As always, attracted by all the vampires’ world, particularly Dracula’s world, I couldn’t miss Castlevania, animated series inspired by a video game.

Plot of the first season

Targoviste, Wallachia, 1475.

Lisa from Lupu, Dracula’s wife, is burned at the stake on charges of witchcraft. Dracula arrives too late to save her so, fomented by pain, his anger explodes.

One year later, gathered his army, Dracula sends the Creatures of the Night to devastate villages and cities. It seems nothing and none can arrest his advance, but three improbable heroes are ready to stop his madness once and for all.

Preview

Therefore, we have to go back in time, in a period when Wallachia was dominated by Vlad Tepes the Impaler, a millenary vampire who encloses in his castle all the science and the old teachings that humanity seems to have forgotten, faithful to a Church that desires it blind and obedient.

Convinced by his human wife to give another chance to humans, Dracula has to retrace his steps; cruelty and ignorance, which spread like a disease, push him towards the desire for destruction. Lost trust in humanity, tired of living, he just has to wait for the death, while his demons army tears apart the whole world.

One of the heroes who try to destroy him is his son Adrian, the Alucard, helped by Trevor Belmont, ruined knight, and Sypha Belnades, a witch.

Review

Castlevania is an animated series for adults, with excellent graphics, intriguing plot and realistic and violent scenes.

There are lots of prominent characters; first of all, Dracula. He is difficult to detest, indeed I immediately felt sympathy for this figure and I tried to understand his point of view. Vlad is a villain who is not a real villain, but only a desperate vampire; he wants to reunite with his wife, so stars a war hoping to find the death at the end.

Inside his mazy castle, that can appear anywhere in the globe, he summons vampires from all over the planet and among these, we also find the beautiful Carmilla who organizes a hoax against Dracula, helped by the naive Hector, one of Vlad’s Devil Forgemasters.

Here, very interesting these figures of the Devil Forgemasters: humans able to use magic to transform corpses in Creatures of the Night. Hector and Isaac are very different; they have had difficult lives, so they believe in Dracula’s cause and are ready to betray humanity. I liked particularly Isaac character, mostly in the third season, when he tries to reason about human beings; but despite the kindness he receives, he cannot convince himself that humanity could be saved and surrounds himself with demons, loyal and silent companions.

In the third season, we also find new characters: Lenore, Morana and Striga, that form Styria’s Council of Sisters with Carmilla; Sumi and Taka, that push Adrian to follow his father’s footsteps.

And what about Trevor and Sypha? Well, although they are heroes, they are not my favourite characters because have not enough depth, but they take part in well-studied fightings.

Conclusion of the third season

I think this is the most interesting season, maybe because of more thing happened: the opening of the Infinite Corridor, Hector’s imprisonment, the appearance of the magician Saint Germain.

I’m very curious to watch the fourth season. I think it’s not banal watching animated series, especially when it gives you points for reflection. Adrian seems to arrive at the same conclusions of Dracula: humanity doesn’t deserve to own true knowledge. And maybe Isaac is right to believe in human’s cruelty rather than in goodness. Do we deserve a second chance? I wouldn’t be so sure…

Autore