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One of the most lurid video game adaptations to ever be released appeared on Netflix last year. The four-episode first season was one of the best video game adaptations I have seen. It did an immaculate job at following its source material and I enjoyed every second of it. The second season of Castlevania was immediately picked up after the success of the first season, with a third season already announced. The second season picks up where the first season left off. Dracula has plans for human genocide by launching a war on the human race for murdering his wife. Alucard, Trevor, and Sypha team up to prevent his genocide from happening. The story for Castlevania Season 2 doesn’t directly follow one single video game. Rather, it takes many elements from several different video games and combines them with original storytelling.
This allows for the main characters to develop from the first season. Alucard, Trevor, and Sypha are given more depth and have great chemistry. Their interactions are written as comical and given a realistic approach as well. Their personalities from the first season carry over into the new season and I couldn’t have been happier. One character that astounded me in the second season is Dracula. He is painted in a more human light and is in a constant state of grief. His emotions and emptiness make him one of the stronger characters written in the show. He is still dealing with the loss of his wife, Lisa, and he feels more human than ever.
The first season had plenty of action for fans to enjoy, but Season 2 brings even more action. The fluid scenes of each characters’ fighting style and abilities to fight foes are masterful. The action stands out with the help of the gore. One might be turned off by the show with the amount of blood and guts there are, but I feel as if the violence adds to the importance of our characters’ journey. As our trio of characters are fighting through Dracula’s clan, it provides a sense of urgency to stop Dracula from starting human genocide.
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One of my favorite episodes from Season 2 is the second to last episode of the season. It is a perfect episode that captures the core elements of the video game. The episode shows a deep side of humanity for Dracula as he has an emotional realization towards Isaac. The soundtrack for this episode is grand and mixes well with the action scenes. The episode feels like a video game when you get towards the end of the game. It is a wonderful payoff with what feels like the boss battle at the end of a level, the boss is Dracula and the human race is at stake.
Once again the voice acting in the series is outstanding. Many new characters are provided in this series such as Hector, voiced by Divergent star, Theo James. Graham McTavish returns as Dracula and he provides the right amount of grief and anger to push the character forward. I loved hearing Richard Armitage as Trevor in the first season and he feels more comfortable in the second season with his character. With his glorious whip, he spews confidence and is one of my favorite characters on the show.
Overall, I was happy with how Castlevania Season 2 ended up. I will be honest, I was disappointed with the how many episodes were in season 1, but I am glad season 2 doubled its numbers. The show captures the gore and action of the video game and is one of the best video game adaptations I have seen. I am excited to see how Castlevania Season 3 plays out with how the last episode turned out. Adi Shankar, executive producer of the Castlevania show, is currently in talks to create an anime show based around the popular video game series Devil May Cry. I just hope it is as good as Castlevania.
Netflix has renewed the series for a ten-episode third season.
What did you think Castlevania? Is this the best video game adaptation out there? Tell us what you think!
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