#Hector is voiced by Crispin Freeman if that's reason enough to watch/play

[r0bita]

People only talking about Netflix Castlevania's Hector makes me kind of sad.

Not because Netflixvania Hector was so broken and tragic, but because OG Hector (who also went through some tragic stuff off screen and before the game officially begins) would have been 100% done with everyone's(Mainly Isaac's) shit and had 0 chill. And the main character of his own fucking video game!

I'm talking HAM levels of anger and tearing everyone up with his bare fists (that's an option btw). He fought Trevor, Saint Germain, and Death and triggered a time paradox!

I don't think it's saying too much that I'm not very impressed with how they handled his character in the Animated Series. Or anything after Season 2... (Except Isaac... I guess...)

[overlord-diaries]

Castlevania Season 3: One really specific fan review.

So now that we’re under shelter in place I’m back on this tumblr bruha again, wildin. [Missed all that good shit of tumblr crashing and burning on itself lmao] Anyway I threw this up a while back after I finished because I had to get it out so YEAH HERE WE GO.

OKAY SO CASTLEVANIA SEASON 3, IN MANY PARTS.

Trevor and Sypha, aka Belnades and Belmont Funtime Adventures: -The best paced of the "routes", but still little dragging. -St. Germain. [and he kept reminding me of FGO Shakespeare] -Kept waiting for the Judge to be Zead. Aka Death, in continuing the nods to Curse of Darkness, the next chronological order game. -NICE FIGHTS. NICE NICE NICE NICE. Animation got a little weird at the last fight but it was still good, looked good. Infinite Corridor, okay. Hell, blase, but whatever that wasn't the point. Satisfying magic blasts, whip GRANDO CROSSSSSSSS. -Excellent final boss music. -I added this part after I got to the end because it's clear this route was the best overall as I had the least to commentate on. -Just this part. 4 outta 5.

Isaac also Has an Adventure: -Netflix Animated Isaac, henceforth Animated!Isaac, has become a decent enough character, though I still think he needs work [from the season 2 which I'll just leave alone], and should've been a separate character if he wasn't going to be Curse of Darkness Isaac [henceforth CoD!Isaac]. -This kind of world-building solo Walking the Earth trope could work, but the pacing wasn't great. -LEGION HOLY SHIT. -In direct comparison to Belnades and Belmont funtimes, he somehow didn't have a good enough ending fight either. EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS LEGION, A CASTLEVANIA MAINSTAY BOSS. -He needs someone else to wax philosophical with but the odds aren't great of anyone else surviving. -Just this part: 2.5 outta 5.

Alucard Experiencing Time at a Troublesome Pace, aka He Should've Gone to Sleep: -Man he should've gone to sleep. As long as there is a Belmont, a Belnades, a Renard, a Morris, Shanoa, etc. around, he goes to sleep. -Fun fact, Taka and Sumi are not siblings. -Fun fact, the Japanese dub of the show, Okiayu Ryoutarou, the original voice of Alucard is in the cast. He voices Trevor though; Shinichiro Miki voices Alucard. I'm never gonna get over that because I'm a fucking seiyuu nerd. -Alucard's arc is a summary of the beautiful landscape and scenery the studios gave us this time, and details on his eyelashes. -Alucard's arc is also a summary of the really awful pacing that resulted from the diverging routes. Very little happened, and a very arbitrary leap of logic has now potentially made a drastic character shift for no real reason. -Better ending: Taka and Sumi, though humans, were actually very loyal to Cho [similar to Hector and Isaac's role to Dracula] and came to hunt down whomever brought about her demise. Or enslave them, upon learning that Alucard played a hand in that. And bring him back to their domain that is thrown in chaos with Cho's absence. Way better. Potential to continue because if they just wanted to capture him, the episode could've ended on that. AND THEN THE FUCKING CASTLE COULD DEMONSTRATE IT'S ELDRITCH ABOMINATION POWERS BY EATING THEM. Or something. -Just this part. 3.5 outta 5. Bonus not-there point because Alucard.

