Timotei Anime Review: Hellsing

[Timotei]

Previously on Timotei Anime Review [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.151102-Timotei-Anime-Review-Valkyria-Chronicles#3565921]​

[HEADING=1]Timotei reviews: Hellsing [/HEADING]
[Img_Inline Caption="" Align="Left"]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd309/ferxapotter/20060807-hellsing-bz155.jpg[/Img_Inline]
There are a few reasons I chose Hellsing for the review on the last week of October; after all, it's Halloween (tomorrow...shut up), and Hellsing features the Horror genre's most prominent beast, the Vampire. Throughout the history of media and myth there have been many versions (Stephenie Meyer's type of vampire doesn't count), but the most widely recognized is the type depicted by Bela Lugosi in the 1931 movie Dracula also known as the Nosferatu.

Let me start off by saying that I really enjoyed watching Hellsing. It may not have been the longest series I have every seen, but its abundance of action more than made up for this. It also had one of the most interesting opening themes I have ever seen. Every series I had seen prior to it had a catchy, fast-paced song lasting 1:30 give or take a second or two. Hellsing however has a rather moderately-paced, jazzy sort of theme that lasts for 1:18. It was a rather nice change of pace the first time I watched it, however it fails to set the tone for the awesome that lies beyond.

I will not lie to you, I watched this series dubbed in English. However, that's not because I didn't want to read, but because the characters in this series actually have authentic English accents. Ask Amnestic and he will testify to their authenticity if you have any doubt. Not only do they get the accents down, but they also nailed down the setting, lingo, environment, and anything else you can think of. The dubs are some of the most beautiful I have ever heard.
Bump for great justice


[Img_Inline Caption="...and I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance
and furious anger, those who attempt to poison and
destroy my brothers. AND YOU WILL KNOW MY NAME
IS THE LORD WHEN I LAY MY VENGEANCE UPON THEE!" Align="right"]http://i704.photobucket.com/albums/ww46/Suiseiseki_IRL/Decorated%20images/image.jpg[/Img_Inline]
[HEADING=3]Overview: Series + OVA[/HEADING]
Hellsing takes place around the year 2001 in Great Britain. The world has been plagued by vampires for centuries and now they prowl the streets of London (mainly) at night as regular people. Well, not really. Apparently vampires have developed a superiority complex and use their powers to cause chaos which never seems noticed by the public (explosions, mutilations, massacres and such must be quite common in London). Luckily for Britain (and only Britain apparently), there exists a group of people dedicated to hunting down said vampires known as the Hellsing Organization, which has existed for generations with the sole purpose of ridding the world (or England at least) of them once and for all. Through the use of some of the best soldiers the world has to offer and blessed silver bullets, the Hellsing Organization is well equipped and ready to deal with any situation (so we are taught to think until episode 5).

Immediately we are greeted with a fly over of several helicopters presumably flown by Hellsing soldiers and a rather nice car being driven through the streets. Soon after that we hear the deep, ominous voice of Crispin Freeman playing the oh so badass Alucard (spell the name backwards and you will shit bricks). What follows next is a perverted man caressing some woman whom he has called for her services. And just when you think that the perverted man is about to do the usual neck bite, Alucard pops out of nowhere, whips out his big ass .454 automatic and puts one through the woman's head, who then turns to dust. The scene tries to build it up that it's the man who is the vampire, however it turns out he's just got a thing for hickeys. Later we are greeted to our heroine Seras Victoria (Hellsing's Rushuna), a medical officer with a special branch of the police. Her unit has been called out to a small village to investigate the killings of the residents and local police force. Within minutes all of her friends have been turned into zombies.

[Img_Inline Caption="Alucard. Not quite as scary as Gendo Ikari." Align="Left"]http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt358/marte96/hellsing/hs_alucard184.jpg[/Img_Inline]
After running to the town's Church she encounters a priest who is a head vampire. There is a brief explanation that only deflowered humans turn into "ghouls" and virgins become vampires. The vampriest tries to bite Seras but is interrupted by Alucard. The vampriest calls upon the ghouls in the pews to pump him full of lead which proves to be ineffective and only results their second demise. Alucard then shoots Seras through the lung and kills the vampriest. Alucard bites Seras, episode ends with Alucard getting a verbal whipping from his master Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing (rolls off the tongue don't it?).

