Castlevania Season 1 Episode 2 Recap – Necropolis

Bar Fight

The men at the tavern gossip about the Belmont family, cursing them for waging wars against each other that affect the common folk.

Another man approaches the bar and asks for more ale. The others notice the family crest in his shirt–it’s a Belmont crest. The man denies it, but the drunkards aren’t convinced. The men tell him that Belmonts practice Black magic, and he retorts that they fight it, from what he’s told.

Still, the men insist that the Belmonts could be the ones to blame for Dracula’s attacks on their towns, as black magic is now rampant in Wallachia.

The man introduces himself as Trevor Belmont and warns them that he’s armed. This doesn’t stop them, as the drunkards and the bartender all gang up on Trevor. He leaves the tavern drunk, bloody, and cursing.

Trevor wakes up the following day and finds himself near Gresit. The demons have been ravaging the town. Its gates are barred, and the city is filled with the dead. Trevor finds a sewer entrance and braces himself before venturing in. He sneaks past the sleeping guards to find a broken city.

The poor and homeless litter the streets, and there are piles of dead people everywhere. In the city center, the people get by with trading what little they have. A meat vendor tells him that the Speakers are in the city. After they’re done, the demons should leave them alone.

Gresit

Trevor goes around town to gather more information. Another man tells him of a Sleeping Hero who will save them after he wakes from under the catacombs. He tells him not to let the bishop hear of it, of course. Some other man elsewhere tells him the bishop will take care of everyone in Gresit.

As he wanders, he stumbles upon a Speaker being threatened by a group of priests. Trevor whips one of the priests, severing a finger. He warns them to run away, but one of the priests attacks him with a knife, and Trevor lashes him and takes out an eyeball. He tells both priests to leave them.

The Elder Speaker thanks Trevor and invites him to their lodging, where he meets others of his order. The Speakers tell him that violence is unnecessary. Trevor has dealt with Speakers before and knows quite a lot about them. The Speakers are an order of nomadic scholars of history, but it seems odd that they’ve been here for a while.

The church diverts the blame to them, but the Speakers know that the church brought Dracula’s ire on themselves by executing Dracula’s wife. They’ve decided to stay in Gresit to help the people. The Elder tells him of the legend of the Sleeping Soldier.

A Soldier Sleeps

Trevor thinks it’s too convenient and magical. The Speakers say they can hear stories from the future. The one assigned to look for the Soldier has vanished into the catacombs. The Elder asks Trevor what he plans to do, and all he wants is to get drunk and eat.

Trevor’s family could’ve defeated Dracula, but the church didn’t want them to do so. He wants the church to suffer for their choice. The Elder asks him about the ordinary people of Wallachia, and Trevor tells them they’ve always stood aside while evil men took power.

Before Trevor leaves, he asks the Speakers to leave town, but it is revealed that the missing Speaker is the Elder’s grandchild. They stay for the people, for hope.

Trevor tells them he’ll find his grandchild’s body if they agree to leave. He fears that the people are about to incite a riot against them. The Elder agrees but tells him it’s not death that they fear but living without doing their best.

Our Thoughts:

The animation could have been a lot more polished, but overall I like the art direction and the look of this show. I can’t complain about the worldbuilding and the characters, as they’ve all immersed me so much that I lost track of time. I rate this a 3.8/5.