Castlevania Season 2 Review: 7 Ups And 2 Downs

8. Down: The Pacing

Netflix Castlevania
Netflix

Though the overall story was told masterfully, and was never boring, the series often felt as though it ramped up the action too quickly, then transitioned back to slow, thoughtful conversations just as abruptly. One might argue it's realistic in war to have long periods of planning and waiting before a short but brutal battle, but the telling of a narrative requires just a little more transition in-between either.

Though it served to build up fantastic characters along the way, the way the story gave more time to characters such as Hector, Isaac, Carmilla and Godbrand made Dracula's own story almost a sideline plot for much of the season, before bringing it back to Drac' in the climax.

The episode divisions were equally jarring. When binged, the season flows just fine as a full narrative, but the credits hit in seemingly random places, cutting off at scenes that did not feel like the conclusion of an episode, but more like a commercial break.

As a whole, the story works and flows well, but having it divided into eight 23-minute episodes instead of, perhaps, four 46-minute ones, or just one whole long film, felt superfluous in the long run.

Contributor
Contributor

Writer, artist, professional animator. Indie comics and Hi Nay podcast creator. Queer Filipino storyteller || @MotzieD on Twitter || Originally from Quezon City, The Philippines. Currently based in Toronto, Canada || motziedapul.com