Just when 2024 felt like the peak of animation, Netflix circled the block and jumpstarted 2025 with the continuation of its first wildly popular video game adaptation based on Konami’s classic vampire-hunting series, Castlevania: Nocturne. Powerhouse Animation’s sequel animated series, as anticipated, continues to elevate the benchmarks for video game adaptations to dizzying heights.
Picking up off the heels of season one, Castlevania: Nocturne sees Alucard (James Callis) join forces with Richter Belmont (Edward Bluemel), Maria Renard (Pixie Davies), and Annette (Thuso Mbedu) to combat the vampire messiah, Erzsebeth Báthory (Franka Potente), and her faithful disciple Drolta (Elarica Johnson). Richter and his crew don’t have much time to recover from being on the defensive in Nocturne‘s grim finale. Big bad Erzsebeth has all but obtained the power of the goddess Sekhmet and is on the verge of plunging the world into eternal darkness. In vintage Powerhouse Animation style, Nocturne features all the hallmarks that made its four-season predecessor a must-watch Netflix series while injecting new life into the vampire epic.
In concert with its impressive first season, Nocture continues its penchant for rich dialogue. Be it Alucard and Richter feeling each other out and butting heads on their perilous journey, Erzsebeth and a devilishly resurrected Drolta conditioning their victory, or Maria maturing into her hero, every line is purposeful and exacting. Even seemingly cannon-fodder characters like the night creatures have poignant conversations on the liminal state of their existence as soldiers enacting an unholy war on the world while harboring their memories as humans.
Another highlight of Nocturne is how its fantastical narrative seamlessly melds with historical events, coloring the backdrop of its story. While the show is set during the French Revolution, it also adds texture to the global scale of its story by incorporating Egyptian, African, and West African mythologies into the mix. Nocturne also continues the series’ stellar exploration of its Black characters, Annette and Drolta, who are the driving force behind the show’s most intriguing developments.
This isn’t to say Nocturne‘s writing is only excellent when it’s threading how its fictional story coincides with real-world events. The show also flexes its creative muscles, fleshing out characters in its mythos. Key among them are Maria, who is on the precipice of something dark manifesting with her beast-summoning powers following the vampiric turning of her mother, Tera (Nastassja Kinski)—and Juste Belmont (Iaian Glen), rekindling the sparks of heroism he thought died long ago.
Not to be outdone by its narrative, Nocturne‘s gory, inventive, and fluid action surpasses feats thought untouchable from its predecessor’s season finale. Nocturne‘s action animation is adorned with brilliantly flashy impact frames and clever references to anime and video games that will make eyes dilate and hearts race. Moreover, vast portions of Nocturne‘s episodes, particularly in the latter half, consist of fight scenes that never feel exhausting and are more akin to a runner digging in deep for the final push of a race.
Nocturne crescendos with an action-packed finale that wraps up the characters’ major arcs in a gratifying manner while also juggling an eclectic team-up battle that surpasses the achievements of Castlevania‘s fourth season. Despite the finality of Nocturne‘s second season leaving a lingering desire for more time with an otherwise tightly written, lean show, Nocturne is a triumph that proves video game adaptations are far from a fruitless endeavor, while also highlighting the remarkable feats achievable in storytelling animation.
All eight episodes of Castlevania: Nocturne season two are streaming on Netflix.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
