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Castlevania |OT| A miserable little pile of episodes - Netflix 7/7
- Thread starter GK86
- Start date
Mister Wolf
Member
Because the story of Dracula and his beasts of the night vs hunters works best in ancient settings.
Just finished it. It's a miserable pile of..............AWESOMENESS!!!
Sure, there are some pacing issues, the number of episodes could have been more, I would have liked to have seen more creature types as enemies as well as more action and less talking in general, and yes, I do sorely miss any musical references to the themes from the games (I mean the composer is the well known Trevor Morris - if ever there was a Castlevania name in real life that gave me hope for hearing Bloody Tears during a fight scene, this was it!), but apart from those negatives, I friggin' loved it!
Interesting depictions of familiar characters, cool, non-cliche dialogues (especially any involving Trevor's dry sarcasm), good voice acting, a great art style that looks like Vampire Hunter D meets Berserk, good animation in general (especially the fight scenes where Trevor uses his whip, which were breathtaking imo) and cool Gothic depictions of hamlets, forests, churches and ruins that one would hope for in a Castlevania adaptation. I also loved how they set up the world with the Church and the historical locations, the ruins beneath the city, the superstition / religion vs science motif, themes of exile and banishment, the Belmonts being an old noble house etc.
I can't wait for season 2 now as this is what I have been waiting for as a Castlevania fan in terms of non-game stuff. The only other potential negative I can think of is that they aren't following the story and world set by the Lords of Shadow games it seems (where Alucard and Dracula
) since I did kind of liked that but it won't ruin my enjoyment at all. Hopefully season 2 will take the story in interesting directions where we see other parts of Wallachia, more varied monsters to fight during relatively more action scenes, and perhaps see more of the Belmont's future (Simon in particular) since there was a "stories from the future" allusion made here and there.
Wow, from the first hazy rumors and tweets by Adi Shankar to the long silence and vague comments by Waren Ellis and now the sudden release of something that actually turned out very well, I can still hardly believe this is real, especially considering the recent absence of Castlevania games. Bring on Season 2's 8 episodes!
Final thought:...Where was the pirate Grant though?
Edit: came across an older interview with Adi Shankar and if I had read that sooner, I wouldn't have gotten my hopes up about hearing references to older songs: "The first thing I thought about was music and how we needed to avoid the traditional sword-and-sandal orchestra cliche and use the heavy metal electro guitar vibe found in the early games." Sigh...to call the uniquely awesome and imo timeless classic Castlevania scores "cliched" seems wrong on so many levels. Sure, they don't have to be power rock ballads in the cartoon but surely the themes could have come back in a more subdued, orchestral manner Adi! Some pipe organs could have been used here and there at the very least! What's so original and satisfying about yet another very subtle orchestral score without any recognisable melodies like pretty much all modern film scores?
Sure, there are some pacing issues, the number of episodes could have been more, I would have liked to have seen more creature types as enemies as well as more action and less talking in general, and yes, I do sorely miss any musical references to the themes from the games (I mean the composer is the well known Trevor Morris - if ever there was a Castlevania name in real life that gave me hope for hearing Bloody Tears during a fight scene, this was it!), but apart from those negatives, I friggin' loved it!
Interesting depictions of familiar characters, cool, non-cliche dialogues (especially any involving Trevor's dry sarcasm), good voice acting, a great art style that looks like Vampire Hunter D meets Berserk, good animation in general (especially the fight scenes where Trevor uses his whip, which were breathtaking imo) and cool Gothic depictions of hamlets, forests, churches and ruins that one would hope for in a Castlevania adaptation. I also loved how they set up the world with the Church and the historical locations, the ruins beneath the city, the superstition / religion vs science motif, themes of exile and banishment, the Belmonts being an old noble house etc.
I can't wait for season 2 now as this is what I have been waiting for as a Castlevania fan in terms of non-game stuff. The only other potential negative I can think of is that they aren't following the story and world set by the Lords of Shadow games it seems (where Alucard and Dracula
start out as Belmonts, though in Dracula's case they still could add that twist later I suppose
Wow, from the first hazy rumors and tweets by Adi Shankar to the long silence and vague comments by Waren Ellis and now the sudden release of something that actually turned out very well, I can still hardly believe this is real, especially considering the recent absence of Castlevania games. Bring on Season 2's 8 episodes!
