Historical events mixed with the fantasy of an anime series are always a great combination. This was recently proven by Netflix’s Castlevania: Nocturne, written by Clive Bradley. The series merged the narrative of vampires with the historical French Revolution, which started in 1789, and gave a compelling storyline that is being loved by anime fans.
While the first season of the series captured the essence of the French Revolution, there was one particular aspect that grabbed the attention of the creators, and they were forced to include it. This was the Haiti Revolution, and in the series, this revolution was portrayed through the character of Annette, an Afro-Caribbean slave.
The directors of Castlevania: Nocturne once revealed that they were excited to learn about the Haitian Revolution and adapt it in accordance with Annette’s character, who also happens to be a descendent of the magical Orishas and is a witch.
Castlevania: Nocturne Director Explains the Cultural Elements of Annette
In an interview with Anime Trending, the co-director of Castlevania: Nocturne, Sam Deats, was asked about the impact of historical elements on the supporting characters introduced in the story and how they were able to replicate them. Deats revealed that the Haitian Revolution was the one that intrigued him the most.
Sam stated:
Personally the Haitian Revolution was something that was really cool to learn about and educate myself on, and there’s a lot of cultural elements in how to portray Annette, and her magic and abilities have been really fun to explore as well.
That was a fun challenge, and I know the design team really enjoyed that as well. I think that stands out to me, certainly.
Talking about Annette’s connection to witchcraft, the Castlevania director pointed out that drawing parallels between Annette’s magical powers and the Haitian Revolution was really fun to create, not only for them but for the design team too. It was one of the most important aspects of the series, and it certainly stands out compared to others.
Sam Deats Loved the Setting of Castlevania: Nocturne
While describing the elements of the French Revolution, Sam confessed to the fact that the change of setting for the spinoff series was indeed a big step, but it was also fun. The narrative of the series mainly revolves around the town of Machecoul, a French commune that is also the hometown of the Renards.
Sam revealed:
This is gonna sound silly, but it was fun to shift the focus of the architecture in the series towards France and getting to expand towards that with how Machecoul developed. It’s not like a historically accurate portrayal of Machecoul.
It’s built out and it’s bigger than if it was at the time or or now. That was a fun thing to develop in a direction to go in. There’s more color. We have to explore color a little bit more.
Although the depiction of Machecoul was not entirely accurate, it certainly opened a lot of new plotlines for the Castlevania story. Also, the addition of fantasy elements adds a different kind of charm to French architecture.
The city is known for the drastic tragedy called the First Massacre of Machecoul, and the series can likely adapt it to the story and offer a new perspective. However, if the creators use it as a narrative, it will most likely be seen in the second season, which is already in the production stage.
You can watch Castlevania: Nocturne on Netflix.
