157 replies to this topic

[The Predaking]

I finally got a chance to watch all of season 2, and it was great! I am definitely looking forward to season three next year!

[Caldwin]

I just finished reading the novel Carmillla. It's an interesting read, but makes me puzzled that the makers of Castlevania would point to the book as inspiration for their character. I mean, Carmilla was a vampire, I'll give them that. But considering she only preyed on girls, I can't imagine she'd show much love for a male like Dracula. And for all the focus the games put on her mask, there was only one scene in the book where she was at a masquerade ball. Yes she wore a mask. But for one thing, it was a masquerade mask, not what you would picture from the games. And for another thing, it wasn't the main thing about her.

I guess what I'm saying is..."that's not how it was in the book!"

Oh, and Frankensteins monster also tends to get a bad rap.

I almost want to read Dracula, but I'm afraid how many illusions that would shatter.

[Maruten]

Dracula is very rarely depicted in a way that aligns with Stoker. (Netflix) Castlevania goes closer than most I think!

[Ryougabot]

i really enjoyed this as a good story

[Monocle]

Really enjoyed this, they did a great job of bringing in a lot of the games mythos into the story.

 

So we have S3 coming, so what next? Well Hector and Issac are still around, so we could get an adaptation of "Curse of Darkness" with some other stuff thrown in, like Carmilla.  That being said I would want her to survive so if they ever get to "Rondo of Blood" they can kill her off there.

 

Simon is the next Belmont in line, so they could jump to him, but it is just Simon, and one of the things that worked for this show was that it was a little group of characters, and even then we got a lot of development for the villains in S2.  Simon by his lonesome may not work for a TV show.

 

The other option is "Rondo of Blood" and "Symphony of Night" which does introduce us to Shaft who could bring Dracula back, plus you get an ensemble of characters in it as well.  It also is a very different setting then these episodes, with it being in the 1800's.

 

That being said, I think they will go with the Devil Forgemasters, just cause they are the biggest dangling thread now.  Issac's redemption could get a good story out of it.

 

You know I really wish Trevor was now included in Smash Bros. alongside Simon and Richter.  He should have a lot of awareness surrounding him now thanks to this show. 

 

A Dracula's Curse remake would be nice too, but with Konami being Konami now, yeah not holding my breath for that.

[Caldwin]

Well, if supporting cast is Simon's only problem, he does have:Pit, Mega Man, Kevin Keen and Princess Lana...and Duke if you count dogs.

[LBD "Nytetrayn"]

So, I'm watching Gamespot's Castlevania Retrospective...and caught something interesting (aside from asinine remark that Symphony of the Night "sold poorly" at release).
 
The 2005 game "Curse of Darkness" has this setup story:

 
 Curse of Darkness is set in the year 1479, three years after the events of Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse. Though defeated by vampire hunter Trevor Belmont, Dracula's curse continues to ravage the European countryside, spreading disease, mob violence, and heresy in its wake. Amidst all this devastation is Hector, a Devil Forgemaster who had formerly worked under the employ of Dracula but betrayed him sometime during the events of Castlevania III. Eventually growing disgusted with Dracula's brutal methods, Hector leaves Castlevania and relinquishes his powers to live amongst humans, settling down to live a peaceful life. When Hector's fiancée Rosaly is accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake, Hector learns that her murder was directed by his rivalrous Devil Forgemaster, Isaac. Seeking revenge, Hector chases his former colleague back to his old home, and back to the demonic life he believed he had left behind him.

So...I guess Hector and Isaac were more important than any of us realized!

My wife and I knew right away -- we have both PS2 games.

We recognized Leon as well.

Alas, the poor DaNasty clan, however... always being taken for granted.

--LBD "Nytetrayn"

[Caldwin]

So, I'm watching Gamespot's Castlevania Retrospective...and caught something interesting (aside from asinine remark that Symphony of the Night "sold poorly" at release).
 