The next few episodes focus mainly on Seras and the internal war which rages within her about being a vampire and what it entails. There is also a sense of mystery added as it seems that someone has developed a way to create vampires artificially using computer chips, though this takes a back seat for a while. The episodes up to about five or so are your basic "problem-solution" fillers that do advance the plot a bit. We are also introduced to the series' secondary villain Paladin Anderson, a very tall, tanned, Scottish priest who uses elongated trowels as blades and some sort of divine magic to cause pages of a Bible and talisman to fly everywhere. A quick fight with Alucard shows Anderson is not entirely human either, but before the fight is finished Anderson is forced to leave and Alucard gets scolded. We see Anderson again and the luckily he gets his holy ass kicked once more by Alucard.

[Img_Inline Caption="...and now we turn to Exhibit B: The Shit-eating Grin" Align="right"]http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn52/K3to/Anime/hellsing-seras.jpg[/Img_Inline]
The series picks up on episode 5 where two vampires who call themselves the Valentine Brothers decide to attack the Hellsing complex with a battalion of ghouls at their disposal. Somehow Hellsing's soldiers are unable to hold off the attack and are mostly wiped out. Alucard meets one of the Valentine Bothers who tried to beat him in battle only to get himself eaten up by Alucard's awesome vampiric powers involving giant demon dogs growing out of his shoulder. Seras makes use of her new toy which happens to fire 30mm tank shells. The assault on the compound is thwarted and all is well (except for the destroyed mansion and over a hundred and fifty men dead).

From this point the show is less problem-solution and focuses more on the problem of this new breed of artificial vampire which seem to become more common by the day. Anderson shows up once more and gets his ass royally beaten by Alucard and his badass new pistol. Following that the Hellsing is infiltrated by a Bouvanshi and another, very powerful vampire named Incognito who can wield a 40mm MGL and a M134. Sir Integra is bitten during the incident and tries to an hero. The following episode tells of a young Integra inheriting the organization and Hellsing family fortune, only to be hunted by her uncle who wants the organization to himself. It also tells a somewhat heart warming tale of how Alucard came to be Sir Integra's *****.

Following this is a three part ending which begins with Hellsing moving in to cleanse a castle supposedly packed with evil. The SAS takes over as their reports indicate that terrorists are hiding there. Predictably they get slaughtered. Very soon Hellsing sets up a trap at the Tower of London and falls into a trap itself. Hellsing's soldiers are wiped out, Alucard and Seras come to save the day, epic battle ensues, show ends on a somewhat happy note.

[Img_Inline Caption="Meet Schrodinger. Many flame wars have been started out of the
question of its gender." Align="Left"]http://i704.photobucket.com/albums/ww46/Suiseiseki_IRL/Decorated%20images/Schrdinger.jpg[/Img_Inline]
[HEADING=3]Hellsing OVA[/HEADING]
Gonzo also made a four episode OVA which attempted to tell the story in a newer and more interesting light, but somewhere along the line they decided that it would be best instead to add a new, more interesting plot involving the original characters and a group of Neo-Nazis attempting to cause another war with an army of Nazi vampires (shit you, I do not). A Nazi major who was around long enough to receive Hitler's orders spent the last 55 years in seclusion in South America biding his time. As part of Hitler's "last battalion" he hopes to wipe out England with his newly risen battalion of vampires. We never actually get to see how the battle unfolds as most of the series attempts to set up the situation.

There isn't much to say about the OVA other than it is a sadist's wet dream. The art is a hell of a lot better, but along with an art overhaul comes a massive amount of blood, gore, and mutilation. Alucard takes the center stage for most of it, and we get to see just how much of a badass he is. From ripping humans to shreds to piloting an SR-71 and crashing it onto the deck of a carrier, Alucard solidifies himself in the ************ Hall of Fame in the True Exhibit next to Samuel L. Jackson and Gary Oak. Seras takes more of a side role and is hardly ever seen here, however her time on screen is spent mostly interrupting the flow of things and providing a form of comic relief.

