Growing up in Romania, I've become aware of the cultural myths which foreigners promote about my country at a rather young age. Through his 1897 novel "Dracula", Bram Stoker has irreversibly changed the face of tourism in my country, and it's hard for any foreigner to associate Romania with something else other than vampires and gothic castles.
All the cliches of the Universal monster movies, despite relying on stereotypical stories, have been encapsulated in the successful Konami game Castlevania, which is best known for raising to popularity in the late 1980s through the Nintendo Entertainment System trilogy.
The games themselves are so good, that I can't imagine playing my old and dusty NES without popping in Castlevania: I love the music, the challenge is always worthwhile, and the entire concept reminds me of simpler times. The story itself is very simple: vampire killer Simon Belmont enters Dracula's castle and climbs his way to the vampire's tower by slaying entire rooms of monsters. Along the way, you discover that Frankenstein, the Medusa, the Mummy, and Death itself work for Dracula and try to stop you from reaching the tower of their blood-sucking boss.
It was only a matter of time until someone took the formula and adapted it to some kind of animated series which makes use of all the great elements and provides fans of the horror genre a few hours to binge on dark violent scenes and plots to extinguish the humankind.
Kids of the 1980s and 1990s absolutely love Castlevania – and if Netflix is good at anything, then it's cashing in on nostalgia
I'll try to keep the rest of the article spoiler-free, though the outcome in the Castlevania series is always predictable: a member of the Belmont family finds the castle of Dracula and slays the evil demon in order to save mankind. That's the basic story of every Castlevania video game, and everything else is just a variation.
So how could Netflix pull this off in order to provide a little tension and make the narrative remotely interesting? Well, the series is based on Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse on the NES. So if you've ever played the game, then you know that Trevor Belmont goes on a quest to slay the king of vampires and gets accompanied along the way by a young sorceress named Sypha Belnades, an agile pirate named Grant Danasty, and Dracula's son himself, Alucard (who can transform into a bat and shoot fireballs).
In this video adaptation, the three main characters are Trevor, Sypha, and Alucard. They are all distinguished by impressive moral and physical qualities, and their path is very much akin to the ark described by Joseph Campbell in "The Hero's Journey".
Uncharacteristically, Dracula is wise and very much aware of his power. Instead of being portrayed as the most evil of all demons, he is presented as a rather utilitarian character who coincidentally resembles Thanos from The Avengers. He wants to avenge his dead wife by starting a genocide against humankind, which in turn would starve all vampires to death and leave the Earth in a lesser conflictual state. Dracula isn't driven by pure hatred or thirst for blood, unlike many of his vampire peers. He wants to leave behind a better world that doesn't know about the perversions of the human and vampire societies he's damned to watch for all eternity.
If the first season is rather dull and merely sets the context, the second one is epic and unexpectedly violent
How does one adapt a video game that's about slaying monsters and demons into an enjoyable TV show? Well, great animation and art direction can get you started onto the right path. But eventually it's the story telling and character development which makes you stay to see what happens next.
The first season is rather disappointing in the sense that you only find the equivalent of a pilot episode. It's like the producers wanted to show off their prowess, test the audience, and see if they can ask a greater budget from the studios to unravel their true plans. It's only about the three protagonists finding each other and Dracula losing his mind when his wife gets murdered by the church.
Before moving on with the description of subsequent events, it's worth mentioning that the church is depicted as a prohibitive institution which seeks to govern by imposing submission. It tries to preserve a way of living which is foolish and unenlightened, so that normal people can never learn anything about science (which is heretic, pagan, and worth of punishment). Perhaps this is one of the elements which don't really match the time period and practices, as the clear inspiration of the religious heads is taken from the Catholic Church, whereas Romanians have always been Orthodox. As a Romanian, you just have to get used to these inaccuracies and let it go for the sake of not losing all enjoyment.
However, something that the producers get right is the geographical placement of the action. Dracula, also known as Vlad Țepeș, is the vampire lord of Wallachia (the historic region where the real Vlad "The Impaler" Țepeș ruled). For once, it's refreshing to see that the Bram Stoker influence is left alone and the castle isn't in Transylvania anymore (which is another historic region of Romania). Furthermore, the screenwriters have done some actual research in order to find details about historic cities like Târgoviște (which was the capital city of Wallachia at the time) and Brăila (an important city on the bank of the Danube). As a Romanian, this is something I truly appreciate.
The premise (SPOILER ALERT): The church kills Dracula's "heretic" wife who practices medicine and seeks revenge by eradicating all humankind
At first it seems ruthless and reckless, but in season two it's revealed that his plan is also suicidal in relation who vampires, as they would soon run out of human blood to feast on.
