The show wants to cover too much in just eight episodes, but it fails miserably. Too many characters, too many subplots, too many conflicts: Richter's fear, the love between Olrox and the knight, Maria and her father, the fight against the Messiah, Anette and her disconnection from her ancestors and her loss of Edouard. The viewer doesn't have time to focus on anything because they throw everything at the same time.
The only thing I cared about at least a little was Richter's plot and, although it was developed, it was not the best executed. The magic returns to Richter when he realizes that he has many people to protect. That trope is something we are tired of seeing, especially all those who come from consuming anime, consuming shounen to be more specific.
I was not interested in any character and I was even less interested in the antaognists. As usual, I remember that the first part of Castlevania did not shine for its construction of villains either. Who on the team thinks of making the vampires so one-dimensional and giving them so much focus? What is not attractive to the viewer is supposed to be kept on the sidelines.
It makes me laugh how they saved the worst for last: Alucard's appearance. It was not necessary to use the nostalgia card and even less so at a critical moment like that: right at the end when everyone is at their lowest moment and almost about to die. The way they executed those last scenes, Alucard feels like a Deus Ex Machina.
The action scenes were on point. Kudos to the group of animators and directors behind it. Castlevania has always had some of the best choreographed animated battles I've ever seen.
The first part of Castlevania was not something that was very worthwhile, but Castlevania: Nocturne disappoints even by those low standards.
[7.4/10] I like this one as a coming out party for Miss Martian. She’s the addition who had the least screen time in the series premiere, so focusing on her abilities and hurdles in relating to the rest of the Junior Justice League is a smart call.
And I like the thrust of her story here. She’s from another planet and culture, so things like privacy of the mind are, well, alien to her, and she’s not as experienced a hero, so the rest of the squad doesn’t trust her in a fight just yet. Frankly, the group’s more than a little rude to her, but I’m willing to write it off in the name of the show wanting to establish that she wins them over despite the other members of the team harboring some doubts.
Some of this is just exposition/table-setting, with Megan giving her backstory, explaining the limits of her powers, and showing off her shape-shifting spacecraft. But the bigger story here is a personal one, about her proving herself in the eyes of her fellow team-members, which works for me.
That said, I’m not sure if it’s the writing or Danica McKellar’s acting, but the “Duh, Megan” stuff started to grate pretty quickly. The nuts and bolts of Miss Martian’s story are solid, but the actual character in action isn’t stellar right out of the gate.
Still, I like her interactions with Superboy. He’s sensitive about people being in his head or ordering him around after his experiences with Project Cadmus, so he bristles against Megan. He is, frankly, a real asshole, in that generic teen bad boy sort of way. But he’s been through some real shit, so you’re as sympathetic to why he’s unprepared for this as you are indignant of Megan’s behalf when he treats her unfairly and unkindly. Still, his apology at the end helps make up for it coming from a work in progress like himself.
The one part of this I didn’t care for at all was Mister Twister, who’s little more than an off-the-shelf baddie for the good guys to face. But considering he was more of a plot device than a character, I appreciate the story mechanics of him being after Red Tornado and Miss Martian transforming into Red Tornado to pull off her ruse. As in the last episode, there’s something clever there, and even if the whole thing ends in one big giant smash-fest, you can at least chalk it up to Megan’s fake-out allowing the rest of the team to catch him off guard. It’s a smart plan and helps Megan rise in her own esteem and those of her compatriots.
Otherwise, I appreciate the way the show cleans up other dangling threads here. I’m glad this one kicks off with Robin, Aqualad, and Kid Flash trying to convince Speedy to join up, and him still being grumpy and unwilling to put on the same training wheels with a bigger bike. He’s received the most characterization of any of the young heroes, and I’m intrigued as to where they’re going with him.
At the same time, we get a little shading for Red Tornado as well. It’s a touch convenient, but I like the idea that his job is to look after the Young Justice team, not save their butts, so that they can learn and make their own mistakes. It’s a fig leaf for why these heroes-in-training aren’t rescued at every turn by their elders when they get into trouble, but one that accomplishes what it needs to.
Overall, this was a quality second at-bat for the series, which helps fill out more of the team and their world, while paving the way for future threats and adventures.
