Anime 270 Hellsing Reviews Filter Check 2

Hellsing is my favorite manga of all time. It combines a fun story, memorable characters, quirky humor, stylish art, and unrelenting gore and brutality all into one little paper back graphic novel.
So naturally, you'd think that the manga would make an awesome anime. Well, Chiaki J. Konaka and Umanosuke Iida thought so too and took it upon themselves to make an anime based off the popular series. In many ways, they succeeded. But they also failed...

The anime was released in 2001, long before the manga series would be complete. So they were forced to come up with their own story, completely unrelated to the ... manga (save for a few key plot points). This potentially is a pretty cool idea and allows room for originality, but the story in the anime is very hit and miss. There were times I was really enjoying the series and other times that I was flat out bored. I felt that the story just dragged and was often times pointless.
The story also lacks a key element that makes Hellsing so great, and that's the humor. This anime takes itself very seriously, but it loses heart doing so.
I've heard many times from fellow fans that the anime is just poor a fanfiction, and I can't say I disagree.

The animation is just plain ugly, even by TV anime standards. The characters are all poorly drawn, the colors are bland and ugly, and animation is smooth but suffers from choppiness. Visually, this is a lifeless anime. And that's all I can really say about it.

The soundtrack and voice acting is the anime's highlight. The soundtrack is nothing short of wonderful. The jazz tracks really set you in the mood for the series and I'd go as far as saying that the actual album is worth they buy. The voice acting was also very good. Crispin Freeman, K. T. Gray, Victoria Harwood, Steven Brand, Ralph Lister, and the rest of the cast did such an excellent job voicing their characters.

All the characters themselves were great, but the one character that truly stands out in the series is Seras. Her character is really fleshed out and you got to know her alot more then you did in the manga. Alucard was great, but he really becomes more of a prop in the background then anything else. The shows villain 'Incognito' was just... blah. He was kinda cool, but can't hold a candle to the manga's villain 'The Major'.

Overall, this is just simply an okay anime. Nothing rememberable or even exciting. It's not bad really, but it isn't great either. And to be perfectly blunt, this fails to live up to Kouta Hirano's vision. In recent years, they've rebooted the series with 'Hellsing Ultimate', an OVA series that is almost panel by panel like the manga's. I highly recommend you go see the OVA's, those did everything that the TV series couldn't.
If you consider yourself a Hellsing fan, then by all means go see this series. But if you're just entering the Hellsing universe, then I recommend you stay clear of this and go straight onto 'Hellsing Ultimate'.

DISCLAIMER:
If you are a "Hellsing fanboy", ignore this review as it will probably fill you with murderous rage. That being said... Hellsing is the kind of series not meant to be taken seriously, at all. If you like stories about vampires and find random violence cool and fun then this may be right up your alley. If you enjoy effortless entertainment with no real depth and no thought required, then stop here and just skip my review. However if you know what kind of anime you like, and are curious to see if Hellsing may or may not be for you, the following criticisms may ... help with your decision.

Story:
Let me make this clear, it's not like shows about mindless violence are beneath me (I loved DBZ). The first episode of Hellsing was very interesting and drew me in, but from there on things went downhill. For one, everything about it moved at such a quick pace nothing really develops. This is especially evident with the way characters handle events (see "Characters" below). And this frantic momentum just keeps on going. The cut scenes are sudden, making for rough transitions, and even the plot progresses sporadically. It's also morally all over the place, which could be a statement about the ambiguity of right and wrong, but most likely the creator just didn't care about that kind of stuff. If you like shows like Cowboy Bebop which are very episodic and have very thin/loose central plots, then you may still enjoy Hellsing.

The Anderson guy was kind of cool and the fights with him weren't bad. The whole vampires commanding ghoul armies thing was a nice touch; kind of different. Still, there was little plot, and much of it was ridiculous and/or didn't make sense. The way they acted, the things they fell for, etc. The dialogue to action ratio was like 3:1. That much dialogue and so much dubiousness made even less sense.

But anyway... I'd say this is probably not for young teens as there's plenty of blood and some sexual situations...

Characters:
The characters weren't the most original, but I didn't mind. The problem was that they weren't fleshed out very well and they were considerably static. They had no range. They were always in the same "mode" all the time. Alucard was always smug and "bad ass". Seras was always weak and impish, etc. Some people may actually LIKE this kind of certainty, but I prefer dynamic, unpredictable characters. Their interactions were also so unusual that I spent more time scratching my head than clapping my hands. Examples...

Alucard - I like bad asses. I can forgive a lot, but I expect a certain consistency. A certain logic or order to a characters behavior. But so much of the show is just kind of up in the air and random. For instance, Alucard's encounter with Seras. There was no pressure and no time limit and despite his considerable powers he still takes the least practical action. He didn't even consider any other options. The whole event felt so forced and rushed. Speaking of which, one moment he'll be asking, "Hey, wanna be my servant?" the next, "Hey, wanna be on your own?" Bwa?? O_o

Additionally, Alucard suffers from "overpowered main character" syndrome, which (when combined with the above characteristics) make it hard to either care or be concerned about the character.

Seras Victoria - I actually liked the whole vampire in training bit with her, but (like everything else) they never really developed this much. Also, she was all too eager to accept some random monster as her new master. Maybe the British have weaker constitutions than I was aware of, but I have to wonder, who does this? I'm ok with a character being weak or hesitant or not super special awesome, but to be so inexplicably submissive just seems unbelievable. No resistance? No doubt? No concern? I just can't imagine anyone in such a situation being so nonchalant.

Ironically, despite her instant instinct for servitude, she still ends up being very reluctant to actually DO anything. Maybe if there were some backdrop or history to her character this might have made sense. It's areas like this where the lack of character development really hurt the show.

Strangely enough, her breasts seemed to fluctuate in size and her hair would alternate between yellow and orange.

"Sir" Integra Hellsing - Not much to say, just wanted to comment on how usually in anime you'll see guys who look very, very feminine. The whole "Sir" and "Miss" thing was a little confusing, but it also didn't help that she might be the first in a new line of girls who look/sound very masculine.

Art:
The art's good, though a little weird at times (especially when the characters end up being stylistically "elongated") but this may come across as cool. I did like the look of the DVD menus though. I give the previews credit for being... different, although I personally found them annoying.

Sound:
The one thing I did like about Hellsing was the music. The selections were unusual but interesting and somehow went well with the show. I wished it was used more often, then I could've enjoyed it as some extravagant AMV. The dubbing for Hellsing is noteworthy if for nothing else than the fact that they got mostly European voice actors for the European setting. Though despite this novelty I still preferred the sub. Freeman was the only one who didn't come across as amateurish to me.

