Netflix's Castlevania series has been well received even by the scrutinous eyes of longtime fans of the video game franchise, but one thing which caught some off guard was the incredibly gory nature of it. In an interview with Animation World Network, Kevin Kolde explains the decision making process behind that choice.
Long time fans of Castlevania likely weren't too shocked about the gore, as the game series does have a history of taking on darker concepts and pitting its characters in grim situations. That said, only a few games in the series netted an M rating, and the level of gore has definitely been upped drastically.
Kolde has some interesting insight on the way gore was handled in the show that should be applied to all anime and television as a whole for that matter. Whether or not he hit the mark is for fans to decide, but it is good to know that the thought was there.
Kolde claims that the gore makes the story more real. In this world that the characters live in, death and the like are reality and must be portrayed explicitly in order to fully show the extent of things and how if affects characters. On the other hand, Kolde says it shouldn't be gratuitous, but is a necessary feature to show the brutality of the world of Castlevania. Some viewers might argue that it crossed over the line of being gratuitous, but it definitely does get the point across pretty well.
This is a common discussion among creators. Where should one draw the line between being accurate or faithful to the source material and making the viewing experience pleasant. Too much gore and it becomes akin to movies like Saw, where the gore is the main attraction. Not enough, however, and it can be difficult to convey the actual state of things. Similar discussions popped up when Game of Thrones first began airing explicit sexual scenes. Many felt as though they were unnecessary, but the showrunners asserted that it was part of the world and enhanced the realism of the show.
Castlevania season 4 is on its way, and there is slim to no chance that the gore will be dialed back in any way. Hopefully viewers are familiar enough with themselves to know whether or not the gore is too much, and after three seasons those that decide it is too much will likely have already moved on to other things.
Castlevania is available on Netflix now.
Source: Animation World