by Aimee Shumaker

Castlevania: Nocturne was released on September 28 as the sequel to Netflix’s Castlevania, an animated show loosely based on the video game series of the same name. 

Nocturne is set in a village in France during the time of the French Revolution. Its main character, Richter Belmont, comes from a long line of vampire hunters. But after witnessing the death of his mother as a child, he loses his ability to do magic. He works with his aunt, Tera and cousin Maria, a revolutionary and magic user, to aid the revolution in their town, and fight the vampires that hide among the wealthy. But when vampire attacks increase, they uncover a dangerous plan to inflict a vampire apocalypse upon the world.

Richter and Maria team up with Annette, a former enslaved girl from Haiti who has the power to control metal and earth, and her friend Edouard, a singer, to prevent Erzesbet Bathory the vampire messiah from coming to power. 

Nocturne is a story about confronting the past to face the future, and finding the courage to do that. Richter, Annette, and Tera all must relive their pasts as the people who caused them pain return to their lives. By doing this Richter, learns how to stop running away and becomes stronger because of it.

However, Nocturne suffers from several flaws. Its main villain fails to be compelling especially compared to the side antagonists who have personal connections to the characters. There are also several themes introduced criticizing the church and the wealthy, but it fails to delve deeper into them. At times these themes, and the dialogue used to show these themes, comes across as shallow and preachy. The show’s pacing also suffers at times and long flashbacks sequences slow the plot down. 

But is Nocturne a bad show? Not necessarily. It has a lot of potential and contains interesting ideas. Many of its problems could be fixed if it is renewed for a second season. It is overall enjoyable and entertaining. It may not be perfect, but it is worth watching especially for fans of horror, fantasy, and action.