The 2005 game "Curse of Darkness" has this setup story:

Curse of Darkness is set in the year 1479, three years after the events of Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse. Though defeated by vampire hunter Trevor Belmont, Dracula's curse continues to ravage the European countryside, spreading disease, mob violence, and heresy in its wake. Amidst all this devastation is Hector, a Devil Forgemaster who had formerly worked under the employ of Dracula but betrayed him sometime during the events of Castlevania III. Eventually growing disgusted with Dracula's brutal methods, Hector leaves Castlevania and relinquishes his powers to live amongst humans, settling down to live a peaceful life. When Hector's fiancée Rosaly is accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake, Hector learns that her murder was directed by his rivalrous Devil Forgemaster, Isaac. Seeking revenge, Hector chases his former colleague back to his old home, and back to the demonic life he believed he had left behind him.

So...I guess Hector and Isaac were more important than any of us realized!

My wife and I knew right away -- we have both PS2 games.

We recognized Leon as well.

Alas, the poor DaNasty clan, however... always being taken for granted.

--LBD "Nytetrayn"

I see what you did there.

[Exatron]

I keep appreciating this show more and more as I reflect on it and learn more about it. I watched a YouTube video the other day about easter eggs hidden in season 2. I caught a bunch when I first watched it, and I could tell that there were several blink-and-miss-it things hidden in the Belmont library, but it's still impressive to see them called out. In particular, there's a display case that I could tell had some interesting stuff in it, but it's only on-screen for a few seconds. Turns out it has a bunch of remains of various enemies, numbered and ordered according to the SotN bestiary. That's a really impressive level of detail for something that appears so briefly. Also, I love what the show does with Trevor's combat style with the whip. It's not at all what I would have expected, but it's very entertaining to watch.

 

While CoD seems like the obvious inspiration for the next season, I do really wonder where the show will go in terms of the Belmont legacy. There's a ton of lore in the series, and with the steps this show is willing to take to flesh out the actual plots that were mostly nonexistent in the early games, there's a lot of potential there.

 

I mean, just sticking with the canon timeline, there's a ton of drama that could be mined from the Christopher-Soleiyu relationship. As lousy as the GB games were, a fleshed out version of that story could be really interesting. Then there's Simon, of course. I could easily see them pulling in some Lords of Shadow influences there. Just pulling straight from Mirror of Fate, he could be teamed up with Alucard and a guardian spirit, on a quest to avenge his parents (whether those parents are Trevor and Sypha or generations removed). Gives him a strong motive and solves the solitary hero issue. Then or course there's all the stuff that could be done with Richter and the later games. Certainly some exciting possibilities if the show keeps going.

 

Perhaps most of all, I'm curious to see what happens with Dracula going forward. I can't imagine him simply being dead. His constant returns are too central to the whole series. So how will he return? Simply through a resurrection ritual? Perhaps he will conquer the afterlife and/or Death itself? I'd also really like to see more of his backstory, whether they go the LoI route, stick more closely to the Bram Stoker's origins, or do something else entirely.

[Monocle]

You know, considering how many references were in this show, I was really surprised that Death did not show up at all.  There has to be a reason for that, next to Dracula he has been in the most games and is one of the more prominent Castlevania characters.

 

Since he does play a large role in CoD, maybe he will show up in season 3 if they go that route. With them mentioning Leon, there is a good chance he does exist in the show's universe.

[Sean Whitmore]

A little slow in the beginning, but the ending more than made up for it. Can't wait for Season 3.

 

 

I almost want to read Dracula, but I'm afraid how many illusions that would shatter.

 

Oh, it'll shatter plenty. But I honestly can't recommend it enough, I love that book.

 

 

You know, considering how many references were in this show, I was really surprised that Death did not show up at all.  There has to be a reason for that

 

I imagine it was something like this:

 

Netflix: "Warren, we got the final scripts for season 2, we all love it!"

 

Ellis: "Great, great, thanks so much."

 

Netflix: "So you're saving Death for season 3, huh?"

 

Ellis: "Pardon?"

 

Netflix: "Y'know, Death. He's Dracula's top henchman. It was in the game series synopsis we sent you."

 

Ellis: "...hug me, you were SERIOUS about that?"

Edited by Sean Whitmore, 15 November 2018 - 10:06 AM.

