It’s almost October, and with a second season of the intense Netflix animated series based on the classic video game franchise, we’re taking a look at all of the info confirmed for Castlevania Season 2!

1. When is it coming out?

Castlevania Season 2 will be premiering on Netflix in its entirety on October 26th, 2018. Season 1 dropped July 7, 2017, and while it was an action-packed addition to the summer, the new season coming just in time for Halloween warms our spooky hearts.

2. How long will it be?

Castlevania had a tumultuous journey to be the violent animated action we can stream today. It was originally intended to be a film, and the length of Season 1 reflects that. In fact, that’s a valid criticism of the first season. 4 episodes of 23 minutes each were nice, but it felt like it just didn’t tell enough of a story. The good news is that Castlevania Season 2 is going to be twice as long, with 8 episodes ordered. That’s enough to give it a proper season arc after what felt like a prelude.

3. Who is writing Castlevania Season 2?

As with Season 1, acclaimed comic book writer Warren Ellis will be writing Season 2. While Ellis is undoubtedly more known for his science fiction stories — of which he is likely one of the best living today — Season 1 proves how effectively he could tell a dark fantasy story. He also clearly has a love for the series, and the game this is based on in particular (aside from one character). He has been trying to get a Castlevania adaptation on screens since the mid-2000’s, so you can only imagine the passion he has for his work now.

4. Which video game is it based on?

Just like Season 1, Castlevania Season 2 will focus on the story of the 1989 classic Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse. This makes sense from a narrative standpoint as it has three well-defined characters at the center and a great overarching story to tell. You might notice that visually, the Castlevania series doesn’t seem to match the aesthetic of the NES game. That’s because the animated series is stylistically modeled after the PlayStation classic Symphony of the Night, which forever changed the visual language of Castlevania.

That’s not all though. Based on the Season 2 trailer, we think that Curse of Darkness might be making its way into the season. We’ll talk more about that in a little bit.

5. Who are the main characters?

Trevor Belmont was undoubtedly the main character and focus on Season 1. Castlevania Season 2 has been confirmed to focus on the three characters united at the end of Season 1. While we are used to Trevor Belmont, we will get more time with Dracula’s son Adrien Tepes and the mage Sypha Belnades. Adrien Tepes, also called Alucard, is an extremely interesting character from the entire game franchise, so the greater focus on him could be a highlight of the entire season.

6. Who is the cast?

The cast will be the same in Season 2 as in Season 1. The primary voice actors being acclaimed English actor Richard Armitage, James Callis of multiple successful science fiction series, and Scottish actor Graham McTavish.

7. Will this be the final season?

Castlevania Season 2 wasn’t confirmed until Season 1 was released. We already have confirmation that Season 3 has been greenlit. With the team behind the show knowing that they have longer to tell their story, we can’t wait to see how much they are able to set up come October.

8. What about Grant?

Warren Ellis has said that Grant is his least favorite character from Dracula’s Curse, and his absence from Season 1 was noticed. We aren’t the biggest fans of Grant here either, so that was fine by us, but some fans took issue with it. The trailer shows what appears to be Grant attacking Trevor, so we’re left wondering if this will be a throwaway easter egg, or something more.

9. What about the Vampire Killer?

The Vampire Killer is the whip the Belmont family uses to slay Dracula throughout the centuries. In season 1 we saw it as a leather whip in the hands of Trevor Belmont. Warren Ellis proved excellent at showing the video game convention of a party of heroes coming together interpreted for a TV series, and the trailer clearly shoes Trevor with an upgraded, chain whip. It will be interesting to see how Season 2 handles the convention of weapon upgrades.

10. What was that about Curse of Darkness?

Castlevania: Curse of Darkness (PS2) is a sequel to Dracula’s Curse, taking place three years later. The main character of the game is Hector, a former ally of Dracula who betrayed his master. Promotional art from those involve confirmed that Hector will be a part of Castlevania Season 2. With Season 3 confirmed, we have to wonder if that is Ellis’ endgame for his show.

Check out the trailer and its synthwave inspired sounds here!

