Time to return to the most
infamous castle, the home of the lord of the vampires, Dracula, and relive the
adventures full of nightmares with the brand new show on Netflix, Castlevania.
Castlevania was
based on one of Konami’s most iconic
videogame series of the same name. It was written by Warren Ellis and was
directed by Sam Deats. It was produced by Frederator
Studios, Powerhouse Animation Studio,
Shankar Animation, Project 51 Animations, and Mua Films. The show adapted the story of Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse. All
four episodes of season one were released last July 7 on Netflix.
(SPOILER ALERT!!!)
(You’ve been warned!)
The show follows the story
of Trevor Belmont, the last member of the Belmont Clan, a disgraced family of
vampire hunters. He must save the people of Wallachia from the wrath of
Dracula, the lord of the vampires who is seeking vengeance for the death of his
wife, and from the false teaching and orders of the Church. He is joined by a
powerful spell caster, Sypha Belnades, as they attempt to awaken a legendary
sleeping soldier, who is revealed to be Dracula’s half-vampire, half-human son,
Alucard.
I’ve been a fan of the franchise
ever since I first played a Castevania
game, and if I remember it correctly, that was Castlevania: The Adventure on Game
Boy. Then years later, I fell in love with Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, truly a masterpiece, the
artwork, the gameplay, the music, and the design, and the story. That is why
having Castlevania series really
excites my heart.
The show started with the
meeting of Dracula and a woman named Lisa. He fell in love with Lisa and later
married her. Fast-forward twenty years later, the church executed Lisa in front
of the people of Wallachia as she was condemned as a witch and being the wife
of the devil. Dracula learned about this and spared the people mercy but
promised to bring upon his vengeance by unleashing his demon army after a year
if they still have not yet leave the land of Wallachia.
This story of Dracula and
Lisa is usually left out from the games and was only briefly given highlights
on Symphony of the Night. The first
episode focused deeply on their story, together with Dracula’s declaration of
war against humanity. It was a great move by the writer and the producers to
dedicate and to begin the series with a whole episode for Dracula and the cause
of his wrath.
The show is bloody stunning.
The animation is great, and I was pleased that they didn’t hold back on the
gore. I completely felt how anime it was, and how it gave me nostalgia which is
pushing me to play the old Castlevania
games again.
Dracula was drawn very
menacing and intimidating, as you can see evil on the features of his face, but
his character in this season was very lost and broken that you will empathize
with him more than be terrified.
Dracula’s son, Alucard,
though only had a couple of moments, still was an important factor to the story.
He was referred only as the “sleeping soldier” before he introduced himself,
but for a fan and those who are familiar with the game, it was easy to identify
the individual they were referring to. His personality matched my expectations
with his soft-spoken voice and his gentleman attitude, a true nobleman. But I
did expect him to be much paler than how he appeared in the show.
Trevor’s design is what you
would expect for a protagonist of an anime style series. A heroic warrior with a
troubling back story. He’s a bit rude but will still fight for what is right
and good. Plus he's a total badass.
It was also fun seeing the
traditional sub-weapons being used by Trevor such as throwing knives, the axe,
and the holy water, plus we could also witness him demonstrate his swordsmanship
skills aside from only using his primary weapon, the iconic Vampire Killer Whip. It
showed how skillful and versatile Trevor is as a warrior.
The story is wonderful and
was written well, but it lacks some elements to it, which I hope they could
develop on the following seasons.
Not enough fights against
monsters and demons. The Belmonts are monster and vampire hunters but Trevor
only faced a few of these on very limited moments, such as the battle against
the Cyclops, their stand against the demons, and his one-on-one with Alucard.
Dracula wasn’t given enough
spotlights as the villain. I do understand that The Bishop and his Church were
the real antagonists for this season, but Dracula had become more of a victim.
It wasn’t difficult to sympathize with him and see him as a broken and lost
soul, even though his charge to vengeance was killing thousands of innocent
people. The show lacked focus on selling how pure evil and truly terrifying
Dracula is. They even made Dracula to have a bit of mercy with the one year
warning. On the other hand, The Bishop was a real villain. Having set a goal to
satisfy his lust for power and his manipulative ways to get what he wants, he
was an amazing antagonist. It was also satisfying to watch that his false faith
led him to his own demise.
Overall, I enjoyed the show.
It was stunning and wonderfully made. I love the Japanese anime style and how
it was nostalgic. Trevor and Sypha are great character but Alucard gave me
chills and excitement. Four episodes aren’t enough so I’m already craving for
the next season, just hoping that it could still be better and probably they
will introduce key characters such as Grant Danasty and Death. I highly
recommend this show, especially if you’re a fan of the Castlevania games.
Rating:
9/10
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