Orlox immediately became one of my favorite characters. He's interesting, suave as hell, and Zahn McClarnon's performance is just fantastic.

@snaccgod9699

8 ай бұрын

He had me from "Julia Belmont...."

@mitsk2002

8 ай бұрын

His voice... and the way he talks, and his whole vibe. I realize I looked forward to his scenes the most.

@irighterotica

8 ай бұрын

@mitsk2002 His voice is nice, for sure. Smooth. Wouldn't mind hearing him on the radio or reading an audiobook myself. Though I suspect some folks would rather have him whispering sweet nothings in their ear.

@jamescollinge5043

7 ай бұрын

He's a great character, but for me he should've been an OC. Olrox for me will always be a count orlock type character.

If anyone paid attention, Richter uses Juste’s magic enhanced fisticuffs by using Speaker magic with his hands. In the games, that was one of the attacks Juste can use.

Love the way they weaves a lot of west African magic and spiritual myth in the vampire slayer setting a lot people don’t know about that

@Erbukah

8 ай бұрын

But the pronunciation/intonation of the gods was terrible

@bennettroth3051

8 ай бұрын

@@Erbukahman actually is braindead

@fun-with-purpose1436

8 ай бұрын

Not to mention the pretending that west African magic doesn’t practice sacrifice or dark magic. I know a few priestesses personally, they sacrifice chicken, pigs and other animals. Not to mention there are many dark magicians who have been known to sacrifice children and adults. And yea the pronunciation of the gods was awful and they borrowed some imagery from Attack on titan with the tree and ancestors.

@Erbukah

8 ай бұрын

@@fun-with-purpose1436 exactly...I'm african(Nigerian) so i know...sacrifices with animals are very common..and even humans

@sautarijuarez663

8 ай бұрын

@@fun-with-purpose1436I mean it’s supposed to mostly be Voodoo, which has African influences but isn’t exactly the same thing nor is it dark magic by any means.

Thank you very much of contextualizing the Haitian revolution and western African and Haitian deities and divinity. I didn't know any of that and makes me appreciate the show even more

Something to add to Juste is that he mentions the fate of Lydie and Maxim, the other two charachters from Harmony of Dissonance. I pains my heart such tragic ending for them.

I really appreciate the breakdown of all these references, especially the west African spiritual lore. i don't see a lot of other places bother to detail it.

Some further references I know of: If Olrox's monster form is a reference to Quetzalcoatl, then that would technically also make Olrox's monster form a reference to the Castlevania enemy with the same name. Also, Olrox uses an obsidian dagger, which is another Aztec reference. When Julia casts her ice spell, they spin in a circle. Like the game spell Ice Needles. Richter's Grand Cross also looks almost identical to that of Julius Belmont. Another Richter reference is that his nightgown has torn out sleeves, which is a reference to his original design. When Juste took Richter's whip to fight the vampire, he moves with some sort of afterimage or shadow for a moment, much like he does in the game. Maria being captured by Emmanuel could also be reference to how you find her in Rondo of Blood. When Alucard talks to Richter, the music has briefly the Lords of Shadow leitmotif in it. It is hard to hear.

@hahaimout1693

8 ай бұрын

Holy shit I thought I was the only one who heard the belmont theme from LoS in that scene

I didn’t know anything about Richter’s white headband from the games but I really liked the moment when he puts it on in the show. There was a moment before when some girls gave him this band and they were inspiring him to take part in revolution, so when he finally wears it he mades his mind up and overcomes his fears. That was really symbolic

Minor stretch here, but I liked that despite Tera's depiction as Maria's mother she still has nods to her appearances in her games with her hair cuts, having shorter hair like in the Dracula X Chronicles, but in her flashback she has a long ponytail like her original appearance in Rondo Blood. There's also the mention of Maria/Tera's sacrifice, which was Shaft's purpose with the maidens in Richter's adventure. And Tera becoming a vampire is what happens to Annette if you fail to save her in Dracula X.

You missed the easter egg that Julia's clothes are essentially the same as the ones Richter is using in his dialog sprite in Symphony of the night.

