• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Castlevania |OT| A miserable little pile of episodes - Netflix 7/7

Pilgrimzero

Pilgrimzero

Member
Season 6:

Simons stares at the far off Castlevania

"I must do this alone."

From off screen

"No you Mega-don't!"

Enter Megaman, Kid Icarus, and Captian N.
 
C

Cymbal Head

Banned
I just finished this and think it's off to a pretty promising start. The animation could be stiff and awkward at times (surely they didn't have a massive budget), but the major action set pieces were impressive. The overall aesthetic of the show is pretty spot-on, although Trevor is sadly the weakest character design of the bunch.

Voice cast is good to great, and the score is...fine. I wish it had kicked up a few additional notches during the action scenes. Here's hoping season 2 will pick up more of the metal influence from games like SOTN.
 
P

Piers

Member
Solid story itself, and the voice acting is superb — nice soundtrack too.
The art itself is really damn nice, and stays pretty well to some of the Castlevania games, namely SotN, which is great.

It is a bummer, though, that the limited animation couldn't really do the voice acting justice. You can almost picture the subtle emotions and poses the voice actors are going through with some of their lines, but the static body + three frame lip sync creates a sizeable disconnect.
 
B

BrokenFiction

Member
Watched it this afternoon. Really liked it, the voice work was just outstanding. The art reminded me a little of Aeon Flux in a good way. Definitely a 8/10 can't wait for next season.
 
P

PSqueak

Banned
Retro said:
And no, those aren't typos in the manuals; Sypha was male in all versions, and upon first freeing her the game actually asks "Take him with you?", but the ending shows a clearly female character and uses "she."
Click to expand...

I was not aware of this, hah, the Speaker pretending she was a boy was a nice nod then.
 
M

MosquitoSmasher

Member
Z3M0G said:
No Japanese period. This was produced in English. So the English is top notch. No need to wish for Japanese dubs.



Oh am I wrong? I thought this was another Vampire Hunter D situation...
Click to expand...

Ah right. That's good to know. I didn't know that. I can't stand English dubs in anime, most of the it sounds very off but if it's the original language, then it should be fine.

Alric said:
They're out there, just not on Netflix for some reason.
Click to expand...

Yeah I saw several languages but not Japanese. Ah well. I'm gonna check it out later this week.
 
P

Palette Swap

Member
Very pleasantly surprised.

It's a great take on the story, with a Berserk x Witcher vibe while going to my favorite parts of the CV mythos. Great job by Ellis.
 
B

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
MosquitoSmasher said:
Ah right. That's good to know. I didn't know that. I can't stand English dubs in anime, most of the it sounds very off but if it's the original language, then it should be fine.



Yeah I saw several languages but not Japanese. Ah well. I'm gonna check it out later this week.
Click to expand...
I don't think anyone spelled it out to you, but it isn't anime at all. It's a good old fashioned western cartoon.

I think it's fascinating how we all look at this kind of gorgeous, mature-themed animation and make the assumption that it's anime from Japan. Kind of sad what it says about the traditional boundaries of western animation. But this show is a very positive sign on that front.
 
RedAssedApe

RedAssedApe

Banned
Good stuff. Ended just when things were getting interesting. Fight at the end was well done. I don't really like the female voice actors in this though.

Is this done by a Japanese animation house? At times I get a west trying to imitate east vibe.
 
I

IamDodongo

Member
So what else is there that can scratch the same itch while I wait for season 2?

I've already seen Hellsing, Berserk, Claymore, and Vampire Hunter D (though it's been a while).
 
H

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
henhowc said:
Good stuff. Ended just when things were getting interesting. Fight at the end was well done. I don't really like the female voice actors in this though.

Is this done by a Japanese animation house? At times I get a west trying to imitate east vibe.
Click to expand...

Most animation out there runs through Korean animation studios even if the lay outs, story boarding, designs, etc. are done by a Western production company. Same for Japan in a lot of cases as well.
 