Final thought:...Where was the pirate Grant though?
Edit: came across an older interview with Adi Shankar and if I had read that sooner, I wouldn't have gotten my hopes up about hearing references to older songs: "The first thing I thought about was music and how we needed to avoid the traditional sword-and-sandal orchestra cliche and use the heavy metal electro guitar vibe found in the early games." Sigh...to call the uniquely awesome and imo timeless classic Castlevania scores "cliched" seems wrong on so many levels. Sure, they don't have to be power rock ballads in the cartoon but surely the themes could have come back in a more subdued, orchestral manner Adi! Some pipe organs could have been used here and there at the very least! What's so original and satisfying about yet another very subtle orchestral score without any recognisable melodies like pretty much all modern film scores?
Yeah, I'm a bit surprised at some of the praise for the dialogue. A lot of it is just flat (or really flowery) moments of characters just describing their motivations.
I liked the stuff with Dracula confronting the town in the first ep, the animation is really great at times and there's some really creative visual moments. But the exposition scenes are dreadfully boring and drag on so long laying out plot details. It's a good example of "telling and not showing".
I doesn't help that I feel like there's something weird going on with the mix. It's like everyone is mumbling under their breath and everything else is too loud. I had to turn on subtitles because I couldn't understand people.
I made it halfway through the third episode, I'll finish it out today and I'm sure it'll leave me interested in season 2. I just hope they find a bit better pacing and balance between action and dialogue. When it shines, it shines pretty bright. Hopefully they'll find more of those moments as it goes on.
cj_iwakura
Member
Like was said before, I enjoyed how talky it was, especially episode 2 with the townspeople and the bar. It let the show breathe, which was not what I was expecting, I thought it was going to be nonstop action. This was very character driven, which I appreciate.
I'd hope this show actually a Jojo's Bizarre Adventure style with each major story arc being about a different generation of Belmont who are very distinct from one another with their own cast of friends and foes with Dracula lording over it all. They could even do things like introduce characters like Death and Shaft into the scheme.
Mostly I'd just love to see it get up the era of Richter and Alucard (again) so they can do the Rondo of Blood/Symphony of the Night combination. They would of course have to include the classic line from Dracula to Richter.
Mostly I'd just love to see it get up the era of Richter and Alucard (again) so they can do the Rondo of Blood/Symphony of the Night combination. They would of course have to include the classic line from Dracula to Richter.
Yappadappadu
Member
Yappadappadu
Member
Problem is that there are no non hearing impaired english subs? German Netflix here.
Watched it last night. It was pretty good. Trevor was a surprisingly fun character. I was expecting typical hero archetype, but we got reluctant hero which I always love. Wasn't really expecting Dracula to get a backstory either.
I liked the aesthetics and atmosphere of the show. The animation overall was pretty good but you could tell they had to cut some corners to meet the presumably small budget. I hope season 2 can be an improvement.
Biggest complaint was how short it was though. It just felt like the first episode of a season. Oh well.
I liked the aesthetics and atmosphere of the show. The animation overall was pretty good but you could tell they had to cut some corners to meet the presumably small budget. I hope season 2 can be an improvement.
Biggest complaint was how short it was though. It just felt like the first episode of a season. Oh well.
cj_iwakura
Member
Of course, how could I not with Gaius playing Alucard?
So many screen grabs around GAF had subtitles that I was wondering if I was in a minority...
RPGCrazied
Member
Just binged it this morning. Holy shit was that cool. Violent, but cool. The fight
. Plus I heard its getting 8 more episodes?? Nice!
I hope this paves the way for more video games into animes. I think it suits it best. Can you imagine a Metroid in this style?
with Alucard was amazing
I hope this paves the way for more video games into animes. I think it suits it best. Can you imagine a Metroid in this style?
The person who produced
created castlevania for Netflix is also doing an anime version of assassin's creed. So with that I think they can do it justice much more than the movie released last year.
Knuckle Sandwich
Member
Binged this last night and it's fucking great. My wife even dug it and she usually hates mature cartoons.
I will say I was irked by the big fall that Sypha and Trevor survived in episode four. I know it's a cartoon and that physics are arbitrary, but I thought they had done a good job of making it feel grounded until that moment. Well, that part and the scene of Trevor tossing a javelin a hundred meters to kill a guy on a rooftop.
