Castlevania: Nocturne - Season One Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Castlevania: Nocturne - Season One Blu-ray Movie Review

Castlevania: Nocturne - Season One is an action-adventure horror anime series. Castlevania: Nocturne - Season One features animation production by Powerhouse Animation Studios. Executive produced by Adi Shankar, Clive Bradley, Fred Seibert, and Kevin Kolde (the executive producer team behind the original Castlevania animated series). Castlevania: Nocturne - Season One is a dark vampire tale. The production features voice-work by a cast that includes Asuna Tomari, Kazuki Ura, Shion Wakayama, and Yasuyuki Kase.

Castlevania: Nocturne - Season One was a Netflix original production created for the hit streaming service. Licensed for home media release by VIZ Media, Castlevania: Nocturne - Season One works as a sequel to the first Castlevania. The series is also an adaptation of the video game series. The video game series was created by Konami. The video games included Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. Castlevania: Nocturne - Season One premiered on Netflix streaming on September 28, 2023. The second season is still in development and is set to premiere in early 2025.

Annette (Asuna Tomari) is a powerful sorceress who comes from the Caribbean. On a new journey as sorceress, Annette is looking for Richter Belmont (Kazuki Ura). Richter is the last living descendant in a long history of vampire hunters. Now Annette and Richter can work together on leading the resistance against the vampires. In France, 1792, the Vampire Messiah has caused quite a stir.

Allegiances between sides are being formed. Life and death hangs in the balance. The vampires are blood-thirsty and stakes are high. Can Annette and Richter defeat the Vampire Messiah and prevent the devastation that could come? The fate of all humanity is at stake – with the vampire leader promising to take over the world, defeating humans, and making slaves out of everyone. Blood will fall. Can the human race survive the violent rebellion of the vampires?

The series is an animated series produced in the United States. Nonetheless, the series manages to evoke a style that feels a bit like a hybrid between a cartoon and Japanese anime series. The series certainly has a visual style that is reminiscent of Japanese animation and that includes the grittier background animation and darker subject matter, too.

The series is darker than most cartoons in America, with the emphasis on blood and violence. The series is aimed at a more mature audience compared to a family-oriented cartoon. As a result, some might mistake it outright as Japanese anime but the reality is it is a production by Netflix and not something produced strictly for the Japanese anime marketplace. Nonetheless, fandoms do overlap and there is a sense of the production being right up the alley of anyone who appreciates the grittier fare of HBO and Netflix over broadcast television.

The animation is one of the highlights of the production. Castlevania: Nocturne - Season One features darker and grittier animation than a typical cartoon. The cartoon uses a lot of dark visual sensibilities, especially given the vampire lore and the gothic setting. The series is even set during the period of the French Revolution. As a result, the animators worked to evoke the period and give it an edginess at the same time.

These aspects of the series – the grittier aesthetics - help make the animation stand out more. The animation team certainly must have enjoyed returning to the world of Castlevania with Castlevania: Nocturne - Season One. The sequel does offer the animators a chance to flex their animation muscles and expand on the original with more of the series action-horror and adventures. One doesn’t always see a cartoon series set during the French Revolution produced so that is interesting to say the least.

The score composed by Trevor Morris (Castlevania) and Trey Toy is a decent backdrop for the series. The score certainly adds to the production merits and helps to bring out the gothic horror during the French Revolution. The music by Morris continues in the same vein (pun intended!) as the first Castlevania. A score that builds on the original cartoon.

Written by Clive Bradley, Temi Oh, and Zodwa Nyoni, Castlevania: Nocturne - Season One features a whole new writers room. The writers room expands on the original series. The writers for the sequel don’t have previous credits and are relatively new writers to working for Netflix and in the realm of animation. Even so, the writing team assembled continues on the journey paved out from the first Castlevania cartoon. As a result, fans can expect more dark and gothic vampire tales.

Directed by Adam Deats, Sam Deats, Saren Stone, and Tam Lu (the directors working as a team on the original Castlevania series), Castlevania: Nocturne - Season One is going to appeal especially with the fanbase who enjoyed the first Netflix production. The sequel series aims to please fans and with that said the series continues to provide what fans are looking for – brooding atmosphere, action, and vampires. Fans of dark and grittier Netflix cartoon series may wish to check it out – especially if entertained by the original.

Castlevania: Nocturne - Season One Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Castlevania: Nocturne - Season One continues the franchise with a new installment aimed at fans of the original. The series finds new ground as it explores the horror of the French Revolution. The series has impressively gothic animation and fans of the original will appreciate the continuation. The Blu-ray provides a nice selection of storyboards, animatics, and art galleries – some behind-the-scenes for dedicated fans. Fans of the series may wish to consider a purchase.

Castlevania: Nocturne - Season One Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, and Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. English subtitles are provided on the release. Optional Spanish subtitles are also provided on the release.

The English 5.1 surround sound track has a reasonably expansive surround sound audio soundstage. The surrounds are actively used and the soundstage is reasonably engaging for the presentation. The score is well reproduced and is well integrated into the sound mixing. The result certainly impresses. The release also earns some extra brownie points for including some alternative audio options for Spanish speakers. Optional English subtitles are also provided.

Castlevania: Nocturne - Season One Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release includes an o-card slipcover. The slipcover artwork is identical to the key art highlighted underneath the slipcover. The release includes an inner art print on the back side of the sleeve too.

On disc supplements include:  

Art Galleries:

Characters includes 57 click-through slides.

Background includes 45 click-through slides.

Props includes 30 click-through slides.

FX includes 12 click-through slides.

Key Art includes 7 click-through slides.

Storyboards:

101 – Julia Battles Olrox includes 38 click-through slides encompassing 112 pages of storyboards.

102 – Fight at the Chateau includes 24 click-through slides encompassing 70 pages of storyboards.

106 – Awakening includes 37 click-through slides encompassing 109 pages of storyboards.

108 – White Knight includes 18 click-through slides encompassing 53 pages of storyboards.

Animatics:

101 – – Julia Battles Olrox (HD, 2:32)

102 – Fight at the Chateau (HD, 1:58)

106 – Awakening (HD, 3:35)

108 – White Knight (HD, 2:13)

Trailers:

Teaser Trailer (HD, 2:21)

Trailer (HD, 2:37)

Trailer with Subtitles (HD, 2:37)

More from VIZ Media (HD, 1:39)

Castlevania: Nocturne - Season One Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Castlevania: Nocturne - Season One continues the franchise with a new installment aimed at fans of the original. The series finds new ground as it explores the horror of the French Revolution. The series has impressively gothic animation and fans of the original will appreciate the continuation.

The Blu-ray provides a nice selection of storyboards, animatics, and art galleries – some behind-the-scenes for dedicated fans. The first print run of the release also comes with an o-card slipcover. Slipcover fans might wish to opt for purchasing it during the first pressing to ensure the slipcover for the release. Fans of the series may wish to consider a purchase.