Years ago, before I seriously got into anime and kept up with shows on a weekly basis, I had little knowledge of anime outside of Sailor Moon, Gundam Wing and whatever FOXKids decided to show. There was a program called WINAMP which served as the basis for my media needs and also had a neat little function for internet streaming. Among the various streams, was an anime channel that had, you guessed it, Hellsing playing on repeat and that's how I got into this little show. Produced by Studio Gonzo in 2001, Hellsing would be the darkest and edgiest show that I have watched ... in the years leading up to my current watching habits.

Set in modern Britain, the Hellsing Organization, lead by Interga Hellsing who is a descendant of Van Hellsing, remains at the forefront of identifying and disposing supernatural enemies that threaten their nation. One night, a young policewomen, Seras Victora, is comes under a vampire's grasp during an operation inside a village that results in everyone else in her unit being turned into ghouls. Hellsing's top agent, another vampire, resolves the standoff with ease but ends up turning Seras into one of his familiars when she suffers a fatal wound. From then on, she is inducted into the Hellsing Organization where she comes to terms with her transition into a creature of the night while doing battle against monsters and demons.

Violence is something that Hellsing embraces fully with various firearms, melee weapons and physical attacks that has gore and body parts being thrown all over the screen. Lots of people die including innocent bystanders, human troops and horde of cannon fodder in the most terrible way possible. People and creature are impaled, have their bodies torn apart and eaten or even dragged into the harrowing abyss that is Alucard. Accompanying such brutality, is the mixture of gun and swordplay that is less about graceful fighting and more about who can inflict

The most glaring problem with Hellsing TV is that it was made before the manga had reached its conclusion and thus, it goes a different route from the source material at the midpoint of its run. Plot points like the freak chips behind instant vampires and the continuing conflict with the Catholic Church are dropped for dumber things like Integra's false sister and a villain that shows up at the very end. With the Hellsing train shifting tracks in the limited time of thirteen episodes that it has, the show derails before ending haphazardly in a unsatisfying finale where the viewers are left feeling confused and left hanging on what exactly was the point of Hellsing.
For actual characters, they prop up the entire show even though the plot fails to do them justice.

Alucard is as far you can get away from the romanticized version of vampires where they sparkle in the sunlight and have creepy stalker relationships with high school girls. He is overpowered. He is so overpowered that the viewers know he is going win no matter what, just like the Kritos and takuousa of Mahuka and Sword Art Online. The difference is that Alucard does it with style and flair that makes his powerful skills so awesome. Combined with his two signature hand cannons and combat style of luring his opponent into thinking they can beat him before taunting and beating their ass to a pulp, he is a flaming ungodly entity when compared to the cardboard cutouts of other male power fantasy shows. The only reason that anyone roots for Alucard is that everyone else is slightly worse off in their methods and reasoning and he is just so cool when he goes about wiping the floor with his foes. His red outfit, completed with a brim hat and trench coat, makes him one of the more visually unique anime characters that viewers will instantly recognize. In essence, the vampire of the Hellsing Organization is less of an anti-hero and more like a demonic monster, kept in check only by his master, Integra Hellsing.

The only two main character leads, which are female, do very well in keeping up with the overpowered vampire. At only twenty two years old, Integra Hellsing is one remarkable lady, being the head of an organization that specializes in taking down the undead and some very nasty creatures. She is rather cold and forceful in with dealing with Alucard and Seras, but that is expected of a person in her position. Seras, being a former police girl and newly inducted member of Hellsing, is the humanizing aspect of the show as Alucard and Interga operate on a completely different level from the common viewer. While she starts off as a very reluctant vampire, unsure of how to let go of her humanity, Seras' journey in embracing her supernatural is the focus of the television series. However, for much the show, she faintly clings on to her former life and instead of powering up like Alucard, it ends up dragging down the show, but not to the extent of the jumbled plot.

The best aspect and probably the most memorable part of the TV series was the soundtrack. With its jazzy style mixed with a bass guitar, piano and drums, it meshed perfectly with the British backdrops of dark seedy underworlds and very English architecture of castles and manors. If anything, the opening credits titled "The World Without Logos" serves as a perfect precursor for the what audience should expect from the audio department. It also helps that the opening has some pretty hardcore imagery that was grisly and awesome at the same time. One obvious point is to watch the dubs as the setting and characters are of a European background and the voice acting is done by some really talented actors
The visuals, for an anime airing in the early 2000s,is actually pretty good. The mixture of drab colors, like grey, black and brown, fits in with horror and bloody vibes that Hellsing goes for However, as the series worn on, Studio Gonzo's tendency to skimp out on the animation budget becomes noticeable and the overall product, already hurting from the sub-par story, suffers for it.

Despite all the flaws that turns a promising concept into a disappointment, I would still recommend watching this adaption, if only to enjoy the characters and music rather than focusing on the mishandled plot. It is a perfect way to be let down before moving on to its much superior successor done by a different studio and delivered in a much different format.

6/10

Super-Freak

London is burning. The metaphorical mouth of hell has yawned open letting Vampires run amok on the streets to desecrate the sanctity of humans. They pillage and plunder about in the wake of blood, bathing in the high it gives them. Sometimes all one can do is let the Vampire's dagger-like fangs penetrate his or her rosy flesh, letting their souls and bodies become twisted images of man, ghouls, the mindless servants of the children of the night.

London is burning... is there no one to protect us from the darkness? Hellsing follows the story of Nosferatu Alucard and Seras Victoria, his newly minted vampire slave ... and their servitude to the Hellsing Organization. The Organization has one purpose, to eliminate the freaks in the name of God and the Her Majesty, the Queen of England.

The story shows potential in the first few episodes but ultimately does actualize any much of it. The story becomes unfulfilling, leaving you dumbfounded in front of your television. As I looked into the black pit of my dimmed screen I imagined how much more could have been there.

None of the stories presented are completely explored. There is a whole conflict between the Hellsing Organization and the Vatican that is built up to a single underwhelming fight and completely forgotten for the rest of the shows run. It would have been nice to see more as the religious tension between Protestants and Roman Catholics was interesting, considering the actual history between the Church of England and Rome.

Hellsing painted shades of intrigue. At one point there seemed to be some political conflict dressed with conspiracy. There is tons of juicy stuff if explored, but the entire story is concluded in two screens of "Times New Roman".

The character's don't save the show either. Most of them seem to be cardboard. Alucard seems to be an attractive anti-hero at first, looking for a good fight. You never really get a glimpse past the violent visage, his overpowering ability consuming everything. Integral is portrayed as the stoic leader of Hellsing, her faith in god and country unshakable. The most well developed character is Seras Victoria. Her struggle to come to terms with the curse of her Vampirism is compelling. I would have appreciated both Alucard and Seras more if their whole slave-master relationship was examined. An opportunity unexploited.

Incognito was as cliched as antagonists come. He is power hungry, driven mad by blood lust and carried a huge gun. He has about 15 lines in the entire show, making his character tissue paper from a creative level. I would have liked to see more back story to him to give just a slice depth.

