#he's not as sassy as isaac and trevor but he has his moments and i love them <3

[beevean]

Random detail I'm currently going insane about

Hector raising his arms in a "come at me bitch" way to Dracula and Dracula specifically

like at this point he has completely run out of Fucks to Give, so yeah sure why not taunt the Dark Lord/his former master. He's so not afraid of him anymore.

"Have you forgotten? I am a Devil Forgemaster :)" there aren't enough polygons in this game to hold such amounts of chadness

[darthstitch]

Castlevania Netflix Season 2 Review: All My Bloody Tears

Yeah. Uh. SPOILERS. MASSIVE GINORMOUS SPOILERS. Consider yourself warned.

I'm kind of a complete mess as I write this because PAIN! PAIN AND SUFFERING! TEARS! BLOODY TEARS!

While it's not without its flaws, the second season of Netflix's Castlevania is incredible and lives up to the promise of Season 1. This, gentlebeings, is how you set up a sequel and leave the audience wanting more, but still walking away satisfied with what we've currently got.

The Good Stuff

The thing about Castlevania - as the game series by Konami - is that it's pretty much a patchwork quilt of everything goes. Think your favorite fan fiction peeve on AO3, the ones with the ten million tags before you even get to the goddamn story. So on one hand, it's got its clear inspiration from the classic Hammer and Universal Horror renditions of Dracula. But the game series is Japanese, so you have your beautiful anime-esque artwork by Ayami Kojima and the obvious anime influences.

I've played a few of the games, but I'm not going to claim gamer-god status. I just play for the fun of it and I don't hesitate to use walk throughs as a map of sorts, basically figuring out where to go, because the general castle layout is set up like a labyrinth and it is INSANE and FUN at the same time. So far, I've played and finished Symphony of the Night and two of the GBA ones: Harmony of Dissonance and Aria of Sorrow. I'm still trying to master the ones on the NDS. But basically, the premise is the same: You're the hero/heroine, you need to enter the big spooky castle, gather weapons and/or spells to make you stronger and add to your abilities, take down monsters and Major Bads - including Death Himself - and hopefully prevent Dracula from resurrecting and covering the world in Eternal Night. The main timeline basically has Belmonts, assorted Not-Belmonts who also hunt vampires and of course, pretty, pretty Alucard.

Then, there was your AU timeline in which Gabriel Belmont goes to defeat a Big Bad and becomes DRACULA ... and Trevor Belmont is his son, a.k.a. Alucard. Yeah, wrap your head around THAT one.

In short, Castlevania canon is fucked. To quote our Trevor, "Snake-fuckingly insane."

So Warren Ellis does the smart thing and basically picks up what works from the "canon" and crafts a damn good story out of it.

The Disaster Trio that is Alucard, Trevor and Sypha, end up bonding even closer together and spend much of this series in the Belmont Basement...er.... I mean, "Hold," trying to do the game equivalent of gathering spells and weapons to storm the castle with. We learn a few more interesting things about the Disaster Trio. Trevor actually ended up losing his family at a way too young age. Sypha and her people have some pretty "interesting" views about God. Alucard has artistic talents and basically acts his real age, which is a traumatized snarky 20 something year old, who's barely holding on to his composure with his shiny fangs and claws. There are epic moments such as "Treffy" and I would absolutely LOVE to hear the Belmont family story that explains how the hell a book of "penis spells" ended up in the Belmont Family Library.

Seriously. Fan fiction writers, don't fail me now!

Also, Lisa gets a few more minutes to shine and break our hearts at the same time. This is the woman who managed to charm and get one Seriously Scary King of Vampires wrapped around her tiniest finger. She's snarky and sassy as before, but so real, so kind and just basically trying to be a decent person in a Crapsack World. She loves her husband but she knows he can be monstrous. She loves her son but as Alucard himself puts it, she wants him to be able to be himself, be happy and not be overshadowed by his father. Seriously, as long as each season gives us something more about Lisa, I'm gonna be content.

We also get introduced to a few more new characters, who basically make up Dracula's Court of Evil. Hector and Isaac are humans but sociopathic enough to despise their own kind and willing to take part in their death and destruction. They both have their requisite tragic and abused pasts. Hector, however, has an element of naivete that makes him an easy target for the machinations of Carmilla, the only general in Dracula's court who's figured out which way the blood's flowing and wants to make sure she comes out on top. Isaac, however, is somewhat the mirror of Alucard himself. This is the guy who gives his unconditional love and loyalty to Dracula and refuses to abandon him no matter the personal cost to himself or his remnants of a conscience or whatever he has that passes for a moral compass. I figure that it's there, it's just not one that I would recognize. Isaac is a scary, scary mofo and it looks like he and Hector are gonna be back for season 3.

