The Symphony of the Night Begins.
Voice Actors: Edward Bluemel, Thuso Mebedu, Pixie Davies, James Callis
Juste: “Perhaps this time, evil doesn’t have to win.”
“Angel of Death” (Season 2, Episode 2)
Castlevania: Nocturne was a worthy sequel that updated the monster hunting action from Dark Ages Romania to Revolutionary France. Some fans disliked the new heroes or loathed the boring Big Bad, but many enjoyed catching up with the Belmont Family. Can Castlevania Nocturne season 2 rise above its ancestor or will it suck more than a vampire? Let’s find out.
Scene Select
Last Time On: Castlevania Nocturne
Vampire hunter Richter Belmont, his adopted sister Maria Renard, demigod Annette, and bard Edouard discovered a conspiracy to empower the Vampire Messiah Erzsebet Bathory. They battled vampiric aristocrats with help from Richter’s estranged grandfather Juste and undead fifth columnist Olrox.
The heroes failed to stop Erzebet’s ascension. Edouard was killed and turned into a demon while Maria’s mother Tera willingly became a vampire to save her. At the last moment the heroes were rescued by Alucard, son of Dracula.
The Good
Rondo of Blood
Annette: “Are all Belmonts like this?”
“Angel of Death” (Season 2, Episode 2)
Alucard: “Irritating? Oh, yes.”
Richter and friends are bloodied, but not beaten after season one. With an army of vampires and demons preparing to overrun France, they’ll have to improve their arsenal and fight harder.
Richter continues honing his rediscovered magic, creating a style that mixes superpowered martial arts with enchanted whip strikes. Juste Belmont reluctantly joins the team, bringing some of the strongest magic ever seen in the franchise. Two generations of Belmonts wielding magic together is a nightmare for any vampire.
Annette performs several rituals to awaken her Yoruba magic. Harnessing it leads Annette to her ancestor, Ogun: God of War and Iron. He teaches his descendant a sacred chant before forging her a blessed machete and tower shield able to block divine attacks.
Maria grows the most in season two despite spiraling into depression. Viewers learn her summoning magic is based on emotion, and that a darker mindset lets her conjure powerful, rebellious monsters. Maria channels her pain to call forth her greatest ally: the dragon Seiryu.
Alucard returns as the Belmont family’s big gun. He’s more composed and world weary now, but his past levity shines through when he interacts with Richter. Alucard has upgraded his arsenal with a pair of short swords and several of Dracula’s signature spells. He can conjure hellfire on his swords, teleport, and summon a meteor.
Castlevania Nocturne: Legacy of Darkness
Drolta: “You should have run.”
“A Line of Great Heroes” (Season 2, Episode 8)
Richter: “I’m done running.”
Castlevania Nocturne‘s first season marked the first time evil won in the series. Our heroes return armed for war, and that’s exactly what these villains intend for them.
Season 2 wastes little time explaining last season’s confusing connection between Erzsebet and Egyptian goddess Sekhmet. Erzsebet drank her preserved blood, imbuing the vampire with the war goddesses’ might. Erzsebet now wants to find the heart of Sekhmet’s mummy to gain full control of that power.
Drolta returns as Erzsebet’s champion. Each episode features flashbacks to her past as a priest of Sekhmet, exploring her fall from grace and quest to resurrect her goddess. Drolta takes a more active role fighting the heroes and sadistically killing their allies.
Olrox and Tera give more nuanced views of evil. The former searches for ways to undermine Erzsebet and prevent his homeland from being enslaved. Tera is torn between her new vampiric instincts and love for Maria. She struggles to resist her bloodthirst while helping her daughter grow stronger.
Cry Little Sister
[Maria attacks her father’s church]
“Monstrous Things” (Season 2, Episode 4)
Juste: “Maria!”
Maria: “Why!?”
Juste: “Because you’re good, Maria. Your power is a force of good in the world, not for killing stupid old men.”
Maria: [her eyes turn black] “Most of what’s bad in this world is because of stupid old men!”
Defeat is always a setback, more so when you lose a battle that mattered. Castlevania: Nocturne season 2 finds the cast in their darkest hour and asks who they are at their worst.
Maria suffered the most in the first season’s finale. Her mother was turned into a vampire and her father, Erzsebet’s chief demon summoner, tried to sacrifice Maria to prove his loyalty. She lashes out at friends and family while her hatred twists her beloved summons into monsters.
Juste and Tera offer Maria different paths. He’s seen what depression and self-hatred can do and wants to save her from her rage. Tera encourages the darker moods, spurred on by hatred for her husband and fear that Maria won’t be strong enough to survive without the monster’s power.
The other protagonists aren’t much better. Richter wonders if the modern world needs heroes like his ancestors, Annette’s trials terrify her, and Alucard is sick of watching loved ones die. More than their upgrades, it’s conquering their fears that make them strong enough to fight Erzsebet.
The Bad
Castlevania Nocturne: Harmony of Dissonance
[Edouard and The Captain lead an army of demons against Erzsebet’s]
“Grenadaye Alaso” (Season 2, Episode 7)
Edouard: “I remember a song we sang in Saint-Domingue when we burned the plantations. A song in the language of the slaves. “Grenadaye alaso! Sa ki mouri, zafe a yo?” Soldiers attack. Those who die, so what?” [begins to sing]
The Captain: [signals the attack] Liberty! Equality! Fraternity!”
Castlevania: Nocturne season two has many moving parts and only so much screen time to share. Some plots fall by the wayside.
Edouard’s role in the story was sliced to ribbons. His subplot is rushed, from gaining an ally in a transformed army captain to his final battle against Hekatonchires is largely ignored. The pieces that are shown are treated as an afterthought.
Many gods appear throughout the season, but only in passing. Ogun is the most helpful, arming Annette and pointing her to a new ally. Sekhmet’s Goddess of Healing incarnation helps the heroes, although her late entrance into the story make her a deus ex machina.
A shadowy figure haunts the second half of the show. Olrox refers to it as Old Man Coyote, but also calls it Mephistopheles and mentions it has other names. There are passing implications that this is Satan or a disguised, previously seen character. Whatever it is, the shadow is interested in Maria’s ability to summon monsters. It’s an intriguing mystery with no place in season 2, merely a set-up for a potential third season.
The Verdict
Castlevania: Nocturne season 2 is the full moon to season one’s waxing gibbous. Everyone grows stronger and develops as characters while exploring darker themes. The writers bit off more than they can chew with plotlines, but the story mostly holds together. Castlevania: Nocturne‘s second season is worth your time.
Want more Castlevania? Check out where both series began with reviews for Castlevania Season 1 and the first season of Castlevania: Nocturne.
Jared Bounacos has written for Movie Rewind since 2016.
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