The first Castlevania animated series on Netflix succeeded by striking a perfect balance between its poignant, masterfully rendered human drama scenes and visually stunning action set pieces that brought back memories of playing Konami’s iconic side-scrolling game for the first time. Netflix’s decision to continue the vampire daddy issues with Castlevania: Nocturne, a new spinoff series from executive producer Clive Bradley and co-directors Sam Deats and Adam Deats, seems questionable given the first show’s persistent problems with pacing and developing characters from season to season.
Nocturne is visually and aurally quite similar to its predecessor, with its central theme of a tortured scion fighting bloodsucking, Machiavellian ghouls who believe they are undead gods among mortal livestock. But although Nocturne could have easily contented itself with riding high on the nostalgia of original Castlevania, the new series elevates the game significantly by delving deeply into the franchise’s legendary heritage to question your conception of what it means to fight for liberty, equality, and brotherhood.
Castlevania: Nocturne takes place hundreds of years after the events of Netflix’s original Castlevania series, with demon slayer Richter Belmont (Edward Bluemel) traveling to France in pursuit of vampires and retribution. The story takes place in the late 18th century, right in the middle of the French Revolution. Richter’s natural magic skills make him an excellent fit for entering the family profession, just like his distant holy whip-wielding ancestor Trevor. Raised by his powerful warrior mother Julia (Sophie Skelton), Richter also develops a strong sense of pride in the work they accomplish.
Richter is extraordinarily strong even at such a young age because of his untapped potential and Julia’s guidance. Even though Julia is an expert with her family’s lethal heirloom, the world of Castlevania: Nocturne is teeming with vampires centuries after Dracula appears to have been vanquished. The series begins at a terrible point in Richter’s past, leaving him orphaned and unable to use his magic.
Nocturne follows the same narrative as the first Castlevania series, but it also incorporates significant story points from Konami’s Castlevania: Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night video games to tell an engrossing tale about the underlying hypocrisies that have been baked into the history of colonial nations adopting democratic revolution.
This time, the French Revolution was more than just a moment of social discontent between wealthy elites and destitute peasants who were tired of being oppressed. A power-hungry Abbot (Richard Dormer), egotistical humans like summoner Maria (Pixie), and undead ghouls like Drolta Tzuentes (Elarica Johnson) manipulating mortals from the shadows are at war with agitators who want to topple the entire oppressive system of power that makes France a formidable force in the world.