Castlevania: Nocturne writers clap back at “disturbing” Season 2 criticism

Castlevania: Nocturne Season 2 has been flying high on the Netflix charts, but as always there are a select few who have complained about the “woke” representation in the anime series. 

The second chapter of the Castlevania spinoff series landed on the streaming service on January 16, picking up where Season 1 left off with Richter Belmont and his band of vampire hunters joining forces with Dracula’s son Alucard to face-off against Erzsebet Báthory’s evil plans. 

Castlevania: Nocturne has always enriched its narrative by blending historical events like the French and Haitian Revolutions with its mythological elements, ensuring authenticity and paving the way for Black representation in anime. 

While a majority of the fandom has embraced Season 2 with open arms, as is often the case with video game adaptations and the fantasy realm, a vocal minority has accused the Netflix series of being too “woke.”

Netflix

In a new conversation with Gizmodo, executive producer Clive Bradley and writers Zodwa Nyoni and Testament have clapped back at the haters, describing the “woke” comments as “disturbing.”

The outlet asked about the Castlevania: Nocturne viewers who “scoffed at the swapping of Annette, accusing the series of not remaining faithful to the games as ‘Blackwashing’ or forced inclusivity.”

In response, Bradley explained, “[Richter’s] girlfriend in the game is Annette, which is a French name, so we used that name. It certainly wasn’t because of some supposed need for a ‘quota’ of Black characters. 

“Netflix never said anything about that. It flowed from the logic of the story we wanted to tell. A minority of the audience have attacked the show as ‘woke,’ and so forth. 

“Of course, on one level, that was to be expected. But it’s quite disturbing, to be honest, that some people see the element of the story which is, at core, ‘slavery is bad, freedom is good’, as controversial – or simplistic or something – and ‘woke.’ 

“I think maybe some people haven’t grasped that the Haitian Revolution was a real thing that actually happened, which most people don’t know about. If it’s ‘woke’ to tell a story which is partly about that, well, so be it.”

Adding to this, Testament pointed out that it’s important not to ‘shut down’ the conversation on any side, as it’s an “opportunity to talk about how the French Revolution had important Black people.”

“When the new politics of the revolution was starting, you had freed slaves in parliament,” he continued.

“The first Black representative was in Paris during that era. There was a Black area of Paris at that time. That’s real stuff.

“Even going back to that famous conversation between Richter and Dracula [in the games], they talk about slavery and religion. 

“Richter asks Dracula, ‘You wanna enslave all men’s souls?’ This freedom narrative for Richter goes back to the games; all we’re doing is adding to that.”

Nyoni added that “Black folks have been around in spaces where white people think that we have not been. We have long-rooted histories in spaces. 

“You end up with this outcry about Blackwashing and you go, ‘What’s the thing that you are actually afraid of?’”

Castlevania: Nocturne writers proud of Annette’s evolution 

Netflix

As for Annette, the character development in Castlevania: Nocturne highlights how adaptations can enrich source material. 

As Testament stated, they were able to take “limited characters like Annette [who] in the computer games has purple hair and is a damsel in distress” and give her a complex arc. 

Nyoni described how Annette underwent an “evolution” from the Castlevania games, allowing the creative team to “create a character that felt more relevant to the space and world that we had built.”

“I think it would have been just so massively incomprehensible to have landed during the kind of Haitian revolution without showing that vastness of Blackness, culture, religion, and meaningful representation,” she continued.

“In popular culture, when it comes to the representation of people of color, I think it is crucial, and there is nothing about the existence of Annette that I regret. 

“I am so proud of that character, and I’m so proud of the work that has gone in not only with myself but with the writing team as a whole that we’ve done in her narrative thread in the world we built together. 

“Somebody else’s prejudice and racism are not for me to tackle. I just have to continue to write great stories. That is my only task.”

Castlevania: Nocturne Seasons 1-2 are streaming on Netflix now. You can learn more about the Belmont family tree and find more great shows coming to streaming this month.