I considered for a moment to draw Jamesy doing goofy stuff with a whip behind the sofa, but then I’d lose the symmetry of the piece. I liked the idea of Movie Slate in the center flanked by Jamesy and Cheli on either side. For a very brief period of time I also considered drawing Jamesy getting a swift hoof to the balls (like poor Trevor gets, twice) but thought it was too goofy of an idea so I discarded it as soon as I thought of it.
 
The original idea for this update was going to be a three panel comic, with each panel being a reaction to a season of the series (that’s currently available at the time of writing this). The thing is I don’t think the opinions of the characters would’ve changed all that much in the end, so instead each character represents a season of the show, as well as their overall opinion. Jamesy is overall OK with the result of series, Movie Slate adores it, and Cheli is feeling relatively underwhelmed. Drawing sad and upset Movie Slate is a lot of fun.
 
So “Castlevania” is such a breath of fresh air. Perhaps it’s too early to call it lightning in a bottle, but after seeing failed attempt after failed attempt to adapt a videogame in a non-interactive format I say it’s pretty darn well done. You’ve got this concept of a game that doesn’t really need a story but the thinnest of contexts, and from there you can just have your own adventure shaped up. Well this series takes that context and expands upon it really well, not really re-inventing any wheels but keeping the focus on the very likeable characters. I’ll come out and say that I’ve only played three Castlevania games: The original NES one, Aria of Sorrow, and Symphony of the Night. I like them fine, especially when they are made in a Metroidvania style, but I can’t be considered a fan of the game series, so my judgement of the show is based purely on what the show is giving me.
 
Well the show gave me a lot of good stuff in the very short (proof of concept) first season, an absolute heartbreak in the second, and a very interesting (if overplayed) take in the third season that I quite enjoyed. It’s perhaps one of the most consistent series I’ve seen recently, and here’s hoping their don’t Game-of-Thrones it when it comes the time to finishing the show. I’ll admit this is a reasonable concern, that third season did have a pretty underwhelming ending and the feel that not much has been done in terms of advancing the plot, though character wise there was a plethora of growth from everyone (especially Alucard whom I’d consider my favourite character in the show).
 
Overall it’s safe to say that I really enjoy the Castlevania series, and I hope to keep watching it in the future and see how it unfolds. It’s one of those rare examples where knowing nothing of the source material actually works in the favour of enjoyment and fun, and while it’s not flawless it’s engaging enough and enjoyable enough for me. Sure it’s not for everyone, but neither is wine.