S

Slater

Banned
henhowc said:
Good stuff. Ended just when things were getting interesting. Fight at the end was well done. I don't really like the female voice actors in this though.

Is this done by a Japanese animation house? At times I get a west trying to imitate east vibe.
Click to expand...

HStallion said:
Most animation out there runs through Korean animation studios even if the lay outs, story boarding, designs, etc. are done by a Western production company. Same for Japan in a lot of cases as well.
Click to expand...

Nope, it was produced by Federator and animated by PowerHouse animation in Austin
 
H

hosannainexcelsis

Member
HStallion said:
You might want to boot up an episode and watch the credits.
Click to expand...

There were American animators at Powerhouse who animated important cuts of the show, but there was animation outsourced to the Korean studio MUA Film as well, yes. Spencer Wan, from Powerhouse, comments on sakugabooru and has done some crediting of which cuts were done by him and his coworkers and which were done by MUA. For example, this sequence was done by Koreans, while this sequence was done by a mixture of Americans and Koreans. Also of interest to those lamenting the flaws in the animation is a comment of his that indicates the animators were pressed for time and unable to fully correct sequences as they had wanted to.
 
H

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
hosannainexcelsis said:
There were American animators at Powerhouse who animated important cuts of the show, but there was animation outsourced to the Korean studio MUA Film as well, yes. Spencer Wan, from Powerhouse, comments on sakugabooru and has done some crediting of which cuts were done by him and his coworkers and which were done by MUA. For example, this sequence was done by Koreans, while this sequence was done by a mixture of Americans and Koreans. Also of interest to those lamenting the flaws in the animation is a comment of his that indicates the animators were pressed for time and unable to fully correct sequences as they had wanted to.
Click to expand...

My original point is that both East and West usually rely on Korean animation studios even if they do the design, storyboarding, and parts of the animation themselves
 
S

StoneFox

Member
I think you can get the Japanese dub if you change your Netflix language settings to Japanese, but you're only going to have subtitles for the English writing and not what they are actually saying in the translation. However I really don't see the point of watching it in Japanese.

Unless Trevor is called Ralph in the JPN dub. I don't know why they changed his name during localization but Ralph Belmont always cracks me up.
 
R

Razgriz-Specter

Member
HStallion said:
Nah gotta follow up Trevor with Simon and Castlevania 1 then you go to Richter with Rondo of Blood and follow up with Alucard and Symphony of the Night.
Click to expand...

Simon doesn't really make for all that great of a tv series imo.

If anything i'd give Simon a 45ish minute special ep between S2 and S3.

Then with Rondo heavily characterize Richter and Annette before she and the other girls are taken.
Maria gets rescued early on and then helps Richter going forward.

Then with SOTN i'd make Maria more relevant and go into her relationship with Alucard.
 
H

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
Razgriz-Specter said:
Simon doesn't really make for all that great of a tv series imo.

If anything i'd give Simon a 45ish minute special ep between S2 and S3.

Then with Rondo heavily characterize Richter and Annette before she and the other girls are taken.
Maria gets rescued early on and then helps Richter going forward.
Click to expand...

If you do Castlevania 1 you have to do Castlevania 2 as its a direct follow up where Simon is hunting for the parts of Dracula to lift the curse that was placed on him. I think that would make for a pretty interesting story myself.
 
cj_iwakura

cj_iwakura

Member
hosannainexcelsis said:
There were American animators at Powerhouse who animated important cuts of the show, but there was animation outsourced to the Korean studio MUA Film as well, yes. Spencer Wan, from Powerhouse, comments on sakugabooru and has done some crediting of which cuts were done by him and his coworkers and which were done by MUA. For example, this sequence was done by Koreans, while this sequence was done by a mixture of Americans and Koreans. Also of interest to those lamenting the flaws in the animation is a comment of his that indicates the animators were pressed for time and unable to fully correct sequences as they had wanted to.
Click to expand...

That's an animation imageboard, I'm guessing?
 