In fact, if Isaac ends up becoming "Death" in this entire series, I'm gonna be evilly delighted.

And then, there's Godbrand, who is basically the vampire equivalent of YOLO. Basically, all he wants is to fight, fuck, drink blood and make boats out of things he shouldn't make boats out of. Generally, he just wants to have a good time, rule the world like a king and make sure the humans know their place.

So okay, let's give Carmilla her due. Evil? Check. Manipulative? Check. Sadistic, vicious and cruel? 10 across the board. In the absence of a Certain Fanged Someone taking a more active role in what should be "The War on Humankind," Carmilla wants to make sure she's keeping things moving, spinning her webs of intrigue and plans upon plans, thinking she's going to come out the winner and make herself the new Queen of the Damned.

Here's the problem. Dracula figures that out, easily enough.

Here's the OTHER problem. His Fanged Nibs is all out of fucks to give. He's done. Finito. Finished with everything.

Yeah, about that.

While the humor of this series is a gift that keeps on giving, the drama and the feels will DESTROY you.

You know that moment when you realize Dracula isn't just waging a war on humanity, he's waging a war to destroy all vampires too? Because in that moment when he lost his beloved Lisa, he hated not only humans, but he also hated HIMSELF. He hates the fact that his life of evil, wanton death and destruction, wrought this price on the person that he loved. And she damn well didn't deserve that treatment. He hates the humans who killed her but he also hates his own kind, who are just as monstrous as he is.

So when Godbrand basically asks him, "If we're killing all the humans, what are we going to EAT?" Dracula basically tries to fob him off with some excuse or the other. Yeah, His Fanged Nibs is a LYING LIAR WHO LIES. Also, this lying liar who lies is actually spending most of his time sitting, brooding and being HUNGRY. Because he's not drinking blood. At all. Any blood drinking we see from His Fanged Nibs is in flashbacks.

Let that sink in for a second.

Aluard accuses his father of basically doing history's longest suicide. Yeah. It is - Dracula wants to take EVERYBODY down with him.

The fight scenes are worth the wait. I was screaming when the classic "Bloody Tears" started playing in Episode 7, an episode that I'm gonna watch like ten thousand times more, because OH GOD THE EPICNESS OF IT. The sheer badassery. The fact that Alucard is actually the secret identity of Moon Moon.

And then, the final fight between Dracula and our Disaster Trio is just as epic as expected. Even when he hasn't drunk blood, the trio is outmatched and outclassed and this is where you remember that if Dracula had only roused himself long enough to give a flying fuck about something, Carmilla's head would have been rolling on the floor a long time ago.

But then: "My boy.... I'm killing my boy. This is your room. Your mother and I painted these walls, made these toys. Lisa.... it's our boy. Your greatest gift to me. And I'm killing him. I must already be dead."

GDI WARREN ELLIS HOW VERY FUCKING DARE YOU.

The only way they take down Dracula is because he basically wants to die. So he lets his son kill him and end his misery. And when his rotting, decaying, corpse seems to be reaching out to his son for some kind of last embrace, Trevor, thinking that Alucard's going to be hurt, takes Dracula's head off. Sypha burns off the remains.

And it's done.

Castlevania is a game with numerous endings, all depending on how you played the game and whether you got this artifact or what not. The series pays homage to it because Trevor bequeaths the Belmont Hold to Alucard and asks him to be the last defender of it and his father's Castle. It's not going to be Alucard's grave, but his home now. Trevor and Sypha wander off into the sunset, for more adventures and mischief and Alucard lovingly sends off his BFFs with a fond "Fuck you."

We check in with the villains who survive and of course, we know there's gonna be sequels, because, hey, that's kind of the point of each and every Castlevania game. There's always gonna be a new Big Bad coming around. And trust me, Dracula's gonna be back. He's not just going to lie quiet in his grave.

And just when you think you can end this series with a satisfied sigh, our very last moments are spent with Alucard. Who is haunted by the ghosts of the parents he loved so much. Who gets to relive one happy memory with his mom, who loves him with all her heart. And she's so proud.

And Alucard finally breaks down into heartbreaking sobs.

We grieve with him.

