The animated series for Castlevania is one of the few good shows based on a video game. It doesn’t alter the original story too much by removing or adding in completely new plot lines.

Castlevania is available to stream on Netflix and currently has three seasons. It is not based on one certain game but instead has elements from various games across the Castlevania series, primarily Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse. 

The main characters are Sypha Belnades, a member of the Speakers, a nomadic group that is discriminated against by basically everyone, and Trevor Belmont, the last of the disgraced Belmont clan who were known to be incredible monster hunters. Finally, the half-vampire Adrian Tepes, or Alucard, who is the son of Dracula Tepes and his wife Lisa.

The story starts after Lisa is accused of witchcraft and swiftly burnt at the stake. A year after his wife’s death, Dracula unleashes his demon army upon the country of Wallachia. The main characters then form an unlikely group in order to eliminate the vampire. After Dracula‘s death, the series follows the new power vacuum that is now present.

Despite being animated, Castlevania is very much intended for mature audiences as it has many gory sequences, such as a demon ripping a villager in half and exposing their intestines, a dagger piercing a cyclops’ eye, and a group of demons decapitating multiple villagers. In addition to the gore, season three has multiple sex scenes with full nudity.

The overall plot becomes very scattered in season three, as Sypha and Trevor go off and do their own thing while Alucard stays at Dracula’s castle. Having two very different plotlines occurring at the same time can result in an off-putting tonal shift. The biggest example of this is during the last episode of season three. Trevor and Sypha confront a group of demon-worshipping monks who seek to bring Dracula back from hell. Meanwhile, Alucard almost has a threesome with new friends.

The animation has a very distinct look that is unlike other adult animated series, such as Rick and Morty, Bojack Horseman, and Devilman Crybaby. The action sequences are incredibly smooth and consistent with the amount of detail that’s in the rest of the show.

Overall, it is very fun to watch three misfits take on the most well-known vampire in existence, but after the deed is done the whole thing falls apart.  

⅘ stars