M

mantidor

Member
This series really makes you think about what makes animation "anime", because even if every single person involved is from the west the whole series screams anime, and that is really because the source material is japanese, and they have this very particular approach to storytelling/world building that just makes obvious its origin, although I do not know where to point to exactly. I mean, I know the writer is not japanese, but he wanted to respect the basic core of the Castlevania lore, and Castlevania is just very, very japanese. This is something that is lost for example in the Lord of Shadow games, and most Castlevania fans just don't like those, precisely because they do not feel "Castlevania".
 
A

Ahasverus

Member
mantidor said:
This is something that is lost for example in the Lord of Shadow games, and most Castlevania fans just don't like those, precisely because they do not feel "Castlevania".
Click to expand...
Citation needed. The first game did have a different vibe in most chapters (for a reason), but MoF and LoS2 (Castle parts) felt Castlevania as fuck.
 
B

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
mantidor said:
This series really makes you think about what makes animation "anime", because even if every single person involved is from the west the whole series screams anime, and that is really because the source material is japanese, and they have this very particular approach to storytelling/world building that just makes obvious its origin, although I do not know where to point to exactly. I mean, I know the writer is not japanese, but he wanted to respect the basic core of the Castlevania lore, and Castlevania is just very, very japanese. This is something that is lost for example in the Lord of Shadow games, and most Castlevania fans just don't like those, precisely because they do not feel "Castlevania".
Click to expand...

At the end of the day, "anime" is just the Japanese word for animation. It's not really a distinct thing from "animation", but it's the word we've adopted to denote animation that comes from Japan.

I think we just leave it as a word of cultural origination, and leave it at that.
 
D

D-Man

Member
Just finished watching this after coming home from work. I absolutely loved it. I'm honestly a little upset that there's only 4 episodes cause I would love to see more, but at least it gets me excited for the next season!

Gotta agree that the show could have used a song or two from the game. I need to hear Bloody Tears in this.
 
W

Wolf Akela

Member
I think I'll go dust off my 3DS and play PoR. I've had it for a long time but never even started it. I don't have OoE either but I might need to import it. Are DS carts region locked on the 3DS?
 
M

mantidor

Member
Ahasverus said:
Citation needed. The first game did have a different vibe in most chapters (for a reason), but MoF and LoS2 (Castle parts) felt Castlevania as fuck.
Click to expand...

I honestly gave up on the series by then. But I'm mostly basing what I said in the general reaction of people and reviewers.

BocoDragon said:
At the end of the day, "anime" is just the Japanese word for animation. It's not really a distinct thing from "animation", but it's the word we've adopted to denote animation that comes from Japan.

I think we just leave it as a word of cultural origination, and leave it at that.
Click to expand...

I know this, but if you had zero idea of the production of this show would you be so sure you could pinpoint it was not made in Japan or by japanese people? Lets drop the "anime" word, these series just screams it comes from Japan.
 
B

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
mantidor said:
I know this, but if you had zero idea of the production of this show would you be so sure you could pinpoint it was not made in Japan or by japanese people? Lets drop the "anime" word, these series just screams it comes from Japan.
Click to expand...

Does it feel like anime from Japan? Sure. I agree.

But I'm happy you're not saying it therefore is anime ;)
 
X

Xe4

Banned
mantidor said:
This series really makes you think about what makes animation "anime", because even if every single person involved is from the west the whole series screams anime, and that is really because the source material is japanese, and they have this very particular approach to storytelling/world building that just makes obvious its origin, although I do not know where to point to exactly. I mean, I know the writer is not japanese, but he wanted to respect the basic core of the Castlevania lore, and Castlevania is just very, very japanese. This is something that is lost for example in the Lord of Shadow games, and most Castlevania fans just don't like those, precisely because they do not feel "Castlevania".
Click to expand...

A person should be very careful when saying what is and is not "anime". I personally take anime to be any animated property from Japan.

