The series was originally planned as a direct-to-video movie back in 2007, but entered development hell until around 2015, when it was picked up by the streaming service Netflix. Over the years the script had morphed from a movie to a trilogy and a proposed live-action production. Netflix allowed the writers to keep the original 2007 script and the team worked closely with Konami, who helped to identify continuity issues. The show drew visual inspiration from Ayami Kojima's artwork, particularly Symphony of the Night, and used a production staff consisting of members with experience in the Japanese animation industry.
Opening Song: Main Theme (by Trevor Morris)
Credits Song: Let Me Kiss You (by Trevor Morris)
Episode 10 only: Dracula & Lisa (by Trevor Morris)
Spoiler Warning: I am going to give a synopsis of each episode and my opinions at the very end.
Episode 1: Murder Wakes It Up
Trevor and Sypha spend several weeks battling skeletons, zombies, and fleamen. They find humans and beasts performing rituals to revive Dracula, or offering tribute to Death in the hope he'll return Dracula to them. Trevor explains that the Grim Reaper isn't death itself, but a being that sustains itself on life not unlike the vampires who leech it through blood drinking. Death is a powerful being but not one capable of reaching into Hell to drag a soul back into the realm of the living.
Meanwhile, a horse carrying a deceased rider appears before Alucard's door. In the rider's hand is a note requesting aid for the people of Danesti. Alucard notes how they must be desperate, considering Danesti is 20 miles away and the rider kept going until he bled out.
Episode 2: Having the World
In the desolate Targoviste, where Dracula's wife was burned, Trevor and Sypha are surprised by night creatures commanded by two vampires, Ratko and Varney the "terror of the British Isles". Several men arrive unexpectedly to assist in the battle, including Zamfir, head guard to the royal family. Zamfir informs the duo that the ruling family has survived and remains safe in the underground catacombs. She would love for the two of them to join the fight but can not take them to see the court until she is sure they can be trusted.
Episode 3: Walk Away
Near the wizard's tower, Fly-eyes meets with Isaac to ask why they are rebuilding houses and burying the dead. Isaac explains that the people used to create Legion were innocent of any wrongdoing, or were too decayed to convert into night creatures. They will leave the city after repairs have been made and the homes will remain behind, ready for new inhabitants. Later that same day, Isaac gets a mirror-call from Varney requesting his aid in reviving Dracula. Isaac expresses no interest in such a thing and cuts off all future calls from Varney.
"You can use a hammer to build a house... or crack a skull." -Isaac
Elsewhere, Morana and Striga discuss their plans for the future while
camped out near the frontlines. When an arrow unexpectedly pierces their
tent allowing daylight to flood in, Morana hides in a trunk while
Striga dons her day-armor to battle the humans. Striga returns from the
battle victorious, but complains about their attackers not having been
warriors. She fought ordinary people - farmers, armed with pitchforks
and makeshift weapons. Knowing that the humans will forever resist their
dominance, Striga complains that Carmilla's plan is too ambitious and
covers too much land for her to handle. Morana agrees, insisting the
forces and supply lines she would have to manage is overwhelming. At
that moment, Carmilla mirror-calls the two instructing them to return
home because Hector has started creating night creatures.
Episode 4: You Must Sacrifice
Alucard arrives at Danesti in time to stop the night creatures from destroying the handful of people left in the village. Greta, the village headswoman, thanks Alucard for his aid and inquires about her rider, Matius, although, she is not surprised to hear of his fate. Over four days Danesti had lost a third of its people and Matius volunteered to make the trip because he had no family left. Greta makes it clear that despite asking for his aid she doesn't fully trust Alucard because he is a half-vampire that stakes people outside his castle, but there was no one else she could turn to. Refugees from five other villages arrive a short-while later, and Count Saint Germain, who had been hiding in an outhouse, advises that they move everyone to Alucard's castle where they will be better defended.
Saint Germain reminisces about a woman who snapped the fingers of a man trying to grope her. He was impressed by her strength and the two bonded over their travels. They discovered the Infinite Corridor together, but got separated amidst its shifting doorways. When Germain re-entered the Corridor through the passage opened by the Visitor demon, he managed to find the location where they got separated. However, his lady friend was nowhere to be found.
