10 Reasons You Should Watch Castlevania Season 4

One of the things that sets Castlevania apart from other "dark" series is just how well it writes emotion into major scenes.

One of the biggest traps "adult" stories fall into, especially mainstream ones, is a fear of showing the deeply emotional and optimistic storytelling norms common in "children's cartoons" in an attempt to seem edgier. Mistaking cynicism for maturity is something many purportedly "adult" series tend to do, and Castlevania handily avoids this by being more honest and human with its portrayals.

Characters in Castlevania can defecate and fornicate and curse and kill and die, but they can also hold each other's hands, be open with their affection, show powerful, earth-shattering characters like Dracula himself be fully and tenderly in love with his wife.

The writing allows for the full range of the human experience even while these characters achieve inhumanly impressive, almost god-like feats. The series, despite its premise, allows its characters to be thoughtful, optimistic, tender, and happy. It doesn't revel in darkness for darkness's sake, but knows that the world can be cruel.

It also knows the world can be kind, despite that. Which, for such a "dark" series, is a remarkably courageous thesis statement.