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Castlevania: Nocturne Season 1 Review

Castlevania: Nocturne is an animated dark fantasy streaming series that premiered its first season on Netflix in 2023. It’s an excellent season that promises another terrific addition to this great IP.

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“No matter how complicated you make it,

evil is still evil“

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Set in 1792 during the French Revolution, primarily in the French commune of Machecoul, the series follows the young vampire hunter Richter Belmont and his adoptive sister Maria as they make new allies and attempt to prevent the apocalyptic rise of a godlike Vampire Messiah. Coming in two years after the last season of the original Castlevania show, this season kicks off the new series that is set centuries after the last one, and for now this is a very promising start.

The very adult, dark tone full of despair and danger is retained here to great effect. There is also a lot of sex here, though most of it happens off-screen. The use of swear verbs (“fuck” in particular) felt immature, but otherwise the series functioned as a terrific American take on anime that will satisfy both older children and adults.

There is a lot of interpersonal dynamics, politics and conflicts, all staples of the previous series. These made the characters and the overall storyline richer, more ambitious and much more interesting than they otherwise would have been. This is still just the beginning, but the season stood well on its own, especially for it featured a truly epic finale that was unexpectedly grandiose and full of high stakes and incredible battles.

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Yes, the action scenes are as incredible as they were before. They were well executed, epic and featuring a perfect mix of fighting and magic. Some of the more memorable set pieces included the final battle in the church and the lake scene that was visually dazzling and so memorable. Magic has never been as prominently used, which I adored as a big fan of magic in my fantasy shows. The score, sound, editing and voice acting are all competent while the animation is absolutely gorgeous with a particularly strong attention to detail in recreating its time period in well crafted architecture and clothing.

Many fans complained about Nocturne’s so-called wokeness, and yes, the show is deeply anti-religious in its stance and also overly representative in a number of gay and black people in its cast. However, these characters were all so well developed, so ultimately the series deserves some praise for at least caring to make them fleshed out. Richter is another brooding, cool Belmont guy, but he is significantly deepened through his tragic backstory where he lost his mother at a very young age. Him becoming powerful and learning to use magic in the later episodes was so much fun to witness.

Annette also got a solid backstory, though the decision to depict white slave owners as vampires instead of humans was a questionable and somewhat racist one. Maria is another interesting female character and I loved her powers so much. What eventually happened to her mother was heartbreaking and it will undoubtedly lead to an excellent arc in the future.

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Edouard needed more development, though undeniably the idea of the night creatures still being human deep inside was a powerful one. The Abbot was a deeply unlikable, but fascinating character while Olrox is an intriguing presence and his gay romance is well explored. Juste Belmont needed more development, but his scenes with his grandson were still quite moving. Alucard was gloriously teased in the finale and I can’t wait to see more of him. They now have a chance against Erzsebet Bathory, who is an incredibly menacing, memorable and creepy, though overpowered villain.