This DVD brings you the first episode from the Hellsing OVA (original video animation). Originally there was a 13 episode anime of Hellsing but this strayed from the original Manga which the anime is based on. Hellsing ultimate is still in development but there are currently three episodes each of which are fifty minutes. Fans have praised Hellsing Ultimate due to its better representation of the characters and storylines.
Story
The story follows the adventures of the Hellsing Corporation in Britain. This organisation is charged with the protection of the public from the supernatural. Also they must cover up all traces of this supernatural threat. Think of them as Men in Black for the undead. Their enemies range from zombies to vampires.
The first episode introduces us to the characters. Firstly we come across a girl named Seras Victoria who is not a member of the Hellsing organisation from the start. She is originally part of a Special Forces group. On a mission she comes face to face with a vampire and is captured. This is where we meet Alucard who is the most powerful member of the Hellsing Corporation. He too is a vampire but seems to be a good guy. In order to save Seras he impales through her to kill the vampire behind her. This leaves her mortally wounded. Alucard makes Seras a vampire so she does not die. She then becomes his assistant and part of the Hellsing Corporation.
The story progresses and we learn of the threats the Corporation faces and
must defeat. There are also religious groups who are neither friend nor foe and so confrontations do occur. I am a huge fan of the story of this anime. Whilst there are many animes that deal with the supernatural this story maintains originality from the others. It does this by being quite dark with a black humour. It is quite violent and not really for those younger than 15. I also enjoy the historical references in Hellsing that seem to have influenced its creation. It is essentially a modern twist on old stories.
Characters
Alucard - Voiced by Crispin Freeman. This is the best voice casting of any English Dub in anime. Freeman's voice couldn't suit the character better. Alucard is a very old Vampire and is under the control of the Hellsing organisation. He wears a red suit and a red hat and rounded glasses. The red of his outfit is great thinking. Obviously most of his personality revolves around blood so it is almost like his clothes are stained from centuries of bloodshed. He looks stereotypically evil and menacing. He seems to have a constant knowing grin which to be honest keeps me in a state on unease. He is completely unpredictable. He uses a huge gun to fight along with close combat skills. This however is the tip of the ice berg. When needed he can release restrictions on his power to the point where he seems invincible. Some of you may be thinking he is a Dracular rip off, well he isn't. During a fight with a foe named Incognito, Allucard states that his name too is a disguise. (Read Alucard backwards). There are a few instances where Alucards true self does surface. There are also flashbacks developing his character. I love this character. He is the greatest anti hero. I feel the voice, the animation and the personality together provide one of the best characters in an animated feature ever.
Sir Integra Hellsing - Voiced by Victoria Harwood. Integra is the leader of the Hellsing Corporation and the living descendant of the original famous monster hunter. She is the only person who Alucard seems to fear. She even orders him on multiple occasions. Not particularly powerful other than a good shot she serves as a decent sub character without much depth. She often comes across as hard and emotionless but I do think she is a decent character.
Seras Victoria - Voiced by K.T Gray Seras is the heroine of the story. I hate the English dub on her voice and think her English accent sounds terrible. To be honest I am not too fond of the character but she fortunately isn't so offensive as to spoil the anime. She often struggles with having to drink blood and doesn't do it for sometime. Seras is responsible for some of the humor moments and sometimes it is a great break from the action.
There are also other sub characters that have great character designs. Integra has a butler named Walter who seems rather normal at first. We learn however that he is a retired agent and used to be very dangerous. He also seems to have a strange relationship with Alucard and also delivers some great lines.
Alucard has one foe who seems to be able to equal him for power. He is known as Paladin Alexander and comes from the Vatican. Whilst not strictly a bad guy he and Alucard will often fight for the fun of it. They provide some of the best fight scenes in the series.
Animation and music
This animation differs from the original production in that it seems to take its style more from the manga. The animation in general is much better quality. Everything flows much better and the detail is quite beautiful. The manga was known for extremely detailed pieces and as a consequence the volumes being rather short. The OVA however seems to have a lot of skilled animators working on it along with a huge budget. The result is some of the best animation to be seen. Everything is very dark and as I have said the colour red is used a lot. The music unfortunately lets the anime down. I would have liked to see either blues music or something like that used to give more originality to the series and it would have kept with the theme. The music however does its job and the ending credits have particularly nice scores.
Cost
Do not buy the DVD with only one episode on. I have seen on play.com that there is a box set that features both the first and second features. Each is 50 minutes long and it sells at £11. This isn't a bad price as you are getting a movie length feature. The original series can be bought in full but I wouldn't suggest this as it isn't as good. I suggest waiting till around Christmas. By then there will be five fifty minute episodes and I am sure they will be combined into one box set for around £20. There are some special features that may interest you. There is original artwork and interviews with some of the voice cast. You also get some TV spots and commercials that I find a bit pointless but some may enjoyAll in all a very good anime with a lot going for it. There is quite a lot of violence but you are going to get that with good fight scenes. I suggest buying this for the character of Alucard alone. He rules!
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