Hellsing Ultimate
“The Bird of the Hermes is my name, eating my wings to make me tame” – Alucard
Let me tell you right away at the beginning, I think there’s no need to watch original “Hellsing,” because “Hellsing Ultimate” will cover original too, and moreover is more faithful adaptation of eponymous manga compared to its predecessor.
Believe it or not, our planet is walked (flown?) by supernatural forces. Vampires, zombies, undead and some such vermin. Ordinary mortals don’t know about them, except if by some chance they find themselves on their path and end up as dinner or get converted into part of that same vermin’s army.
Fighting them is British “Royal Order of Protestant Knights,” gathered around organization “Hellsing” headed by young Sir (apparently not title Lady) Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, descendant of none other than famous Abraham Van Helsing. This young lady of mannish attitude (and appearance) isn’t alone in managing organization. There’s also her old faithful servant Walter (not the one from Sarajevo) who, besides knowing how to make tea, is also capable of effortlessly butchering army (of anything) with his knowledge of using special wires. And there’s eccentric Alucard, who is, yes, that’s right, precisely that character whose name you now read backwards, with his fancy red clothes and hat and (also fancy) glasses. First of his kind, the one from whom everything began. And as such he’s (almost) indestructible and wields both firearms and advanced vampire magics, and hunting supernatural forces is fun for him. And recently they were joined by young Seras Victoria, former policeman, now turned into vampire (vampiress? vampirina? draculette? draculina?) by Alucard (everything’s explained in first episode) and who as needed wields sniper, bazooka, and fists when necessary.
However, organization “Hellsing” also has competition in its “work.” And that’s (none other than) Vatican itself! More precisely, special ultra secret 13th department of Vatican, known as “Iscariot Organization” whose first man is fanatical leader Enrico Maxwell with huge ego problems. But we’re more interested within organization in its champion (or better said, butcher), paladin Alexander Anderson. This hulk of man at first glance seems dignified and meek… except when Vatican sends him somewhere on mission to exterminate monsters, when he turns into sadistic psychopath who bayonets butchers everything alive like crazed mechanization, meanwhile citing holy scriptures. And moreover he’s apparently (literally) indestructible.
However, usual extermination of local monsters by both organizations (and their occasional mutual friction) aka, to use Old Slavic phrase, business as usual, gets shaken by sudden appearance of remnant of one Nazi group, named “Millennium,” which, headed by (expectedly) mad scientist/major, plans with vampire army to revive Reich’s glory and make bloody chaos, starting with Britain.
Now, who’ll emerge victorious from something that can spawn World War III (but somehow more on local level), you’ll find out if you watch “Hellsing Ultimate.” 😀
What will immediately catch your eye is very specific (but original and excellent) visual style and animation in series, which showed excellently in scenes with lots of action, and all that’s accompanied by good music.
When we’re on action (and horror), there’s quite decent amount of that in “Hellsing Ultimate.” Biggest screen time (expectedly) has Alucard with his pistols and crazy shooting, but we shouldn’t underestimate Walter either with his elegant style of eliminating opponents, nor Seras who often wields abnormally huge weapons or rushes into close combat where not even Nemanja Vidić dared with his head during his career.
Of course, biggest treat is epic showdown in last episodes when Alucard decides to pull out his biggest aces.
Surprisingly, characters in series aren’t as “deep” and developed as would be expected for such excellent series. I don’t know how to describe to you, on one hand they’re likeable (there are often exaggerated comic reactions of some characters, especially Seras), but on other hand they somehow seem too “one-dimensional” (especially villains in series). Small exception is eccentric Alucard, but true story about him is revealed only toward series’ end, which is accompanied by epic battle.
Of course, series has quite a lot of silly situations, like one of enemies is called Schrödinger (and yes, has power in accordance with association that first comes to mind) or that apparently Alucard knew Queen of England from her younger days… or maybe that Alucard looks more like some pervert or pedophile from neighborhood… or how he always seems zen, maybe even does something…
All in all, “Hellsing Ultimate” has that style… or maybe better to say flavor… well to summarize, title is twistedly fun and time flies quickly with it. Simply, there’s something when you watch some series/film where main hero is simply overpowered and mows down everything before him… or where it seems he’ll lose, only to then yawn and say, “ok, now I’ll get a bit serious” and then three seconds later blew up half enemy army.
Personally to me, Dante is still bigger badass. 😀
And what do you think, dear reader, who could stand up to Alucard? 🙂
Trailer | Imdb | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | MyAnimeList
Release Date: 2006 | Format: Series | Number of seasons: 1 (10 episodes) | Average episode duration: 50 minute
