A new adaptation of the popular manga (aka Japanese comic) comes onto DVD.
Vampires and ghouls stalk modern-day England, hunting the oblivious populace. Only the Hellsing foundation stands between the evil undead and the innocent humans who would be their prey.
A teenage Integra Hellsing is on the run from her murderous uncle through the basements of the family manse. Her father has died and left her in charge of the mysterious Hellsing Organization and uncle thinks that a well-placed bullet will put him in charge of the organization. On his deathbed, Integra’s father told her that if she was to get in trouble then she should retreat to a room in the basement that housed the organization’s ultimate weapon.
Alucard may be a vampire, but he likes to carry a big gun
She finally makes it to the room, her uncle in hot pursuit, but is shocked by what the room contains. Her salvation is a lone, ancient corpse. Uncle catches up and wings her with a bullet, splattering the corpse with blood. The corpse springs to life and the ultimate weapon of the organization is unleashed. Flash forward several decades and Integra is now the full-fledged head of Hellsing. Hellsing is an organization sworn to protect the British Isles from supernatural threats and there is one in the small town of Cheddar. A vampire has set up shop there and commands an army of ghouls.
The civilian forces have been sent in, but they’ve been systematically slaughtered and rise from the dead to join the ranks of ghouls. A young, female police officer is the lone survivor of a group sent in to eradicate the villainous vampire and is trying to outrun her fallen comrades who have joined the undead army. The Hellsing Organization is called in to battle this spectral menace and they handle it by unleashing their ultimate weapon, the vampire Alucard (or Arucard).
Alucard makes short work of the rogue vampire, but mortally wounds “Police girl” in the process. He gives her a choice – to die or to live on as a vampire. She, of course, chooses undeath over death and joins the Hellsing Organization as Alucard’s apprentice vampire.
First let’s sort some things out. Hellsing has been around in three different incarnations, a manga, TV series, and now this original video animation (OVA). At first I was a bit confused since I had a passing familiarity with the TV series, which has been released on DVD last year (I thinks) and wondered if this was a re-release of that. A little bit of digging uncovered that this new OVA is supposed to follow the manga more than the TV series did and therefore is considered superior by some fans.
I can’t really make that judgment since this is my introduction to the series in any form. I found the characters compelling and mysterious and this first dose only ended up with me wanting more. Volume one is only fifty minutes long and serves as an introduction to the series. We really know little about Alucard (spell that backwards for a hint perhaps). The subtitles refer to him as Arucard, but the other characters appear to be calling him Alucard.
Sir Integra and her manservant
“Sir” Integra Hellsing is somewhat interesting in that she has that “sir” moniker and dresses like a man. Police Girl (aka Seras Victoria we later learn) is our “in” into the world of Hellsing since she’s just as curious and new to the events of the storyline as we, the audience, are. The end of the episode features a preview of things to come and it looks like some cool things are in store for us in later episodes.
I’m a sucker [insert rimshot here] for vampire movies and these compelling characters make me eager for the next volumes. My complaint might be that 50 minutes seems too short for the cost of the disc. I would’ve much preferred two episodes and some decent special features.
Hellsing Ultimate is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 television. The only special features are some previews for other anime titles. There’s also a two-disc limited edition, but that version is about $20 more than the single disc edition. They didn’t send me that one to review. Also, if this anime follows the pattern of past anime then there will probably be a collection of all the volumes when they’re done releasing them separately.
Hellsing is an interesting series and horror anime fans may well want to check it out. However, be prepared for the let down when your 50 minutes are over and you want more. I know I eagerly await the next volume, but would’ve preferred to have more vamp for my buck than 50 minutes in each volume. I would recommend a rental for those interested parties, but be prepared to be hooked.
Police Girl joins the Hellsing Organization and sees more action than she did as a human cop
Hellsing Ultimate OVA Series is now available at Amazon . As of yet, this version of the DVD is not available in the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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