Netflix hit it big with the Castlevania anime. The show was so popular, the streamer ordered the sequel Castlevania: Nocturne: a story about Trevor Belmont’s descendant, Richter Belmont. Centuries later, Europe is being ravaged by another threat — this one more dangerous than Castlevania’s version of Dracula. Castlevania: Nocturne Season 2 brings the “vampire messiah” known as Erzsebet Báthory to the forefront in a big way.
In upping the stakes, Season 2 also gives Richter allies to assist him in this battle: the mage Annette, his grandfather Juste, a young sorceress named Maria; and last but not least, the dhampir son of Dracula, Alucard. As these forces collide, Netflix creates another swashbuckling adventure that astutely balances style and substance. There’s just one important thing missing that could have made the sophomore season of the anime even better.
Castlevania: Nocturne Season 2 Delivers an Anime Spectacle
The Season Features Incredible Fights and Character Aesthetics
The first Castlevania video game was chock full of spectacle. The vampire hunts in various mansions, the monsters that the Belmonts fought, and the different European landscapes all created a rich tapestry that some gamers consider the best in the genre. The original anime followed suit. Castlevania: Nocturne Season 2 steps up the horror and action so much that it makes Season 1 look like child’s play. The creature designs — whether it be Olrox in dragon form, the monsters Maria summons from the Otherworld, or the Night Creatures that Erzsebet conjures up — are all a sight to behold. From a technical perspective, Powerhouse Animation Studios makes the animation a lot more dynamic, fluid and smooth.
This pushes the season’s narrative to transcend the two games it is based on — 1993’s Castlevania: Rondo of Blood and 1997’s Castlevania: Symphony of the Night — and it does so with aplomb. One major example of that is the character of aristocratic vampire priestess Drolta. She’s meant to assist Erzsebet and help her reincarnate as the vicious Egyptian goddess Sekhmet, but Drolta steals every scene she’s in. She’s fierce, bloodthirsty and reminiscent of Thanos in the MCU, with her goals of committing genocide in order to rebuild the world. Her screen time is filled with gore, fear and speeches about the savage nature of mankind.
This boost also extends to the show’s action sequences. Castlevania: Nocturne showrunner Clive Bradley cleverly uses Drolta and her minions to create brilliant combat choreography, ensuring that the series’ fantastic-looking monsters aren’t wasted. This results in some of the best brawls seen amid the myriad of anime available on Netflix. Season 2 is an intimidating, enchanting visual spectacle with an action-heavy approach that modern anime fans will adore.
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Castlevania: Nocturne Season 2 Finally Finds the Show’s Emotional Core
The Anime Uses Love to Anchor Main Character Beats
Castlevania: Nocturne‘s first season often felt muddied and with a disjointed story. Season 2 avoids that problem, as it focuses on the love story between Richter and Annette. Annette becomes the deus ex machina who can stop Sekhmet’s return from the afterlife, while Richter develops into a Chosen One, meant to carry on the Belmont name. The two characters inspire each other to move past their family dynasties and forge legacies of their own. It’s a brilliantly beautiful romance.
But the more intimate storytelling isn’t limited to them, though. The impressively strong Olrox gets a redemption arc, as he tries to make things right after his time in Erzsebeth’s vampire cult, as well as things that happened in his past. His story with the Catholic cultist Mizrak is an endearing tale of two queer lovers trying to gain control of their lives. Mizrak has to contend with his religion and if he can overcome his doubts in the face of bigotry, while Olrox wants to become a force for good. Their storyline connects to Nocturne‘s main conflict, as Mizrak is the main reason Olrox makes his decision to betray the vampires. He finally has a clear purpose — something the previous season just didn’t provide.
There are also family members trying to overcome conflict. Maria barely controls her own powers, while her mother Tera struggles with bloodthirst after becoming a vampire to save her child. This creates a push-and-pull tension between the two characters, with Juste trying to patch things up between them. In the process, he rediscovers elements he lost in life. Juste isn’t just motivated by seeing Richter maturing as a leader, but by remembering he has to avenge Richter’s mother’s death. Every character has personal, emotional connections to the war, which give them more personality and represent a huge step up from Season 1’s habit of throwing characters together seemingly randomly.
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Castlevania: Nocturne Season 2 Omits Key Historical Moments
The Season Doesn’t Have Enough Episodes to Feel Complete
Castlevania: Nocturne Season 2’s biggest problem is that there’s not enough time to tell the story it needs to. Some characters still feel shortchanged, with potentially monumental moments relegated to a few lines of exposition. With Alucard becoming a central hero, it would have been nice to see what transpired with him centuries ago, around the time the original Castlevania anime ended. That would have further informed his character arc about feeling disillusioned and disconnected from humanity. Instead, he just mentions his missions hunting vampires and Sekhmet acolytes across Japan and India.
There are only eight episodes in Season 2, which is four short of the number many anime series use. Four supplemental episodes would have allowed so much more history to be incorporated, such as Sekhmet turning out to be a just goddess, to Erzsebet’s backstory as an animalistic serial killer from Hungarian history. Other missing bits include Juste’s depression and how he lost his magic, Abbot and Tera’s affair that led to the birth of Maria, and how the Belmont legacy continued after the time of Trevor and Sypha Belnades. Dedicating screen time to these story beats would have given proper context to everyone’s ambitions and fleshed out their backstories, making them more complex characters.
It’s not that the show’s plot twists aren’t executed well or aren’t moving; it’s just that more foundation is needed for them to completely resonate. But if the biggest complaint is that there’s not enough of the show, then Castlevania: Nocturne Season 2 has done its job. With proper pacing, solid voice casting, and arcs that balance action, dialogue and character development — even when those characters are flawed — it’s easy to call the season a resounding success. Netflix has many great video game adaptations, and there’s plenty of room left for a third season of this Castlevania sequel to explore the universe even further.
Castlevania: Nocturne Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.
In a dark and gothic world plagued by supernatural horrors, a young vampire hunter named Richter Belmont rises to combat a new wave of terror. As he battles formidable foes and uncovers ancient secrets, Richter must harness his family’s legendary skills and face his own inner demons. The series combines intense action, rich lore, and complex characters, continuing the epic saga of the Belmont clan’s fight against the forces of darkness.
- Release Date
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September 28, 2023
- Cast
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Edward Bluemel
, Thuso Mbedu
, Pixie Davies
, Richard Dormer
, Iain Glen - Seasons
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2
- Franchise(s)
-
Castlevania
- The season has amazing fights and visual spectacles.
- Love and romance are used smartly to enhance the overall story.
- Season 2 uses more characters effectively than Season 1.
- More episodes are needed to effectively expand the story.
