The Castlevania franchise sits at a strange crossroads in television culture. The first two seasons of the original “Castlevania” were landmark hits that proved the mainstream viability of dramatic adult animated series. But as “Castlevania: Nocturne” releases, the genre is in an uncomfortable position. Audiences want to see more animated shows, but more and more original series are getting canceled without finishing their narratives. It’s maddening that there is a demand for this kind of television, and studios clearly want to create them, but streaming services somehow see animated shows as unprofitable. The fact that the Castlevania franchise persists when others don’t speaks to the quality of the shows but also the precarity of animated media in the digital era.
“Castlevania: Nocturne” continues the franchise’s streak of excellence, but this franchise is now at a crossroads. The once tight narrative of the original “Castlevania” is no longer really present in “Nocturne” season two, and any comparison between the first and second series shows that the writers are slowly but surely losing the plot of the “Castlevania” franchise. If the show continues, Powerhouse Animation will have to face a new problem: Can they keep “Castlevania” Castlevania without becoming derivative?
The first season of “Nocturne” concluded with Richter Belmont (Edward Blummel, “Persuasion”) and crew being defeated by “Vampire Messiah” Erzsebet Batory (Franka Potente, “Run Lola Run”). This is where the second season picks up: After fleeing the city of Machecoul, Alucard (James Callis “Battlestar Galactica”) intercepts Richter and joins his party in order to defeat Erzsebet. Here, the plot diverges into two main story lines; Richter, Alucard and Annette (Thuso Mbedu, “The Woman King”) travel to Paris in search of a way to kill the Vampire Messiah. Meanwhile Maria (Pixie Davies, “Mary Poppins Returns”) stays behind to seek revenge against Machecoul’s Abbot, who has been colluding with Erzsebet to maintain The Church’s authority in the region. The tone is noticeably darker this season, as the characters are helpless to oppose the nigh-unstoppable forces of the Vampire Messiah as they slaughter humans by the dozens. More than the gore, the terror that the vampires strike in the humans hammers home how dire the situation is.
What immediately stands out about the season is the beautiful animation. The series has always looked good; collaboration between various animation studios worldwide and artists like Ayami Kojima (“Castlevania: Symphony of the Night”) has given the show a visually striking look that is also faithful to the source material. “Nocturne” is easily one of the most gorgeous shows released, with wonderfully detailed and vibrant animation. Alucard is the prettiest he has ever looked. Light in the room bounces off of the stray hairs in his luxurious locks, and the glint in his eyes tells us exactly what he’s thinking without him saying it. The expressiveness of every character is a testament to the level of detail on display. Within the character’s eyes can be found elation, joy and embarrassment — but also rage, horror and madness. There’s a wonderful moment where, as Maria uses her newfound dark magic for the first time, her eyes turn into pitch-black vortexes. It emphasizes the depths of her anger, and a more insidious set of emotions that complicate her character archetype as Richter’s childhood best friend.
Another major improvement from season one is the writing, as the characters feel more dynamic than they previously did. The trio of Richter, Annette and Alucard remind viewers of the first series, where Alucard also fought alongside Trevor Belmont (Richard Armitage, “The Hobbit”) to take down a powerful vampire. Yet, even with the similarities, the relationship dynamics are distinct enough to feel fresh. Hundreds of years after the events of “Castlevania,” Alucard is no longer the edgy dhampir on a mission to kill his dad, but a wizened mentor figure who has spent his newfound time and freedom traveling the world. Richter is also unlike his ancestor, Trevor; he’s brash and still immature, only now truly reckoning with what it means to be the scion of a legendary vampire-hunting clan. As he explores France with Annette, a freed slave from Saint-Dominique, he’s forced to confront his privilege and how little he knows about the world. Annette and Richter are the emotional core of the story, and their developing relationship feels natural, built up through working alongside each other in season one. Here, it now blooms into a deeper emotional bond as they continue to spend time together, helping one another process the intense grief and trauma that haunts them as victims of vampiric cruelty. These bonds are put to the test as the stakes rise, forcing Richter and Annette to take drastic measures to try and stop Erzsebet, which casts uncertainty on whether both of them will make it out of the conflict alive.