All these issues could have been solved if the series had some more breathing room. Thirteen episodes can't contain a series that is trying to do as much as Hellsing is trying to do. Stories could have been realized and the many actors could have more 'alone-time' with the audience to grow and develop. Possibly amazing actions scenes were shrunk into mere minutes, some conflicts resolved in seconds.

Production

The art in Hellsing has it's moments. The art style is comic-like, models outlined in dark thick lines. It would have worked if the animation were not so uneven and the characters did not have such blocky body structures. Seras in particular was poorly drawn, having comparatively large head and breasts with square shoulders and rectangular legs.

The scenery is done well though. The mute palette fills the atmosphere perfectly. I love the wash of crimson that fills the landscape when Alucard enters the scene.

The sound is magnificent. The soundtrack is varied yet appropriate, scaling from upbeat to morose. The real star of the production is the voice work. Alucard's voice is deep, emanating from the depths of bosom and exuding power. Integral voice grows sharp with her dutiful conviction. The rest of the cast do an exceptional job. It sad that they didn't have a better script to work with.

Watchability and Enjoyment

Hellsing is definitely watchable, but for the wrong reasons. It's quite short, thirteen episodes, and nothing is quite revolting. I finished it about three sessions. Some of the action is merits watching and the music is worth listening to. My enjoyment was hindered by the fact the plot lines were largely incomplete. I felt unfulfilled, that there should have been seven or eight more episodes afterward.

Themes

Hellsing manages to deal with a few themes across the small series. Seras Victoria, upon being turned into a vampire, fights of the beast beating against her rib cage. Two halves of her battle one another, one side hanging onto her former humanity the other side embracing the monster that was borne in her. Integral has a similar struggle of identity that is hinted at. She lives to become a reflection of her father, whose portrait hangs in her room. She lives to fill his shadow, and die with an untarnished dignity and pride. Both of these ideas helped prevent Hellsing from being completely shallow.

Closing Thoughts

Hellsing could have been excellent but was crippled by its own length. It's big ideas were shaved down to size and stuffed into thirteen episodes. Hellsing could have solved this easily, by being longer or by trying to do less. If your looking for an anime about vampire's with some substance, Hellsing should be a pass for you.

Overview:

There are rare times when the anime is actually better than the original manga. This is NOT one of those times.

Plot: 3/10

Even the vastly superior Hellsing Ultimate had a VERY stupid plot and is not exactly a literary masterpiece. It is Count Dracula fighting Nazi vampires and an insane Catholic military force. The reason it is a great show is that it does NOT take itself seriously. It is balls to the wall action and insanity that is supposed to be so stupid its awesome. The writer and mangaka of Hellsing, Kouta Hirano, has never read a classic book in his life. He is an ... ex- electrical engineer that became a porn director. What he does well is entertain and give us ludicrous, adrenaline packed fun that no one else is offering. The first Hellsing tries to take itself WAY too seriously and fails for it. This is not masterpiece theater. This is Hellsing! We want to see Dracula kill half of Brazil fighting a Latino stereotype that throws explosive playing cards at people! That is the kind of insane shit that I want to watch!


Characters: 7/10

Although Alucard and Seras are captured fairly well before the filler bullshit starts, the extra characters like Incognito are god awful. Incognito is the one thing that a Hellsing character should never be, he is BORING! Ultimate gives us amazingly ridiculous like Zee Major, Schroedinger, Zorin Blitz, The Dandy Man, Rip Van Winkle. All of those characters were fun as hell and I enjoyed every minute they were on screen! I could never say the same for Incognito!

Soundtrack: 5/10

Where the HELL is my Karl Maria Von Webber!? Where is Englandlied!? Fuck this weak sauce!

Art: 5/10

The budget for the original Hellsing is much lower and looks quite ugly in comparison to Ultimate. If Ultimate never existed then I would say the art is ok for 2002. I wouldn't say it is great, but rather ok.

Enjoyment: 5/10

I had to force myself to actually finish this one. In Ultimate I was on the edge of my seat and was deeply saddened when it finally ended. Ultimate was a pure 10/10 in terms of fun. This is very meh.

Overall: 5/10

If Hellsing Ultimate didn't exist, then this would be a very average anime. It wouldn't be a great anime or a true classic, but it would be ok. That is why I am giving it a fairly high 5/10 rating. I am trying to look at it by itself and not in comparison to Ultimate. Otherwise I would probably give it a 3/10.

Hellsing is a decent anime, but if you go into it with high expectations, like I did, you might be disappointed.
The first episode starts off pretty promising, but it pretty much goes downhill from there. There are some pretty cool fight scenes throughout, but sometimes they seem to get a bit repetitive. Other than that, I personally, found this series to be dry and boring for the most part. I could empathize with some of the characters to an extant, but I never felt any real connection, and never really got into the story.
I liked the overall concept, but I think a lot more ... could have been done with this series.

POSITIVES: This anime is very dark, revolves around vampires, zombies, and such. If you’re a fan of that sort of thing, you’ll probably enjoy this anime.
There are some good action scenes, especially at the end of the series.

Talking about the original Hellsing TV in a pleasing manner is a laborious battle of attrition. Granted, for a damn good reason. Hellsing Ultimate is one of my favorite works of art of all time and to this day I have claimed is one of the pinnacles of Shakespeare, Nietzsche, as well as a touch of Heart of Darkness in this darling medium. Hellsing TV, however… has a different philosophy here. To many, this adaptation is simply doomed to be inferior to both the manga and OVA series that, in my eyes, surpasses the original source material. Do I believe TV is fated to this ... as well?

In a way…. Yes. But also no. I’ll tell you upfront: Hellsing TV is indeed a show worth watching. It’s very decent. Sure, has an original ending and storyline halfway around the show due to the manga not even being close to finished at the time this was made, but easily worth a shot. Now for why that is? Let’s get into it.

The best way to describe Hellsing TV specifically is X-files in London meets Bram Stoker if he chose to pen comics instead of write novels. The main throughline narratively centers around Seras Victoria who has been recently, and tragically turned into a vampire due to her Master, Alucard, who acts interestingly in this adaptation more as a mentor figure to Seras rather than the protagonist. While he is vastly more interesting and just oozes it, even in this show where he simply alludes to character depth without having the screentime to show it, is Seras herself interesting? Yes.

I believe this is one of the saving, rather, mitigating graces of this show. Seras on the surface seems dull of a character, however, her story is indeed intimate as well as somewhat relatable. The vampires giving into bloodlust in mythology has always been symbolic of many things, but commonly, addiction. She struggles desperately not to give into her desires for blood and become a full vampire, all for what? What, really? Some sense of idealism? Holding onto the last bits of humanity she has? Why? What is there to really go back to? That is the question Seras is faced through this show.

…. And that does not get answered by the end of it - everything is a spoiler, calm yourself.