[HEADING=3]Dialogue[/HEADING]
I guess you could say this is a newly developed sense of fangirlishness unleashing itself upon this hapless review, but I could care less about the writing. The fact that the accents were relative to the location where this was taking place more than makes up for it. It's rather interesting to hear it pronounced "the 'Ewwsing Organoization", and "sawry" and plops a large scoop of authenticity down on the plate sprinkled with the jimmies that are Alucard's lines. And that's another thing, Alucard. Crispin Freeman's voice acting in this series is top notch and matches his character rather well. His dialogue is haunting and his laughter spine tingling.

[Img_Inline Caption="WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!" Align="right"]http://images.encyclopediadramatica.com/images/e/ec/Hellsing_2.jpg[/Img_Inline]
[HEADING=3]Sound[/HEADING]
The sound is average at best. The music and effects are good yet leave a little room for improvement. I wish I had more to say, but sadly I am at a loss as there is very little to praise or criticize.

[HEADING=3]Art[/HEADING]
Some people consider Hellsing as one of the last series of the 90s, not time-wise, but art-wise. Hellsing was drawn before the art style we've seen anime drawn with in the past 7-8 years became the norm. It seems to focus more on the people and the action rather than the environment. The animation isn't very detailed and there are some delays in movements making movement seem a bit stiff at times.

[HEADING=3]Alucard[/HEADING]
I'll come right out and say this now. *clears throat* ... Fuck Seras Victoria! Fuck Integra! Fuck everyone else! The only person you truly care about while watching Hellsing is Alucard. Whenever he's in the frame all eyes are on him, because they know wherever he goes that epic will follow in his tracks. Alucard is about the most badass character I have ever seen. Kamina is a badass, Trunks is a badass, Heero Yuy is a badass, but Alucard takes the cake, covers it in blood, and devours it. He constantly wears the best shit-eating-grin I have ever seen, and the best part, he dual wields. Yes. He fucking DUAL WIELDS! If you thought he was a true ************ in the series, wait until you see the OVA. The only sparkles you'll see on this vampire are from the glistening of his guns.

[Img_Inline Caption="New clip = RUN FOR YOU FUCKING LIVES!" Align="Left"]http://i704.photobucket.com/albums/ww46/Suiseiseki_IRL/Decorated%20images/Arucard8.jpg[/Img_Inline]
[HEADING=3]Final Comments[/HEADING]
Despite Hellsing being somewhat bland and offering little more than action, it was an alright series. The art and sound are adequate, but judging a show that used an older art style and recording equipment by Death Note standards would be like judging Contra based on Call of Duty 4. I guess back when it came out it could have been considered good, although at the time it had to compete with Pokemon at its prime which may explain its rather dim reputation.

Regardless, it is a nice series. It may not follow the mythology of vampires to the letter, but it most certainly has a modern take on them. Crosses don't repel them or burn their skin, driving a stake into their heart is for people without guns and even then it seems to require the complete destruction of the heart to do so, and servants (i.e. Renfield) is where are more of an apprentice than a servant. They may not be vampires in the true sense, but it could be worse as we all are fully _______________________________________________ aware of.

If Hellsing had a more prominent plot, if the developers had not focused so much on blood and gore and spent a little more time developing a story, it might have scored higher. Despite all this, Hellsing still gets my Bronze Seal of Approval. I am quite happy to say I have watched it.

[HEADING=2]FINAL SCORE: 7/10[/HEADING]

*seal under construction*

[small][sup]
Review by: Timotei
Editing by: Amnestic - NeutralDrow
Inquisition by: Kuchinawa212

Line ASK Productions 2009[/sup][/small]

Spoiler: Next time on Timotei's Anime Review

[HEADING=3]You'll just have to tune in to find out! [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.153572-Timotei-Anime-Review-Rozen-Maiden#3693269][/HEADING]
(^Link)

In the meantime let ASCII Rei keep you company.

