The second season ofCastlevania: Nocturnedrops onNetflixonJanuary 16.
Thenew traileris kind of crazy. The whole season is positioned as a war between our heroes and a Vampire Messiah and her cohort of monstrosities. If the Lady of Slaughter succeeds, night will reign for eternity andvampirescould claim dominion over all. Which wouldn’t bode well for, you know…people.
Why You Should WatchCastlevania: Nocturne
CastlevaniawasArcanebeforeArcanewasArcane. What do I mean?Castlevaniawas an anime based on a popularvideo gamefranchise, and it became an immediate critical and commercial success. From 2017 to 2021, it was the crown jewel of Netflix original animation. ThenArcanecame out and everyone kind of forgot aboutCastlevania.
Castlevania: Nocturneis a sequel-series that picks up 300 years after its predecessor. All new location, all new time-period, all-new characters. The series even has a new showrunner, as Clive Bradley replaced Warren Ellis. Despite all the changes, one thing remained the same: Powerhouse Animation.
One of the reasonsCastlevaniawas so popular was because it’s jaw-droppingly gorgeous. That’s because of Powerhouse Animation. The team at Powerhouse makes everything look cool. They getit.
15 Best Anime Like Castlevania
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Their art direction is so good that you could mute the show and still be swept away by the visuals.
And then the action! Geeze. The action is crazy. It’s like ifDragon Ball Zwas directed by Stanley Kubrick. It reminds me how the film industry has had this “elevated horror” movement that emerged over the last 15 years. This subset of scary movies were art films for cinephiles more than slashers for high schoolers to scream at.
A good deal of anime have exposition-heavy action sequences that try to make sure everyone watching can follow along with what’s happening and why. That often slows the pace and dilutes the momentum of the conflict. Powerhouse doesn’t do that. The action in theCastlevaniaseries is, first and foremost, beautiful, but it also trusts the audience to follow along with what’s going on. That allows the action to keep upping the stakes to a powerful conclusion rather than constantly pausing so a character can clarify what’s happening.
One of the reasons for that quality probably has to do with the fact that Powerhouse has unionized. Brad Graeber, the CEO of Powerhouse, explained in aninterview:
As a studio founded by animators who wanted to improve the industry, Powerhouse has always tried to put our incredible team of artists first.
Should You WatchCastlevaniabeforeNocturne?
You probably should watchCastlevaniabeforeNocturne. I know that can feel like a lot. WhileNocturneis a standalone story, it does have some important connections to the original series. With that said, you’ll be fine if you don’t. And if you’re like “It’s watchNocturneor nothing,” then, yeah, absolutely, just watchNocturneand catch up onCastlevanialater.
Both shows get my highest recommendation.
Castlevania: Nocturne