That’s the problem in terms of narrative with this adaptation. The show presents ideas and plotlines but very few of them are actually followed through. Instead they opt to throw in even more random plot elements out of nowhere that, unlike Fullmetal Alchemist 2003, a very appropriate comparison, do not have the time nor competence to execute in a compelling way that is at the very least satisfactory. Sure, things get solved, but only events and elements that were shoved in during the last five-six episodes rather than those that have been built since the series first.

Rewatching this show for the, yes, do not get me wrong, I still defend - 7th time, I still do not know what its purpose was. What did it try to tell me about Seras or Alucard that it hinted at earlier in the series? What’s the end result from this besides a climactic battle with no weight to it? Hellsing fails in this regard because it is inherently juxtaposed to its first half that, yes, is somewhat interesting, but for a hollow climax. There is no way around it. No excuse. Its plot fails.

But did you catch that? You did, right? I have rewatched this show over five times, and I’m still rewatching it now. There has to be something making me return. That’s what we’ll be getting to now.

This anime in terms of budget is limited, and those of you who are privy to Gonzo know when they make something there is a coin-flip chance of it looking decent with some pretty great moments, or horrible all throughout. In my opinion, Hellsing is the former. While the characters are stilted the camerawork at times can produce some exceedingly provocative angles, especially (well… admittedly only) with Alucard and that’s because he emanates an aura of domination that immediately captures the viewer, helped even more by all of his voice actors doing their damn best and relishing in their roles. On this topic, all voice actors for all characters in both sub and dub do an amazing job if you ask me. It’s almost like they didn’t realize they were working on a mediocre Gonzo project. O.o

Limited animation. Character designs that occasionally falter out of nowhere. Neutered gore that is disgraceful to the source material. Even so, there is one thing about this work that you will bordering objectively (pardon the oxymoron) enjoy. The soundtrack. This is one of the most aesthetically pleasing sounds to come out from any anime, period.

A mix of haunting jazz and melodic foot-stompers, it is generally of common consensus that this soundtrack is far superior to Ultimate’s, you can call me someone part of that consensus. Tracks like: “Falling into a Trap with a Sexy Lure”, and: “R&R with Dracula's Minions”, are intoxicating. This is the case with nearly every song in the entire OST. This is an aspect of the show I can double-down on and say even without watching this series, demands to be listened to. Preferably with a glass of blood-red wine if you really wanna get into it.

So. . . should you watch Hellsing TV? Yes. I think you should. Even if it’s a mediocre show. Its voice-acting, gritty yet calm and cool, as well as demonic aesthetic, will get you through this. Take away the comparisons to the manga and OVA, and you have yourself a fairly entertaining, if not painfully and obviously flawed show. And, speaking frankly: Can you really tell me you have anything to lose watching this short, cheap, dinky yet fun ride?

Hellsing TV is almost akin to a ride at a cheap carnival. Of course it’s silly, of course it’s bad, but I have a feeling you’ll look back on it with some queer sense of nostalgia. Very few people I’ve talked to can tell me something particularly painful or spiteful of this show, just how it doesn’t stack up to anything else in its franchise. That’s all fair and good, but let’s give a show a chance to stand up on its own two feet.

Or… at least stumble to the finish line.

Taking place in England, an organization named Hellsing which is commanded by Sir Integra Wingates Hellsing, is responsible for protecting the country from supernatural creatures. These creatures happen to be vampires and ghouls. The Hellsing Organization's best weapon is a vampire named Alucard. He battles using supernatural abilities, high powered guns with blessed ammo, and he appears to be immortal. This vampire shows the undead absolutely no mercy when dishing out justice for his master Integra.-summary

There have been numerous stories featuring vampires hunting vampires. I believe Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust told a very good and better story; but Hellsing is unique in its on way, ... and I don't think anything else does it quite like it. Hellsing completely abandons the traditional vampire of folklore. Alucard seems truly demonic, and at times, far beyond a vampire due to his amazing abilities. He's the main reason to see this series, because he's definitely among the most unusual of anti-heroes.

Although not a great series in my view, it's very far from a bad one. The series is very stylish with a main character that defines cool. Despite what bit of flaws that are present in Hellsing, watching Alucard kill in battle kind of makes up for its shortcomings. That is considering if you're an action starved person only. Myself on the other hand, I'm more story and plot driven, so a majority of the time I demand a whole lot from whatever it is I'm watching.

I found the story a lot more interesting during the first few episodes. One of the main characters introduced, by the name of Seras Victoria is turned into a vampire by Alucard. She has a very hard time dealing with this drastic change in her life. She sometimes refuses to drink blood. When her cravings would appear, I found the segments to be very funny, at the same time sad. Her cravings actually reminds me of a person on a very strict diet whom happens to come across a bakery, and eventually falls victim to their desire, thus going on a pastry rampage.

Unfortunately, the series began to fall storywise for me. The half naked plot only began to stroll along, and resorted to introducing one blood bath after the next. The action scenes are good but they are not very brutal. You get a very good amount of body dismantlement and blood, but for a series about vampires and ghouls tearing people to shreds. I would've prefered seeing Ninja Scroll or Angel Cop type of graphic death.

One thing that did bother me about the fight scenes. At least one time I can recall, there was a lengthy battle which took place and simply ended. It didn't resolve anything or push the plot at all. For a 13 episode series that has a thin as needles plot. I found this to be somewhat aggravating.

Hellsing prepares a very big dinner and leaves quite a bit of left overs. There are numerous things taking place only to be lazily covered. Characters come and go with very little to no background given about them. I don't need my info to be spoon fed. I just need an explanation for events taking place, or I'm going to slice it up as poor direction.

This is a subject I have to hit on although it doesn't effect the rating. I noticed several fans of the series claim horror fans will love Hellsing. Well not this horror fan. I don't find the series atmospheric from an actual horror point of view. It does have a dark setting with characters that are equally dark; but the soundtrack which is excellent by the way, would have sounded better for something other than this. If a horror feel is what this anime was aiming for, which I don't believe was the goal at all. Then jazz ruined the atmosphere completely. Some genres really should stay as far away from each other as possible, and these two genres grouped together with vampires is a good example.

When thinking of a horror atmosphere, for me, it must produce a sinister feel. It needs a setting that can stimulate fear. Characters that are equally dark, and a soundtrack to create a sense of terror. Not a single one of these elements are any less important. Anime series that do have a more competent horror like atmosphere and fit that description are Requiem from the Darkness, Devil Lady, and Doomed Megalopolis. Hellsing should be looked at as an all out action series. From the way I look at horror. I just don't believe a horror fan should buy into that.

The animation is decent and detailed enough during the battles. There were actually very little reused cels, and I can't recall any during the battles. It also looks the best when Alucard uses his supernatural abilities to unlock his true potential. The character designs are pretty cool at times, with Alucard as well as his enemies Incognito, and Paladin looking the absolute best. I also liked the attention to detail. You can see the writing on Alucard's weapons and gloves. This is also another occasion I have to heavily lean in favor of the English voice actors. They do a great job, and I think everyone's personality is better acted.