I'm really happy to see more different types of magic and spirituality included in the setting of Castlevania, you'll often see mostly European and Japanese (and a few different other Asian ones) as part of the majority of the lore, especially once it gets to the later Dawn/Aria games since it takes place in Japan as opposed to Europe, so I was really happy to see Haitian/West African/Aztec/Egyptian magic and references included (though Egypt has made a few appearances in the game series like Portait of Ruin)

Richter's fire whip is a direct item crash from the games. It works by activating item crush without picking up a subweapon. thank you for deep dive on lore and historical context

Funny enough Aztecs also have a vampire god called camazotz

Annete was badass in the shows version lol idk why people got butthurt lol

@OPornogeros

8 ай бұрын

Just anti-wokes overreacting as usual Not like she was better in the source material,she was basically a damsel in distress Nocturne Annete at least has more substance

@StoryDive

8 ай бұрын

@@OPornogeros They were going to have to change Anette one way or another because she was too flat in the original games. I think (some) people got sensitive that they made her black, but keep in mind she had purple hair in the original, did her race really matter? I think the character has some writing issues but she could have had issues if she was purple-haired white lady also. In this version, they at least tried to make her part of the "Age of Revolutions" which makes sense given the series is set during the French Revolution.

@jphugo15

8 ай бұрын

@@StoryDive Since she had purple hair, the internet was going to hate her anyway.

@generaljimmies3429

8 ай бұрын

@@OPornogeros If it is race/gender swapping for the sake of it I would be against such things as it was being done for the sake of politics, not story. However... In cases like Issac and Annette(among others), I don't mind these changes BECAUSE they are well written characters. The old Issac and Annette were pretty basic in the games, one a generic villain and the other a damsel in distress. If you're gonna change a character, do it for story reasons that make sense, and not to fill a quota.

@mettatonneoex

8 ай бұрын

It was more her being too brash and foolish by nearly getting the group killed. But as she has had a very hard lesson she will learn to be better

One of the characters in the series makes a passing reference to a " Lord Ruthven ", who was one of the first fictional vampires, created by Polidori during that seminal night with Lord Byron and Mary Shelley that created Mary's " FRANKENSTEIN, OR THE MODERN PROMETHEUS ". Ruthven has gone on to have multiple appearances throughout vampire fiction , including a major role in Kim Newman's ANNO DRACULA series, and one of the nicknames of the main character of THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, Edmund Dantes.

I don't know if it's just me but I a bit upset how Richter learn how use amazing magic after not using it for so long. That was like a random growth spike.

i could be wrong but i believe that droltas transformation is at least influenced by Greek empusa`s because the are often depicted with goat legs and fire hair and are thought to have influenced vampire folklore because they also drank blood and transformed

My theory is that when richter fights orlox, he's going to turn tur. Into his dragon form, and nearly kill richter, and then marias gonna summon HER dragon to save him

I agree with your closing thoughts. While Nocturne's season 1 wasn't as strong as some of its predecessor's seasons it was definitely leaps and bounds ahead of it's first season.

Liked it Not as strong as the first series atm but has potential to become just as good Looking forward to S02

@drippi2129

8 ай бұрын

The first series was a 9.1 , but Nocturne is a 2.3.

@StoryDive

8 ай бұрын

@@drippi2129 I wouldn't go that low, it was in the 6.5 to 7.5 range

@drippi2129

8 ай бұрын

@@StoryDive I found too many aspects of the series lacking. If it were weak I some areas I would have rated it higher.

@OPornogeros

8 ай бұрын

​@drippi2129 the first series also has four seasons with complete character arcs while Nocturne is only at it's first Bit harsh to compare it completely atm just saying

@OPornogeros

8 ай бұрын

​@@StoryDivethank you People are way to harsh on it I'm confident it will only get better as the seasons start coming

Olrox is so interesting and his VA *kills it*, such a fantastic performance

This was awesome! Thanks for the back story on this!