Alucard, as the son of Dracula and a beautiful mortal, possesses both compassion and supernatural powers: he can transform into a wolf, he can control his sword with telekinesis, and he can display incredible feats of athleticism.
Trevor Belmont, on the other hand, is the equivalent of Luke Skywalker in "The Last Jedi": a nihilistic drunkard who chooses to forget all about the teachings of his lineage and lives a life without purpose. It's not until the evil forces of darkness try to take over the land that he begins to explore his true potential and rediscovers his strengths. In the absence of malevolent attacks, his life is meaningless – but when demons and vampires seek to take over the land, he takes his Morning Glory whip and becomes the vampire slayer he is destined to be.
Sypha Belnades is the innocent sorceress who keeps the two male protagonists in check and often finds the greater good in a situation for the sake of resolving disputes between the two males. She's witty, seemingly-naive, but ultimately strong enough to help the two warriors stop the evil plot of Dracula.
The battle between Alucard and his father Dracula is reminiscent of Luke Skywalker confronting Darth Vader
Uncharacteristically for the series, it's not the mighty Belmont family member who slays Dracula. The lord of darkness is resourceful, stronger than all three warriors combined, but ultimately sentimental. He doesn't lose the battle because he's overpowered or overwhelmed by the offensive against his castle, but because he manages to see how his thirst for revenge has already made him go against the will of her deceased human wife. Instead of seeking harmony, he lost his mind to his desire to get revenge on humans.
That's why Dracula doesn't get defeated, but chooses to allow Alucard to stab him with a wooden stake. He sees the greater good in the situation and comes to regret his actions before they can be undone. And when Trevor Belmont and Sypha join in to make their contribution to the slaying of Dracula, the damage is already done and they're just fulfilling the requirements to end the life of the oldest and wisest of all vampires. Who would have thought that Dracula would end up being portrayed as a sentimental and utilitarian scientist?
The beauty is beyond the main plot, as other characters plot and sabotage Dracula's plan
Uncharacteristically, Dracula is not the strong and mighty ruler of the creatures of the night. He's just a worn out general who sends vague orders and makes his own soldiers question his ways. The vampire never seems to justify his actions or allow others to hold him accountable, so he loses credibility in relation to more egoistic vampires who simply want to take his place.
The fact that Dracula would get slain is predictable. But what happens in between the events and even afterwards is the subject that should keep us interested and psyched for a third season. The world is never really saved, there is always someone just as evil to take the place of his or her predecessor leader, and the battle between forces is relentless.
Therefore, it's these small plot elements that should keep us interested and prepared for a third glorious season. Also, the tension between Trevor Belmont and Alucard hints at a future confrontation – let's just hope that Netflix finances more seasons so we can see the universe expand beyond the predictable story of Dracula and truly grow into something of its own.
The issues with the series
Well, nothing is really perfect and this animated adaptation definitely suffers from poor pacing. The first season is terrible because it feels like everything is happening too slowly. There is no incentive for someone who's never actually played the video games to give the first season of the show a shot, other than watching the great animations.
Thankfully, the situation gets better in the second season, when we witness a little more action. On the other hand, it's not until the sixth episode that the action really begins, and everything up to that point provides context, back stories, and portrays political relations of the vampire underworld.
Some of the times I felt like watching Dragon Ball Z, where each fight is prolonged for the sake of inserting dialogue that's usually unnecessary and annoying. The action scenes were much better though, and not even the battle with Dracula lasts an entire episode (which can be both a good and a bad aspect, depending on who you ask). Personally, I've enjoyed the pacing of the last 3 episodes, but could easily see the first five getting compressed in just two or three parts.
Is Neflix's Castlevania like the video game?
Well, no. In order for the concept to work, the characters need to become much more complex and we need to understand their motivations beyond the basic distinctions of good and evil. Furthermore, you can't have animations of demons being slain inside the castle for an entire season and then feature the confrontation with Dracula. There are people who can do that in better ways with computer graphics, though they don't really tell a story and recreate scenes from the video game.
The series does feature some references and visual hints that let us know that the producers have spent quite some time playing Castlevania III and Symphony of the Night. The design is clearly paying homage to SotN, though the story is an expanded version of the third game in the series.
What is admirable is that the salt and pepper are given by the side-characters who influence the course of the story and will probably play a greater role in the upcoming season. They are the ones whose activities are unpredictable in the beginning, and thanks to this added intrigue I won't reveal their names and motives in this article. As a matter of fact, how about you give the show a shot yourself? If you loved the Castlevania video game series, you'll definitely find a lot of enjoyment in the animated adaptation.
All images belong to Netflix and Konami.