Hellsing is a solid action series. I think it's best to approach this series with a turned off brain and completely forget the plot. The characters are cool enough to hold one's attention. There is quite a bit of foul language, and a couple of sexual situations.

I also recommend watching this version way before the remake Hellsing: Ultimate. The remake is far better visually and far more action packed, with very, very detailed graphic violence. I recommend this one first, because I know too many people whom saw the remake prior, and ended up absolutely hating this one.

Highs: Lots of action, very charismatic anti-hero, good music

Lows: Plot is on crutches, so many characters... so little background

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING REVIEW IS BASED ON THE OPINION OF ONE INDIVIDUAL. PLEASE DO NOT LET IT EFFECT WHETHER OR NOT YOU WOULD LIKE TO VIEW THE ANIME. ALSO UNLIKE SOME REVIEWERS I WILL NOT GIVE AN ANIME A GOOD RATING JUST BECAUSE IT'S ANIME, IT HAS TO BE GOOD.
SYNOPSIS: I WILL NOT BE REWRITING ONE, IT IS UNDER THE DETAILS.

Hellsing is a mystery vampire anime rated R for it's violent nature. Aired from 2001 to 2002 this anime has 13 episodes.
Hellsing, at ... least it's not Twilight. The story was mediocre and never fully developed. For those who like cliff hangers(yeah who does) this story leaves a huge one towards the end. I did not read the manga so I can not compare it at the level others can, but it is to my knowledge that this anime was created before the manga was even finished. I've watch anime that were finished before the manga and they never turn out good. For those who have not read the manga and our not planning to let me just say this story has holes in it. Questions are not answered and the character development is poor. The thing that pulls this story together is it's violence and after a while it seems that is all that story has going for itself, pointless violence.
I have read other reviews about this anime and noticed that many people have been complaining about the art saying it is "bland" and "you can not tell what is going on." I for one like the art and feel it's incompleteness gives it a mysterious edge that saves the anime from being a total flop. It's lack of definition gives it uniqueness against other anime and reminds me of the genius artwork of Gankutsuou.
The characters are average and like most anime, there is always unoriginal characters thrown in the bunch. I feel disappointed in the main lead character Alucard(Dracula spelled backwards) because even though he has the powerful abilities he plays as a background character for the Hellsing organization. One of the female leads Sera Victoria is weak and always needs guidance from someone.
I watched this anime in sub and this is not the best sub. Maybe it is due to the location of the anime, England, but i feel the voice overs are not in sync with the location. I recommend watching this in dub where the British accents may be played better. The emotions from one character in particular, Intergra was outstanding in sub so it should be good in dub. The soundtrack is another piece of the puzzle that saves the anime from being a total flop. It's darkness tone helps the viewer feel the action and mystery from the top of their eardrum.
Overall, if you are looking for deep entertainment this is not the anime for you. I would recommend something like Rainbow. This is the type of anime you would watch if you had too much time on your hands like I did. On the bright side, there is no corny romance like Twilight.
Hellsing, not the best thing.

So Full disclosure the Hellsing Manga series is one of my favorite of all time and one of the few I've purchased and read through to completion. So when I saw the Hellsing Anime I just had to watch it. I liked it at first, and I did like it overall, but I remember the ending left me scratching my head and saying "who were those guys? where's the Major?" I'm not a fan of an anime completely changing the storyline away from the manga, which is what Hellsing did. I get that in longer series sometimes you catch up to ... the manga and need to do some filler to let the manga story progress, but this was not the case here, and they didn't just change it a little...it is a completely different story. Luckily this series was redone as Hellsing: Ultimate which stays true to the original story. If you watched this series and felt let down by the changes, do yourself a favor and go watch Hellsing: Ultimate.

Story:
While I really enjoyed the concept of Hellsing, in practice it leads something to be desired. The story is far too short and goes all over the place. The pacing makes no sense at all.

After the first episode, very little plot progression happens. These episodes take way too long for anything interesting to happen; About Two-Thirds is somewhat boring diolog, until the main conflict actually occurs and Alucard arrives to killl whatever happens to stand in his way. These fight scenes are usually enjoyable and kept me from losing interest completely.

The story gets a little better in the mid-to late episodes. An actual plot ... begins to develop. This begins to explain the increased supernatural activity that the Hellsing organization had been dealing with.

This could have been a good plot, but there is no time for the story to develop. When the last episode ended and the credits rolled, I felt no real sense of closure. The show was far too short for me to develop any real attachment to the characters or hate the antagonist at all. He was introduced really late in the show, and didn't have any background beyond a vague statement. Sure, he did some nasty things, but he never was any more than a somewhat generic, one-dimensional villain character.

Ultimately, the story led to a rising climax that felt pretty anticlimactic. Sure, there is a big fight scene, but it was not much bigger or more exciting than any other fight in the series. A disappointing story overall. Would have been okay for just a first season, but as a complete show it falls short.

Art:
Not really much to say here. The art is well done in my opinion. It's nothing too fantastic, but it is good enough to be enjoyable. I was never blown away by any scenes, but it was not bad overall. However, I really loved how Alucard is drawn, at least in his normal uniform. I just think it looks really cool, although this design was largely taken from the manga.

Sound:
This was a high point of the series. I felt that the soundtrack was very enjoyable. There are a few songs that I absolutely loved, like the opening theme, for example.

As far as voice acting, the English dub was excellent. All of the voices are well done and fit their characters well. Much better than the Japanese audio in my opinion, especially considering the show's settings and the varied accents that exist there.

Characters:
Alucard is extremely well done. He is really likeable despite being a somewhat evil character. His voice acting is superb. Hearing him taunt his enemies is incredibly satisfying at times, and adds a lot to his character. He is the guy that always kills the characters you hate.

Everyone else is pretty mediocre in general. I never really cared for any of them too much. They where either not present enough (like Father Anderson) or they didn't really stand out. They have their moments sometimes, but none where overly entertaining.

Conclusion:
Overall, this was a flawed series that I still enjoyed. It wasn't great, but I don't feel as if I completely wasted my time. I would advise that most people just watch Hellsing Ultimate, as it seems to rectify a lot of these complaints from what I have been told. I am still early in that series, so it is hard to tell yet.

This is an Anime that really should have been good. The art style was great, the animation was solid and the soundtrack is one of my favorite soundtracks of all time. So why is this so hated by everyone? Well lets disregard the manga completely and just take a look at this anime as a stand alone feature.

The biggest problem I have is that the interesting characters that steal the spotlight, namely Alucard and Sir Integra are given a back seat to show the struggle of a Mary Sue "Police Girl," with, you guessed it, massive breasts. This is an Anime ... with production quality that lets you know it's trying it's absolute hardest to be "deep" but in the end focuses on everything you shouldn't like instead of the things that are actually good. Leaving you to, big surprise, not like it.

