Evil still invincible – review of the third season of the series “Castlevania”

I must admit at the outset that I have never been a big fan of anime. Although, of course, I grew up on Dragon Ball and the Knights of the Zodiac , productions of this type have never aroused particular delight in me. Not that I am opposed to Japanese culture, by any means. It just wasn’t my horse, that’s all. That’s why Netflix’s hype about working on the first season of Castlevania basically passed me by. In retrospect, I can only say that fortunately I had people around me who presented a different position, and Castlevaniathey definitely liked it. At their persuasion, over time I became convinced of the title and decided to finally check for myself what it really is worth. Now I regret getting started on the show so late because it turned out to be really good. I did not even suspect that any animation would make such a big impression on me. Great and engaging story, inspired by the cult game, was saturated with intriguing characters. Most importantly, it was all set against the backdrop of a climatic, dark and dirty world, shrouded in an aura of mysterious evil. The producers deserve applause for creating such a wonderful creation. To be clear, I also stand by this opinion for the second season, which I consider to be at least as good as the first. So it’s no wonder that I couldn’t wait to hear that the third hand was coming. to learn about the fate of Belmont, Sypha and Alucard. Apart from them, there was also a lot going on, which additionally heated the atmosphere. Well, but finally I got a continuation. Did I like it and how was it to previous seasons? About it later in the text.

A new beginning

As a reminder, Vlad Dracula went to Hell thanks to his son, the last of the Belmont family, and the Speaker. Meanwhile, his vampiric brethren, with whom he planned to wipe out humanity, either died as a result of the scheme and the general failure of the entire plan, or rolled their tails and returned to their safe quarters. It might therefore seem that the evil has been averted, at least for the time being. Quoting the classic, not this time, because there are still a few pieces on the board, each of which has something to say.

Adventure come!

Castlevania’s third seasonhe develops several threads at the same time, but he does it consistently, which makes it impossible to get lost in each of the plot lines. Lest it be too sweet, not all of them are equally interesting and engaging, but you can’t have everything at once. Either way, the story of Belmont and Sypha serves as the main line in my opinion. However, the story in which they got involved is not a hack’n’slash, visible in my opinion in the previous installments of the series. This time, the authors focused on intrigue, so the plot does not rush forward like crazy. For some, this will be a disadvantage, for others an advantage. I liked this procedure, because the investigation conducted by the heroes is full of secrets, understatements and puzzling characters. In the end, it all leads to quite a mess, but the culmination of Belmont and Sypha’s plot also has a bitter bottom line.

The second plot that deserves special attention is the story of Isaac, one of the devilish blacksmiths at Dracula’s service. At the last minute, he was sent to the desert by the self-proclaimed vampire king to avoid death. From then on, the sorcerer swore to take revenge on mankind. Did he keep his word? Not entirely, because as the situation develops, he undergoes a spiritual change. From the point of view of character construction, philosophy and psychology, this is the story with the greatest depth in season three. Of course, revenge still remains in the circle of his interests, but its subject changes. Isaac focuses his attention on his former companion, Hector, and his new compulsive principals, the Vampire Sisters.

Speaking of Carmilla and her sisters, they appear to be the new main antagonists in Castlevania . The structure of the plan they outline is very similar to that developed by Dracula. The problem is that the cunning vampires are determined to carry it out, which makes them different from Vlad. This time it will not be a suicide action. The above-mentioned Hector plays a decisive role in this whole plan, but I will not quote this thread as I am rather disgusted with him. This figure is best described by the Word of the Year 2018. Check for yourself.

Finally, I let myself leave behind what disappointed me most in the third season of Castlevania , the Alucard theme. The character who played a decisive role in the fight against Dracula was treated neglectfully by the producers. It is evident that they had no idea what to do with her when it was all over. Throughout the last series, Alucard was only a shadow of its former glory. It was only in the episode that crowned it at its very end that the character showed a claw in a way that raises many questions about her future future. I believe next season will be better – there are reasons for that.

Bloody Moors

Fortunately, the bleak climate of Castevania has remained the same . Despite jumping between the locations where the heroes were, the world presented remained the same dark and mysterious valley, in which the corpse is thickly littered and the gore pours in streams. The whole thing gives the impression that God has forgotten about the world, and his only job is to delegate all strayed souls to Hell. But what is hell when the world is permeated with evil, even in places where we don’t expect it? This is a question that can certainly be posed in the context of the Castlevania world after watching last season.

This effect is enhanced by a great visual setting. This is one of the reasons I lost my head to Castlevania . The animation looks at least very good, but that’s nothing new. Therefore, it is only worth adding that the third season maintains the streak of its predecessors. The overall atmosphere of the series also includes its sound. Dubbing plays a key role in this area, and it remains at a really high level. But it deserves a huge plus.

In sum…

Castlevania’s third season continues the streak of its predecessors, but with some rather serious lapses. What hurts me the most is the situation of Alucard, who was treated haphazardly and not given the proper attention. Nevertheless, the whole story is still a dark story about extraordinary heroes who find themselves in a world saturated with evil. The plot, although it unfolds slower than before, is still doing well and is not boring. The visuals are simply fantastic, and the audio keeps up with it. There is nothing left for me to do but recommend this production.