Hector Has a Bad Time, aka It Got Worse: -I cannot fucking believe they decided of anyone, to shaft Hector like this. -You like my stealth pun there? -CURSE OF DARKNESS HECTOR [henceforth CoD!Hector] COULD PUNCH DRACULA IN THE FACE AND HAD THE POWER OF CRISPIN FREEMAN TO VOICE HIM, THIS NETFLIX ANIMATION HECTOR [henceforth Animated!Hector] MAKES ME DEATH METAL GROWL INTO INFINITY. -Fun Fact, in the Japanese dub he is voiced by Takahiro Sakurai. So of course the only joy I got out of this was listening to him whimper. -I DIDN'T SAY THAT. [yesIdid *slurp*] -This entire route was a demonstration of gaslighting at work, but in the most low effort way that it's nearly comical that it still worked. -Design wise, I mentioned this in my live watching posts, Striga looks like she was lifted from Vampire Hunter D, and Morana gave me Natsume Ono [ACCA] vibes. Nice nice nice. -I'm so incensed by what happened with Hector that I can't even comment on the Council of Sisters aside from the fact that I want to stab Carmilla and Lenore. That perma-blush for moe points, get that shit outta here. -AAAAAAAAAAARAARRRRARARHARUAHRUHGHGH-- -Just this part: FUCKING, DAMNIT--1.5 OUTTA 5 AAAAHH

Other, aka The Complaints of a Castlevania Fan: -BOOOOOOO NO JOACHIM, 0 OUTTA 10. -I will write a separate "This is what I wanted out of a cameo from Joachim". -No ost tho? -What even was this pacing? -Was hoping also for more interactions of Castlevania itself with Alucard [the young master~], since he's there by himself. I was actually thinking that would come through because he had the dolls of Trevor and Sypha. -Where is Death? I'm a tad concerned [he also would be the one to call out to the young master~] -I've heard pray tell that the producer wants to make a Devil May Cry animated series as well, and join them into a shared universe [with other future works they do] and that has me apprehensive. When a) Devil May Cry already has an anime, and b) there's still improvements to be made for Castlevania. -Listen new characters and taking advantage of the expanse of lore and open-ended story that presents itself with the absence of Dracula is great. But it has to be good. Like anything else.

Overall, 8 outta 10.

Twas a horrible night to have a curse.

[beevean]

It's frustrating :(

I like N!Hector in S2. I think he's a good interpretation of Hector pre-betrayal, with some traits being given more emphasis over others. But by S3 he stops being a compelling character, right as N!Isaac steals the spotlight :\

The fandom seems to be split into game fans who love Hector only because he's cool and shit on N!Hector for being a dumb "simp" (which he's not, he's a victim of abuse, coercion and rape), and show fans who think N!Hector is deep and Hector is just a shallow edgelord.

I love Hector and I think he's much more nuanced than people give him credit for. If you like N!Hector for his history of abuse, love for animals (kind of) and his deep need to be loved to the point that he latches onto the wrong people, Hector is the same, I promise, it's just more subtle and isn't used to demean the character. And it's a big shame that the character got lost into a... let's call it problematic narrative to say the least, because he actually had some interesting character traits like his cavalier "I can fix it" attitude towards death.

I wholeheartedly suggest to not only watch a playthrough of CoD (or play it yourself, but admittedly the game is very flawed unless you like the grind), but to retrieve the two prequel mangas. They flesh out Hector, Isaac and Rosaly so much - and let me tell you, I definitely don't see N!Isaac as an improvement over Isaac after reading them... and Lenore as a replacement for Rosaly makes me unspeakably furious :)

anyway. wish CoD wasn't so obscure and unpopular :(

People only talking about Netflix Castlevania's Hector makes me kind of sad.

Not because Netflixvania Hector was so broken and tragic, but because OG Hector (who also went through some tragic stuff off screen and before the game officially begins) would have been 100% done with everyone's(Mainly Isaac's) shit and had 0 chill. And the main character of his own fucking video game!

I'm talking HAM levels of anger and tearing everyone up with his bare fists (that's an option btw). He fought Trevor, Saint Germain, and Death and triggered a time paradox!

I don't think it's saying too much that I'm not very impressed with how they handled his character in the Animated Series. Or anything after Season 2... (Except Isaac... I guess...)