6:05 the peace sign is not based on a victory screen. Castlevania doesnt have those. Its based on the cutscene where Richter saves Tera in the original Rondo of Blood

When he receives the headband from the girls, they tell him "we'll need someone to fight for us" after he says they don't need him. He stuffs it away. When he puts it on, it's him choosing to fight for the people, instead of putting it away. So! In the show, they actually give reason to him wearing the headband! Another lovely detail, to me, is by making Maria a daughter of a forge master and a speaker, her magic gets explained without them ever putting forward an explanation. Her father, a forgemaster, 'creates' creatures. Her mother 'summons' magic. She summons creatures! I even love how, with her circles being yellow/gold, they have a divine feeling to them, something strongly associated with the Abbot up until that point (he often stands in the light, the church is tinted in yellow/golden light, etc).

Quick small clarification: Olrox doesn’t really appear in either Aria or Dawn of Sorrow. There’s an armor named after Olrox in both games, but Olrox as an actual character/enemy only appears in Symphony of the night. Still worth referencing though!

@xenodusk5750

8 ай бұрын

Olrox is in the Dawn of Sorrow novel

@BladedFalcon

8 ай бұрын

@@xenodusk5750 interesting, that’s good to know!

Another reference about Harmony of dissonance, in the game there is a bad ending where Lydia and Maxim dies, so I think they choose the bad ending of the game for Juste character in the series, kinda of a interesting choice.

@maxm9960

7 ай бұрын

I think it's a mix because Juste specifically mentioned that Lydie is Richter's grandmother, meaning that they were at least married briefly and had children. This corresponds to the best ending (saving Maxim + full furniture) in the game, as it's the only one where Lydie showed affection towards Juste. Also, given that Julia is likely in her early 30s at least in the beginning, it means Juste and Lydie had her in their 20s so it's already way past the events of Harmony of Dissonance where they were still teens, assuming they kept the same timeline. That said, yes, the bad ending definitely played itself into the mix...

Great round-up here. Enjoyed it :)

You forgot to mention that Juste mentioned Maxim and Lydie who are major characters in Harmony of Dissonance

Thank you! I am glad that you mentioned very niche Vampire Hunter D. Please make a video about next season as well❤❤❤

Great video and appreciate the deep dive into some of these moments I missed. Even for a long time CV fan like me.

@StoryDive

8 ай бұрын

Thank you!

Rhichter also makes an appearance in portrait of ruin as the spirit of the vampire killer. Johnathan Morris has to defeat him to gain control of the whip.

Awesome video thanks

Julia is also wearing a richters symphony of the night outfit,

The enemies are: Rycuda/Harpy , Lesser Demon, Werewolf. And when Richter leaves the church(ep 01), he makes a "V" with his hands, just like Rondo of Blood cinematic.

Really enjoyed the real lkfe references thank you for pointing them out.

The character development was a little shaky at times, but this series has some of the best the fight choreography I have ever seen in any medium!

@StoryDive

8 ай бұрын

Yeah, the series did have flaws for sure, but it wasn't as bad as some are saying

Something that you might've missed was the reference to the daytime and nighttime cycles from Castlevania II. When the sun goes down in (I think) episode 5, Tera makes a poetic reference to "terrors" rising from the ground. The next episode, Annette makes a similar reference to the sun devouring the darkness (a la "The morning sun has vanquished the horrible night").

besides maxim and lydie from harmony of dissonance, the flame whip is also a reference of what richter does in symphony of the night if richter hasn't equipped any sub-weapon (idk if it's doable in rondo of blood/dracula x chronicles)

I would add, the Castle wouldn't be sealed away yet. That doesn't happen until 1999. The castle is just wherever Alucaed dropped it onto the Belmont holdfast from series 1.

great vid, thanks just finished tv-series and wanted to know some background from the games

Orlox's personality is based on his appearance in one of the Castlevania novels. But of deep cut, that one. Shows that they did their research

This series started pretty slow for me like I wasn't as invested in the characters like I was immediately invested in Trevor, but when Richter powered up, it totally kicked up the show for me. A little sad that you most likely won't be covering the following season as I do love your analyses, but hoping the best for you in the future!

@geraldholt2755

8 ай бұрын

Ditto for me on the pacing. They spent the first third of the series just vomiting the character back stories, instead fleshing it out through the season. Was a major weak point for me.

As legend foretold he has returned

Ahhhhh!!!!! You’re back!!!! Yea!!!!!! Ok let me watch the video.

