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| 7. Global
Frequency 
I enjoyed Hellsing a great deal. The series is not without
its flaws; it often suffers from stiff animation, occasionally inconsistent artwork
and uneven plotting. In this case, however, the pros outweigh the cons. Hellsing
boasts a cast of strong characters, particularly the indomitable Integra Wingates
Hellsing, directress of the Hellsing Organization, a modern-day Arthurian militia
dedicated to the extermination of the undead freaks who prowl the London night.
Her servant and star field agent, the vampire Alucard, is a severely unpleasant
protagonist. The term "antihero" does not apply. He's simply evil and
insane, and obeys Integra's commands out of admiration for her insurmountable
willpower and determination. Alucard regards most everything around him with smug
detachment. Integra is wary when he brings Seras Victoria, a rookie police officer
and newly made vampire, into the Hellsing family. Victoria is a sympathetic and
very likeable character, a squeamish, compassionate vampire in constant danger
of becoming a psychotic killing machine like her "master." At
thirteen episodes, Hellsing seems like half of a longer series. Alucard's
relationship with Victoria is never explored as deeply as his servitude to Integra,
nor is the series' over-arcing plotline - the Hellsing Organization's investigation
into the origins of a new breed of man-made vampires - ever resolved. Still, after
a nifty showdown at the Tower of London against a zombie SAS unit and the creepy
Incognito, the last episode does have the feel of a conclusion, unlike, say, Berserk. Another
thing I feel I should note - the dub is excellent. I hate dubbed anime with a
passion, but I actually prefer Hellsing dubbed to subbed. Everyone involved
does a commendable job, with the possible exception of Alucard, who's merely passable,
and the superior English-language script saves you the annoyance of interpreting
Pioneer's uncharacteristically horrible translation. |
| 6. Crystal
 
It wasn't that bad, even the plot wasn't that bad. Yes, I admit
it could have been better, and more filled out. I did find it quite confusing
about Alucard fighting these low-level vampires that he shouldn't be fighting
at all. Then later in the series they talk about these chips, that turn humans
beings into Freaks. I would like to know where these chips came from or who made
them. The characters of Hellsing, there's a good variety. The leader of
Hellsing Integra NEEDS to loosen up! Throughout this series she's a cold-hearted
bitch to Alucard and the people that she works with (How dare she insult Alucard,
if she only knew who he really was! She would hold her tongue). You do get see
the other side of her later on in the series, but I really didn't like her. My
favorite character is Victoria, she and Alucard get a long so well, yes she seem
weak, but I think in time she will get stronger. Walter is very good, and I love
his personality. But Alucard is my favorite, he's a Badass and good at it. This
series has a lot of good action, a lot of good sarcastic lines, especially from
Alucard. The drawings are really cool looking. It is an enjoyable series. It could
be better in plot-wise. I am hoping that in the second series that they will tell
us more. So if you want to watch an enjoyable anime, I suggest that you watch
Hellsing. |
| 5. 3rdEyeVision
This show has tons of style , great art ( as per GONZO
) and interesting characters, but the story suffers from what I'm now starting
to think is a big problem in the world of anime. For now , I'll call it "
Mystery Overkill". Why does everything that might be relavant to the story
have to be kept from us? Would it have killed them to just let us in on the background
of this story? How did Alucard come to work for Hellsing? How is he kept from
using all his power? This series has a lot of potential, with the vampire leading
man , Alucard, who kick's so much ass he needs to be constantly restrained. In
the first episode, he meets and saves / damns the young Victoria Celes and they
two work for the Hellsing agency fighing off lesser un-dead. God,
this show could have been so great if they could have stuck with one story line
for the whole 13 episodes. That's not even a lot for a series. Maybe this should
have been a 3 episode OVA. In the first, Alucard takes on the sword priest guy,
the Freak Bro's in the second, and Incognito in the 3rd. At least that way there
would be a reason why the story's bad guy keeps changing. Still, all the plot
holes and lack of background can't change the fact that Alucard is a bad ass.
The highlight of the show for me always comes when Alucard decides it's about
time to finish off the punk he's fighting and calls for his limitations to be
released. This is when Alucards true form is let loose and he tears a new one
in some unlucky vampire. Half the time , he ends up getting pretty messed up himself,
but it makes for a great fight when the two are evenly matched, right? I guess
I would suggest it to those that are all into blood and vampires, or anyone who
loved Devil May Cry on the PS2 (Dante = Alucard). |
| 4. Iodine
All the parts necessary for a very good show are here, but
some rotten writing and a particularly bad major character keep this dark Gothic
creepshow from really delivering. Though Alucard is one of the most intriguing
vampiric protagonists to rear his head since the dainty Miyu, the focus remains
on the poutingly indignant Seras Victoria, the policewoman who gets in Alucard's
way in the first episode and winds up joining his side in more ways than one.
