CASTLEVANIA S2

                 Castlevania: Brilliant, artistic, Creative Genius and a visual beauty.

 
A vampire Hunter( Trevor Belmont), a Vampire/human hybrid(Alucard), and a magician (Sypha) battle to save humanity from utter destruction at the hands of Vlad Dracula Tepes, a depraved, revenge seeking Vampire leader.
The sequel to the largely successful and acclaimed Castlevania picked up from where the 1st season left off, albeit not immediately. The first episode immediately got us interested by re-telling the origin of the conflict, even though it needed no telling as it had been sufficiently told in the 1st season. Where it may have felt a little unnecessary, it did however serve to put a strong emphasis on the need for the conflict, it set the tone for the revenge crusade embarked upon by Vlad, while also revealing the human folly, even in the face of unknown adversity and threat.

   We loved how the Deats brothers being show runners for season 2 immediately without much ado introduced all of the principal actors for the season, creating enough heat and anticipation about the war that was about to be prosecuted. The introduction of the Vampire war room was nostalgic, the introduction of Isaac and Hector, humans amongst the Vampire War council immediately set the stage for two characters who needed to be developed in order to impact the show. Where this may have seemed like a very bold move, the script never really gave these two characters the chance to be properly developed.
    The story for the second season felt quite more developed and advanced than the first season. Viewers particularly loved how the story was built around Vlad, from the 1st season and then in the 2nd he took a back seat as newer, more relatable characters took centre stage. The introduction of Carmilla was particularly refreshing. She injected a new lease of life into the show, introducing a political angle into the show and that was really needed. It essentially created a multiplicity of conflict points, as the power struggle within the Vampire order gave screen time to other characters who in the absence of this conflict element, would have had very little screen time and little to no relevance.
    The plot remained basically the same, Vlad seeking revenge on human

ity, but the Carmilla angle and the introduction of the human elements within the Vampire order sort of created an avenue to tell a tale that was not only centred on violence and vengeance, but further introduced themes of loyalty ,betrayal, friendship, love and cynicism. The dilemma and character indecision on the parts of Isaac and Hector on the one part and Alucard on the other set up the show for some very brilliant dialogues; in all we can say that the scripting was above average, nearly superbly done even.
However, where the show really did impress the most is with regards to its fight scenes and the great attention paid to details. The fight scenes are very well choreographed and simulated. You could see the way one combat move culminated or resulted in another move or series of moves depending on how the initial move impacted. The fight scenes were bloody, and we maybe expected it seeing as it's even an adult animated show, but all the same, seeing it every time seem to bring that nostalgia you would get from playing the games or even watching an adult R Rated movie.
  The conflict in the end was not what we had expected, but we got a whole lot more than we expected. In fact, for the very first time, we felt that 8 episodes for the second season did not allow for more creative freedom. We would have loved to have Carmilla delayed playing her hands a little more, while also hoping for a lot of more screen time for Vlad and his generals. It did feel like only three characters got enough screen time and development; Carmilla, Isaac and Hector. Perhaps the decision to focus more attention on them is aptly captured by the end to the season. For while the conflict that was created in the 1st season was put to an end, the political power struggle introduced in the 2nd season survives, and the 3 characters will definitely be playing important roles in resolving it.
    A good show for lovers of the franchise, a visual beauty, Creative and artistic. Brilliant story telling, elegant fight scenes, amazing combat simulations and thoughtful conversations. The show's plot may have been a lot more critical and with more character and theme depth, we still feel the creators and show runners could have added a little more depth, and hopefully a 3rd season may solve the problem.
   There is really no reason why connoisseurs of good animation should not pick this one. In fact, it may be close to the top of my most recommended tv shows for the coming weeks and days. It's a thing of beauty seeing what the Deats brothers and Konami have achieved. We cannot also rule out the influence Netflix has had on this, as they had masterfully created the demand by teasing a big hit with a 4 episode first season. It turned out to be the right formular, and we applaud them and the creative team and all who are involved with this project.
  Richard Armitage
   James Callis
Graham McTavish
Alejandra Reynoso
Theo James
Adetokunboh McCormack
Written by Warren Ellis
Directed by Sam Deats
Produced by Adi Shanker
Created by Konami

FCA'S AppR: 8/10