With the last season right around the corner, I decided to give Netflix’s “Castlevania” series a look. I came in with absolutely no expectations, and I have to say that I was extremely surprised by the quality of the show. As of now, there are three seasons available (22 episodes in total) and the fourth season, which will be the last one, will come out on May 13, 2021.
What is Castlevania?
“Castlevania” is an American animated TV series available on Netflix and produced by Frederator Studios (Adventure Time). It is based on Konami’s Japanese video game series under the same name. The show is based mainly on “Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse” and follows our main characters Trevor Belmont, Alucard, and Sypha Belnades.
Netflix’s “Castlevania” tells a story about Dracula and how he cursed the world. He married a human woman, Lisa, which later on was killed. She was accused of being a witch and got burned at the stake for her sins. Dracula gave humans 1 year to change, but they didn’t. That’s when he unleashed monsters upon humanity and swore to kill every last of them.
After the introduction, we quickly get to know our main trio. Trevor Belmont, the last of Belmonts, a family known for hunting all kinds of demons, Sypha Belnades, a speaker with magical powers, and Alucard, the son of Dracula and Lisa.
The series premiered on July 7, 2017 on Netflix, and has 3 seasons as of the writing of this article. Season 1 consists of 4 episodes, season 2 has 8 episodes, and the latest one has 10. The fourth season will be the last one and is set to premiere on May 13, 2021.
Why should you watch Castlevania?
First, and most importantly, the story is written by Warren Ellis (“Red”, “Iron Man 3”). I didn’t expect any of the shenanigans that I was served by “Castlevania”. To be honest, I thought I’ll get a simple “collect the team and kill the Dracula” thing but I couldn’t be more wrong. Even though the story is complex, the plot is presented in a way that doesn’t make you confused. And don’t get me started on all of the plot twists that the show had!
Moving to the next point, the visuals. “Castlevania” looks amazing and the animation is just on point. It was something that caught me completely of guard when I got to see the first fighting sequence. The main protagonist, Travis Belmont, uses a whip as his weapon, which leads to some amazingly choreographed fights. Thanks to the variety of “fighting styles”, our eyes get treated by the series pretty often.
We also get to see the show uncensored. That’s a thing I particularly like about shows that premiere on Netflix. The reality of the world that the show is set in is brutal and dirty. Guts? Blood? Flying brains and eyeballs? This show has it all. This is the same thing that made me fall in love with Devilman: Crybaby – pure, uncensored gore that doesn’t feel out of place.
There’s also music, a thing that helped the show keep me on the edge of my seat. Trevor Morris (“Vikings”) composed an incredibly fitting soundtrack that I can’t begin to describe. Unfortunately, the only officially available soundtrack comes from the first season (it’s still amazing though!) and you can give it a go below:
And last but not least, the original English dub. When there’s a choice, I always pick subtitles over the English dubbing. The reason is simple, I think that if something is made in Japan, it’s intended to be enjoyed in Japanese. “Castlevania”, however, is an American animation, therefore I decided to watch it in the way it was meant to be viewed, with the English dubbing.
I thought that I will quickly swap to the Japanese dub that was available on Netflix, but the English one just felt more natural. There were swears and sentences that simply didn’t translate well which lead to me sticking with the original dubbing throughout the series. The voice actors were incredibly talented and made the show that much more enjoyable.
Conclusion
If you like anime you will most likely enjoy “Castlevania”. Both Japanese and English dubbings are very well made and you can change them on the fly if you feel like it. It has an amazing story, great visuals, and incredible music – everything that the show needs to hold you in front of your screen.
All of the seasons are available on Netflix so go and watch them before the 4th one premieres on May 13, 2021! If it’s to your liking, you may finish the entire thing in couple of days just like I did!
You can watch “Castlevania” here!
© Netflix