Far more interesting is Alucard's mistress, the icy Integral Hellsing, who becomes
more prominent in the last arc, but still feels dreadfully underused for someone
so important to the proceedings. Though there is an overarcing story involving
artificial vampires and a mysterious European threat, this is mostly glossed over
in favor of the bloody action scenes and an excess of posturing by the over-the-top
villains.
The pacing is a mess, and the narrative is often abrupt and disjointed, leaving
much of the story an incoherent disaster. The aesthetic
elements of the show leave much to be desired, with an ambition to be dark and
mysterious, but not quite the actual ability. Designs are simplistic and inoffensive,
though Alucard maintains quite a presence. The animation is decent, and the opening
sequence outdoes the rest of the show by a wide margin. Many of the visuals are
slick and showy, but there's little substance beneath the surface. The whole thing
feels rushed and slightly sloppy, making it a most intriguing, but ultimately
disappointing horror series. |
| 3. Dreamer
In the name of God, impure souls of the living dead shall be
banished into eternal damnation, Amen! The Hellsing family, a family specializing
in eliminating zombies and vampires; much like new-age vampire hunters. For someone
who like vampires like me, this show is good, dark themes and foggy atmosphere,
cool action sequences and big guns;love it all! The designs of the characters
is not that creative but suits the show, and I just loved that good vampire, Alucard.
Now if he would lend me his gun, I would be thankful. Anyway, my only complaint
is: it is short. Yeah, Hellsing is being released by Pioneer on
commercial (R1) DVDs so you can enjoy it immediately! |
| 2. Cross
Scars
Welcome to the Hellsing Institution, a royal order of modern
day English knights whose mission it has been for generations to defend England
against those of the undead. Hellsing seems to be one of those modern anime
that fits the group become increasingly cited as a case of 'style over substance'.
The series has an interesting spin on the usual vampire based anime but ultimately
the series is found rather lacking in key departments. The
fact that Hellsing lacks a cohesive plot is probably the series main problem.
The series starts out typically episodic as we are introduced to the main characters
of the series but a certain theme runs in the background about microchips which
are being used to create undead 'freaks'. However near the end this plot line
essentially gets ditched and another one takes over but this replacement seems
rather unsatisfying as it just suddenly happens. The series seemingly acknowledges
this at the end with a note about the unresolved case. To the skeptical this seems
like the creators intentionally leaving room for a sequel or like they are merely
admitting their own failing. The second main problem
with Hellsing which lies with its characters. One big reason why the later
stages of Hellsing are particularly unsatisfying is due to the villain
who takes over - Incognito. Not only is he not much of a character but also his
actions are given little explanation as well. Similarly the rest of the cast appears
to be slightly underdeveloped and this particularly seemed the case with Victoria
who should have been made into a far deeper character than she was. Similarly,
frustratingly little is revealed about Arucard and just what he might actually
be. True knowing more about him may lessen his mystique but personally I feel
the series would have been improved had we learnt more about him. These characters
are not bad and others like Integral show Hellsing does have a strong cast
of characters but they still could have been made even better than they were. Hellsing
does have plenty of action and it seems as though the anime creators tried to
pack in too much action, which left them with too little time to develop other
areas of the series. Even though the action sequences, particularly those with
Arucard, are very nicely done, at other times the animation does drop a level
and for a thirteen episode series that's a disappointment. But in some respects
this off set by a quite original soundtrack that works especially well with certain
mismatching visuals. Hellsing in terms of
action is great and stylish and the pervasive horror feel of the series is something
not seen too often in anime. However at the end of the series you are left feeling
somewhat disappointed and empty by the series which drags it's rating. |
| 1. Prep_Styles
The Hellsing family, who have a seat on the infamous round
table, has for centuries been responsible for defending England and her royal
family from the paranormal forces that would do them harm. In present day Hellsing
has evolved to become a paramilitary organization with the same objective. "Arucard",
an extremely powerful gun toating vampire has given his eternal life in service
to "Integral (Integra) Wingates Hellsing" the head of the Hellsing family
and subsequent organization. Through a military operation gone wrong "Victoria
Seras " a female officer has become a vampire and now must join Hellsing
or be hunted by them. Hellsing has very little
in the way of character development; don't expect any explanation as to why the
characters behave the way they do. I'm surprised studio Gonzo thought they
could get away with this, as these characters are passionate one minute and oblivious
the next. I'd be interested to know what there motivations are and why they tick
the way they do. One of my favorite elements, the
conflict between "Arucard" and his Vatican counterpart "Alexander
Anderson" was never fully developed, let along completed. In fact there was
nothing to further explain there rivalry, this being only one of many components
to the story that was underdeveloped and unfinished. This title is saturated with
style unfortunately does not have enough substance to deliver itself from mediocrity. Still
I found many of the concepts in this show interesting, however am disappointed
in their execution, I'm also a sucker for vampire stories (no pun intended), so
my ratting is a little higher then it probably should be. If your looking for
a title with an older cast and a darker story there's most likely something in
Hellsing that you'll enjoy, however if tales of the un-dead don't fit your
interest there's nothing here to make you change your mind. |
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