The show’s dialogue has also improved, with fewer f-bombs dropped this season. It’s clear that showrunner Clive Bradley (“Trapped”) is capable of writing compelling and witty dialogue, as there were some genuinely laugh-out-loud moments. Juste (Iain Glen, “Game of Thrones”), Richter’s Grandfather and Maria’s Godfather, complains about how tough a vow of chastity to be to the knight Mizrak (Aaron Neil “Peaky Binders”), who’s having an illicit affair with a vampire. Yet some juvenile impulses remain, and it seems the writers can’t help but insert lines that kill the mood. In one scene, Maria confronts her father, the Abbot, who nearly sold her out to Erzsebet, and is poised to kill him in cold blood. When Juste intervenes, pleading with her to spare the Abbot, he begs her not to become a murderer, not to use her divine powers to kill “stupid old men.” She retorts by saying, “Most of what’s bad in this world is because of stupid old men.” It’s a hamfisted line, attempting to be both social commentary and a cool comeback, but it accomplishes neither and takes the viewer out of the scene. Unfortunately, it seems that this style of writing is here to stay in this series, and will likely persist in any future seasons. It appears that the Joss Whedon-style “witticisms” are too big a part of the series’ reputation to leave behind.
“Nocturne” season two has so far accomplished everything the franchise is known for — brilliant animation, witty dialogue and compelling characters — but it’s clear that the series is beginning to chafe against its source material. The first two seasons of the original “Castlevania” are adaptations of the video game “Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse.” When the series moved past that, it struggled to find its footing again, with the subsequent season treading water, attempting to find a narrative purpose for Trevor and Alucard and a new antagonist. The new series “Nocturne” is an adaptation of the video game “Castlevania: Rondo of Blood” in name alone. The current plot, which centers mainly around Egyptian goddesses reincarnating during the French Revolution, feels foreign to the franchise. I don’t mean to say that it was a mistake to deviate from the source material; major changes like completely rewriting Annette’s character were unequivocally beneficial to the narrative. But it seems that as the plot drifts further and further from the core of the Castlevania franchise — the generational struggle between the Belmonts and Dracula — one begins to wonder why the creators feel the need to continue the series rather than tell their own stories.
The unpredictability of the animation market has likely created this tension between the story the writers want to tell and the one they are able to. Even from established talent, streaming platforms have consistently canceled animated shows prematurely. Powerhouse Animation’s “Blood of Zeus,” made in part by the same people who made the original “Castlevania,” was canceled this year despite a planned five-season narrative. So, why would showrunners risk placing all their hopes onto a new series — in a market overwhelmingly stacked against them — when they can continue relying on a successful franchise name?
But even being an established franchise may not be enough for “Castlevania: Nocturne” anymore. Whereas “Nocturne” season two was greenlit a couple of days after the first, over four months have passed with no word about any future plans for “Nocturne.” The season ends fittingly for Richter but leaves threads very obviously open for another season or series, with the creators setting the groundwork to adapt “Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.” There is ample room for the creators to also expand Maria’s character even further, or explore the relationship between Mizrak and Olrox (Zahn McClarnon, “Dark Winds”). As a “Castlevania” fan, I would be excited for such an adaptation, but I can’t help but feel that whatever comes out of this will be iterative at best. Clive Bradley has spent more than four seasons telling Alucard’s story, so any new story centering him will feel trite. We already watched him kill Dracula in “Castlevania.” Is there any need to see him do it again?
Undoubtedly, “Castlevania: Nocturne” is one of the best-looking animated shows released and represents the zenith of the medium. But is there anywhere else to go from there? The creators are stuck between a rock and a hard place; either tell a new story and risk being canceled before they can finish it, or continue a narrative with diminishing interest. It’s certainly not their fault, but it represents how adult animation is in a troubling spot. Streaming platforms need to be willing to take risks on animated shows, or there won’t be any more Castlevanias to enjoy.
Daily Arts Writer Nicolas Eisenberg can be reached at niceisen@umich.edu.
