Hellsing

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

Hellsing Volume 1: Impure Souls

By John Huxley
1st Apr 04

This must be the first anime I've seen that takes place in England. Not only is it great to hear familiar place names outside of London, but it's also refreshing to hear British accents on a dub. England is the natural setting for an anime based around vampires. After all, Whitby was the town Dracula arrived in before moving to London and Hammer horror films will forever be synonymous with the Dracula image. Although they've obviously taken a few liberties for the sake of atmosphere, the representation of England is generally sound (remember, this is an anime, nothing is going to be totally realistic).

Obviously most of the characters are English, including the central roles. Seras Victoria, our young heroine, is introduced to life as a vampire when she is taken hostage by a fellow member of the undead, only to be rescued by vampire/vampire hunter Arucard (yes - you read that correctly, he would otherwise be known as Dracura). Only, in order to get a clean shot at the vampire's heart Arucard must kill Ceras, forcing him to take her life and join the ranks of the undead (the kind with the pointy teeth and pale skin, not the rotting, flesh eating kind).

Arucard belongs to the Hellsing organisation, a special unit that eliminates rogue vampires. The majority of it's members are humans, but there are a special few, including Arucard and the newly recruited Ceras who are able to fight the vampires on their own terms. Well, 'fight' is the wrong word, because the majority of the action in Hellsing is comprised of gunplay. Yes, in this version of the vampire legend it is possible to kill them with a special kind of bullet with a shot through the heart. While there is no doubt that Arucard looks cool with his red longcoat, round yellow glasses and twin silver pistols, the gunplay on offer has none of the velocity or excitement of Trigun or Cowboy Bebop. When the action moves in close to hand-to-hand combat, things improve immeasurably, which makes me wonder why they chose gun-based combat over the more traditional methods of disposing of vampires.

The answer is actually fairly obvious. By tampering with the Dracula character and the vampire legends they have created an anime that is so far removed from Hammer horror films that the only connection between the two is pointy teeth and a bit of blood. Hellsing is essentially a cop drama combined with the vampire legends, which is nothing if not refreshing. The Hellsing organisation functions more like a SWAT team than your average Van Helsing inspired vampire hunters which goes a long way to explaining the decision to use gun based action. Still, that doesn't change the fact that the majority of the action is lacklustre at best; Trigun set the bar for gunplay, and Hellsing doesn't even come close.

But that's an unfair comparison, Hellsing is altogether different beast. To begin with, I can hardly recall a single comic moment. I'm generally not a fan of jokeless anime, but Hellsing seems to go out of it's way to avoid even a hint of a comic situation. Of course, there's no point in complaining that an orange isn't an apple; just don't buy this expecting an easy-going tale with fun-loving characters. However, as with the gunplay issue, there are two sides to every coin. What Hellsing loses in humour it gains in atmosphere. This is a very olde-worlde view of England, complete with obligatory fog, cobbled streets and brick buildings. The art style complements the setting nicely, with copious amounts of black giving the characters a heavy dose of shadow.

The characters are equally atmospheric. Arucard is a vampire that serves humans and kills other vampires, and his reasons for doing this have yet to be explained. Ceras is a virginal vampire that is struggling to come to terms with her newfound powers, but she knows she can't avoid drinking blood forever. And Helsing, the leader of the Hellsing organisation and Arucard's superior is constantly moody, never cracking a smile, always in command. These characters certainly aren't a cheery bunch, but they fit the bill nicely. As I've only seen the first DVD it will be interesting to see how these characters are developed. The connection between Arucard and Helsing obviously has some as of yet unexplained background, which I'm sure will come to light in time. I also hope to see Ceras grow to enjoy her new vampiric powers, if only because I can't stand to see her whine for much longer!

After watching only three episodes, it would be crass of me to draw final conclusions on the series. There is plenty of room for improvement yet, but what is on display here is not promising. The originality of the cop drama/vampire hybrid elevates it above the average, yet the dour characters and lacklustre action prevent it from going any further. I know this series has its fans and I can see where they are coming from, but I think there are many superior alternatives. Trigun has better gunplay, Cowboy Bebop is cooler and The Devil Lady has the horror thing down to a tee.

Still, none of them have vampires, right?

R2 DVD Notes

Features: Bilingual audio (dolby digital english/japanese), English subtitles, Trailer music video, Creditless opening, Concept art collection, Action figure info

Release information: UK release date: 21st July 2003, ADV

Notes: The first DVD contains three full episodes and a two-page insert with colour art work and a chapter listing. The music video and concept art collection are nice inclusions, but I couldn't find the action figure info advertised on the back of the box. The transfer quality is as good as you can expect from such a recent series, and both audio formats worked well, although I slightly preferred the dub for the authenticity of the English accents.

-- John Huxley 1st Apr 04

Hellsing Images