The greatest battle in Castlevania: Nocturne Season 2 lasts a whole episode. It’s virtually exhausting to observe, so filled with over-the-top animation that you may put it on repeat for hours and nonetheless catch new particulars every time. That motion blowout is probably the most thrilling a part of an uneven season, however the second I hold fascinated with really got here just a few episodes earlier. It’s lighter on motion, however nonetheless probably the most violent second of a present that options frequent beheadings and fountains of blood. You’ll comprehend it while you get there—which Castlevania animation administrators Sam & Adam Deats credit score to animator Tam Lu.
“Our high tier, greatest animators right here within the US tackle a very powerful stuff, and a few animators will come to us with ideas on methods to spice the shot or sequence up,” Adam Deats stated in an interview with PC Gamer. “Sometimes they’re simply nuts and do their very own factor with it.”
With Season 2 of Nocturne nonetheless contemporary, I will not spoil what I’d name the season’s first “holy shit” second intimately—I’ll simply say that it is about younger vampire hunter Maria Renard working by means of some emotions. As Maria’s anger bubbles over in episode 4, a rougher, sharper type creeps into the animation, with extra dramatic digicam angles additional exaggerating the depth of the scene.
“In that half, Tam Lu, who’s been on the collection since Season 3 of the unique, got here to me and stated ‘Hey, I wish to do this factor with it,” Sam Deats added. “And I used to be like, ‘that is gonna be superior.’ He went nuts and did one thing actually cool and fascinating, and that is one of many beauties of getting this staff of animators we have now a close-knit relationship with you may belief. You can hand one thing to them and they will perceive methods to carry it to life in a approach that’s particular and goes past your unique imaginative and prescient in some circumstances. That’s a good looking lightning in a bottle second.”
If you want 2D animation however do not know Tam Lu’s title, you need to—here is a montage of his work in earlier seasons of Castlevania, together with another initiatives, like Hyper Light Breaker’s announcement trailer.
Lu additionally collaborated with former Castlevania animator Spencer Wan on the Hades 2 reveal trailer, which is one other incredible-looking couple minutes of motion animation. I’ll go away you with an unfinished shot that allow you to see the uncooked element in one among his greatest Castlevania scenes:
Castlevania Season 3 Animation by Tam Lu (@tml096) 🦇 pic.twitter.com/hkoCeWVnANJuly 12, 2024