A mysterious Alchemist in the Corridor informed Germain that he would need to create a Rebus - a creation representative of order and chaos / humanity and monstrosity, in order to fully control the Corridor. The souls used to fill the Rebus would have to be exceptional; she recommends Dracula and his wife Lisa. The Alchemist, having no desire to leave the Corridor, gifts Germain a key that will open the Corridor to wherever he wishes. Germain then uses the key to return to the world he left behind and begins ruthlessly killing and intimidating people to get what he needs to create the Rebus. Varney hears of Germain's plan to revive Dracula and soon many vampires join in his efforts.
"You must sacrifice, give willingly. Sacrifice your ethics, your morals. Sacrifice your soul to the task." -Mysterious Alchemist
Episode 5: Back in the World
The refugees begin the journey to Alucard's castle and are attacked by a giant spider,
among other other night creatures. Greta and Alucard manage to keep
them at bay long enough for the refugees to reach the castle by daybreak
with minimal losses.
Lenore shares her doubts about Carmilla's plan with Hector. She believes the vampire sisters have lasted for as long as they have because they never overreached, but Carmilla has gone from wanting to take over all of Europe to wanting the entire world, and Lenore fears Carmilla lied to her like Dracula lied to Hector. Lenore also expresses her concerns over the lack of diplomatic duties to fulfill now that Carmilla is taking everything by force.
In Targoviste, Trevor and Sypha are less than impressed with Zamfir's leadership and disgusted by the deplorable conditions the common-folk are forced to endure. Because Speakers help wherever they can, Sypha takes charge. She orders the people to stop putting latrines where they sleep and cook. She has the areas being used for shelter searched and cleared of any remaining night creatures. She also halts Zamfir from collecting "tribute" to the king and queen in the form of what little food the people have left.
Episode 6: You Don't Deserve My Blood
Isaac uses the large transmission mirror in the Wizard's tower to transport his demon army to Carmilla's castle in Styria. He is assisted briefly by Abel (his main demon companion in the game) before heading off to find Hector. Hector meanwhile, had been in touch with Germain and Varney via mirror. He used their knowledge to trigger a magical cage around Lenore, and setup a channel to confine Carmilla to her room. Hector makes peace with Isaac by cutting off his finger - the one with Lenore's enchanted ring, so that his beasts will cease their assault on Isaac. Isaac then battles Carmilla to exhaustion, but rather than die to a 'human man', she takes her own life.
It was an interesting twist to see Carmilla, who viewed men as either dumb, brutish and short sighted, end up being exactly that in her treatment of others. And by blindly expanding her borders without a plan to control the territory, paved the way for her own downfall.
Carmilla's death triggers an explosion that is seen by Morana and Striga as they approach the castle. Both realize immediately that Carmilla is dead and reason that Lenore must be as well. They admit defeat, leaving the castle behind to start a new life for themselves elsewhere.
"Maybe it's just in our nature to overreach, grasp at too much at once, try to drink everything. Maybe that's why, in the end, we win all the battles but always lose the war." -Striga
Episode 7: The Great Work
Trevor and Sypha force Zamfir to show them the underground court where, among the treasures stored there, Trevor finds the Battle Star Crucifix and questions why the people up-top are not being armed better. He pushes past the guards to find two lavish mummies upon the throne. Sypha suggests they get a priest to put them to rest, but Zamfir refuses, claiming to have killed all the priests to prevent a repeat of the event with Dracula. Zamfir also refuses to let anyone drink the holy water moat because she is using it to protect the royal mummies. Ratko, having divined the location of the underground court with a newly acquired talisman, break his way into the chamber with several night creatures.
Meanwhile, carts pulled by armored beasts approach Alucard's castle, carrying workers in the process of stitching together a body using both male and female parts scavenged from corpses.
Episode 8: Death Magic
Alucard rushes to help defend the castle, but is driven back by a gergoth (giant white monster). Alucard and Greta then notice strange glowing runes in the castle walls that are leading the souls of the fallen to Alucard's childhood room, specifically the spot where Dracula died. There they find Germain attempting to open a door to the Infinite Corridor by using the villagers as fuel.
Zamfir dies battling Ratko, who is then finished off by Trevor. During the fight, Varney discovers a transmission mirror behind the royal mummies and uses it to travel to Germain's location. Trevor and Sypha follow suit.
