Hellsing

Publisher
ADV
Director
Yasunori Urata
Production
Gonzo Digimation
Format
Series
Running time
13 episodes
Year
2001

Hellsing Volume 4: Eternal Damnation

By John Huxley
1st Apr 04

For a series so embroiled in the vampire mythos, Hellsing will displease a good number of vampire fanatics weened on Hollywood's rendition of Dracula and Hammer Horror's countless vampire films. The vampires of Hellsing rarely drink blood from the neck of busty virgins, they're not lonesome creatures with hackneyed manservants and they're never dispatched using a wooden steak - a little heavy artillery is enough to see them off. Worse still, Hellsing makes no attempt whatsoever to scare the viewer or even instill a sense of horror. This is more From Dusk Till Dawn than Dracula has Risen From the Grave, with gunplay and hand-to-hand combat replacing the flying bats and wooden steaks.

That's not to say it won't appeal to some more open-minded vampire fanatics. Ghouls and Freaks make regular appearances, the Hellsing organisation was founded by Van Helsing and is operated by her daughter, Integra Helsing, and one of the central characters is none other than Alucard, although his unusual appearance may raise a few eyebrows. Much of the action takes place in modern day England, the spiritual home of the vampire, where they have integrated effortlessly into our underground culture, a twist that has more than a hint of an Anne Rice novel about it. A treat for the majority of vampire fanatics.

The story is unmemorable and almost entirely irrelevant, being the action orientated animation that Hellsing is. It just sits in the background giving reason to the onscreen mayhem, never ridiculous enough to spoil your enjoyment but rarely interesting enough for you to really take notice. There are a few plot lines towards the end of the series that spark a modicum of interest, but they never fully develop and, as always, are overshadowed by the incessant and infinitely more enjoyable action sequences. Hellsing offers up some spectacular action scenes that are cleanly directed with a decent helping of imagination coupled with well-worn but nonetheless effective animation techniques. They don't really convey the same sense of speed or impact that Samurai X or Street Fighter II showcased so adeptly, they can't mimic the intricate gun fights of Noir or Najica, yet they're able to thrill in much the same way that Trigun and Dragonabll Z before it have had viewers on the edge of their seats - with dramatic tension and a well worked scenario. When Alucard finally breaks out of his human shell and in to his ultimate form your heart beats faster and you can't help but smile when his opponent cowers in defeat - it's not flashy, it's not particularly well animated, but it does work.

With so much resting on the success or failure of the action, it will come as no surprise to learn that the episodes that are devoid of any kind of action whatsoever are less than enjoyable. This is particularly true of the earlier episodes during the first and second volumes, which see a procession of mostly unconnected stories come and go within the space of the 25-minute timeslot. During these barren episodes Alucard rarely makes an appearance for more than a few minutes at a time (the best action centres around his character) and so we're left with nothing but the story and the music to keep us entertained. As excellent as the music is, it's not enough to keep the boredom at bay.

Thin on the ground, character development is mostly reserved for the young Ceras Victoria, a servant of Alucard who is just starting to become accustomed to life as a vampire. Unfortunately she's never afforded the screen time to really blossom, leaving more than a few unanswered questions towards the end of the series. There is a manga upon which the animation was based, but I've not had the opportunity to read though it (I'm not even sure if it's available in English, though I'm positive some publisher will soon pick it up if it hasn't been already) to see if it improves on any of the series' shortcomings.

Hellsing is a straightforward, uncomplicated series - it's either going to appeal to you, or it's not. And if you like the idea of vampires, vampires and more vampires armed to the teeth, spilling seven shades of red all over the place, then I guarantee you won't be disappointed by Hellsing.

R2 DVD Notes

Features: English and Japanese 2.0 audio, English subtitles, creditless ending (ver 03), concept art collection, weapons of Hellsing, magazine ad art, ADV previews

Release information: UK release date: 19th January 2004, ADV

Notes: The striking cover artwork grabs your attention, a standard of presentation that continues to the four page insert, which sadly contains little other than some admittedly pretty images and a rundown of the episode chapters. Booting up the disc will present you with a simple navigation system from which you can choose from four episodes, the regular audio options or a decent number of extras. The magazine ad art is self explanatory - a few images of magazine art work that can also be seen gracing the inserts and covers of the Western release. The weapons of Hellsing extra, a selection of images of the various weapons used throughout the series, is slightly disappointing for its lack of information. The concept art is as thorough as ever, with another fifty images to flick through before you head on over to the third version of the creditless ending, although you might have given up after the second one. Another decent but unspectacular collection of extras.

-- John Huxley 1st Apr 04

Hellsing Images