The Castlevania video game series is a long-running staple of the horror genre, and a hallowed name among gamers. It came as a massive surprise when Netflix’s anime adaptation didn’t collapse under the weight of fan expectations and turned out to be one of the best versions of the familiar story yet, with original characters and story beats, gratuitous but well-animated violence and gore, and well-written scripts voiced by talented actors.
Castlevania has come around to its fourth season, and now it’s exploring another member of the vampire hunting Belmont clan: Richter. This is the best-looking set of episodes the show has ever spawned, and possibly the most ambitious, set during the French Revolution and starring a new cast of characters. It’s another example of how, when it wants to, Netflix can really adapt the heck out of a video game.
Opening Shot: We see the reflection of fireworks in the sky under the water as the camera pans up from under the water. We’re in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1783. As the fireworks roar on ahead, a young Richter Belmont (Benjamin Plessala) and his mother Julia (Sophie Skelton) walk down the empty streets, discussing the boy’s impending stay with his aunt.
The Gist: After losing his mother Julia to the clutches of vampire Olrox (Zahn McClarnon), Richter Belmont (Edward Bluemel) narrowly escapes the nightwalker’s clutches. He grows up with terror, pain, and hatred in his heart after seeing his mother fall in return for taking the life of one of Olrox’s friends. Olrox promises to return and claim Richter’s life as well before walking off into the night, stepping over Julia’s lifeless body. It’s enough to ruin anyone’s life, but Richter picks up his mother’s whip and becomes the legendary vampire hunter fans know from the Castlevania video games.
Some time later, Richter has grown up as part of the French Revolution. With its supporters under siege by the vampires of the aristocracy, the skilled hunter watches over the shadowy alliance he’s now a part of. He uses his deadly whip skills alongside resistance fighter Maria Renard (Pixie Davies) to fight inequality as counter-revolutionaries work to summon what they call a “vampire messiah.”
Richter is still plagued by the death of his mother and the fact that Olrox could be waiting around any corner while working with Maria and her followers. Eventually, the pair meet up with Caribbean sorceress Annette (Thuso Mbedu), whose powers and powerful ally Eduoard (Sydney James Harcourt) could spell the end of the vampire reign that threatens the revolutionaries’ campaign to change France.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? The blood, gore, and carnage of Castlevania: Nocturne will bring anime series like Chainsaw Man or Hellsing to mind in that it’s gratuitous and over-the-top while still relevant to the story. Hellsing, of course, deals in narrative threads about vampires, while Chainsaw Man is about the “devils” fought by professionals hired and trained by a government organization. If you enjoy either show, you’ll feel right at home with Castlevania, which takes the violence and cranks it up to 11. All these shows’ raw, unpredictable nature and stylized animation offer addictive viewing experiences.
Our Take: While every installment of the Castlevania anime series has lived up to the high bar set by the previous one so far, Castlevania: Nocturne goes the extra mile in just about every single way. Not only does it introduce an exciting new plot with a new Belmont hero, but it goes all out with some of the best animation yet.
Not only does it transcend the anime-style artwork from the original season and beyond, but it comes into its own with gorgeous shading, beautiful eyes and character expressions, and landscapes. It really feels like the French Revolution, and even the lesser characters are achingly beautiful. It’s not quite the masterworks of Japanese artist and character designer Ayami Kojima, but it’s absolutely beautiful, for all the blood and carnage everywhere – there’s definitely some fantastic design elements hidden just about everywhere on the screen.
The narrative, thus far, excels as well. We get a sympathetic hero in the form of Richter, who must constantly watch his back, lest his life be claimed by the same man who killed his mother. There’s also plenty at stake for the Belmont clan in general, which should keep viewers coming back for more. If the first episode is any indication, we’re in for a very wild ride.
Sex and Skin: None in this episode, but as the show wears on, it’s possible we could see a bit of either, given how devilish vampires are – they’ll stop at nothing to get their way, after all.
Parting Shot: In Nantes, Western France, ship workers are getting ready to set sail. The vampire Olrox meets with the vampire Vaublanc, before setting out, and advises him to tell his “messiah” that he is “here” before walking off into the night.
Sleeper Star: Zahn McClarnon is appropriately chilling as Olrox, from the very beginning of the episode up to the end of it, from his low growls and promises to kill Richter someday to the way he interacts with others. Everyone is perpetually beneath him, never good enough to stand in his presence, yet he exudes a quiet cool, level head. McClarnon doesn’t have a ton of lines as Olrox in this episode, but he delivers them perfectly.
Most Pilot-y Line: As the episode begins, young Richter insists he should stay with his mother instead of going to live with his aunt: “Is Auntie Tera a vampire hunter? So will I be safer with her? No. I should be here with you, fighting evil.” Richter’s mother apologizes for sending her son away during a dangerous time for the pair, saying she has “no choice,” setting the stage for the events that unfold throughout Nocturne.
Our Call: STREAM IT. Castlevania: Nocturne is an exemplary way to take a popular game series and turn it into one of the most exciting animated adaptations yet. It remains to be seen the heights that animated Richter Belmont will reach, but we’re confident we’ll be left impressed.