Hi MysteryAnimator! I hope you’re having a good day and if not, you have my condolences!
As a fellow visual storyteller — although I study filmmaking rather than animation — I really love your breakdowns of several scenes and characters from Castlevania: Nocturne, although you’ve already heard me say this. One thing that I’d like to bring up just because I want is how the relationship between Maria Renard and Abbot Emmanuel has a lot of interesting parallels with the relationship between Alucard and Dracula.
How, you ask? Well, while Alucard and Dracula are presented as opposites, they are also very similar as well. Alucard (especially in the original Castlevania series, maybe not so much in Nocturne) would probably not want to admit that he has any similarities to his father, he does. They’re both very black-and-white, very strong-minded, stubborn (e.i., once he sets his mind to something it’s hard for him to see another way), he’s exceptionally rigid, he enjoys combat, and he also has a lot of bravado and likes to show the power that he commands.
Similarly, Maria and her father, Emmanuel, both have a lot of these traits as well. They are also very black-and-white, strong-minded and stubborn. This is most evident when they are arguing with each other and when they’re preaching their political beliefs.
Here are some examples as to how they’re similar:
Dracula: THERE ARE NO INNOCENTS! Not anymore! Any one of them could have stood up and said, “No, we won’t behave like animals anymore.””
Alucard: I won’t let you do it. I grieve with you, but I won’t let you commit genocide.
Notes: There is no nuance in either of their decisions, and by making this a direct confrontation, it only makes both of them more ardent in their beliefs. A better method that might have had more success in convincing Dracula would have been to see the world through his eyes and then tried to convince him via logic and reason. This might have made Dracula less ardent but I’m not sure if it would have completely worked.
Abbot Emmanuel: The barbarians are at the gate. To them, no will be true enough or loyal enough. They will drench us all in blood.
Maria: The revolution, which I support with all my heart, has declared you its bitter enemy.
Notes: Very similarly, there’s no nuance in their decisions either and they also butt heads and become more ardent in their beliefs. Additionally, in season 2, Maria acts rather similarly to Dracula in that she’s in so much emotional pain from losing Tera that she becomes more ardent in beliefs and turns to more extreme methods, just as revolution itself does in the current timeline. (I’ve studied the history of the French Revolution since watching the show.)
If you want, let me know what you think of this.
Ah! Sorry for responding so late, I did see this, but I forgot to respond, but i loveeeeeeeeee this.
Honestly, I have nothing else to add, especially with the examples you brought up, because they are really similar, and it will be really interesting to see how it develops further, as Alucard is going to be witnessing this cycle again. As he has with Richter and the Belmonts, he will now have to turn towards Maria and watch history repeat.
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