Nocturne Season 2 Pulls Off A Rare Feat For Netflix

In the modern age of streaming, very few shows last longer than a season or two. Netflix has developed perhaps the worst cancellation reputation of all streaming services. While the company commissions and produces a ton of original content every year, very little of it lasts the many years that shows often got in the old days of traditional TV. Of course, there are exceptions, and with the release of “Castlevania: Nocturne” season 2, there’s a big one.

Yes, this is only the second season of “Nocturne,” but if you count it as an extension of the original “Castlevania” series, it’s season 6. Most sequel series are their own distinct entities, but in the case of the “Castlevania” team, many core members made the transition between the two shows. Original creator, showrunner, and writer Warren Ellis was dropped from the franchise in between the shows after allegations of misconduct, and was replaced by a team including writers Zodwa Nyoni and Temi Oh and new “Nocturne” showrunner Clive Bradley. However, the directors and animators at Powerhouse Animation Studios led by Adam and Samuel Deats, composer Trevor Morris, and producers Kevin Kolde, Fred Seibert, and Adi Shankar have all been on board since the very beginning, giving both shows plenty of cohesion beyond their shared universe.

What’s even more impressive than an animated video game adaptation getting six seasons on Netflix is that every single “Castlevania” season is spectacular. With “Nocturne” season 2 delivering yet another standout set of episodes, the show has entered truly rare company.

It’s hard to make a list of shows that ran for at least six seasons and never dipped in quality. “Game of Thrones” season 6 was controversial, all-timers like “The Wire” and “Breaking Bad” only ran for five seasons each, and many other popular, high-genre shows like “Supernatural,” “Doctor Who,” or “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” had major dips in quality.

Some viewers might argue that “Castlevania” dropped off after season 2, as season 3 of the original show is much slower-paced. I’d argue, though, that season 3 is some of the franchise’s strongest material, as it gives all the characters time to breathe, develop, and explore core themes like faith, grief, love, and loneliness. “Nocturne” season 1 changed things up again by giving the show a slightly younger ensemble of characters, but the core of what’s always made “Castlevania” great remained intact.

Yes, refreshing the story with a new time period and cast arguably helps things stay interesting, but it’s not any easier to totally change the story of a show than it is to keep one arc going for five or six seasons. If anything, “Nocturne” was a huge risk when it premiered, as none of the characters fans had come to love from the preceding series were present in it at all.

The most apt comparison might be “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and “The Legend of Korra.” While “Castlevania” is a much more brutal and adult-oriented show, the “Avatar” franchise has a similar animated style, level of supernatural lore, and a close connection between the original and sequel series. In both cases, a majority of the creative team from the first show moved over to the second, changing the tone and structure but keeping the important things consistent.

Ranking every season of “Castlevania” is a challenge because they’re all great but in different ways. That said, “Nocturne” season 2 is near the top of that list. It doesn’t surpass season 2 of the original series in my opinion, but it has a similar structure, building tension, and explosive climax.

The last two episodes of this season contain some of the best action “Castlevania” has ever seen. Alucard’s Paris-spanning duel with Drolta and the multi-stage team-up against Erzsebet are true feats of animation, no less impressive than Trevor’s battle against death in “Castlevania” season 4 or the fight against Dracula in season 2. And beyond that, the character work — something that “Castlevania” has always excelled at — continues to be incredibly strong. Everyone, even the villains and antiheroes, gets juicy material here. Maria grapples with a devastating blend of grief and rage that almost destroys her. Olrox grapples with his own morality, which is at times both enriched by and at odds with his selfishness.

We don’t know yet if Netflix will renew “Castlevania” for another season, but at this point, it’s an eight-year-old institution, and the streamer wouldn’t be the same without it. The video games eventually surpass the present day and enter the near future, so there’s tons of material available for adaptation if “Nocturne” were to end and be succeeded by a third show with a new name. Personally, I hope that “Castlevania” runs for another six seasons, because after it being this good for this long, I just want to see how far it can go.