Supposedly Castlevania is based on a video game. But don’t let that dissuade you. From what I could gather, this is a joint production of American and South Korean studios, with the animation and artwork by a Korean artistic staff. So while not Japanese, this is Japanese-influenced Korean anime – with an American writer (Warren Ellis) and director (Sam Deats).
Lisa is a young woman who wishes to become a doctor and work for the betterment of the human race, which is pretty ambitious for 15th century Wallachia. She seeks out a teacher to show her the mysteries of science. Well, that man turns out to be Dracula. Taken with the young woman, Dracula agrees to be her teacher. Unfortunately, Lisa is later burnt as a witch, and Dracula declares war on all of Wallachia calling on his demon army to destroy one town at a time.
Next we meet Trevor Belmont, the son of a family of noble demon and vampire hunters. Unfortunately, the Belmonts have been excommunicated and banished. Trevor now spends his time drinking, getting into fights, and other unproductive activities. That is, until he meets The Speakers, a cult which has been repaid for helping to defend against Dracula’s minions by being marked for death by the Church itself.
That is the whole premise of the first season, which is only four episodes long. So things happen pretty fast, though important details are not missed.
The artwork is great, and the animation way better than average for a series. The fight scenes are well done and have quite a bit of spirit.
Castlevania is available exclusively on Netflix streaming for present. It is quite bloody with profanity, so this is not a kids’ show. For everyone else, I recommend it.
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