Dominic Camelli 
Season 2 of Netflix’s adaptation of the Castlevania video game series has recently dropped, and it was something else. In a world where video game adaptations are often lackluster and fill fans with dread upon their announcement, Castlevania breaks the mould. With a season one consisting of 4 Episodes, fans were waiting until only recently to sink their teeth into more of this epic Gothic fantasy world. Here are just some of the moments where this American anime shone most brightly in its second outing.
*MASSIVE SPOILERS*
This scene is brilliant, showing how capable of a doctor Lisa Tepes was and how the inquisition handles their business. The part in which she was dragged out and was pleading for her life was tragic. What made it more so was the fact she knew what would happen if she was killed and was pleading for her life for their sake. As far as opening scenes go, the gravity and brutality of this sequence, which is the catalyst of the show after all, foreshadows the darkness ahead.
The music in this scene presents a somber tone throughout his monologue. The lighting is also technically very impressive, with only half of his body shown in light symbolizing the two halves that make him whole. This monologue relates him to his father and how they both mourn for her. This leads to a poetic moment where he decides to kill his father in memory of his mother to honor her wishes, even if it tears him apart.
As far as character introductions go in the series none stand out as much as Camilla’s. This is deliberate, giving us a taste of what she means for the series, as a schemer who remains strong and independent. She makes a statement every time that she appears on screen not only in the way that she dresses, but also how she acts. Camilla has arrived, and she and the director want everyone to know it.
This is accompanying all the time spent in the Belmont hold, where the characters show emotions and react to the situation in their own ways. It humbles Trevor that this was his home and all of the memories and family heirlooms are right here. All of his family is represented in the objects contained in this room, himself included. Alucard is at odds with himself, as he is part of both worlds and this room signifies the struggles and troubles of what makes him who he is. Sypha is overwhelmed and happy to be surrounded by so much knowledge, going as far as to admire the Belmont’s over the speakers when it comes to knowledge preservation. The scenes spent here give us much-needed characterization.
This scene shows how Trevor struggles to keep his family legacy at the best of times, but during the worst of times he really is a Belmont. It is fitting how he’s not just fighting for his friends or the world, but for himself and his home. The action is fluid and well-choreographed. This foreshadows what a capable fighter Trevor is, as he finally feels he deserves his family name.
This is another action scene where the choreography is incredibly well done and fluid not taking away too much from each person. We also get to see how they complement one another and how far they’ve grown as friends and as a team. The rest of the war council are just there to give them someone to beat but seeing the vampires from around the world was visually spectacular.
The fight scenes have been incredibly consistent and well done, however where this fight stands out is at the end. This is where they are just talking in Alucard’s old room. He loves his wife so much that he is appalled that he was trying to kill the son she gave him. The scene is just packed with an incredible amount of emotion and this makes Dracula one of the best villains that media has to offer. That death scene was fitting for the head vampire, over the top and dark.
This is where we see Trevor letting go of the past both figuratively and literally. He has accepted the fact that he is a Belmont, and does not need the hold to tell him that. It is a beautiful moment of completion for Alucard, with him now possessing the knowledge of both of his parents. The future is bright and the lighting and score for this scene show that.
In this scene, he is now fully cloaked in light showing how he saw his task through to completion. This is also the moment we see the most emotion from Alucard in the entire series. This is the most human we have seen him, further signified by the light. Even though he just made lifelong friends, he feels alone. The fact he’s in the center of the room corroborates this emotion and is a good place to leave the character off at.
This show does what it set out to, very well. The quiet moments are where it shines, however, because it sounds natural. Season 2 ended on a high, so if/when season 3 gets here it will be eagerly anticipated. There are a lot of scenes that had to be left out of this list so if you have any further personal highlights, then be sure to let us know in the comments down below.
