Are you a vampire movie junkie lookin' for a good fix? Been watching Vampire Hunter D and Blade too much? Need something new? Then I got your fix right here friend.

Hellsing is a 13 episode series that chronicles the exploits of the Hellsing organization, an institution in England that is dedicated to ridding the world of Vampires and other forms of the living dead, in the name of God, and Her Majesty. Now Integra Hellsing, the head of the Hellsing family, has instituted the help of a vampire, the elegant and deadly Alucard, who has his own reasons for serving Integra Hellsing. The story takes place in England, an Episcopal country, however, another vampire hunting society, the Vatican Special Seciton XIII, the Iscariot Organization, is constantly sending a hunter by the the name of Paladin Alexander Anderson, who turns out to be Alucard's rival(so there is a bit of a Prodestants vs. Catholics battle going on as well during the story). During the story, Alucard takes on the likes of Anderson, as well as the pimped-out Valentine Bros., and the bizarre Ultimate Undead.

What initially attracted me to Hellsing was it's artwork and character designs. Characters such as Alucard and the sinister Paladin Alexander Anderson, are very well drawn and thought out in their presentation, and are some of the most well presented character designs I have seen since Cowboy Bebop. The story avoids the cliche "half-human, half-vampire" or whatever hybrid used that seems so common in storylines nowadays(examples include Vampire Hunter D, Blade, and Capcom's Devil May Cry), and instead has the protagonists as full blooded vampires and none of this half and half garbage. One thing I also tend to notice is mechanical designs (such as guns, armor, aircraft, mecha, etc.) and the design on the weapons in Hellsing is quite impressive. I especially like the way the designer had cursive writing on the side of the guns (on the side of one of Alucard's guns, "Jesus Christ is in Heaven now" is written). The music also stands head and shoulders above any anime, rivalling even Cowboy Bebop, which has one of my favorite musical scores in any film. The variety goes from jazz to japanese funk, to hard rock. Variety is key in any musical score for any anime series, and Hellsing more than delivers for music lovers such as yours truly. The overall presentation in Hellsing is delighfully elegant, and is a real treat for the eyes to behold.

When it comes to violence however, Hellsing does not hold back. There is one episode where a Bonnie and Clyde like duo of teenage vampires break into family households, slaughter the families, and drink their blood. Then they proceed to use the leftovers to smear evil blasphemous messages on the walls. While you never see the families getting killed, seeing the aftermath is bad enough, and if this kind of stuff bothers you, then I wouldn't recommend Hellsing. This anime also has more F-bombs than any anime I have seen yet. Granted, I would still consider myself a neophyte on the anime field, but some of the characters tend to curse like sailors. The villan is also one of the most delightfully sinister, deranged, and overall fun inividuals I have seen displayed in an animated film.

Fans of Vampire flicks and stories need to check out Hellsing. It is practically a must. Even fans of just action in general will get a kick out of it. I would only encourage those of the faint of heart to stay away, due to the fact that this is a very dark gothic series, and has issues in the gore department. Personally, I am addicted to this show as I write this, and if you plan to see it, I sincerely hope that you will enjoy it as much as I did.

~THe uNKNoWN BeaT~

Episode Reviews
Order 01: The Undead
The beginning of this series is strange. The first scene will make you think that this series is going to be a twisted vampire hentai of some sort(but it's not, so don't worry), and does a good job of fooling you on multiple levels. The characters we are introduced to are very interesting, especially Alucard, who holds a tremendous amount of presence on the screen. We also meet Seras Victoria, who is the sole survivor of her police unit and runs from a group of former villagers/police officers turned zombie a la Resident Evil. During her adventure, she is taken hostage by a vampiric priest, and Alucard has no choice but to kill them both, but saves Seras by turning her into a vampire at her request. While I'm not the biggest RE fan, seeing Alucard bust a cap in some ghouls is very entertaining, since he kills his foes with such style.
This episode basically explains how Alucard became Seras's master, and joins Hellsing. This episode gives groundwork for mainly Alucard, Integra, and Seras. It establishes Alucard as a mysterious badass, who fears nothing, Integra as a stern, no-nonsense leader, and Seras as and unsure but tough girl who has much to learn.

Order 02: Club M
Coming soon