"Hellsing (Herushingu) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kouta Hirano...An anime series of the same name was produced by Gonzo. Directed by Umanosuke Iida, the series was based on the manga, but used a screenplay by Chiaki Konaka and is significantly different from the manga in terms of plot, though it uses some of the same characters and similar character designs. Spanning 13 episodes, it was broadcast on Japan's Fuji Television from October 10, 2001 to January 16, 2002."
Thank you, Wikipedia. This review is based on the anime Hellsing. It does not include the manga or the OVAs. Now, is Hellsing worth watching? In short, yes, but it won't change your life. Hellsing is the story of the anti-vampire organization of the same name and the characters who work there. Two of them, also the main characters, are vampires themselves. It feels almost cheap to say this, but these vampires do not sparkle and don't drink...wine. They are, for lack of a better word, complete badasses.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/13/Alucard.jpg
Undoubtedly the most powerful character of the series, Alucard is a "perfect vampire." Able to phase through walls, generate spontaneous living nightmares in people, and possessing the ability to reform his body if it's destroyed, Alucard is rather powerful. In addition, much of his power is kept locked away until a situation arises where he needs to use it. Those previous examples? Those are what he uses before he even unlocks his abilities. They don't even account for the bodily horror he is able to change himself into when he needs to.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/16/Seras_Victoria.jpg
The other vampire of Hellsing, Seras is a new vampire who is sired by Alucard at the start of the anime. Much of her time is spent on her conflicting feelings on her previous human life and her identity as an undead creature now. While some would disagree, I believe her to be the protagonist. She is not the most powerful person in the anime (I would argue that she is portrayed as being far to weak), but the story follows her more than any other character.
There are other pivotal characters in the Hellsing Organization. Sir Integra Hellsing is the leader of the Hellsing Organization and the "master" of Alucard. Walter Dornez is Hellsing's butler. Also, at the age of about seventy, I think he's the single best character in the show, both for characterization and method of fighting. Commander Fargason guides Seras through the show and is probably one of the most believable characters.
Let's move on to the art and sound, since the plot will take a while. The art is beautiful. It's not at the same level as, say, Spirited Away, but it's still good. One thing about it that did annoy me was that (most) vampires turn to sand when they die. I understand that that's done to prevent there from being rivers of blood, but they made actual rivers of blood at the start of episode eleven, so my theory is a bit shaky there. The audio is a real highlight at times. Background music isn't used enough, but when it is used it always heightens the mood of the scene.
Alright, plot. I'm not going to say that the plot is bad, I'm going to say that it's incoherent. The show has many elements that it seemed to like (many of which came from the manga) that it just didn't stick with. Paladin Anderson, a badass normal vampire hunter, makes a flashy debut and only has brief cameos afterward. The antagonist's apprentice is made to seem like a big deal to Seras, but he only has about five minutes of screen time. Helena, a very old vampire trapped in a child's body, seems both pivotal to Seras and completely unrelated to the overarching plot. And the plot itself! When you spend half the series talking about "freak chips" that create all the things Hellsing is fighting and in the end credits basically say "Oh yeah they're looking into that too lol," it's a bit disappointing.
In terms of story, I think the series starts out well. The first few episodes are great. In my opinion the peak of the story happens in the middle of the series, in the fifth and especially sixth episode, in the siege on Hellsing Castle by the Valentine Brothers. Every character shows what they are capable of there. There are antagonists that you can actually relate to. After the seventh episode, I think the series goes downhill. That doesn't make it bad; it makes it average. It's still worth watching, but it's not as good as five through seven. Even the final fight between Alucard and the big bad is kind of disappointing. It could have been so much more.
I think that's a theme that I got from watching the series. "It could have been so much more." Episodes five and six are what the entire series should have been like. Full of captivating fight scenes, rapid plot advancement, and memorable villains. The main villain could be so much more, but he looks like an alien and has almost no backstory. Anderson and Helena could have been more connected to the plot. Harry Anders, a good character who I've yet to mention, could have had a better reason for his death than "he blew up." The whole thing could have been much better, though it's still good as it is.
One last thing that just bugged me as the series went on. Alucard and Walter badass their way through the entire series, but the two main female characters, Seras and Integra, never get their moment to shine. Yes, Seras does have a very triumphant scene where she shouts out the Hellsing motto over her dead mentor, but she's pinned down by a scrappy, thin guy not three minutes later. Integra has the same situation. After nearly dying a few episodes earlier, she is triumphantly lowered out of a helicopter...right into the arms of the Big Bad...who then pins her to the ground. It's frustrating because earlier into the series both show what they can do. In, again, episode six, Seras wrestles one of the main male antagonists into submission and beats a whole platoon of ghouls to death with her bare hands. Later, Integra shoots said villain six times in the face with incendiary ammunition. They both show that they can handle themselves in a fight, but that falls off as the series progresses.
Anyway, final verdict. Hellsing: looks good, sounds good, okay story. Starts good, gets better, drops off. I haven't seen the OVAs, so I'm not sure if they answer any of the questions that I posed earlier (where did the freak chips come from?). I'd say watch the show. It'll keep you entertained. Until next time, The Escapist.