The other problem I have is not so much that the anime goes away from the manga. Again we aren't comparing it to the manga. But that the story they did decide to do is mind numbingly slow and boring. Unless one of the aforementioned "Well done characters" is on the screen you'll fall asleep to the dull plot twists, the blandness of the focus character's motivations and the dated animation.

Yep, I said it. Unlike shows like Cowboy Bebop, where even though the animation is obviously dated the style of the animation creates a timeless quality, this anime did not age well at all. With the exception of the first few scenes you watch this and it just feels, old. I suppose a lot of it had to do with the plot boring me to tears.

This is an Anime that focuses on style over substance. Which has worked before. But here there is so little substance and so little keeping you watching that the style looses it's flair. Which is a real shame because the opening for this show it fantastic!

However the opening writes a check that this show, unfortunately, couldn't cash. It's boring, has massive plot holes, and the characters they choose to give focus to are the characters nobody cares about. The lack of substance completely sank this show and if you're looking for anything but a good music soundtrack you're going to be greatly disappointed.

I know what most of you are thinking right now and it’s either, “You chose to watch and review this anime? Why? Reading the manga or watching Hellsing Ultimate would be so much better than watching the first adaptation made by Gonzo!!” Well, first off, in preparation of watching the 2001 series, I actually did read some of the manga and second, I rather wait for all the Hellsing Ultimate OVAs to be released in the states in full and yes, dubbed as well but right now I want to focus on this one, which surprisingly the script and series composition was by Chiaki J. ... Konaka, whose known for doing material for Serial Experiments Lain, The Big O, Texhnolyze, and even Digimon Tamers, (basically some good material…….well, somewhat---not much of a Texhnolyze fan), so what can go wrong from here?

Hellsing follows the antiheroic vampire, Alucard, and a police girl-turned-vampire, Seras Victoria, two vampires employed by the vampire-extermination group of England, the Hellsing Organization. Slowly but surely, through their active duty, they find a new breed of vampires beginning to arise. This newly developed breed is created through new technology made by an unknown organisation with the purpose of overthrowing the most powerful vampire known to mankind—Lord Alucard. Victoria has the problem of still wanting to hold on to her non-existent humanity, refusing to drink blood, which is provided, making her weaker than usual. Together they fight and try to uncover the source of this new technology.

Well, like I said, I have read some of the manga (as the point of this review, up to vol. 4) and while I didn’t have the highest expectations to this, knowing the reputation it gotten and this may be redundant to say but while the story in the anime was fine, the manga was better detailed or more interesting than what we got in the anime, although the manga was still going on by the time the anime ended, considering it was only 13 episodes, so not much to work there but with that being there, I did like exploring the organization known as Hellsing and the underground world of vampires and monsters but that was for the first few episodes and then after that, it went into a spiral and I got lost. Hell, there was one major villain in the last few episodes that was anime-exclusive and that part was the least surprising of the whole series.

Characters for the show are a bit so-so. For example, Alucard: I really dig this awesome character for that bad ass mofo motif he got and that charismatic deep-voiced charm he brings onto the screen. He can handle wasting a whole mess of vampires just like that…..only thing is…….he’s a OPMC (Over Powered Main Character) as in when you think he’s done for (i.e. shot up and bloodied to death), he doesn’t really die and while that may be good for this character, he does get boring for a while considering most of the time you going to know he’s not going to die so don’t worry about him too much, but Alucard isn’t always the main focus as much, it’s Seras Victoria, the vampire trainee of Alucard and the character development of her here is mostly “meh” and underdeveloped, compared to the manga and all. Sir Integra Hellsing (yes, she is a woman and you know what…….she actually looks attractive to me. There. I said it.) Is actually the fascinating aspect of the series, from how she got into the Hellsing business to how her upbringing and it is very fucked up and it’s also the best part if you saw the anime and/or read the manga. To me, she’s basically that power needed in the organization.

The animation…….oh god, this is some ugly looking animation and worse of all, Studio Gonzo is helming it and I’m not one of those guys that really, really, really hates on them considering I like some of their works (and their most obvious work which a review of this is soon), the problem is they would use too much in the first few episodes and what they got left of that, they cheapen it. Their budget of it as I heard wasn’t exactly enough considering they had other shows under their belt, such as Final Fantasy Unlimited and Last Exile. Most of the time, it felt like the backgrounds and gore effects were unfinished and they felt like, “Hmmmm….it doesn’t feel complete. FUCK IT!!! Ship it to editing, stat!”

Now for the more positive things about the show, like the music and how fan-fucking-tastic it is and how it really adds the flavor of cool that the show really needed with its mix of jazz and rock music. The opening theme "Logos Naki World" (World without rationality) by Yasushi Ishii just draws you in the show with how much flair and style it got, even though the show’s style and flair doesn’t last too long on you. However, I’m not so much on the ending theme, “Shine” by Mr. Big. It’s a okay song but it’s not something that’s going to last on me….that credit goes to the song played in episode 10 called “Soul Rescuer”.

Now on to the English dub and this is a pretty solid dub coming from New Generation Pictures, whom are Geneon’s usual staff for most of their licensed anime, considering they used English (meaning United Kingdom) voice actors for most of the roles and for the part, Victoria Harwood, K.T. Gray, Ralph Lister, Steven Brand, and JB Blanc all did a good job but of course, I know who are you expecting me to say about the performance of one man……and yes, I’m glad to say that Crispin Freeman made Alucard and man, did he ever deliver that performance excellent. Hell, despite some of the bad shit in the show, him as Alucard is probably the best thing about it.

FINAL VERDICT: This isn’t a perfect show but while it didn’t follow the manga faithfully, I wouldn’t completely go against it and hating it. It had some parts of the manga in there but most of that seems scattered and they worked with what they got. It wasn’t that good but they got to it. I would say watch it, at least once to see what they did right or wrong in your eyes but if you want the complete experience of Hellsing, just either read the manga and/or watch the OVAs.

Definitely the essence of the 90s/00s animes, you can find over here.

Hellsing (2001) has more fillers than canons, so the episodes are most unique than everything else. It isn't bad tho, but probably won't give hype to anyone who didn't watched anime back in time. So it's kinda dated the style, but it's still watchable.

The narrative follows in majority the life of Seras Victoria and Sir Integra than Alucard itself, which is a bold decision that fits the anime, but it doesn't make sense if you already read the manga. In the end, it's a good pastime considered that it's an old anime (I mean, ... 21 years it's a lot), but i wouldn't recommend. The soundtrack and visual animation is lit tho, the 90s/00s vibes from the anime were something truly amazing that had been lost in the following years.

