Castlevania Animated Series - On Netflix

Taiso

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Apparently it's going to be based on Castlevania III: Dracula's Cures and is supposed to be 'ultra violent' and have an anime aesthetic.

Here's where I found the story.
 

Dr Shroom

made it in japan
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Apparently it's going to be based on Castlevania III: Dracula's Cures and is supposed to be 'ultra violent' and have an anime aesthetic.

Here's where I found the story.

So basically like all of those DC animated movies.
 

famicommander

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I love most of those DC animated movies. Except the ones with Damian Wayne.

Anyway, I'm down for a Castlevania animated series. As long as it has some adaptation of Bloody Tears.
 

cdamm

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latest
 

AlexKidd86

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I would at least check this out. Castlevania has always been one of my favorite series and Dracula's Curse one of my favorite games on the Nes. I think it could translate into a decent anime if they don't screw it up. Also, I feel like I heard talk about something like this years ago..
 

famicommander

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Except for Batman Assault on Arkham, the movies aren't very ultra violent. Even Batman the Dark Knight Returns only had a couple scenes combined.
Try Flashpoint Paradox, Gods and Monsters, or Under the Red Hood. Especially the first two.
 

LoneSage

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Yeah seriously. Even the Wonder Woman movie took me aback.

I remember, like, what was it, ten years ago when Warren Ellis was to adapt Castlevania III into a cartoon? I was hyped for that, but that was some time ago and I just don't feel anything for it now.

I remember being in 5th grade and excited for the live action Castlevania movie that was totally going to happen...
 

MattBlah

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Released today on Netflix. Anyone started watching it yet?
 

Ip Man

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i'm going to put it on my to watch list. will see it once i get a chance. hope it's good but for me vampire hunter D was always the castlevania anime.
 

Taiso

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I just watched it.

I try to avoid spoilers but I will put my thoughts in tags just in case some people feel I'm going too far. Keep in mind this is all written as 'generally' as I can manage without going into specifics.

Spoiler:


Pros:

-Very good voice acting and characterizations for the cast. Armitage (Thorin; The Hobbit) is especially noteworthy as Trevor Belmont.
-Intense, dark and violent. Lots of foul language. Not for kids.
-Action with stakes. The duel in the final episode means something because of the personalities behind the clash.
-A good interpretation of the Castlevania mythos that stays just close enough to the source to give it authenticity but with the ambition to not just be a carbon copy of the source material.
-Doesn't go overboard on crowd pleasing, juvenile action sequences. There is violence when the plot organically reaches that point, not just in service to demographics driven action beats. If you are watching this show for 'cool monster killing', it's not for you.
-More sociopolitical than I was expecting it to be. It's not a drama, but the minds behind this series understand the role history plays in the time period. It's not 100% historically accurate, but it's familiar with the generals themes and tenor of the era well enough that you know they're aware of what life was like in 15th century Europe.

Cons:

-Too short at four episodes for this season. There are two seasons planned, however.
-Trevor's arc feels truncated because of the necessary world building. A fifth episode to transition Trevor more believably would have been appreciated. His shift in attitude felt more forced by the plot progression than by legitimate character development.
-The antagonists of the series and the general citizens would have benefited from that extra episode to establish them a little better so that certain plot points could be more easily embraced as narrative elements. Instead, you're left to rely on general expectations of genre fare in this oeuvre to fill in the gaps for you.
-Poor animation frame rate. This series has a great art aesthetic and has a gritty, lived in aspect to it that I appreciate, but I felt that the animation could have been a bit smoother at times.
-The fourth episode engages in some feelgood popcorn cinema cheese that feels tone deaf with the rest of the series' grim and desperate premise.
-It's all setup. It's a nice little adventure that establishes the characters and what they'll be doing, and while it IS engaging to watch it's only a prologue to the central conflict.



It's not a perfect show, but I was engrossed when I was watching it and not just because I like Castlevania. I feel that even on its own, changing the names and situations to be an 'original' story, it worked well enough for me as a dark fantasy adventure that I don't regret watching it. I feel that Adi Shankar has a vibe for the source and finds a way to tell a story that honors Castlevania while at the same time understanding that the audience for Konami's venerable video game series has grown up and, in this age of Game of Thrones, Black Sails, Spartacus, The Last Kingdom and Vikings, is seeking something a bit more mature in their genre fare.

Rating: 4 out of 5
 
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MattBlah

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Good to hear you enjoyed it, Taiso. I didn't click the spoiler button, just in case it's something I'd rather not know. I will probably be watching this over the weekend, so I'll come back and have a read after.
 

wyndcrosser

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Castlevania on Netflix

Jesus man, dead kids, goat fucking etc. Just in the first 22 minutes lol. Intense show. Anyone watch?
 

Montatez

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I really enjoyed it considering Dracula's Curse was my favorite of the series, and the first castlevania I beat. It just kept me wanting more. I fully feel any fan of Castlevania should give it a go. 5 out of 5.
 

Rot

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I've just... err.. "acquired"... the Series...

I'll watch it later and tell ya'all...

xROTx

PS. Multiple threads merged into Taiso's... i REALLY wish people would look around first before hitting the "Post New Thread" Button...:keke:
 

Gyrian

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Watched this last night, it really was much better than it had any right to be.

Maybe I've got some measure of rose tinted glasses from low expectations. The show is very short and more of a series intro, ending at the point where the pieces are set for the main conflict. It's very well made. Rather liked the visuals, voice acting, and the overall character of it. Very violent with some bits of humor in the dialogue to disarm the dread. Definitely worth the time, ended up with watching it all together after meaning to check out the first episode.

Note they've now confirmed a second season of 8 episodes, so there will be more ahead.
 

radiantsvgun

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The humor is really well done, especially in the end of the first episode. It's definitely geared to a mature audience, towards us that grew up with the games. 4 episodes feels like a total rip, but to me its feels like they were like "hey, let's test the waters and if it flops we haven't lost much money." I was hooked watching it last night, and I'm really excited for the next 8 episodes. They really went to town with the violence, which I don't mind as I just finished watching the newer Berserk series.

It's well worth a watch, but it'll leave you angry that it's only 4 episodes.
 

Renmauzo

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I love Trevor's dialogue and demeanor, and Dracula is awesome. I'm only on ep. 2 so far, but damn is it good. Great set pieces, great animation aside from a few flubs here and there (a few facial transitions with missing in-between animations), great voice cast and acting.
I'm shocked, because, like many, I was expecting very little.
 

FOMOCO&CO

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Watched through it this morning. Going to watch through it again. (I did the distracted, working around the house style watching). Some of the arts look really good (like castle lobby in the beginning). Looking fwd to more.
 

FOMOCO&CO

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I turned on Netflix just to watch it this morning and it was the featured image so I took a quick pic

IMG_2022.JPG
 

HeavyMachineGoob

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I find this new Castlevania entirely unsurprising, look at what Konami is doing to Bomberman.

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