Also, just so I'm aware for any future reviews, did I make this review too long or did I miss any essential details? Tell me what you think, if you don't mind.
Thank you, Wikipedia. This review is based on the anime Hellsing. It does not include the manga or the OVAs. Now, is Hellsing worth watching? In short, yes, but it won't change your life. Hellsing is the story of the anti-vampire organization of the same name and the characters who work there. Two of them, also the main characters, are vampires themselves. It feels almost cheap to say this, but these vampires do not sparkle and don't drink...wine. They are, for lack of a better word, complete badasses.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/13/Alucard.jpg
Undoubtedly the most powerful character of the series, Alucard is a "perfect vampire." Able to phase through walls, generate spontaneous living nightmares in people, and possessing the ability to reform his body if it's destroyed, Alucard is rather powerful. In addition, much of his power is kept locked away until a situation arises where he needs to use it. Those previous examples? Those are what he uses before he even unlocks his abilities. They don't even account for the bodily horror he is able to change himself into when he needs to.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/16/Seras_Victoria.jpg
The other vampire of Hellsing, Seras is a new vampire who is sired by Alucard at the start of the anime. Much of her time is spent on her conflicting feelings on her previous human life and her identity as an undead creature now. While some would disagree, I believe her to be the protagonist. She is not the most powerful person in the anime (I would argue that she is portrayed as being far to weak), but the story follows her more than any other character.
There are other pivotal characters in the Hellsing Organization. Sir Integra Hellsing is the leader of the Hellsing Organization and the "master" of Alucard. Walter Dornez is Hellsing's butler. Also, at the age of about seventy, I think he's the single best character in the show, both for characterization and method of fighting. Commander Fargason guides Seras through the show and is probably one of the most believable characters.
Let's move on to the art and sound, since the plot will take a while. The art is beautiful. It's not at the same level as, say, Spirited Away, but it's still good. One thing about it that did annoy me was that (most) vampires turn to sand when they die. I understand that that's done to prevent there from being rivers of blood, but they made actual rivers of blood at the start of episode eleven, so my theory is a bit shaky there. The audio is a real highlight at times. Background music isn't used enough, but when it is used it always heightens the mood of the scene.
Alright, plot. I'm not going to say that the plot is bad, I'm going to say that it's incoherent. The show has many elements that it seemed to like (many of which came from the manga) that it just didn't stick with. Paladin Anderson, a badass normal vampire hunter, makes a flashy debut and only has brief cameos afterward. The antagonist's apprentice is made to seem like a big deal to Seras, but he only has about five minutes of screen time. Helena, a very old vampire trapped in a child's body, seems both pivotal to Seras and completely unrelated to the overarching plot. And the plot itself! When you spend half the series talking about "freak chips" that create all the things Hellsing is fighting and in the end credits basically say "Oh yeah they're looking into that too lol," it's a bit disappointing.
In terms of story, I think the series starts out well. The first few episodes are great. In my opinion the peak of the story happens in the middle of the series, in the fifth and especially sixth episode, in the siege on Hellsing Castle by the Valentine Brothers. Every character shows what they are capable of there. There are antagonists that you can actually relate to. After the seventh episode, I think the series goes downhill. That doesn't make it bad; it makes it average. It's still worth watching, but it's not as good as five through seven. Even the final fight between Alucard and the big bad is kind of disappointing. It could have been so much more.
I think that's a theme that I got from watching the series. "It could have been so much more." Episodes five and six are what the entire series should have been like. Full of captivating fight scenes, rapid plot advancement, and memorable villains. The main villain could be so much more, but he looks like an alien and has almost no backstory. Anderson and Helena could have been more connected to the plot. Harry Anders, a good character who I've yet to mention, could have had a better reason for his death than "he blew up." The whole thing could have been much better, though it's still good as it is.
One last thing that just bugged me as the series went on. Alucard and Walter badass their way through the entire series, but the two main female characters, Seras and Integra, never get their moment to shine. Yes, Seras does have a very triumphant scene where she shouts out the Hellsing motto over her dead mentor, but she's pinned down by a scrappy, thin guy not three minutes later. Integra has the same situation. After nearly dying a few episodes earlier, she is triumphantly lowered out of a helicopter...right into the arms of the Big Bad...who then pins her to the ground. It's frustrating because earlier into the series both show what they can do. In, again, episode six, Seras wrestles one of the main male antagonists into submission and beats a whole platoon of ghouls to death with her bare hands. Later, Integra shoots said villain six times in the face with incendiary ammunition. They both show that they can handle themselves in a fight, but that falls off as the series progresses.
Anyway, final verdict. Hellsing: looks good, sounds good, okay story. Starts good, gets better, drops off. I haven't seen the OVAs, so I'm not sure if they answer any of the questions that I posed earlier (where did the freak chips come from?). I'd say watch the show. It'll keep you entertained. Until next time, The Escapist.
Also, just so I'm aware for any future reviews, did I make this review too long or did I miss any essential details? Tell me what you think, if you don't mind.
