Curtis Mason

season 1 of castlevania nocturne is a really compelling and beautifully animated setting-of-the-chess-pieces-on-the-board. although this season arguably serves the same basic function as season one of the original castlevania show (namely, setting up future seasons), it exceeds the quality of the opening season of its predecessor; and that by developing rich, compelling character psychologies and backstories. richter, annette, orlox, and tera are all very interesting characters with complex psyches. of course the dialogue is wanting in some respects, but it’s of comparable quality to the original series. and let’s be honest, no one is here for eloquent, witty, intelligent dialogue. yes -- there is a high-minded, hotheaded teenager who won’t stop going on about the revolution, but that’s pretty typical 15-year-old-behavior: getting totally taken in by the ideals of a political movement that’s spreading through the land. rather, we’re all here for some good action. and nocturne REALLY delivers on that front. fantastic monster designs, and fights are choreographed and animated well. and the magic is fantastic — many many unique kinds (and apparently singing can be magic?). the soundtrack is fantastic. the animation quality is consistently good. decent pacing. overall, a 10/10. it’s excelling at doing what it’s supposed to do: be kick-*** castlevania that sets us up for more down the road. however, a lot of people are complaining that (1) richter has been “emasculated,” or (2) that this is castlevania “woketurne,” or (3) that richter isn’t even the main character in his own show, or (4) that it’s anti-church, anti-white propaganda; whereas the predecessor didn’t suffer from any of these “problems.” These are silly takes. to (1). some people are, i suspect, upset that someone in the main squad was initially seemingly more powerful than richter, and especially upset that she’s a black woman. in the original castlevania, trevor was likely the weakest in the main trio, and people didn’t complain that he was “emasculated.” so what some “fans” are really complaining about is the fact that a specifically black woman happened to be stronger than richter at the start of the show. this makes the complaint laughable and clearly founded on racism. but it’s laughable for a further reason: the entire point of this season for richter is what folks sometimes call a “character arc.” clearly people who are saying (1) have never heard of one of those before. richter had some trauma to overcome in order to be able to begin to develop to his full potential. by the end of the season, he’s very powerful, at least as powerful as the other members of his squad. to (3): richter is about as much of a main character in nocturne as trevor was in the original show. if it wasn’t a problem then, then it’s not a problem now. to (2) and (4): apparently castlevania has gone “woke” because a hotheaded, quixotic, young teenager keeps talking about the french revolution; or because another main character is an escaped slave; or because slavery is denounced in the dialogue; or because some historically accurate events surrounding the french revolution and the slave uprisings in the french colonies were depicted? so what, it’s woke now to believe in the ideals of the french revolution? it’s woke now to think that slavery is wrong? it’s woke now to accurately depict historical events surrounding france, slavery, and the church? perhaps it always was. and, in any case, nocturne is right about as "anti-church" as its predecessor. if it wasn't a problem then, it shouldn't be one now.