[Shadewing]

So, finally got Netflix back and have been working my way through various series. I loved this so much, more so that we got a beautiful version of Bloody Tears as a battle theme in episode 7. That made me overjoyed.
 

It was pretty good. I enjoyed it. But I think there was a LOT of filler that could've been dropped. Like...a lot a lot.

Spoiler

And with Carmilla still out there, I guess they're planning on a season 3 at some point. All well and good, but with Dracula already dead...that's kinda like killing off the Shredder and expecting TMNT to keep going with Rocksteady and Bebop.

 
Carmilla is actually a semi-prominent villian in the series, though she's different here then she is from the main games. In the games she's a loyalist and one of the people that attempts to revive Dracula. Here she's a tertiary villian with how she's trying to gain power over everything.
 

I just finished reading the novel Carmillla. It's an interesting read, but makes me puzzled that the makers of Castlevania would point to the book as inspiration for their character. I mean, Carmilla was a vampire, I'll give them that. But considering she only preyed on girls, I can't imagine she'd show much love for a male like Dracula. And for all the focus the games put on her mask, there was only one scene in the book where she was at a masquerade ball. Yes she wore a mask. But for one thing, it was a masquerade mask, not what you would picture from the games. And for another thing, it wasn't the main thing about her.

I guess what I'm saying is..."that's not how it was in the book!"

Inspiration doesn't mean a direct copy/paste job. I could be inspired to create a yellow pony named Static, but he doesn't have to be anything like your's beyond that. Carmilla is a 'real' literary vampire, she's not something they just randomly came up with. There version has elements of the book, but isn't simply the book's character. That's plagiarism, not inspiration.
 

So, I'm watching Gamespot's Castlevania Retrospective...and caught something interesting (aside from asinine remark that Symphony of the Night "sold poorly" at release).

The 2005 game "Curse of Darkness" has this setup story:

Curse of Darkness is set in the year 1479, three years after the events of Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse. Though defeated by vampire hunter Trevor Belmont, Dracula's curse continues to ravage the European countryside, spreading disease, mob violence, and heresy in its wake. Amidst all this devastation is Hector, a Devil Forgemaster who had formerly worked under the employ of Dracula but betrayed him sometime during the events of Castlevania III. Eventually growing disgusted with Dracula's brutal methods, Hector leaves Castlevania and relinquishes his powers to live amongst humans, settling down to live a peaceful life. When Hector's fiancée Rosaly is accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake, Hector learns that her murder was directed by his rivalrous Devil Forgemaster, Isaac. Seeking revenge, Hector chases his former colleague back to his old home, and back to the demonic life he believed he had left behind him.

So...I guess Hector and Isaac were more important than any of us realized!

 

Considering how close the time lines are, I very much see Curse of Darkness being Season 3 and maybe 4 depending on how they do the episodes. Trevor and Syphia free Hector from Camilla preventing her army, then end up going after Issac with his growing army. From there the most logical games to cover imo are: Rondo of Blood/Dracula X, Symphony of the Night, and the Aria games. Though I wouldn't mind them doing an original season based on Julius Belmont and his time as the hunter, since that's the only 'major' event in CV's timeline that is a near total mystery, beyond it being a direct prequel to the Aria series. These games all have the most interconnectivity with each other. Rondo and Symphony following Alucard's story, and the Aria series dealing with Dracula's reincarnation, which also involves Alucard and the legacy of the three familes with Trevor's, Syphia's and Grant's descendants being major players.

 

They could thread the games anyways that makes sense, and even do a prequel with Leon since he got named dropped as well. But these are just the ones that based on what I know of the story, feel like potential seasons.  .

[Fero McPigletron]

I STILL haven't seen season 2 but since there isn't a Bloodstained thread around (that I could find), I just want to say that...

I played Bloodstained Curse of the Moon and I loved it. I did the easy 'rescue everybody' quest so I had four health bars.

I did the 'kill everybody' quest and get the awesome Zangetsu extra powers.

I did the 'Zangetsu is evil' quest, which was cool but it's like just three health bars.

