Ultimate - exactly what it says on the tin. (Hellsing Ultimate Volume 1 (DVD))

Member Name: victoriahathaway

Product:	Hellsing Ultimate Volume 1 (DVD)
Date:	28/04/09 (135 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Superior to it's older incarnation, with great eye-candy.

Disadvantages: Simple plot, sometimes cheesy dialogue.

Based on the Japanese manga by Kouta Hirano, Hellsing Ultimate (also known as Hellsing OVA) is the second TV adaption of Hellsing. The first adaption, that ran in 2001 and 2002, was a 13 episode anime series that earned a cult following, but the animation was sub-par, and sadly, it broke off on a tangent at around the halfway mark in the series, unable to follow the manga's storyline.

However, years later, Hellsing fans have rejoiced at this new incarnation of the franchise. Hellsing Ultimate follows the manga very closely, the animation is excellent, and instead of 20-25 minute episodes, each of these episodes are 50 minutes to an hour long.
Each episode of Ultimate is roughly an animation of one volume of the manga, so it's estimated there will be around 10 episodes.

Hellsing follows the story of Alucard, a very powerful vampire who works for the Hellsing Organisation in England. This organisation is led by Sir Integra, a tough, intelligent woman who is a direct descendent of Abraham Van Helsing. Their job is to exterminate the living dead that pose a threat to Queen and country. In this first episode, we are also introduced to Seras Victoria, a young police officer who is turned into a vampire by Alucard, and to Father Alexander Anderson, a priest working for the Iscariot Organisation, who battles Alucard. Iscariot and Hellsing are rivals, and fight each other on every opportunity. The characters of Hellsing are all very cool, there's no other word for it. In comparison to the original series, they are also given far more time to develop as characters. Alucard especially is a lot deeper this time around, and he often hints at future problems and his own history, which is fun.

The Hellsing Ultimate episodes have been given a far higher budget to work with, so the animation is fantastic, referencing and imitating Hirano's art style closely with the use of block shadow and the close attention to detail. It's also very bloody, but the violence is of a typical comic book style - fountains of blood gushing everywhere, much blood splatter, etc. The characters look slightly different, some more than others. I felt that Integra, Seras and Anderson were the most changed, but it's all for the better. Mostly the changes are focused on clothes and general appearance, and Anderson's and Seras' hair colour is slightly different than in the original anime.

I only have a couple of little gripes - the scene changes can be a little forced, not quite flowing very well. The dialogue is often rather cheesy in places too, but the anime itself realises this, and plays it up. It also includes short, humorous clips, directly taken from the manga. Although fans will probably enjoy this, it isn't for everyone.

As for plot, this is an action anime that comes thick and fast with enemies. It's very simple, altogether. A lot happens in the 50 minute running time. The plot would not appear to differ from the TV series until episode 3, where Ultimate follows the manga's story line. In this episode, we meet Hellsing, Seras is turned into a vampire, and Alucard battles Anderson. Another enemy is also hinted at at the end of the episode, although this plot arc will not be fully developed until episode 4 or 5. But for now, don't expect anything complex or overly intelligent. However, there are a few intertextual references that are interesting should one wish to investigate them, such as the Hellsing Ultimate tag line - "The Bird of Hermes is my name, eating my wings to make me tame", from the Ripley Scroll, which reappears late in the manga.

The music is good as well, especially during the closing credits of each episode, as it features a track performed by Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, which works very well. However, the music from the TV series was better, using jazz and blues to contrast brilliantly with the action.

For fans of the original series, the original English dub voice actors reprise their roles, which is a relief, as they had done a fine job beforehand. The japanese voices have changed, but they fit the characters perfectly.

Overall, Hellsing Ultimate is a great, violent anime, perfect for those times when you want a focus on action rather than plot. The characters are fantastic, as is the animation, which also utilizes CGI at points. The music is good, and it's one of those animes where you can tell that the animators care about what they produce. Plus, it's loyal to its source, which is always a bonus in my book. I'd rate this over the TV series any day.

***THE DVD***

It should be noted that there is only one episode of this series per DVD, but it comes with a great commentary and interview with the English Voice Director, Taliesin Jaff, and the English voice actor of Alucard, which is entertaining and informative. It also has numerous trailers and galleries, which are interesting. The DVD also includes the choice of watching the episode in Japanese with subtitles or with the English dub. It's available on play.com for a reasonable £8.99.

The first four episodes are available now, while the fifth episode has not yet been dubbed in English. The sixth is currently being advertised.

Summary: A must-see for anime fans, especially those who like action and violence.