I was spoiled and saw the first episode of Ultimate first so this is all simply from my point of view. After THAT, this first episode was pure insult to the situation and more than anything, Alucard. Alucard was talking WAY too much, taking away from his mystique and the dialogue he had was too descriptive (and obvious) and didn't allow the viewers a real chance to draw their own conclutions (again, obvious as they were). Ultimate had better graphics, better gore, WAY better dialogue, and Alucard was flawless. Just Hellsing really was too disappointing to even bother. Now I only saw 3/4 the first ... episode so don't take my word for it. It may be good, heck maybe even great (hence why I raised my score for it), but after falling in love with Ultimate, I REALLY couldn't sit though an entire episode of Helsing. It was just too sad in comparison. So take a look at it but I still recommend Helsing Ultimate.

I went into this show because I was told that it had kick ass vampires and was amazing to watch. I watched it and...slightly confused. There are plot holes, especially when the lunatic brothers showed up, Seras' hair kept switching colours and wouldn't stop whining and Alacard...he just pops up once in a while. The only characters I really enjoyed were Integra and Walter, mostly because of how intriguing they both are with the no-nonsense attitude. The main villain made no sense and was almost laughable and had the presence of a tree, and everything seemed to go by so fast that there was no ... fleshing anything out. The art style was interesting although by the latter episodes I noticed a shift in the art style. The vampires are all almost laughable, especially the two ditz's near the beginning, they grated on my nerves. But it was interesting and is good background information on the characters for Ultimate which I'll go and watch. Hopefully it will be better than this one.

When you watch anime, there are some titles people just assume you have seen. "Hellsing" happens to be one of them. I had never seen it outside of some clips or the odd half episode here or there, but I always had it recommended to me with this added, "It's good, but 'Ultimate' is better." Maybe so. I haven't seen that one either, but I wanted to give the original "Hellsing" the unbiased, clean look with fresh eyes it deserved.

Thrown into a modern day setting where unholy creatures inhabit the world but are disposed of quietly and professionally (at least in the UK) by a ... secret organization called "Hellsing". Using a bunch of SWAT team like guys with an arsenal for fighting the undead, they also have the ancient vampire Alucard at their service. He dresses like Carmen Sandiego, carries a big freakin' gun, and has plenty of hocus pocus at his disposal making him the trump card for the Hellsing organization. This feels like "Hellboy" meets "Blade" to me. Needless to say, nothing stops Alucard except for his master, the leader of the Hellsing organization, Sir Integra Hellsing. She (don't let the royal title fool you) runs the whole thing with assistance from her manservant and bodyguard Walter with a calm sense of authority, showing flashes of frustration when things go awry, but always pressing on. I expected to see a "Keep Calm And Carry On Killing The Undead" poster in her office somewhere. We are given our entry into the story via a D11 law enforcement officer named Seras Victoria (aka "Police Girl"), who after a close encounter with the undead, has her life saved by being turned into a vampire by Alucard- with her consent of course. (I can hear Tom Cruise's Lestat going, "I'll give you the choice *I* never had") Then we are given some exposition into the workings of the organization and the typical things they deal with.

Things getting more difficult as a race of synthetic vampires seem to be cropping up more and more, these so-called "freaks" are created with an implanted chip being manufactured by... someone for... reasons. That information is never revealed (but if you look at the chip closely you can get a good idea who's handiwork it is) but as a viewer you probably don't care, it's the action we want! And there is plenty to be had, most of these 24 minute episodes are packed well with shooting, gore, and splendid sights of the wild and weird that go hand and hand with the undead and those who hunt them. In all of this however, it feels cheap. Studio Gonzo is known for their dubious record when it comes to special effects, but it holds up well enough (keep in mind this came out in 2001) and the art is fine with the exception that almost every character seems to have these wicked grins all the time in an expression I can only call "Rape Face". It's supposed to look edgy and cool, but it just gets awkward after awhile.

The show itself is highly binge-worthy at 13 episodes, but it feels very flat with barely a pulse to get you by. There are some tense moments, but most of the characters on the show are so poorly developed it's hard to care if they live or die. Seras Victoria adapts pretty well to her new life with the typical tribulations over consuming blood to live. She sleeps in a coffin, but seems to walk in sunlight just fine. Her Dad was a cop, but seems to have passed away. She has no friends who miss her, or any life to regret having to leave. Most of her dialogue is just "Master!" when referring to Alucard or "Noooo!!!". It really makes her hard to get behind, but she has big breasts, so I guess that's enough for some. Outside of Alucard and Integra, very little character background is revealed. Even the bad guys aren't around long enough to give a crap about, here's this person. They're a vampire. They're evil. Their motivations are thin and their threat level is rarely enough to remember their names. The recurring antagonist (not a bad guy, per se) is Alexander Anderson, a knife throwing, super-human, priest from a secret chapter of The Vatican. He is Alucard's opposite number in many ways and a memorable foe for the few times we meet him.

This show has the feeling of what was to be the first of 2 or 3 seasons to follow. The big bad guy at the end of it isn't even that spectacular and we are given plenty of hints that someone bigger and badder is out there, hiding in the shadows, pulling the strings. Once again, look at the Freak Chip closely and you'll get a good idea. Perhaps I'll read the manga to find out more or maybe I'll find out more watching "Hellsing: Ultimate". This show did enough to keep my attention and rarely stuffed it's volumes with filler shows. But, when all is said and done it was remarkable for being totally unremarkable. I got a good amount of action and gore with some spooky aspects here and there, but nothing I will remember particularly. I think this would actually make a great Hollywood adaptation for a 2-part (or more) film franchise. You could at least get English people to play the English people there- which brings me to my Sub vs. Dub section, while the Japanese cast does fine, I'm sorry to say I want to watch something that takes place in England spoken in the King's English. 99% of the English accents on display by the English cast are CRINGE WORTHY. The only passable accent is done by the voice of Integra, Victoria Harwood. She bloody well should know how to do it- she studied in England. But the best performance has to go to Crispin Freeman's Alucard. Freeman is no stranger to great performances, and his deep, crisp, and low tones in bringing the ancient vampire to life is the stuff of legend and the stuff that makes girls swoon. The man could read stereo instructions in this voice and make it sound bad-ass which gives Dub the clear win.

For a product of 2001, this feels like something from 1991. Guns, blood, and monsters with solid Japanese animation that you won't mistake for Disney. It's junk food and not even good junk food at that. If you want to watch it to pay respect to the title and the reputation it has with the Anime community, it's worth your time. It would get you through a long road trip or being snowed in with nothing to do but wait (like me). Other than that, I'd pass. 5/10. Take it or leave it. Cheers!