And now I would like to introduce to you a new special in my reviews that I'd like to call:

Spoiler: FOR GREAT JUSTICE

Spoiler: NOTICE!

[HEADING=3]Cynics unite![/HEADING]
Line ASK is now a User Group.

Open to all. Feel free to join, and don't forget to bring your cynicism [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/groups/view/Line-ASK].

Spoiler: For Fans Hellsing!

[HEADING=3]Join the Hellsing User Group![/HEADING]
Your master commands you. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/groups/view/Hellsing-Fans]

 

[Gigaguy64]

Nice!
i loved the anime.
Your review is really well written.
And nice Rei......
i wish i could do that.]
EDIT: oh and i almost forgot.
(looks at my own avatar)
WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!
sigh........

 

[Amnestic]

Since I'm meant to be attesting to the quality of the dubs, I should probably do that: They're really quite good. Possibly the best I've ever seen for an anime in fact.

I have never seen Hellsing, but I dislike how overpowered Alucard is.

From what I've read, he's virtually indestructable, a flaw which- in my opinion- kills the character almost instantly. He's immortal, so why should I care what happens to him?

However, he does seem to have a better personality by far than many other vampires, so he scores for that.

And uh...thats pretty much all I have to say. I might check it out.

Not to spoil the series in any way, but he doesn't completely dominate everyone. Well, not all the time anyway.

 

[Stoic raptor]

Looks good. I recently started to watch anime, so maybe I can continue with this.
I was watching Darker than Black. If Alucard is more badass than Lei, I will freak.

 

[Radeonx]

Pretty good review.
I never particularly liked Hellsing, I don't know why, though. I just found it to not be my "thing."
I'll look forward to your next review.

 

[Worsle]

I have never seen Hellsing, but I dislike how overpowered Alucard is.

To spoil things a little, that is the point. Really the story of the ovas and the manga they are staying fairly true to is about how overpowered Alucard is and the villain trying to over come that. The villain knows how powerful Alucard is and that is what drives him, it is the ultimate challenge in his eyes and one he can not ignore.

 

[Mstrswrd]

~Words.~

An excellent review.... though I feel I should point some stuff out, stuff that you possibly knew and didn't mention, or perhaps did not know. Either way, here we go (damnit, that rhymes).

First: The anime is non-canon. Yes, you read that right. What has to be understood is that Kohta Hirano is extraordinarily slow when it comes to putting out manga. The anime was only a slight deviation from the Manga, until they realized he had only, at the time, written a few issues (about 3, I believe, of the now 11 volumes). To really emphasize his slowness, it took him 11 years to write 10 issue of Hellsing. It takes Tite Kubo about 2 month's to write an issue of Bleach. That was where the whole "Freak chips," and "Incognito," thing comes from. They simply had no manga to base their plot off of (it's still awesome, just not official).

Second: Kohta Hirano is actually not an Action/Shonen Mangaka. He is a Hentai Mangaka. His main job is that of a hentai artist, and he himself has admitted to being perverted (hence why Seras's bust goes from "That's big," to "Those are bigger then my head."). Hellsing's single chapter prototype (called "The Legends of Vampire Hunter") was actually a Hentai Manga.

Third: The "Hellsing: Ultimate" OVA's are canon, as it is a more literal rendition of the Manga, with only the subtlest of changes. Also, I believe that there are 6 "Hellsing: Ultimate" OVA episodes. And it's still ongoing, at this point. Now, if there are only 4 in English, then I understand you saying that there are only 4. Hellsing is one of the few anime's I enjoy in English, but I'm not willing to wait for official dubs, so I watch the fan-subbed version, and then I'll get the dubbed version later when it's done and in a box set.

Also, and this spoiler-box contains major spoilers, so read at your own risk...

Spoiler

Walter gets turned into a Vampire, Alucard takes on his female form, known by fans as Girlycard, they fight, it's awesome. Also, Seras suddenly becomes awesome and gets a blood-arm-wing-thing, and we get to see Alucards fully released form (Special Seal Zero).