Loved it even more than the first 3 seasons of the last series. Really liked how international and it felt. And loved how they made Richters design work and feel less out of place

@stevenbock1961

8 ай бұрын

I think people forget that Egyptian mummies are commonly bosses in the games & many of the common monsters are from myths outside of Europe.

@dantemustdie00

8 ай бұрын

Yeah Mummies have been a staple boss enemy since the first Castlevania. Portrait of Ruin we see a lot of Egyptian theme elements in two painting worlds

@ncranger78

8 ай бұрын

Put down the fucking crack pipe. This is nowhere near as good as the original series.

well done.

i think julia belmont outfit is the same as richter's outfit in castlevania symphony of the night. white shirt with colonial style coat. i love that outfit more than the dracula x chronicles version

So cool how much care they put in the show

Also in Richter's design it's a blend of his Rondo Of Blood, Dracula X Chronicles (how I got introduced to the character) and Symphony of the Night design. I wonder if Opus 13 will make a appearance as this song is definitely a certified classic

Welcome back ❤

@StoryDive

8 ай бұрын

I have a few videos in the works so hopefully this channel will get back to a regular posting schedule

I hope shaft will appear in season two

@joshualerman7958

8 ай бұрын

I'm getting the vibe that the priest is the fill in for Shaft, almost all his storylines are references to shaft's plots.

Also, a lot of the songs in Nocturne, like the operas Edouard sings, are all Baroque pieces from that era of time. Even the word used series' title 'Nocturne' refers to a musical piece from the 18th century.

Castlevania is in good hands it seems. Lots of effort went into it. We now get Devil may cry as well.

I'm calling it, he takes some sort of major damage and in a later season or spin off he comes back transformed looking more like the game bald and creepy, and it effects his dragon form. Great series

yknow I *thought* annette was one of the other characters richter could save in rondo, and I don't mind the change. just finished up the first season last night and already hungry for more! can't freaking wait for S2... have to wonder how much more of the backstory we'll see there. (like will they recruit richter to take over as lord of the castle? how will that work?!)

@Marc_Araujo

8 ай бұрын

Annette is the main girl he rescues in Rondo's plot, she's his girlfriend.

@darktetsuya

8 ай бұрын

@@Marc_Araujo ah I had forgotten that part! I know he said as much in the video.

The multi limbed Night Creature might be a Durga which appears in AoS

A new StoryDive! And it's on Castlevania!! In October!!! Nicely done. As a huge fan of all the games (yes, even the PS2 & 3 titles), as well, as the first series on Netflix; I am looking forward to checking this one out, fully.

@StoryDive

8 ай бұрын

I was actually a destination wedding when this dropped and then got sick so I couldn't get to it until like a week later. This will probably not get many views but I thought "what the hey". I have a bunch of new videos I'm planning to finish later this year and in the new year on Mythology. I'll try to get to them as soon as I can!

@rolmodel12.

8 ай бұрын

@@StoryDive look forward to anything you put out, duders. 😊 Your stuff is always well researched and have good production value: you could make 3 or 30 video's a year and I would be happy either way. By the way, glad you're feeling better!

Okay the African Magic/Myths are so interessting tbh. I wish more Fantasy Series would draw their inspiration from stuff like this.. Also I kinda like... and Im sure its unintentional? That Richter is a Belmont...but wears Speaker Blue. Its nice to see both "Families" in him.

I'm surprised you didn't mention that Comte de Vaublanc is possibly based on Vincent-Marie Viénot, Count of Vaublanc, who was also a counter-revolutionary elitist and ironically born in Saint-Domingue. Another one I notice is that most of what the Abbot says about the peasants is true since many revolutionaries tried to dechristianize France. I still wish the show prove his points since they are valid.

you did a blink and you miss it with Olrox. he does transform into what you said but you have to look carefully at the fire before the full transformation.

Excuse me, but do you have a video with easter eggs from castlevania season 1? (the other castlevania) I found just from season 2

@StoryDive

7 ай бұрын

I only started doing them with Season 2. I made a video about Anime you should watch before Season 2

When was the next season announced?

the hachi maki's purpose is to pick up sweat so it doesn't run down to your eyes or drop and bother during work or workout.

could you do a deep dive into Nasucaa of the valley of wind? it's one of my favorite ghibli films

8:02 I know Olorun thanks to Smite (MOBA), curious what kind of gods the others are.