The Bad Stuff

Yeah, okay, so I need to get this explained. Why bother to have all these interesting character designs for Dracula's other generals AND NOT HAVE THEM TALK? I'm serious. Not one of these fascinating-looking vampire bastards HAVE ANY GODDAMN LINES. Netflix, FFS, DON'T WUSS OUT ON YOUR CHARACTER ACTORS. YOU CAN'T BE THAT POOR. GIVE THEM VOICES. PAY YOUR CHARACTER VOICE ACTORS. OMG.

They basically just get killed off in the end, but while we know they were pretty scary and formidable, we don't really know anything about them other than: Vampire, Scary, Dracula's General. They were just pretty much Red Shirts, because the heroes never did get to confront Carmilla, Hector and Isaac directly.

There was evidently so much story to be told here, like they seem to have come from all over the world, even as far off as China AND THEY'RE. NOT. TALKING. The only ones with any dialogue are Carmilla, Hector, Isaac and Godbrand and none of these guys even get to share screentime with the Disaster Trio. Godbrand doesn't even make it to the final battle.

I mean, if these guys were just going to be cannon fodder, then let's just use any of the voiceless Major Bads from the games. Put some requisite scary music and sound effects and let the Disaster Trio take care of them. Let them speak in mysterious archaic languages or whatever, since we're not going to care about them anyway.

The Conclusion

Apparently, this is gonna be a pattern for this series. It's going to be good, it's going to be GREAT but there's always going to be that ONE THING that would drive us batshit crazy. But not enough to wreck my enjoyment of it.

The best parts of this series is the faithfulness to character, the layers upon layers of motivations and feels you're going to uncover as you rewatch it, the fact that it's not afraid to put tongue in cheek and leave canon at the door, while still being true to the source material.

So. "What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets. But enough talk! Have at you!"

[meny-sempai]

CASTLEVANIA is so good! Watch it on Netflix!

My art blog is becoming a total mess with these types of posts, but I just can’t control myself! Alucard is such a beautiful child and should be celebrated and hugged like a cute little cat. 

Warning: Alucard fangirl is writting this XD

Warning: SPOILERS

I have to say thanks to the creators of the show and everyone who worked on it. Season 1 was a good introduction, season 2 was awesome and impossible to forget. I never played the games, but I knew about the Castlevania series because of the beautiful art and music for the games. Still, you can easily tell the show runners are fans and gamers and that they care so much about the details. 

The fight scenes are some of the most imaginatively choreographed sequences I’ve ever seen and are animated and directed masterfully. You can feel the weight of characters when they move, you fill the pull of the swings and the gravity, you can feel and hear when the whip snaps and winds up, you feel the pressure she’s putting on the surroundings when Sypha goes full Avatar, you can see and feel the difference in the way vampires move from the way humans do. Even if the battle defies the laws of physics, even if the characters are over-powered, you don’t care. Not because it’s a cartoon based on a video game, but because the fights are grounded with good animation and sound effects. It also helps when the creators add characters making remarks, showing raw emotion, stumbling, missing the mark or playing “dirty”. It adds to realism.

I hear people say animation is stiff and low budget. I can see where they’re coming from, and I do admit, some scenes are stiff, they do avoid complicated movements and finesse in the “quiet parts” of the show. But, for me, I can let them be “lazy”, because all of these scenes have great lightening, fabulous backgrounds, good sound, fantastic VA work, top-notch quality dialog, good directing. Please, don’t forget how hard and time consuming it is to animate anything. And the creators chose to have a style that imitates Ayami Kojima’s. Animating in a complicated and detailed style is even harder. 

Another plus that season 2 has is that they included original music. When I heard the first notes of Bloody Tears I flipped. I hope we’ll get more original music in season 3. 

I heard there were some big changes in the characters of Isaac, Hector and  Carmilla. As someone who never played the games, I can only say: I liked their characters and their roles in the show. I liked how they were introduced, I enjoyed all three of them and I can’t wait to see how they’ll grow in season 3. (Isaac, I respect you so much, but you scare the hell out of me. Hector, you are so naive and stupid, yet I can’t help but love you and feel like you are such a hurt and lonely person. Carmilla, I get your anger and I like your strength and independence, but you’re a bitch and you need to be stopped.)

Speaking of characters and “quiet parts” I love the fact that the writers decided to make this type of show into a character driven story. I have no clue how any of the main three and Dracula were in the games, but watching the show they feel like real people to me with real virtues and flaws and problems. What makes them so impactful as characters is the constantly evolving dynamics they have with each other. And this dynamics is all shown in seemingly pointless banter and silent looks and touches. Because of these moments the deep and emotional conversations have weight. They don’t come out of the blue, they are not out of character.