Episode 9: The Endings
Trevor and Sypha pass through the transmission mirror, landing right next to Alucard. The trio then proceed to eliminate the invaders throughout the castle. While the three of them are distracted, the hermaphrodite body from the cart is brought to Germain. It is then that Varney reveals himself to be Death in disguise. Death was also the Alchemist in the Infinite Corridor.
"I am a spirit. A function of the world. I can't raise armies. I can't fight an entire world teeming with life and bleed it to death. But he could." - Death
Germain is forced to finish the ritual, but when the souls of Dracula and Lisa are forced into the patchwork body, it writhes in agony. Regretting what he has done, Germain helps Trevor to destroy the homunculus which triggers an explosion. One of the blades from Trevor's Battle Star Crucifix is dislodged in the explosion, killing Germain. Trevor then engages in a showdown with Death.
"You're just an old killer. You don't make anything. You don't live. You just eat." -Trevor
Episode 10: It's Been A Strange Ride
Lenore chooses to burn herself in sunlight rather than be caged by Isaac. Hector decides to write a book so that future generations can avoid his mistakes.
Sypha, being pregnant and believing Trevor to have died fighting Death,
leaves to find her father and the Speakers. Alucard invites Sypha to
stay because the people of Danesti have decided to remain near the
castle. They are in the process of setting up a village and rebuilding
the Belmont hold. Alucard had also considered naming the new village
"Belmont" to confuse people.
A mysterious rider is spotted on the road heading toward the castle that turns out to be a very wounded Trevor. He claims to have destroyed Death using a special dagger looted from the underground vault. The dagger was made by a mad wizard that wanted to murder-suicide God. Trevor expected to die when he used it on Death, but a door to the Infinite Corridor consumed him before that could happen and deposited him near the river. Trevor believes Germain saved him.
At an inn, Dracula and Lisa discuss their uncertainty over what has transpired. They remember dying and don't understand how they've been revived, but agree not to return to the castle because they want Alucard to "have closure". Dracula suggests they travel to England where the "sun barely shines".
Final Thoughts
Season four had some of the best fight choreography and the most
ambitious action sequences, such as the day-armor and vampire battle. I
also love how they wrapped the series up, even if the conclusion was not
perfectly explained and a bit forced. I suspect the writers had planned
for an additional season and when that wasn't the case they had to
summarize what they had the best they could. The pointless trip to
Targoviste and unexplained needle thing on Zamfir (which I didn't
mention in my plot summary) was probably part of a larger plot thread
that had to be cut. New characters like Varney, Ratko, and Dragan (also
didn't mention) only make a few appearances and are never properly
introduced. Germain's transition to a ruthless killer is summed up in a
single scene where he puts a hammer through a man's head. Carmilla's
scheme, which was initially made out to be a big threat, didn't go
anywhere or effect anything outside of her own plot-line. It's very
clear a lot was planned and had to be condensed. When the series started
following multiple storylines at once is when I think things started
to go south. Belmont became a side character after season 2. Isaac kinda
stole what would've been Hector's redemption arc in the game, and
Lenore got sidelined. Nothing came of Alucard staking people outside of
his castle or Germain's mysterious lover. We never even get a name for
her, and for the longest time I suspected she was someone he made up. As
for the ending, I don't mind Trevor coming back from the dead, but that
could just be because I have a hard time picturing Sypha getting by as a
single mom in a medieval society with baby-eating demonic beasts
running around. And who else is going to teach the young Belmont how to
fight vampires? The Dracula and Lisa revival at the end was much less
forgivable in my eyes because they literally just pulled that same stunt
with Trevor and there is no narrative reason (at least not yet) to
bring them back.
The main issues I have with the series are
things that were present from the start: unnecessary characters
(Godbrand, vampire generals/sisters, Ratzko), plot devices from nowhere
(zombie priest, Death-killing dagger), and fetish fuel (S3 being the
biggest offender). But the whole is greater than the sum of its parts,
and the series stands fine on its own. It managed to strike the perfect
balance between doing its own thing, while still respecting the source
material, and in many ways tells a better tale than the sparse stories
from the video games.
Videos exploring the themes of the Castlevania anime:
Have you seen Castlevania the anime or played the video games it is based on? What were your thoughts?
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