This months Retro Motors looks back at some of the best cartoon vehicles. Again the 80’s and early 90’s were the host to an abundance of all action vehicular combat based cartoons; ranging from the absolutely absurd, to some of the finest animated work to date. Taking a look over what people consider “The best cartoons” today, it’s clear to see that we have moved away from the more classic storytelling and instead opted for balls out, physiologically unsettling and surreal. Back then it was good vs evil, David vs Goliath, man vs machine- or a mix of all three. Not only did the majority of these cartoons tell of a great adventure or explore some primal instincts but they also looked damn cool.

A group I wholeheartedly feel should exist in real life is M.A.S.K (Mobile Armoured Strike Command). If money were no object I’d mobilise a team akin to M.A.S.K and chase ivory poachers with a flying Camaro that shoots rockets. People like Elon Musk think they’re doing the world a favour by producing silent cars and an underground tunnel, but I feel if I was wealthy enough, people would much rather watch a live feed of me in a flying Camaro bombing Japanese whaling boats.

Thunderhawk

No list of the coolest cartoon vehicles could end without mentioning Transformers, although my favourite robot was not only a bad guy but was never a vehicle in the first place. Sound wave, for me, always stood out for the fact he decided to talk through a vocoder and his arsenal consisted of a massive cannon and weaponised cassette tapes.

Yet no other cartoon character made such an impact on me than Optimus Prime. I seem to remember entering a Video Nest here in the UK and choosing a film for Friday night with my dad. From Thundercats to HE MAN, Jason and the Wheeled Warriors to Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles. What could go wrong with a full feature length film about these mighty metal heros? Optimus Prime could go wrong, that’s what.

Optimus Prime

There are some people who still believe that certain human beings, deceased yet period correct, still wander the earth as ghosts. It is believed that certain spectral entities come back with such tasks as moving trinkets, walking without purpose or simply switching on and off the lights. They may be one of the most underwhelming myths of the natural world but the Ghostbusters on the other hand are real and the film is a masterpiece. The Real Ghostbusters was the name of the animated series and what a series it was- exploring further into the characters whilst retaining all the fun and bizarre ghost stories of New York City.

Ecto 1 is a Cadillac- in case you didn’t know. Miller-Meteor, the famous coach builder, designed and manufactured modified versions for businesses who required a classy looking vehicle as big a boat. It had been used as an ambulance-come-hearse in some states of America and became infamous when it starred in the Ghostbusters film. The unforgettable wail of the siren and the bright colour scheme are as iconic as that silver car from Back To The Future.

Ecto 1

The best Batmobile has been and gone when Michael Keaton drove it back in 1989. Long, black, sleek and sexy, complete with mounted guns, turbine and armour plating. Since then the Batmobile has gone from looking like it runs the city, to something that looks like Super-Goth is trying to compensate.

A little later in 1992 Batman the animated series was launched. A beautifully animated, well scripted; timeless, moving comic, also featuring its very own Batmobile. In keeping with the gothic art deco style of the series, the Batmobile of this era is a brutal looking, four wheeled slab of a car. Housing what appears to be a monstrous V12 and with all the essential gadgets like teargas, bullet proof armour and missiles. The dark deco style was inspired by Tim Burton’s work and in my opinion deserves a live action version someday, if only to see the car for real.

The Batmobile

Not exactly a cartoon, more like an animated schizophrenic episode- Akira is an extraordinary masterpiece of technical ability, eccentric storytelling and cult imagery. Any New Retro Wave fan will tell you, the Neo-Tokyo setting is an unnerving mix of real world imagery and sci-fi elements that blend in such a brutal way, it’s going to leave a mark.

My lasting memory of the film however was not the face melting fight sequences but the bike. Kaneda is a young teen with a bad attitude. He’s also the leader of a biker gang who take no shit when it comes to the open road. His chosen chariot is renowned even before you get to see it. Rumour has it this thing was a 200mph, electronically driven sports bike. Whatever it is, it’s one of the coolest animated vehicles to date. Some die hard fans of the franchise have spent thousands creating exact replicas. It has even inspired Honda to create something that closely resembles Shotaro Kaneda’s iron horse.

Kaneda’s bike

These vehicles were at first animated, then became toys and now in some cases would become a reality. I may not be able to have my very own Batmobile but I’ve always thought cars and bikes bring adventure and can become a very real emotional attachment. I hope that even with the decline of fossil fuel burning vehicles, we could see a revival of memorable characters and and equally as memorable vehicular concepts.