Also, the Manga has a backstory prequel called "Hellsing: The Dawn," which details... well, I'll let you see it for yourself. There is also a side story in the Manga which covers the journey of two Vatican assassin's, both female, one of who is a Gunslinger (and very reverse masculine, which just means that she looks like an effeminate boy), and a crazy Japanese sword wielder with a split-personality. Also,

Spoiler

it implies that they are homosexual, and have feelings for each other, which is odd, since they work for the church. It's only heavily implied later on in the main Manga.

...I sound like a rude elitist bastard in this post. I apologize, as it wasn't what I meant to sound like. I'm just a huge Hellsing fanatic.

 

[RanD00M]

Finally i know anime Alucard is from.

 

[oliveira8]

Magnificent formatting, if I may say so.

And Hellsing is one of my favorites, the original series and the OVA. Shame Ganeon's buggered off now and won't be releasing any episodes beyond 4, until someone else picks it up. It ended on a blood cliffhanger of hell too.

Theres like..2 or 3 other episodes and another one coming this december me thinks.

 

[Timotei]

Third: The "Hellsing: Ultimate" OVA's are canon, as it is a more literal rendition of the Manga, with only the subtlest of changes. Also, I believe that there are 6 "Hellsing: Ultimate" OVA episodes. And it's still ongoing, at this point. Now, if there are only 4 in English, then I understand you saying that there are only 4.

I knew prior to reviewing Hellsing that Hellsing: Ultimate existed, but I decided to leave it for another time as it would have meant adding another section to the overview and making the review a hell of a lot longer, meaning i would have to find more pictures.

And finding pictures of Hellsing that aren't either fan art, branded or to large is quite difficult to do. I can't tell you how long I looked for the cover image before just throwing up my arms and deciding upon the least shittiest.

 

[The Random One]

Nice review. I, personally, found the anime okay when I first watched it, and have come to detest it now that I'm reading the manga. It takes a lot of people to create an anime; I'm not sure how none of them came to notice the manga over-the-top, tongue-in-cheek approach to itself. The manga is awesome because it doesn't take itself too seriously, and every character is a gross charicature of itself.

 

[lwm3398]

*Cough*Iscariot-for-Italy*Cough*

I loved the theme. I love the anime. I love the manga. This is the best anime I've seen yet.

 

[mindlesspuppet]

The Hellsing OVA is/was not made by Gonzo, nor was it an attempt to tell the story in a newer light. It's an attempt to create a Hellsing anime that is far more faithful to the manga. It is still in production, the 7th episode comes out in December - definitely worth checking out if you can stand the unbearably slow release schedule.

Also, Schrodinger is boy...

EDIT:

Anderson > Alucard

 

[Pegghead]

Spoiler: Flame shield, up

I hate to sound like a right dickhead but considering my unnatentive brain I could only get about halfway through the original post. Still, I clicked this thread because just this week my good (But rather annoying about it all) anime/manga loving friend was again trying to convince me to get into that sort of stuff (The fact of the matter is that I have tried to, with two films I had at my disposal "Steamboy" and "Nausicaa in the valley of something or rather" and old TV shows I use to enjoy as a kid, mainly the youthanized versions of cartoons like Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokemon, along with more...Mature ones like that Haruhi show, or that one...Neon genesis?) and he mentioned this anime Hellsing. And that's just it, to me cartoons are things for kids and people looking for some clean, fun viewing to watch, not just animated versions of vampires, monsters and sometimes other humans getting shot in the head so with that I just can't take any manga (On his advice I've tried reading those comic books) or anime seriously, on top of that I find unless it's animated extremely well (Like in steamboy which happened to be really good) and not jerky, stiff and badly shaded as I have unfortunately seen in alot of animes I can't really enjoy myself. Besides, I think considering the fact that I am an Australian teenager with skin that varies from white to mostly red, if I became a self-obsessed, anime loving douchebag I think I'd have to kill myself. And after all, I enjoy traditional cartoons and regular comics too much to join the dark side of the spectrum, but it's good to see a user go to all the trouble of reviewing something they enjoy so that others may enjoy it too.

 

[Actual]

Wow awesome review Suiseiseki IRL.