Binged it last night.
Impressions:
Good voice work.
Too few episodes.
Good art style and animation.
Music a complete miss.
For a series with such rich musical history to not use or update any of the well known themes associated with Castlevania is a crime.
I wish the first episode had not happened...
It features all the backstory for why
... It would have worked better if it was revealed later as a kind of twist like season 2 or 3 when our heroes finally
.
Impressions:
Good voice work.
Too few episodes.
Good art style and animation.
Music a complete miss.
For a series with such rich musical history to not use or update any of the well known themes associated with Castlevania is a crime.
I wish the first episode had not happened...
It features all the backstory for why
Dracula is justified in his war with the church
climb the tower and confront Dracula and are told they're miserable piles of secrets
Does it count as binging when the entire series is a bit over 90 mins? I really wish that Netflix had more confidence in this , and we received the entire first season. "S2" is clearly just the rest of the order.
Some people watch everything with subs so that they don't need to turn the volume up to hear quiet dialogue.
This is a North American production, so I have to imagine that the voice acting was English by default.
So many screen grabs around GAF had subtitles that I was wondering if I was in a minority...
Some people watch everything with subs so that they don't need to turn the volume up to hear quiet dialogue.
This is a North American production, so I have to imagine that the voice acting was English by default.
Hero_of_the_Day
Member
Does Netflix not want people to know this exists? I went through recently added and new releases, and it was fucking nowhere in sight. It's not like I don't watch animated shit, either.
It's literally the first thing thrown in my face when I open Netflix.
It was the opening banner for me.
WrenchNinja
Member
This was fantastic. Man, I feel like playing Dracula's Curse now.
Just a question:
Just a question:
Why did Sypha blush when Alucard asked her if she knew the whole story?
The Speakers were manipulating Trevor into waking Alucard. She was embarrassed that she was hiding what she knew from him
Currently watching it now dub only its perfectly fine.
Took up the whole screen when I logged in.
Hero_of_the_Day
Member
That fall scene pushed my buttons a bit too.
First, that last fall they survived did kind of ruin the physics of this universe, as had been presented earlier in the first 3 episodes. I would have expected them to die. Second, it seemed to go on for a bit too long.
If they would have fallen through another floor after the last one, then I would've sworn the director was trolling us or something. Finally, it seemed to be a bit anticlimactic. The two main characters were just standing outside one second, then they randomly fell to the final boss. So much for the epic journey through the catacombs.
If they would have fallen through another floor after the last one, then I would've sworn the director was trolling us or something. Finally, it seemed to be a bit anticlimactic. The two main characters were just standing outside one second, then they randomly fell to the final boss. So much for the epic journey through the catacombs.
cj_iwakura
Member
I had the same issue.
KojiKnight
Member
Honestly, the series is super weak... but it says something that even though it was weak, it still blew my expectations out of the water.
Of note:
I'm hoping the second confirmed season will do it's best to stop with the monologing, work on characterizations, and just improve the dialogue in general... I have high hopes that they'll push through the awkwardness... but until I see Season 2, there is no way I could recommend anyone watch Season 1 by itself.
Of note:
[*]Dracula's reactions are weird... "I'm crying blood and upset! You need to leave this town tonight! This town has a year!
[*]Trevor and his characterization are nice, but his motivations are muddy and hard to follow his line of thinking.
[*]Sypha's whole introduction is a beautiful callback, being turned to stone and fighting a cyclops
[*]Sypha is unbearable as a character
[*]Everything relating to the church beyond the first episode felt filler as fuck and the whole thing ends very unsatisfactorily with the demon killing the Bishop
[*]Everything with Alucard feels very weird... he's supposed to be in his early 20's, but had a giant study built under a city that was apparently old enough to be crumbling
[*]The final fight was beautifully choreographed but ruined by the whole "It's destiny!
Hunter and Scholar and Vampire team go!"
[*]Trevor and his characterization are nice, but his motivations are muddy and hard to follow his line of thinking.
