1x01 Witchbottle

I've never really played the Castlevania games in anything more than the most cursory way, but I'd heard good things about the series and thought it would be worth a watch. From what I do know of the lore and general atmosphere in the games, it seems to lean heavily into the overblown, cheesy nature of it which, as far as I'm concerned, is just fine. Graham McTavish is obviously having fun as Dracula, emphasising him in all of his hammy, demonic charm. It's a short episode and a relatively simple set-up—Dracula meets Lisa, his wife, and decides to take revenge on Wallachia and, by extension, humanity when she's burned at the stake for witchcraft. It's more of a mood-setter, and the animators don't skimp on the gore when Dracula's army finally enters the scene.

It's enjoyable nonsense, then, and a well-animated diversion for twenty minutes or so. I don't think the games lend themselves to a dour, straight-faced drama so this seems like the best way to explore the lore of the games without either feeling disingenuous or, worse, faithful. With only three episodes to go for this first series I'm interested to see how much they can string out the story.