The only thing I'm curious on is when Dracula does come back, how are they going to turn around and make him at the antagonist if him and his wife were happy together

I've got another one for you : machecoul is a real town is western France. Machicoulis take their name from there. It's a war device commonly used in the 13th century that was implanted in castles to better their defense. Quote :"A machicolation (French: mâchicoulis) is a floor opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement, through which stones or other material, such as boiling water, hot sand, quicklime or boiling cooking oil, could be dropped on attackers at the base of a defensive wall."

This show kicks ass.

Julia’s outfit is based on Richter’s from SotN

There is also an eastern egg of Rondo of Blood when Julia dies (literally with her blood).

Is there anyway that the orbs rather than being those are actually the Ebony stone from lament of innocence?

10:20 “a child” 😭 sir that is a dog (the most commonly associated animal to Papa Legba)

@StoryDive

8 ай бұрын

Oh yes, whoops. From that angle it looks like a child but I can see the dog in the other shots now

Actualy it would have made more sense if they started with Leon and then went through all canon castlevania games. Now they do like "things someone certain person likes the most" Because of some stuff will get lost in translation or get butchered. Enjoyed previous 4 seasons. But even previous had like weird moments, with Alucard and those two hunters? Or what ever they were. Or all that conflict with dracula. Dracula was justified and just got attacked by random brats.

Mah man, you ever coming back?

I’m amused by the fact that one of Orlox’s defining characteristics in game is he’s completely bald but here he’s got long flowing hair. I’m more glad Maria got aged up because she’s a bit young to be a love interest in game. Ricter’s Grand Cross attack in the cartoon is also reminiscent of Juste’s version of the Grand Cross. I think it would be amusing if the cartoon makes Alucard Juste’s father. For those who didn’t know there’s a game called Castlevania Legends where you play as a woman named Sonia Belmont and it turns out she has a relationship with Alucard, in the hidden ending she even bears a him a child who will become known as a hero. This game isn’t really canon anymore, it at one point was meant to be the starting point in the Belmont feud with Dracula but that got replaced with another game. But it would be nice to see it come back.

@shuazi8803

7 ай бұрын

Maria wasn't Richter's love interest in the games - Annette is. She's his girlfriend that gets abducted by Shaft like the other maidens in Dracula X, but Dracula tells him to use her as bait for Richter. When Richter finds Maria, she's a young girl that is actually friends with Annette and recognizes Richter because Annette talks so much about him.

Did they ever use the giant undead Bull that's a staple in some of the games yet?

3:26 you mean Julia is not an ancestor but a descendant of Sypha

@StoryDive

8 ай бұрын

Yes, whoops. That slipped by me.

I didn't think that Papa Legba was standing with a child at the 10:15 mark. I thought it was a doberman, the dog.

This was incredible. Please don’t take this into offense but I had no idea if a White person would put the proper care into the research into the history of so the symbols used like the Veve’s and Lwa. I’m truly impressed. 10/10! I loved it.

@StoryDive

8 ай бұрын

How do you know I'm white though? Haha. ...ok, I am white. Thanks for the comment

Was anyone else expecting "the devourer of light" to be Apophis?

*What a great video! I also made some videos about Castlevania games, one of them is Castlevania order of Ecclesia Boss Rush only with Catwoman! Just copy paste that term and you will find it!*

Um, It's OL-ROX. Not Orlox. That said, I didn't play any of the games but I have watched several of them on yt. I did watch the first series and had some problems with that one, as well, but I thought the first two seasons were actually good. Didn't care for the last two. This one, however, the storyboard had its moments, the incessant off-key singing was atrocious and annoying and distracting that I really had to watch it on mute with subtitles. *eye roll* OLROX was fantastic! I liked that they changed it up to AZtec and that he was a dragon. That was cool! I couldn't imagine the game in cartoon form.... and if that is what gamers wanted... one word: Eragon. What I really didn't care for was the use of the F word. They didn't do that, back then. Or, it had a different meaning. I'm not saying it was Shakespear but they didn't talk as they do now. Alucard... I'm ecstatic he came back. I can't wait for season 2, I just wish it wouldn't take so freaking long for it and the S1 dvd to come out.