I did the 'Zangetsu is powered up' quest where Zangetsu has that powered up slash, which makes thing MUCH easier.

But I'm afraid of doing the 'Zangetsu goes at it alone' because I dunno how I could survive without the double jump.

I'll try it when I'm feeling brave.

Anyhow, awesome Castlevania 3 game

[Mako Crab]

Finished watching season 2 last night.

And immediately played through all of Castlevania 3 to wash the taste out.

First the good:
- Character designs are solid. Even someone like Sypha, whose cloak is as basic as can be in the game art, looks good here. I had hoped wed see Trevor don the iconic armor of the 1st four games but Im not upset that he didnt.

- The action. When they fought, it was great. Loved the fight in season 1 against the cyclops. Loved all the season 2 fights at the end of the season. Love how Trevor fights with the whip. Just some great fights on display, even if the animation was choppy at times. The only downside was the stark lack of action throughout most of the show.

- Vampire Killer. It was great hearing one of the most iconic tunes during the finale.

- Our three main heroes played off of each other well. Trevor & Sypha in particular.

Now the not so good:
- The excessive cussing. It took me out of the show more often than not, and if it was supposed to make it feel more adult, it didnt. It screamed of trying too hard, like they felt the need to overdo it because its a cartoon.

- Rated R as f%#k.
Classic Castlevania games have never been terribly gory. Theres always some, sure, but the show goes out of its way to throw loads of gore in for shock value. Like demons eating babies.

- Grant Da Nasty
Not enough time to squeeze four characters into the ensemble cast? I didnt buy it when Warren Ellis said that before & I dont buy it after seeing the mass amounts of filler in season 2 & the inclusion of no less than four other characters (Isaac, Hector, Godbrand, Carmilla), each with backstories, arcs, resolutions & epilogues. Without him, this feels less like a true adaptation and more like Ellis couldnt be bothered to work him into the story.

- The focus on the antagonists.
So much time was spent on Draculas court of fools, that it sometimes felt like Trevor and co. were guest stars in their own show. Which is a shame, because I liked having them onscreen and kept waiting to see what they were up to.

- The season 2 plot trips & faceplants right off the starting line.
To recap, Dracula spends a full year amassing his army of demons, attacks Gresit, and then has no idea what to do next. A whole year to plan & he didnt think of where to strike & when. So instead of powering forward with the momentum that season one ended on, we get something like 5 or 6 episodes of idiots bickering about where to go next.

- Game of Thrones lite.
The plotting, backstabbing & testing of loyalties begins immediately in season 2, and maybe this worked in GOT, but its boring here. Especially when none of it seems to carry any weight. Isaac kills Godbrand, but its no big deal. Everyone writes him off & carries on without questioning who killed him.

- Characterization
The idea of Dracula as this suicidal, world weary immortal is interesting. But he lost all drive in the same day that he declared war & spends all of season 2 moping in his favorite chair by the fire.

This is just a personal gripe, but I never in my life pictured Trevor as a washed up drunk. Is this typical of Ellis work to have drunken protagonists?
Anyway, his path towards redemption is short but serviceable. I like that he & Alucard grew to respect each other, that he cleaned himself up, and that he stayed with Sypha at the end. But since so little time was spent on our heroes, their happy ending doesnt feel entirely earned.
We saw that he & Sypha were growing closer, but they were barely at the holding hands stage, when she confesses that she wants to be with him forever.

Its disappointing, because this show had moments where it shined & showed what a Castlevania show could be like. But the bulk of it was weighed down by bewildering creative decisions. In all total, there were 2 or 3 episodes that felt worthwhile to me. The rest was wasted potential.

[videomaster21XX]

https://www.denofgee...ix-anime-series

 

Season 3 is apparently coming. In fact, if you check it out on Netflix itself, it confirms a new season.

Edited by videomaster21XX, 22 September 2019 - 12:01 AM.

[The Predaking]

Cool!

[Mako Crab]

Yeah, guess Ill be watching too.

[Egon1982]

One of my favorite shows on netflix and one of the best video game cartoons around.

 

It totally reminds me of Vampire Hunter D 1 and 2 in aspects.