Animation,  Television

Review: Castlevania Season 2

Together with a speaker magician named Sypha Bellnandes, and Dracula’s own son Alucard, Trevor goes back to his former home to prepare the battle against the lord of darkness.

When the news dropped that the four-episode long adaptation of one of Konami’s beloved franchises, yours truly got excited like a child on Christmas. For me, the first season was a strong appetizer, that made me wish for more. Months go by, and when the date arrives, you could find me outside the internet cafe, consuming the entire menu. So what did I think of it? Well, in short, I loved it.

Trevor Bellmont continues to be the cynical bastard that is doing his best to stop Dracula and his army. You continue to see a shift with him, getting a bit more optimistic over time, and most importantly, starting to have hope. Richard Artimage continues to add his A-game with his voice work for the whip-wielding hero.

Sypha Bellnandes and Alucard work great as companions and co-stars. Sypha brings the energy of a character that wants to learn everything that exists. To some degree, you can call her the audience point of view character that wants to learn about this world. Syphas voice actress Alejandra Reynoso does a great job and fits the part like cheese on a pizza.

Then we have Alucard, son of Dracula. He is the calmer and collective of the three, conflicted in how he should handle this situation. He claims that his focus is on killing his father, but his mannerisms and the way he talks do not come off as such. His voice actor James Callis makes a great job with this tragic role.

With all that said, Dracula is yet again the star. His menacing demeanor, combined with his understandable remorse, makes him a true scene-stealer. It becomes even better when he includes a powerful performance from Graham McTavish.

With all that praise aside, let’s talk about the negative. The negative for me boils down to the character of Carmilla. It is obvious from the moment she arrives, that they are building her up as a future villain. She is a character that is all about power and control and nothing more besides that. A villain such as her can work within the context of these types of stories. But she is as interesting as wet paper. Especially when they have proven what they are able to do with Dracula.

In the end, season two was an enjoyable ride for me. It might not be as well cooked as I hoped, but it was still very tasteful. It is a gorgeous gothic adventure with likable and interesting characters. If you enjoyed the first season, the continuation is something worth your time. It is eight episodes, with each of them being around 20 minutes long.

Latest posts by Isak Wolff (see all)

Co-host of the Amateur Otaku Podcast. A writer of many things. Loves everything nerdy from anime/manga to comics and video games. Fire Emblem is the greatest of all time.