I only pop my head in the forum every now and then so I didn't know you were doing these reviews. I'll keep an eye out from now. Anime is something I enjoy when I happen to catch the good stuff but I'm not invested enough to find out what is worth watching so rely on other's recommendations.

 

[A random person]

snip

First of all, what does being an Australian teenager have to do with anime? Secondly, "dark side of the spectrum?" As opposed to the "light side" of western comics and animation? And thirdly, I think TV Tropes might want to have a word with you [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AnimationAgeGhetto].
Sorry, people using their liking for western things and ethnicity to bash anime kind of leaves me unhinged, moreso than the typical watching a dubbed episode of Naruto and bashing all anime thing.

On topic, I've heard good things about this show, especially the OVA. I'll probably watch it sometime.

 

[scotth266]

By the spear of Odin, what is with this formatting?!

Make that first image a wee bit smaller, add a line break after the Youtube video, and you might want to make the "Gendo" image smaller as well.

 

[Pegghead]

First of all, what does being an Australian teenager have to do with anime?

Trust me when I say this, I know some guys who fit what I said pretty well, and they can be described as douchebags, mainly in the fact that they are blowhard anime fanboys who will boldly bash some of the greatest works of fiction just because it waasn't written by Kouta Hirano or whatever.

Secondly, "dark side of the spectrum?" As opposed to the "light side" of western comics and animation?

No no no, I wasn't suggesting anything bad about anime (Or comparing it to the Sith there) when I said that. It was mostly because I was differentiating between Western animation and Japanese animation, and partly because when you think about it, in a western comic like my personal favourite Odd bodz (Look it up) the highest problem that ever arose would be Myron megabrain being taken captive by a society of boring, grey dullards who have almost no free thought and oddly enough provide many a laugh with their constant monotone discussions about oatmeal and bath robes. In a Japanese comic like say, Deathnote it would contain plots about life, death, the toil of good and evil, free will and one scary-ass looking death God (I don't read it, like I said I have a few friends who won't shut the fuck up about this stuff) so it is a little bit of a darker style when you think about. But dark can be good, like with chocolate *Salivates*.

And thirdly, I think TV Tropes might want to have a word with you [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AnimationAgeGhetto].
Sorry, people using their liking for western things and ethnicity to bash anime kind of leaves me unhinged, moreso than the typical watching a dubbed episode of Naruto and bashing all anime thing.

Believe me, I wasn't just pulling what I said out of my ass with no real proof to back me up, and I wasn't trying to bash anime or manga. I got the facts, I've seen it uncut, I'm not going on the words of some chopped and changed child-friendly version of an anime TV show. And I'm not some blowhard fanboy of western animation who could recite the entire plot of steamboat willy in an instant, or could tell you about all the things which inspired Jim Davis to be a cartoonist.

I'm sorry if what I said upset you guys, I was just adding to what I thought could be a mature discussion of a classic Japanese show which would not require any usage of the flame shield or the bail whale to get someone out of a sticky discussion...

BAIL WHALE!

 

[A random person]

snip

My apologies, again, things here have left me a bit jumpy with anime bashing (there was a thread titled ex-japanophiles once. If something like that pops up ever again, I will rage), especially since I've actually seen a few people essentially say that if you're not Japanese, you should see the clear superiority of western things. I understand that anime elitism is rampant in other parts, but it seems to be the other way here. Seriously, while the video itself was funny, I cringed somewhat when I saw the "Robot Princess Bubblegum" thing because I knew people would take it seriously.

 

[Pegghead]

snip

My apologies, again, things here have left me a bit jumpy with anime bashing (there was a thread titled ex-japanophiles once. If something like that pops up ever again, I will rage), especially since I've actually seen a few people essentially say that if you're not Japanese, you should see the clear superiority of western things. I understand that anime elitism is rampant in other parts, but it seems to be the other way here. Seriously, while the video itself was funny, I cringed somewhat when I saw the "Robot Princess Bubblegum" thing because I knew people would take it seriously.

That's a very well structured, intelligent and fairly supported argument, and trust me I can turn into the most unpleasent, un-disputable dermined fanboy when a thread begins that goes agaist what I believe i right.