Will Sorg – Entertainment Columnist
Video games are infamously difficult to adapt into anything that is not a video game. With the interactivity of video games, it is hard to take that experience and package them into a more restrictive artform such as film or television.
The Castlevania franchise has its roots in a relatively simple formula. In most of the games, the player controls a member of the Belmont family which is a dynasty of monster hunters. They fight their way through a series of levels culminating in a fight with the iconic vampire Dracula. As the franchise has existed since the 80s, it has mixed up the formula plenty of times but at its core Castlevania is a platformer with unforgiving difficulty and a main character who whips monsters to death. From at least a cursory glance, there really is not much to these games that could make for compelling television beyond spectacle. If one were to guess how an animated adaptation of the games were going to end up, they would assume it would likely be a soulless cash grab that’s dead on arrival. So of course Castlevania ended up being a surprise hit of a TV show.
Netflix’s Castlevania sets itself up for success early by focusing the entire first episode on the series’ most important antagonist: Dracula. In a clear subversion of his typical personality, the opening scenes depict Dracula’s meeting and eventual marriage with a human woman named Lisa. Their mutual love of science and Lisa’s kind heart creates a chance for the vampire to soften his human-hating heart. After years together, Lisa is kidnapped and burned at the stake by a zealous Catholic bishop while Dracula is off traveling. When he returns to find his wife murdered, Dracula makes an ultimatum: in one year he will raise an army and wipe out all humans in Wallachia. Through this episode the show paints Dracula not as a typical villain, rather he is shown as a broken man who is lashing out at the world for taking one of the few things he truly loves. Throughout the show he is portrayed with fantastic nuance by voice actor Graham Mctavish who manages to strike a perfect balance between terrifyingly intimidating and disarmingly vulnerable.
Careful planning, like making the antagonist’s motivation clear before anything else, is one of the show’s greatest strengths. Each season takes care to align character and story arcs so that they reach their peak at just the right moment. Season three is especially impressive as four divergent stories reach their climax simultaneously. The show is immaculately constructed, not only in its plotting but also in its technical aspects. The 2D, anime-inspired art style is distinct in its gothic visuals and striking character design. The show is a slow, moody buildup of vampiric political intrigue and the unraveling of dark secrets in dingy medieval towns. Still, when the show shifts into the action it is electrifying; the characters move with such fluidity and intentionality. The fights have their own self-contained stories inside of them with problems for the protagonists to solve, and chances for new information to be learned about those involved in the fight. There is such a clear amount of passion put into the animation for the fight scenes and each one has the potential to create an emotional reaction within the audience, whether it be one of excitement, fear, disgust, sadness, or countless other reactions.
If you’ve been looking for a show to put you in the Halloween spirit and you aren’t too squeamish about violence, there are few shows better for October than this. It’s got everything: an out of practice vampire hunter, an effortlessly charming magician, Dracula’s brooding son, a viking vampire named Godbrand, and some of the best voice acting performances you will hear in a TV show. It’s only 30 episodes and by the end, the only thing you’ll be thinking about is how much you want to show Castlevania to everyone you know.