Netflix’s Castlevania introduced a completely new band of fans to the vibrant characters of the video game franchise. Alucard has always been the poster boy of Castlevania and every season of the show brings forth a new aspect of the character. The only time the focus shifts from him is in Castlevania: Nocturne. Even then, it’s just a matter of time before he joins the cast again.
The pattern so far highlights the priorities and focus of the Netflix series. It’s not difficult to predict what the future projects of the series might look like, and part of the reason also lies in the creative liberties the show has taken so far.
Castlevania’s focus on Alucard makes the series’ future quite clear
Castlevania began its short run on Netflix in 2017, with a four-episodes-long season. After that, we have gotten three consecutive seasons and the story has largely focused on the events from Alucard’s life. The story is loosely based on the games, namely, Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse (1989), Curse of Darkness (2005), and Symphony of the Night (1997).
The one time the focus shifted from Alucard to a different character was in the sequel series, Nocturne. It loosely adapts Rondo of Blood (1993) and Symphony of Night (1997) and follows the story of Richter Belmont. When Richter and Maria failed to achieve their objective against Erzsebet, Alucard returned to play a key role in their adventure. This makes it extremely clear that the makers want the dhampir to stick around.
His story arc was extremely impactful and the mere mention of Sumi and Taka is enough to get fans raging. Given the connection forged between Alucard and the fandom along with his insane popularity, the priorities of the makers are no surprise. Therefore, it’s safe to assume that going forward, the show will follow the same pattern, adapting stories where it’s easy to incorporate Alucard.
This narrows down the scope of the series to the stories that involve Alucard. Making Aria of Sorrow (2003) and Dawn of Sorrow (2005) the perfect contenders for future projects. Besides adapting the stories where Alucard plays a key role, the show takes some creative liberties which, in turn, brings back the spotlight to the fan-favorite character.
The Netflix series doesn’t shy away from taking its own path
From the beginning itself, Netflix’s Castlevania took its own path. It didn’t shy away from shaping a narrative that didn’t exactly align with the games. As a result, the story of the show is well-rounded and perfect for fans who are new to the world. Moreover, the games are known for giving minimal context. The story of the games acts as a cushioning between events.
It creates a connection without delving too much into the specifics. The show does the opposite as it fleshes out the narrative and even changes characters in the process. For instance, Dracula’s story shows the softer parts of him as opposed to portraying him simply as a blood-thirsty vampire. This approach allows freedom whenever the show significantly drifts from the games.
Castlevania is available to stream on Netflix.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