Sorry to be “that guy” but it’s pronounced “Grimm-or-eee”. Great vid!

12:25 No, man. She resembles Teela from He-Man 😂

I don't care if Castlevania Nocturne sucks or not, I'm watching it for Richter and the easter eggs.

@StoryDive

7 ай бұрын

Honestly, it's not as bad as some people are saying. It has some issues, but still worth watching

Huh, I thought Olrox was an original character who in name was a reference to the boss Olrog 😂

A Harpy, A Hecatonk, A Gargoyle, a Bug man

Richters mothers name Julia belmont is a reference to julius belmont.

He keeps saying orlox, and it’s bugging me how he says it but he spelled it right on the chapter title for the clip, OLROX

@StoryDive

7 ай бұрын

Yes, that was a mistake but I can't change it now

This is to me some of the very best fantasy series, game-based, animated or otherwise, to have come in a long while (Japan’s always top notch anime notwithstanding). It’s such a refreshing and welcomed entertainment for us nerds, specially now that Disney has systematically taken upon themselves to satisfy and disseminate their personal values and predilections (here’s looking at you miss Kennedy 🖕) unto greedily acquired and universally beloved sci-fi sagas and in the process rob us of what the child in us had wished for years said stories would ultimately deliver, with so many young and promising new writers, producers, creators, etc, coming up in this industry of making dreams into moving pictures. Having again gotten that off my very pissed off chest, I reiterate that, this groundbreaking platform game based series has renewed my faith that, despite all of these insufferable executives bringing their politics into years old and established stories, instead of creating new content (and driving those projects into the sewers for all I could freaking care), I will truly do my part in keeping and elevating Netflix into the place they so very much deserve. Having endured so much cock blocking for years by all those centuries old Hollywood studios every time they’ve tried to bring audiences some refreshingly new or well made projects to theaters near us, and being robbed of several awards throughout said years (which comes to show you all that honest and professional voting democratic system claimed to be based on is more than likely as rigged as any other sport franchise we all lose money betting on), they ended up witnessing the cock blocking established monopoly of the film industry, flood and almost destroy the recently and welcomed streaming industry, with their continuously cloned and copied (or prequeled or sequeled to exhaustion) rotten content. So I hope that boring greedy king is dead and done, and long live the new king, may he continue to bring series or even films, such as these “Castlevania”, which I’m sure (at least everyone who is here cause they’re fans and not to troll any comments or commenters who mention their Goliath entertainment content spewing corporations) everyone agrees is one of the best stories to have come in years. The amount and level of detail, research, careful production behind these series, as expertly covered and deconstructed in this video (though I’m sure you could make a video twice as long or more if you were to go truly in-depth as to every single allegorical, historical, Easter eggs, etc within these series) is such a surprising change of pace, given that most projects or stories I try to begin to care for end up in dissapointment. Let’s hope and pray that won’t be the case, at least I truly hope so.

I love how you don’t butcher the names very good I’m subscribed now

you forgot the references for Maxim and Lydie as juste reminisces them while talking with Richter.

Is it Orlox or Olrox?

@StoryDive

8 ай бұрын

It's Olrox, I messed up. I had Count Orlock in mind

It’s Ol-rox, not Or-lox.

@StoryDive

8 ай бұрын

Yes I know... now. Someone pointed that out when I published and it's been bugging me since

I kinda dislike how they changed the whole plot of Richter story from game.

They pronounced loa as "ā-wah" in the show

RICHTER DESERVES BETTER

Orlox lol. It's OLROX

@StoryDive

8 ай бұрын

Whoops! I guess I was thinking of Count Orlock.

@ThatSquizz

8 ай бұрын

No judge here lol. I couldn't help but point it out

@StoryDive

8 ай бұрын

@@ThatSquizz No worries. I just wish I had shown you the video before I published it so I could change that

I wonder if they turned Annette British would there be "controversy" LOL Like if she was made any type of European i bet folks would have been QUIET! 🙄

......OL-ROX. NOT ORLOX

@StoryDive

8 ай бұрын

Yes, that was a mistake on my part