Summary
- Nocturne Season 2 impresses with gorgeous animation, boosting superb fight sequences.
- The new season, however, lacks emotional depth compared to the original series, with rushed character development.
- The strong cast performances make up for the rushed story, ensuring an entertaining watch.
Castlevania Nocturne finally returned to our screens with its second season on Netflix. The eight-episodic season took us back to the French Revolution by picking up right where the first season left off. Nocturne may not have become as popular as Adi Shankar’s Castlevania series, which premiered back in 2017, but it still has a decent and loyal fanbase.
Richter Belmont continues the family legacy of Vampire hunting with the help of his friends. The first season saw the rise of the Goddess of War, Sekhmeth, and it was a bloody and brutal adventure overall. As expected, things get harsher for Richter and his allies in the second season. But thankfully, they now have a Vampire on their side, Alucard, the Son of Dracula.
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Honestly, the appearance of Alucard in the finale episode of Season 1 raised the expectations of Castlevania fans for the second season. And, well, the creators wanted to cash in on that excitement as quickly as possible; that is why they started the new season with Alucard butchering a bunch of vampires in Egpyt. In fact, Alucard’s fight was a perfect tease for what’s ahead in Season 2, as every fight sequence, especially during the final two episodes, is a stroke of brilliance. The season will have your jaw drop on the floor with its exquisite animation. However, even with all that, Nocturne couldn’t touch the charm of the original Castlevania series.
Castlevania Nocturne Season 2 Surprises With Its Gorgeous Animation
The Animation In Season 2 Compliments The Brilliant Fight Sequences
Right from the get-go, Castlevania Nocturne Season 2 features impeccable animation; honestly, it was far better than what anyone could have expected. Of course, that doesn’t mean that each frame of the show is a scenery (It isn’t Arcane), but the animation is great where it needs to be. Moments like Richter’s power-up sequence in the finale or Annette’s inter-dimensional travel will make you applaud the show’s beauty. The first season was surely great in terms of animation, but the second season takes the bar even higher.
The fight sequences are so well done that you’d be left wanting more, and the show already has plenty of them. The final fight sequence, which goes on for two episodes, is the main highlight of Season 2. Maria, Juste, Richter, and Alucard fighting against the all-powerful Erzsebet Báthory scratches that superhero itch that made us fall in love with the Avengers movies. However, the entire setup would have gone to waste if the animation and fight choreography hadn’t been great. But fortunately, the creators knew exactly where they had to pay close attention. Richter and Alucard throwing kicks and punches at the Vampire Goddess will make you stick to your seats until the very end.
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Also, the creators very smartly assigned different colors to each character’s powers. For instance, Richter’s magic power-up is always in blue, while Alucard’s power is complemented by red. These differently-colored power-ups worked incredibly well in the fight sequences, especially towards the final fight. It almost felt like the fight sequences in the final two episodes were coming straight out of an anime. It sort of feels like an homage to anime shows like My Hero Academia and Dragon Ball. In fact, Richter’s ultimate power-up feels like he transforms into a Super Saiyan.
Nocturne Season 2 Fails To Match The Original Castlevania’s Excellence
It’s A Step Down From The Original In Terms Of Character Building And Emotional Depth
Season 1 of Castlevania Nocturne did a good job of building up this world and introducing us to a variety of characters. In a lot of ways, the first season of Nocturne felt like the premiere season of the original Castlevania series in terms of building up the story. However, unlike the original, the spin-off fails to bring all the pieces together in Season 2. We remember Trevor, Sypha, and Alucard because of their emotional journey throughout the series; however, Richter and Annette’s journey in Nocturne is nothing but rushed. You’d enjoy all the amazing fight sequences, but you hardly care about who lives or dies.
Alucard, for instance, played a crucial role in 2017’s Castlevania series and acted as the final puzzle piece to defeating Dracula. The emotional turmoil and the identity crisis of the Vampire were some of the best parts of the original series, but unfortunately, we were deprived of something like that in the second season of Castlevania Nocturne.
While Season 2 of Nocturne surprised us with some of the best action scenes and spectacular animation, it failed to achieve an emotional depth.
We always understood why the villain of the original Castlevania series, Dracula, wanted to wipe out humanity. Even though their love story was short-lived, we felt Dracula’s pain when he lost his wife. As Alucard said in Nocturne Season 2, Dracula wasn’t bad; he just lost his way after his wife’s demise. In that single statement, we felt Dracula’s pain all over again, and that’s all because of the amazing writing in the original series. However, you hardly care about the villains’ story in Nocturne. Of course, the writers gave us some flashbacks, but that wasn’t enough for viewers to relate to Drolta or Erzsebet’s story. In the end, they were your “typical” power-thirsty villains who wanted to rule the world and had no clear motivations. Compared to the villains of the original Castlevania series, villains in Nocturne were simply bland.
All being said, there are some genuine character moments that are actually good. Alucard and Richter’s little banter and sarcastic conversations, for instance, always leave a smile on your face. However, such moments are so short-lived that they almost leave you sad and wondering what could’ve been. Speaking of “what could’ve been,” Maria’s story also had great potential, but it was so rushed that it felt like an injustice to the character. She was a young girl who was blinded by revenge and did something evil and stupid. Her redemption arc could’ve been incredible and full of emotional turmoil. However, it all happened so quickly that you almost felt like it was written just so the writers could get rid of Abbot.
Incredible Performances From The Cast Tries To Make Up For The Rushed Story
The story of Castlevania Nocturne Season 2 may feel rushed, but the incredible performances of the cast sort of make you forgive that error. Edward Bluemel, as expected, does an incredible job portraying the young, naive Richter. James Callis also doesn’t disappoint as Alucard. Thanks to their incredible voice acting, Alucard and Richter’s chemistry goes well in the second season. Alucard always sounded like a frustrated father figure who’s cornered by a bunch of careless children. Similarly, Pixie Davies and Thuso Mbedu capture the charm and innocence of Maria and Annette, respectively.
Overall, Castlevania Nocturne Season 2 is entertaining enough to keep you hooked until the end. Even though the story and character growth are a let-down from the previous season and the original series, the incredible animation and fight sequences make up for it. In the end, you’ll probably forget the names of the villains or the side characters, but you’ll remember the show’s animation for a long time.