My favorite part of the dialog/or lack of it is the way they present the conversation. They care so much about the way the words are said, what expression people make when they say something, what kind of light there is in a frame, what objects are there and how people interact with them while they speak. 

All in all, Castlevania has a very simple plot, but it does wonders with it. We are rooting for the good guys, but we’re also rooting for the bad guys. It’s insane. 

Another insane thing is that a short show about video game hunters and vampires managed to hurt me on a deep emotional level. I did not see the bloody tears coming, man. 

Yes, yes, it’s all Alucard, but you’ve been warned. I’m a woman with needs and I have a type.

I have no idea how the final battle in the game went down, but I think this was one of the best boss fights and the most appropriate way to put Dracula to rest. Everything and everyone was perfect in that final battle - the way the dork trio teamed up using each other’s strengths and protecting each other, the way Dracula was OP as fuck (while starving) and was pissed at everyone because he was tired of life, the words the son an father exchanged, the My boy... Our son... line, the way Dracula begged his son to kill him, the fear, confusion and pain of Alucard, the way Dracula wanted to hug his son, the way Trevor understandably wanted to protect Alucard and sliced Dracula’s head off, the way Alucard moved out of the way for Sypha to incinerate his father, the way those three welcomed the morning together - PERFECTION. 

Those three are just perfect, I adore how they show their friendship and respect/trust to one another... and I like how Sypha and Trevor are a thing now... BUT WHY, why did you leave him alone? 

He was so not ok, from the beginning of the show, he was way past being ok. 

He’s sassy and can laugh, but he is so lonely, detached, cold... angry - just like Sypha said. 

He wanted to make a grave for himself (to die), and my best bro Trevor pulled him out of the depression a little by giving him a task and his ultimate love/trust. But, that’s not enough. He’s still alone in the house with all the painful memories and proofs of death he himself had inflicted. 

He needs a hug, he can’t be left to cry alone, what are friends for? I hope the power couple comes back quickly. I don’t think Alucard has anyone else.

Guys, watch Castlevania. I recommend the English dub. There is just something special in the English dub that I can’t put my finger on. 

If I can make a wish for the season 3, I’d like to see more of this:

And this:

More juicy flashbacks for all our children, new and old, and more of Alucard acting like a vampire. Like... does he feed, how old is he exactly etc? Seriously, though, I want to know more about the vampires and about the Belmonts. They already teased us with Leon! Ooohh boy! 

BONUS:

Just some proof how well rounded and real the characters are here.

Nope. This whole post was totally not an excuse to watch the show again just so that I can screenshot the fuck out of the golden half vampire bastard. 

[beevean]

https://youtu.be/WldXY_iJh8M?si=feGc6W2tzWn4ru2i

deepromanticdialogue.jpg

ah yes, I sure feel how Lenore has grown to see Hector as a full person and now truly loves him from the bottom of her shriveled heart.

In a more meta sense, it's also telling that this is how the show wants to convey that the two are now in a healthy, respectful relationship. Nevermind that Lenore doesn't respect Hector one iota if you actually bother to analyze the dialogue, S4 is fully intent on woobiefying her and this scene is meant to reassure us that she no longer sees him as a pet/dildo and Hector is totally chill with his abuser because they have come to know each other off-screen.

And they have the exact same chemistry as every other straight couple in the series: sassy bantering where the woman flusters the man.

One, they shouldn't interact the same way as everyone else. Dracula was a shut-in who was impressed by Lisa's courage in talking to him like a normal man. Trevor and Sypha butted heads at first, but then they started to see the positives in each other and bonded by fighting together. Alucard and Greta... I have no clue what their deal is, I honestly don't know what they'd see in each other, Greta is basically a ruder Lisa who can fight but yeah the point is that Alucard overcame his misanthropy by helping her. But Hector and Lenore should have the most fucked up, fake, mutually miserable relationship, because Hector didn't choose to be there! He was betrayed - for the third time, might I add! If he likes Lenore, it's because dude has genuinely no better reference, and from his perspective, the fact that he is being talked to without any ulterior motive is alone a sign of love. They should dance around Lenore crushing his heart and humiliating him, whether her intentions were good or not! Lenore might be talking to Hector only because he is the only person willing to listen to her, and because he is her pet, he is forced to, and she knows it - does she regret it or not? They bonded over how sad Lenore is, while Hector isn't allowed to express his resentment! No matter how much a jailer and a prisoner bond, they cannot escape such power imbalance, and it should be reflected in ther dialogue! If Hector is so damn broken he is willing to forgive rape and betrayal because he is that desperate for the fleeting feeling of being liked and he has a pathological need to cling to anyone who might throw the smallest crumbs of kindness to him, it should be reflected in his character! Forget the disgusting abuse apologism on display, writing-wise they all sound the damn same, and just like the overuse of swearwords, it flattens their personalities! It's always Sassy Cute Woman Holding the Stupid Man's Braincells! It's boring!

