Castlevania: Nocturne

Our Review

The sequel series moves to Revolutionary France: Richter Belmont, the last of the vampire-hunting clan, and Annette, the Haitian revolutionary, fight a vampire aristocracy feeding on the revolution itself. The show’s politics give the vampire-hunting a revolutionary stakes the original never had — liberty against a literal parasitic ruling class — and the new cast (Maria’s child-revolutionary energy, the… the Erzsebet Báthory threat) carries it.

Season 1 is solid world-building; season 2 improves markedly (the Báthory arc, the Alucard return, the… the Messiah-of-the-vampires escalation) and pays the setup off with the spectacle the franchise is known for. A worthy follow-up that finds its own register.

Verdict: Watch it after the original. The revolution continues.