Castlevania Season Three Review: The Vampire Hunters Return For Their Best Season

The trio of vampire hunters that were able to do the impossible during last season of Castlevania, i.e. killing Dracula, have returned for a brand new series of adventures in the best season yet, but without some “battle damage” along the way. With Trevor and Sypha travelling the world as monster hunters, Alucard has decided to take a much different approach to life, spending his days following the death of his father in dad’s castle. If you were a fan of the first two seasons, this will definitely be a “must watch” for you and improves on the foundation of the series!

Castlevania has excelled in the past thanks to its dynamite characterization, bringing the protagonists of the video game franchise to life through the medium of anime and giving them each sharp wits thanks to the writing talents of comic book legend, Warren Ellis, to say nothing of the gorgeous animation from Powerhouse. If I had to give one reason as to why people should put their time into this latest story arc, it is the downright hilarious and sometimes adorable interactions between our leads. Trevor and Sypha, for example, are far and away the most endearing parts of season three, whether they are back to back hurling whips and barbs toward demons of the night, or spending some down time in a village that harbors a dark secret. These episodes will give you more than a few belly laughs along the way.

This season also introduces several new characters, filling a void in both the light and the dark when it comes to a world that is “Post Dracula”. Saint Germain has a long history in the franchise, which is hinted here in Season Three giving fans of the games some big easter eggs along the way, and his wit makes him fit right in with the vampire hunters that we’ve grown to love over these past few years. We’re also joined by Carmilla’s blood guzzling sisters in Lenore, Striga, and Morana who have plans for the world now that old Vlad the Impaler is no longer present to work on his plans of eradicating humanity, to say nothing of the returning Isaac and Hector who has unique problems of their own to deal with.

The chink in the armor of Castlevania Season Three is that while all the elements are there, there is a sense that this is merely a step along the way toward something bigger, a precursor to a bigger story line down the road. The series is lucky to have such strong characterization as the season is the definition of a slow burn. It’s very similar to season two in that respect wherein we have a lot of build up among characters and events right until everything explodes in the final two episodes. Putting it again on the same level as season two, the final episodes of this latest story line simply explode with action, giving audiences some jaw dropping fight scenes that take a page from the previous assault on Dracula’s castle. If you thought Trevor could handle a whip before…!

Castlevania Season Three almost feels like Game Of Thrones in a sense, exemplifying the best and worst of the story telling that was used in the HBO staple. Characters are, and remain, scattered throughout but it still is a bloody good tale when all is said and done. The real tragedy would be if the series were to end prematurely as its clear there’s years more stories to tell.

Rating: 4 Out Of 5

Castlevania Season Three Arrives On Netflix on March 5th