And two... on a broader note, doesn't it say a lot about NFCV, that love is so damn insincere? Characters banter, snark, insult each other as a joke or seriously. I'm thinking of Alucard waving Trevor goodbye by showing him the middle finger as a joke. Where is the fondness? Where is the genuine affection? It's rare, I can only think of Dracula and Isaac being honest pals or Trevor saying that he loves Sypha before going to die - and that's not counting the moments that get contradicted by previous proof, like Lenore herself showing (and not telling for once) her care for Hector by wanting to save him from Isaac, which sure is nice but not after in the previous episode she snapped at him for complaining about being enslaved because how dare you, I got your dick hard!

I pointed it out in the post I linked, but was it so damn hard to have Lenore show that her feelings are pure by simply asking Hector how he is doing, like just simple friendly smalltalk, instead of whining about her childhood and keeping this useless streak of dick jokes that only make her look like a spoiled brat?

[beevean]

Lets spread awareness around the fandom. Thoughts on Hevor ?

Finally, someone around asking the real important questions uwu

I think I said everything I could say about it? Hella underrated in my humble opinion. I understand that Trevor doesn't interact with Hector much in the game proper, but c'mon, all the ingredients for a solid enemies-to-rivals-to-friends-to-lovers/defrosting ice king arc are there!

First of all, I will be remiss if I don't point out the amazing tension between them during their first fight :P

My good man was very much enjoying whipping the silver haired pretty boy into submission :P and he's so damn sassy, "wow you're supposed to be the scary Devil Forgemaster I heard so much about? lol. lmao even." between him and isaac being a bitch in the first cutscene, poor hec getting bullied by his bfs :(

But then he accepts that Hector really is on his side and he had misjudged him before (and in Japanese this is the moment they both switch from kisama to omae, love when it does that), and he decides to whip him into submission again test his strength to deem if he's worth of helping him, you know much like he did with his friends in CV3! And this time Hector is a good match for him, and that's when Trevor turns... weirdly passionate. Like, I'm not the only one who thinks he sounds just a little too concerned, am I? Even more so in Japanese??

and then isaac stabs/molests him because how dare he touch his hector and we never see him again :D

Well, anyway. We're left to imagine what happens after the events of CoD, and we know that Trevor was left in Julia's care after being stabbed so Hector is bound to see him one last time at the very least, talk with him. Sure, maybe Hector decides that he's done with a life of fighting and he never sees Trevor again, but he could also become an ally of his as a way to make up for his mistakes.

As for their dynamic, you have Hector on one side who is relatively the only sane man and Tired of Everyone's Shit (especially now that he's not Cursed lol), and on the other you have the King of Slaying, Trevor who is very well aware of how charismatic he is and he's not afraid of showing off :P at least think of the comedic potential. A bit more seriously, in a hypothetical rewriting of CoD, the two might bump into each other more often, and we might learn that Trevor knew about the atrocities Hector committed under Dracula's name, maybe even saw him and Isaac personally, and that's why he didn't give him the benefit of the doubt unlike he did with, say, Alucard; and Hector could swear that he really regrets what he's done and he will do anything to atone for his sins, and maybe he'd help Trevor during their travels, and the two could learn to actually trust each other and see each other's best parts, Trevor's pure heart and Hector's more noble side. Also, they were both shunned from society due to their powers, but Hector could admire Trevor for never feeling resentment and immediately jumping to help the same people who hated him, while Trevor might sympathize with Hector and commend him for eventually finding the strenght to break free from Dracula's influence.

also yeah insert kinky jokes here one has a whip and the other goes around wearing chains and tight leather pants do i really have to spell out the obvious here

In short, you do have to kind of write a whole fanfiction by yourself, unlike say Isaactor where the proof that Isaac wanted Hector is all but text :P but I think they have potential! Either as different people growing closer, or simply as rivals with plenty of UST :P