Netflix has garnered more awards and accolades for its original programs than any other streaming service over the last decade of producing its own content. This is mainly because, if they are good at nothing else, it’s churning out a staggering amount of what the people want. Armed with vast amounts of user data (that they stubbornly refuse to share transparently), they have an arsenal of information at their disposal and know better than any other technology/entertainment company what people like and what they watch. And so, they have set about to satisfy as many subscribers as possible with as much content as possible. They are the Target of streaming services. A factory of fiction and nonfiction.
I’m convinced their algorithm knows more about me than anyone in my immediate family. Even so, most of the time when they “suggest” new shows or films for me to watch, I ignore it. Our experiences online are so filtered through what our data has trained algorithms to proffer us that my small act of rebellion is to act like they know nothing about me. “I’ll show you,” I whisper to the Netflix home screen as it prompts me to watch yet another costume drama or indie tearjerker, fighting instincts I don’t know if I have naturally or I’ve been trained over years to develop. I suspect I’ve developed a Pavlovian-like reaction to hearing the “guh-guh” of Netflix’s opening title card.
But this time of year is when my strength of will is the weakest, when I’m most susceptible to comfort watching and most suggestible. I’ll watch anything vaguely spooky if it promises to transport me for a few hours and wrap me up in a different world. Some people reach for fantasy stories for a guilty pleasure. For some, it's horror. For more still, it's anime. But for me, it's all three and that’s where Castlevania: Nocturne comes in.
Anime is one of the more successful genres on the Netflix platform and they have a ton of it. Both Netflix and Hulu host the most anime after, of course, Crunchyroll. I was late to the party on the original Castlevania series and I can’t claim to be a fan of the video game franchise, (I’m notoriously terrible at all video games because my parents were hippies and so I never played them as a child). But goddamn do I love this Netflix-produced adult anime series. I started watching the first series in 2021 when it ended after a four-year run. Appealing to both fans of the game and fans of the genre, with a fresh take on the lore and narrative of the games, Castlevania was a smash hit with the audience it targeted.
And so, when the spinoff series arrived this month, it didn’t take any prompting for me to hit play. Set almost three hundred and fifty years after the first series, Nocturne clocks in at a short and sweet eight episodes, each about thirty minutes. Though centuries have passed, the premise of this show is very similar to the original: a band of friends with various magic abilities fight vampires and other creatures of hell, attempting to save the world and the people they love from the forces of darkness. Also like the first series, this one follows a lone member of the Belmont clan of vampire hunters, this time Richter Belmont (Edward Bluemel), along with his adoptive family Maria (Pixie Davies) and Tera (Nastassja Kinski), and new friends Annette (Thuso Mbedu) and Edouard (Sydney James Harcourt).
It’s nowhere near as gory as the first series and lacks the sharp crass edges that gave Castlevania a more adult, bro-ier veneer. In its place, Nocturne aims to incorporate more loosely historical elements by setting this series during the French Revolution. In this world, the humans go head-to-head with the vampire bourgeoisie and the church officials who support them. There’s a clever commentary on the nature of wealth and power in there, with vampirism becoming a stand-in for all the flaws of the greedy and depraved. There is also a valiant effort to diversify the main cast of this series. The character of Annette, merely a damsel in distress in the video games, is reimagined here as a powerful black sorceress who escaped slavery in the Caribbean to slay her oppressors in Europe.
There was some backlash among hardcore fans (the racist ones) regarding the prominence of Annette’s storyline, but the character is a welcome addition and gives the show a real emotional anchor. Her arch folds in nicely to that of Richter Belmont’s as well - they both struggle with painful pasts rife with violence and loss and how to find strength and power from having survived that. Maria and Tera are a well-crafted mother/daughter duo that set up a touching exploration of secrets and sacrifice, a major theme throughout the franchise.
There aren’t nearly as many battles or bloodbaths as its predecessor, but I appreciate the ways in which the franchise is looking to expand the world and its perspective on it. And while I miss some of the wacky and wild plot and character choices made in the original (watch Season 3, Episode 9 without your kids or parents), the softer approach here makes for a more relaxing viewing experience.
One of the benefits of working within a genre that is considered “niche” is that you have more freedom of movement. This is even more true in animation, where the style and pacing are completely different than in a live-action series. Nocturne, while still full of action and adventure and violence, is something of a slow burn. There are extended flashback sequences that delve into each character's past, and some might argue that the time would have been better spent by adding more action to the plot happening in the present.
Thankfully, they’ve been renewed for a second season as eight episodes were really only enough to scratch the surface of what they clearly plan to do moving forward. In the meantime, Nocturne is a satisfying and short addition to the Castlevania universe, and this adult anime nerd is glad the entertainment behemoth made enough space for it to exist. So although it pains me to admit it, I tip my hat to Netflix for suggesting this one.
Quinn - I’d love to do a review with you on a TV series. I think the themes we write about and our ways of thinking would make for a great dialogue. Let me know if you’re interested! Easiest way to reach me is probably via Instagram DM (bethsexceptionalplaylist)