[*]Sypha's whole introduction is a beautiful callback, being turned to stone and fighting a cyclops
[*]Sypha is unbearable as a character
[*]Everything relating to the church beyond the first episode felt filler as fuck and the whole thing ends very unsatisfactorily with the demon killing the Bishop
[*]Everything with Alucard feels very weird... he's supposed to be in his early 20's, but had a giant study built under a city that was apparently old enough to be crumbling
[*]The final fight was beautifully choreographed but ruined by the whole "It's destiny!
Hunter and Scholar and Vampire team go!"
I'm hoping the second confirmed season will do it's best to stop with the monologing, work on characterizations, and just improve the dialogue in general... I have high hopes that they'll push through the awkwardness... but until I see Season 2, there is no way I could recommend anyone watch Season 1 by itself.
B_Spooky13
Member
That was such a big tease.. But awesome show so far
RPGCrazied
Member
I'm sure glad its getting more episodes. Can you imagine if they just stopped there? I'd be super pissed.
Astral Dog
Member
Eeehhh
NipplesAndToes23
Member
Okay, that last episode was actually good. Too bad about the rest.
Astral Dog
Member
I agree it was sloppy about everything except the church, i mean what isn't filler? The stuff added directly from the game? The anime needs lots of that stuff to makr sense i like how it paid off at the beginning of ep4 even if it was too soon
Astral Dog
Member
Hmm i had to search for it, and even then had trouble finding it though it wasn't going to be there gor a moment
DrROBschiz
Member
Same
What a pleasant surprise this whole thing was
Blown away that we even get an adaptation like this at all and that its actually quite good and loving of the source material
Alucard brought to life... makes me want to play SOTN again
Pilgrimzero
Member
It would be great if Konami did a reimagining of CV3, but I have no faith that they wouldn't screw it up.
Zelenogorsk
Banned
I just watched the first episode and it was fucking metal.
Astral Dog
Member
This is a great idea, rather than a 'new' gAme but, yeah it would need top talent.
anonymous_abc
Member
Well that was short...
Not really knowing anything about the games and the lore it was fun I guess.
Not really knowing anything about the games and the lore it was fun I guess.
I finished it last night and I'm coming down on the positive side. I'm looking forward to more.
I liked:
I disliked:
All in all, I enjoyed this and am looking forward to seeing on how they capitalize on the setup with this mini-season.
I liked:
They really didn't hold back on the brutality and horrific imagery
Dracula has motivation other than "But he's eeeeeeevil"
Trevor, eventually, when he became Trevor
The Sypha callback
The dialogue and voicing was decent enough, but most of all, not cringy
Shortening the intro in all episodes but the first is genius
The backstory between the Belmonts and the Church
Dracula has motivation other than "But he's eeeeeeevil"
Trevor, eventually, when he became Trevor
The Sypha callback
The dialogue and voicing was decent enough, but most of all, not cringy
Shortening the intro in all episodes but the first is genius
The backstory between the Belmonts and the Church
I disliked:
How short is this though! It really did feel like one long premiere episode cut into 4
Trevor basically being Jack Sparrow for everything except the last episode or so
Sypha's accent. Yuck
A lack of memorable music, one of the hallmarks of Castlevania. I didn't need callbacks,
just something good
Did the audio balance seem extra quiet to anyone else?
Trevor basically being Jack Sparrow for everything except the last episode or so
Sypha's accent. Yuck
A lack of memorable music, one of the hallmarks of Castlevania. I didn't need callbacks,
just something good
Did the audio balance seem extra quiet to anyone else?
All in all, I enjoyed this and am looking forward to seeing on how they capitalize on the setup with this mini-season.
ArkhamFantasy
Member
That first episode was rad, Dracula's powers were awesome.
I am in Canada as well and it was the Netflix banner show. I guess Netflix algorithms decided that someone monikered Alucard wasn't interested in a Castlevania show
KojiKnight
Member
The pacing of the series is off because so much time is spent on unnecessary things. Why have the bishop exist at all as a character if nothing really comes from him?
We also didn't need 5 different scenes with different ways to say the Belonts are persecuted. Trevor's introduction did that well enough alone. We didn't need the scene at the church, the scene with the speakers, etc etc.
Honestly the series would have been better paced to be shorter, since i assume we didn't see as much action wise because of budget. 3 episodes or a single movie would have played better imo.
All that said, they did far far far better than i would have guessed and i eagerly await season 2 and hope it only goes up from there... It's just hard to justify recommending the series as it's to anyone.