I can, for instance give animated shows, movies, and shorts that aren't anything like what anyone thinks of as anime, yet they are animated in Japan. Similarly, while a show like this looks like stereotypical anime, it was made in America, and that influence shows. It is important not to try to fit a property to a country of origin simply because of its style, for multiple reasons.
 
S

supermarioworldE

Banned
Just caught all four episodes and have to say it was pretty good. It's more of a brief prologue for upcoming seasons than something that stands alone, but I was entertained. The first and fourth episodes were the standouts, clearly. I loved the given explanation for Dracula's hatred of mankind and the inroductory stories for the Castlevania III protagonists (all very well performed too). And I have to say this show is really fucking violent. Beautifully so. What did kinda rub me the wrong way though was the constant vulgarities. I don't really know why but it felt excessive somehow.


I want to see more asap.
 
H

hosannainexcelsis

Member
HStallion said:
My original point is that both East and West usually rely on Korean animation studios even if they do the design, storyboarding, and parts of the animation themselves
Click to expand...

Sure. I was just kind of using your post as a jumping off point to post some behind-the-scenes info I thought people might be interested in.

cj_iwakura said:
That's an animation imageboard, I'm guessing?
Click to expand...

More an archive of quality animation.
 
M

mantidor

Member
Xe4 said:
A person should be very careful when saying what is and is not "anime". I personally take anime to be any animated property from Japan.

I can, for instance give animated shows, movies, and shorts that aren't anything like what anyone thinks of as anime, yet they are animated in Japan. Similarly, while a show like this looks like stereotypical anime, it was made in America, and that influence shows. It is important not to try to fit a property to a country of origin simply because of its style, for multiple reasons.
Click to expand...

Good lord, its just a freaking word.

Netflix's Castlevania is based around Castlevania 3, it pays homage to the original Kojima's concept art, and to Vampire Hunter D and a dozen other vampire anime productions that came from Japan, jesus christ you people are unbelievable, what is it you should be "careful" about it? The inspiration is painfully obvious, and it was obviously done on purpose. Calling it "anime" isn't some sacrilegious thing, even if technically "inaccurate".
 
S

Sulik2

Member
Ok first episode and fourth episode were very solid. Alucard fight was great. 8 episodes of that quality next season and this show is a winner. Second episode was terrible though.
 
S

StoneFox

Member
I just don't like calling it an anime because it does the show a disservice. We barely get any action shows from Western studios as it is, so I think letting people know that most of the production was from America opens up the idea to general audiences that, yes, you can make animated shows for adults that aren't just comedies with dick jokes.

It doesn't really matter that it was animated partically in Korea, most shows these days are. What matters is that a Western studio is doing the showrunning because that sets up the entire foundation.
 
W

Wolf Akela

Member
Are American remakes of Asian horror movies still considered an Asian horror film?

Are old video game animated TV shows (Mega Man, Zelda, etc) cartoons or anime?

What about American animated TV shows based on Japanese media such as the Godzilla ones? Are they anime?

Castlevania is produced and conceived in the west, using elements from Japanese origins. Why is it exempt? The art style isn't even unique to anime.

For the record, I don't give a crap whichever label people put on it. It's a great animated series. Call it whichever you want.
 
H

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
How About No said:
If they adapt Simon's story I hope they address why a 17th century man is dressed like a Conan the Barbarian reject
Click to expand...

There is always this version:

2232881-simonbelmontmof.jpg
Click to expand...
 
V

Valkerionseven

Member
Watched it last night and thought it was a really great story and setting. Made me REALLY want some of the things they went for in a Castlevania. Sadly it will never happen, but I'd be into it.

I wish it did not end on a cliffhanger but looking forward to what they do next. Hopefully they toss a bit more budget at the show, It could use some more cleaning up in the animation.
 
W

Wolf Akela

Member
I really wonder how or why the producer greenlit Trevor Yagami as well as every other character design in that game. They all look horrible.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Netflix Castlevania series reveals voice cast
2
75
21K
twothunder replied
Top Bottom