Who Will Belmont Jump? – review of the 4th season of the series “Castlevania”

Since my review is about the end of the series, it becomes imperative to evaluate it as a whole. So I will refer to the events of previous seasons.

With the finals, they can often disappoint expectations. Either they are predictable or they try not to be. Sometimes the creators want to surprise you, show something that the viewers did not expect. It also happens that they do everything to please the fans – they kill the heroes or serve an ending that saves our favorite characters.

As always, the situation is hopeless

The heroes’ troubles seem to be endless. Sypha and Trevor, after their defeat in season three, and loss of faith in the meaning of their actions (probably in people too), continue on their way fighting evil. On the way, they encounter a sect whose goal is to bring Dracula back to life.

In search of information, the duo goes to the place where it all began – to Targowiszte, where Alukard’s mother was killed. They will have to fight another fight there again. The city’s underground hides secrets. At the same time, they bring solutions to other problems awaiting our heroes in the near future. Meanwhile, Adrian Tepesz is looking for the meaning of life and quite unexpectedly sets out to help a village plagued by monsters.

Isaac vs. Hektor and the vampires

Hektor and Izaak surprised me positively. Previously, I had mixed feelings about these characters, now they really gain in my eyes. I thought Isaac would try to destroy humanity.

In fact, everything played right here, especially in terms of the story. Men evidently entered a higher level of wisdom in life and confronted the mistakes they had made before, coming out of the clash unscathed. I expected a greater role for Carmilla, her fight with other factions, possibly forging alliances. Fortunately, this matter was handled quite efficiently.

Overall, many characters have “come to a sensation” this season. As it turned out, Carmilla’s sisters did not necessarily support her actions.

I was worried about Alukard – unnecessarily

Alukard returned to the good side, although it is hard to say for sure whether he has ever become evil. Earlier, there were some disturbing signals – the previous season plus the continuation of his father’s “hobby” – punching delinquents. After all, we inherit some traits from our parents. Adrian Tepesz, admittedly, a bit downhill, resulting in heavy drinking and lack of attention to hygiene. Oh my God, I’m turning into Belmont , when uttered by a vampire, it made me genuinely laugh. However, he did not refuse to help people in need. Additionally, he developed a new relationship, including with Greta, the woman at the head of the village he had saved.

And to quote the words of this heroine – You have been around for several months. You wander in the woods. You have placed bodies on stilts around your strange castle. You’re half vampire, you smell of wine and seem at least half crazy .

For Belmont and Sypha and Alukard troubles …

I longed for my favorite trio to return. Mainly, I missed their joint action in the third season. They get straight to the point, they complement each other perfectly (synchronizing their moves in combat) and you can actually see the bonds of friendship between them.

After all, who, not like them, can deal with the mad scientist (Saint Germain), the Grim Reaper and other monsters. Practice makes perfect, and apparently our heroes are getting better at what they do. I thought for a moment that the antagonists would want to use Trevor and Sypha to carry out their sick plan – but it all boiled down to Dracula and Lisa again.

Castlevania was such a series in which the characters were constantly evolving and remaining themselves at the same time. Their decisions were in line with the spirit of the further creation of the heroes. I am delighted with the character development throughout the series, especially in the case of these three. They survived a lot, but came out stronger and became better people.

Belmont has shed his cloak – something epic is coming

I was expecting a different ending to the threads: Belmont, Lisa and Vlad. A small digression – the face of Alukard standing by the horse after his friend’s return was simply priceless. Trevor proves once again that although he doesn’t look like it and doesn’t act like that, he is knowledgeable and quite intelligent. I do not know if this is in the self-mockery of the character, but comparing him to the other characters, his situation is not that bad. Who said it takes shining armor and a fine steed to save the world. Here, skills are the most important. He is ready to sacrifice himself for friends and hides a warm and caring person under this loner’s mantle.

Death – The Grim Reaper acted like Golum with his – My treasure , which fell from his mouth. Trevor’s last fight with the greatest antagonist was dynamic, and the hero once again proved that little can kill him, and the Belmonts know each other like no other in their profession. Anyway, we couldn’t complain about the lack of fights in Castlevania , especially in the final series.

Conclusion – love is the most important thing?

I have not come across such a title for a long time, the ending of which surprised me and at the same time satisfied me. Some elements were predictable – but I watched Castlevania in no spoiler mode from the beginning.
Maybe happy endings are overrated, but if happiness doesn’t just happen and comes at great sacrifices, it’s acceptable to be accepted.

It is not difficult to come to a conclusion – which I did not expect from this series to such an extent – the most important thing is love and care for another human being. Everyone is united by the desire to protect their loved ones and only such people will be able to survive. It turns out that, against all odds, people are united by the power of love.

However, the production also has some drawbacks. In the visual layer, I had a special problem with two elements. The background from a distance – it looks as if the characters were standing against a curtain – is unnaturally flat, e.g. shelves in a library. Another issue is the character’s teeth. I don’t know if it was due to shading, bad lighting, but they looked unnatural, distorting the faces of the characters – especially in Isaac and Hector. Although Powershouse studio was responsible for this season again, the line seemed to be different in relation to the older episodes – facial features, eyelashes of the characters. In the following episodes, facial features became more distinct, sharp, less blurry. I also have the impression that the characters’ movements were smoother and the animation gained dynamics. The creators, as usual, met the task and created a high-quality animation.