It’s giving monstrous glory of epic proportions. From its glorious, and goriest, fight scenes to the outstanding plot, I can happily say that Castlevania: Nocturne triumphantly lives up to the hype of its predecessor series, Castlevania.
Although it’s written as a standalone series, able to sustain its own mark independently apart from the 2017 show, Castlevania: Nocturne offers a new glimpse into the fantastical world of morbid creatures and hellish vampires avid on wreaking havoc, along with a whole new arena of fighters and hunters coming in the form of heroes and heroines to take them down. And let me say, the executive producer and creator, Clive Bradley and directors, Sam Deats and Adam Deats did not come to play.
The series begins in Boston 1783, several hundred years, approximately 300 to be exact, after the wisecracking booze-loving Trevor Belmont from the infamous house of Belmont left his legacy behind. Now, the main protagonist is a distant descendant of the Belmont fan-favorite noted as Richter Belmont, a witty 19-year-old with an impressive skill set of arsenal, including the powers of a speaker (fancier term for scholared sorcerer), no doubt inherited from Trevor Belmont’s past lover, Sypha Belnades.
Anyhow, I digress. As a huge fan of this franchise, I’m sure many can relate to wanting the story to follow the blueprint of the one that came before. But again, this variation is a bit different in contrast to the first adaptation, that of the 1989 video game series Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, which graced Netflix and trended as one of its most-liked series. Similar to The Witcher, a popular series on the streaming service that tapped into dark themes and the majestic elements of magic, ghouls, and adventure, spearing its own spin-off that followed the concept of the original, Castlevania: Nocturne appears to hold true to its inspiration.
The series continues to follow the line stemming from the House of Belmont and, as Castlevania provided an exploration of the journey between Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades, Castlevania: Nocturne covers the chapter of Richter Belmont and his particular story. And can I just say, this one has successfully made a name for itself. Let’s start with breaking down the plot.
As mentioned prior, the story debuts in Boston with a vivid introduction, devastating scene, and fierce battle with the one known as Olrox, a crafty yet devious vampire who vows to kill 10-year-old Richter in the near future after brutally slaying his loved one right before his very eyes. No spoilers to be given here in reference to who this particular loved one of Richter’s is. However, we can reveal that Olrox, the one responsible for their death, later takes an interest in learning more about the plot for human enslavement, entertaining an insidious agenda formed by the new series’ arch nemesis, Erzsebet Bathory — a lethal vampire presumed to be the Vampire Messiah, also known as the “Devourer of Light” (but we’ll get to that later).
In the initial episode, and once we get past that scene where Richter first encounters Olrox, we see Richter grow to several years older where he’s now a late teen hanging with the likes of his distant cousin, Maria Renard. Maria, like Richter, is also a speaker — audacious, fierce, and as righteous as she is charming. From the first few moments of Episode 1, we see Richter express his outrage as a child for being sent to Paris to live with Maria and his Aunt Tera, Maria’s mother. However, after his devastating loss, Richter retreats to France. Nine years later, we begin to see how he ended up being close with his young cousin and her endearing mother, and why he felt they were, as he so eloquently described them, “the kindest, most courageous people in the world.”
There’s obviously a bond that transcends time with this trio, especially when it comes to the mother-daughter relationship between Maria and Tera. In the following episodes, we come to find out exactly how Richter’s phrase gets applied in real time when Tera makes a disturbing choice — and daunting sacrifice — in an effort to protect her beloved daughter. And believe me, friends, it’ll be a scene where you’ll need to keep your box of Kleenex nearby. But for now, we will move further into Episode 1.
As the story continues from the point where Richter meets with Maria, they congregate to discuss the very pertinent ongoing matter that becomes the focal point of the plot — citizens are rightfully fed up with the government, sparking talks of a revolution, the French Revolution that is…and vampires have infiltrated the royal kingdom. To add insult to injury, the leaders in the very church are spearheading assistance to the vampires’ harrowing plans of “eating the sun,” causing a devastating impact furthering the violence and the killing of innocent human souls.
With blood-spewing fight scenes, slayage galore of vampires and humans alike, it becomes clear that the main problem is falling on the rise of a vampire messiah, enters Countess Erzsebet Bathory, ascending to a dictator status of the Earth with plans to wipe the sun from existence so night will endure forever. In the later episodes, we learn Erzsebet is in cahoots with even more callous and calculating vampires, such as the malicious Drolta, Erzebet’s keen head confidant. Drolta is advocating for Erzsebet’s plot to enslave humanity. Not to mention turn them into tortured livestock and unleash night creatures, demons made from human corpses transformed from souls from hell, to dominate and form a new world order in favor of vampire-kind. Yes, folks. We’re talkin’ some real dastardly shut yo’ mouth stuff.
By the end of Episode 1, we meet Annette, an emancipated former slave, sorcerer, god-descendant, and absolute trailblazing bad-ass queen, who arrives at the Renard residence along with Eduard, a magnificent opera singer with a voice as killer as his mystical combat abilities. Both arrive from the island of Saint-Domingue in the Caribbean (now known as Haiti). Together, they’ve come to seek out Richter’s help, specifically requesting the Belmont’s services in defeating this messiah and putting an end to the ongoing fight of vampires and night creatures versus mankind.
From there their adventure carries on, leading them onto even more shocking revelations and intrepid battles, the confrontation between Olrox and a now-grown Richter Belmont, and even the return of an icon from the original series — which I squealed with glee from the moment I saw them grace the screen.
After gaining the pleasure of bingewatching all eight episodes, I was simply blown away by the magnitude of Castlevania: Nocturne, which I am sure will develop its own household name, emulating the iconic essence of Castlevania. What was most pleasurable was not only following the engaging storyline but gaining that realistic visual that mirrors the diversity of everyday people. Not only is this a show of great representation of the LGBTQ+ community, as we see many characters diving into affairs that further aid in complicating the overall plot, but this is also a show that deals with placing love of all colors, backgrounds, races, and ethnicities at the forefront (ahem, speaking of which I must admit I’m rooting and here for what seems to be a looming romance between Richter and Annette — fingers crossed).
Packed with concepts that conjure a variety of twists and turns, superb animation, action-packed drama, and a cast of characters you can easily fall for, Castlevania: Nocturne is an absolute must-watch series, easily earning a 4.9 out of 5 stars, and setting the scale for establishing itself as another most-liked series.
You can catch Castlevania: Nocturne when it makes its debut on Netflix, September 28, 2023.