Hellsing is the epitome of cool. At least that is something i would say if i was still 12 years old. It’s audiovisual design is nothing but a fervor of style over consistency. It’s use of art and animation for cinematography that is able to create interesting but cool shot composition, framing, scene transitions, and “camera” movement. A color pallet that at times becomes tainted with red as the time for blood to be spilled is near. Last but not least, a soundtrack that is packed with memorable tunes and songs that it really adds to the cool essence of the show 10 ... times over. However, the show isn’t a constant parade of coolness as it also had times when the directing of the show can be questionable with dumb scenes and hard cuts that come from left field, animation for parts of the show can be janky, still has another side of its colour pallet that is bland as possible, and character designs that are as average as can be. Still, i believe that the number of cool points the show has is far greater than the negatives, but this is just part of what the show presents as it still has it’s narrative direction left.

The structure of the show is lightly episodic with plot elements and character repercussions still carrying on to the next episode, and a small plot thread keeping the whole show together. It's difficult to say who the main character is as it seems to be a blend of Alucard and Sera with a bit of integra. Alucard is very much the poster boy of the show, but sera is the viewers main focal point as she is the one that goes through the most sudden change in the show as she adapts to being a vampire. But it still seems questionable since most of the characters have little in terms of character exploration that sets them apart. Their personalities are still fine though and never really become dull throughout the show no matter how average they seems to be. The antagonists of the show are ok for the most part as they all lead to the end of the plot thread of the person who is creating artificial vampires that the main cast are fighting. The show does go far enough that it ends on a satisfying enough note, but at the same time leaves much unresolved and unpleasing.

Hellsing is still a bit cool but it’s because of its imperfections and parts of it’s presentation that the show ends up being silly and schlocky as hell. Not matter how many people die or how tragic something seems to be, the show still continues to be so over the top that it can’t be taken seriously. Nonetheless the show was still entertaining from start to finish and despite its dependencies it’s still able to pack enough style and character to hold itself up.

Hellsing is old. So old in fact, that i remember MTV-commercials from my childhood, announcing a brutal, bloody horror-anime at nighttime, absolutely not suitable for children. Well, back in the days, i hated horror, it scared me, little as i was, so i never dared to look and when i was up late, i quickly changed the channel, so that the creepy vampire with the glasses and the red hat couldn't get me. Good times. Funny times too, given that hellsing isn't even creepy. Violent, yes, insane at times, absolutely, but not scary at all. Now, as i matured (heh) i can safely say i ... really like hellsing, even if the Ultimate version completely blows the original out of the water. I won't be able to avoid comparisons between the two, and i will also delve into some spoilers, i kinda have to.

Story: The story is pretty messy. At first, it's rather straightforward, Hellsing, an anti-vampire organization fights the bloodsucking creatures and a poilce girl gets caught in the conflict, joining Alucards side. Easy enough and Ultimate actually stays with this simple plot, except that it expands on it until it's just all-out war between all kind of interesting factions and characters. However, none of that happens here, in the end there is just a shitty villain our anti-hero has to overcome and while that is entertaining, i wouldn't call it in any way good. The funny thing however: There are countless parallels between the original manga-story and the different path the anime had to take, cause it caught up to the source material. I won't go into detail, but it's easy to say, only that hellsing does it way worse and on a smaller scale. A shame, really, everything they adapted faithfully is actually really good, but once it strays from the laid-out path, it just gets weird, without still being cool as hell. I also just hate incognito, but that's maybe a point for the character-section. The story is poor, as my final verdict, it's really hard for me to really think of a plot that happened here. The ending was okay, however, ambiguous, but at the same time, kinda meaningless.

Art: Now of course it is a rather old show, so comparing it to Ultimate is not fair in this instance. That said, i don't think the art is all that great. There are moments of beauty, mostly involving Alucard and the facial expressions are pretty much on point, too. But the animation tends to be sloppy, the character-design of the original characters, the ones that never appeared in the manga, is either generic and bland or just straight up terrible. But again, the adapted content is good, dragged down to mediocrity cause of Incognito looking so stupid and vampires with dog faces. Or was that supposed to be a bat, it was stupid in any event.

Sound: This is were Hellsing wins over the Ultimate-series. The soundtrack is absolutely incredible, it gives the whole anime such a unique feeling and it's probably the only reason i even enjoyed the show. In fact, i never heard something similar in an anime again and that's a damn shame. The opening is great, the ending sounds like a Bon Jovi song and the tracks inside the show ooze with style. A combination of this soundtrack with the OVA-series would be a dream come true...the voice-acting is great as well, no argument there, but it gets even better in ultimate. The sound is outstanding, nothing really compares.

Character: Everyone is insane when it comes to Hellsing. As insane people, they smile a lot, grin maniacally, even if you put a bullet through their head. Everyone has a different method to their madness, but in the end, nobody is really sane. Well, except for all the human-characters the anime brought in, just generic soldiers, often they even look the same, get a name tagged on, only to die at the end of the episode. That's really cheap, nobody should feel anything for these guys. And there is another problem, almost every character-arc remains open. Alucard, but that's okay, somehow i think he is less of a character and more of a omnipresent force of nature, the rules don't apply to him. But anyone else as well, Walter, Seras, Anderson (there's not even a final showdown between him and Alucard, unfogivable!) Integra basically gets the most development, but there is no closure here as well. The rest is pretty insignificant, the main villain is a joke. He has no motivation, his origin is never explained, not even the people who supposedly control him are revealed. His end is really cool at least, but that's it. So there is a lot of potential, as we can see in ultimate, where everything goes according to the plan of the author, but the original Hellsing-show never uses any of it. I can only call it fair.

Enjoyment: My Enjoyment derives out of the first episodes and the soundtrack. I seriously had to force myself to rewatch the last few episodes, simply because i forgot about the brilliant musical moments, but once i was back in it, i really liked it. I only question why you would even adapt a manga that is so obviously unfinished. Apparently there was still a lot of content to be done, looking at ultimate. The answer is of course money, advertisement for the source-material and that's absolutely okay. Hellsing deserved it and it spawned a great show later on. It's just not this one. But again, the music saves it, 8/10 for my enjoyment.

There is not much more to say. It's the FMA Brotherhood-situation, so the only thing i want to do now is watching ultimate. I wonder how many times i mentioned it in this review, it's really kinda ridiculous. Anyway, i can recommend this show, it's not a complete failure, hell, it's a classic for some people in my age, but it could have been much more and it was, later on.

At first, I thought this "Hellsing" anime was going to be very exciting, but as I started to watch it, which I ended up starting this anime last night, and just finished it a few seconds ago before I started typing this review. Like I said, I loved the gore part, but it actually wasn't all that exciting like I thought it was going to be, but it wasn't really boring either, I guess it was "so, so". That is the best way I could describe it, I did enjoy the blood, dismemberment, and cursing, it made it at least in the best words I ... can describe an anime "tolerable" at best. But, not every anime is going to be exciting to everyone, that's just normal, not everyone is going to agree what you say or do, that is just how it goes. But, I have noticed that there are other "hellsing" types of anime on here, that I will probably take a look at in the near future. But, at least I enjoyed some things about this anime that I mentioned earlier.