of 10
Nude-O-Meter: 0 out of 10
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