TV Series Review: Castlevania: Nocturne – Season 2

Having already placed itself in the highest echelons of animated shows, let alone shows based on a video game series, Castlevania returns with the second season of Nocturne. We’ve waited around 20 months to see what happens next, and to the surprise of no-one it has turned out to be worth every second of that wait. In fact, this new season will likely have surpassed all expectations, improving in almost every aspect and delivering an unforgettable story, stunning animation, fantastic horror, deep emotion, and blistering action.

It’s Castlevania, and we here at GBHBL are big fans. Check out our reviews of each season of the original show and the first season of Nocturne, below.

Castlevania – Season 1
Castlevania – Season 2
Castlevania – Season 3
Castlevania – Season 4

Castlevania: Nocturne – Season 1

Created by Clive Bradley (with several episodes written by him), and directed by Sam and Adam Deats, the second season of Castlevania: Nocturne picks up directly where the first season left off. Be warned, this review of season two is going to include spoilers.

Richter Belmont (Edward Bluemel), Maria Renard (Pixie Davis), Annette (Thuso Mbedu), and Mizrak (Aaron Neil) failed to stop Erzsebet Báthory (Franka Potente) transforming into the Egyptian goddess Sekhmet and creating an eclipse that threatens an eternal night. As they fled for their lives, Erzsebet’s second in command, Drolta (Elarica Johnson) chased them down, only to be killed by an arriving Alucard (James Callis).

This is how season one ended, and it is how season two begins, with our heroes, now accompanied by the returning dhampir, escaping as the eclipse ends. How does it end? Erzsebet is not strong enough yet and Alucard reveals to the others that this is because Sekhmet’s soul is divided between her blood, her heart, and physical body. The latter of which is located in Paris.

It’s not just a race against time to get there first though, they also need to contend with numerous other issues. Issues such as the Abbot (Richard Dormer), who continues to make Night Creatures in defiance of his own faith. Issues such as Olrox (Zahn McClarnon) and his trustworthiness. Issues such as Annette having visions that threaten her sanity, Juste Belmont (Iain Glen) finding the strength to step up, Edouard (Sydney James Harcourt) trying to free his fellow Night Creatures, and Maria dealing with the trauma of losing her mother, Tera (Nastassja Kinski).

The group are weakened and fractured, the vampires have become more confident, and while Alucard is a massive boost (if he and Richter can manage to get along), he can’t defeat Erzsebet alone. Season two is all about the characters finding the strength to fight when the odds seem impossible, learning more about themselves, looking into the darkness, and refusing to blink. A collection of stories, all connected via a main thread, but allowing each character to develop in interesting ways.

Having found himself (sort of) in season one, Richter takes a bit of backseat here, and this season is all the better for it. Instead, focus is put on the rest of the cast, in particular, Maria and Annette, who have story arcs that are simply phenomenal to watch. Both contend with unique story beats, and it’s their stuff that is often the best moments of the show.

Not that Nocturne Season two has moments that don’t impress. From the moment it starts, it’s a breathless watch, and the pacing is kept hyperactive all the way through. Even quiet moments are filled with dread and threat. Credit to the writers, as far as fear goes, Nocturne is a much more horrifying and fear-laden experience than the original Castlevania show was.

Alongside that, it’s also impressive that the writers were able to come up with ‘realistic’ ways to temper the powers of both Alucard and Erzsebet, as the show threatened to go off the rails with these two OP characters. It still feels epic, and certainly doesn’t undo anything from previous seasons, it just makes things ‘fairer’. It also makes things a lot of fun, and the action is a whole lot of fun. There are so many times when you might find yourself audibly gasping at what you see, I know I did.

So much of this is helped by the animation and art style too, and this season is up there as one of the finest looking animated shows of the modern era. That’s not hyperbole either, and when combined with outstanding voice acting, the entire thing just leaps off the screen.

So, what doesn’t work? Very little to be honest, but it is notable that some characters really fade into the background here (Mizrak and Olrox, with the latter twiddling his thumbs up until the end). Their relationship isn’t really given much to do here, but considering its complications, that’s no surprise. However, in general, writing for romance is a little awkward in places.

Inevitably, it’s impossible for the final fight to live up to the likes of Trevor Belmont versus Death or Alucard versus Dracula, but it feels unfair to judge Nocturne on that, especially as the final fight is spectacular. Likewise, it’s no surprise that some stuff is left unresolved come the end, after all the showrunners would like a season three.

All of this feels minor though, and it really does bear repeating that season two is spectacular. As good as anything we’ve got before within the Castlevania world, and in the case of episode four, Monstrous Things, possibly the best thing we’ve got within the Castlevania world to date.

It’s a must-see show delivering outstanding quality. You don’t have to be a fan of the games, or a fan of animated shows to enjoy what it offers. You just need to be able to enjoy things in general.