Director: Hiroyuki Tanaka, Yasuhiro Matsumura,
Starring: Fumiko Orikasa, K.T. Gray, Jouji Nakata, Crispin Freeman, Nobuo Tobita, Gildart Jackson, Norio Wakamoto, Steven Brand, Romi Park, Ralph Lister, Yoshiko Sakakibara, Victoria Harwood,
Running Time: 200 minutes
Certificate: 18
Extras: Commentary On All 4 Episodes; Participating In A Legend; Anime Vegas 2010 Hellsing Panel; The Dawn: A Supplementary Of Hellsing; Hellsing Cast Round Table Discussion; Fans Questions – Answered; Trailers; Textless Songs
Let’s be honest, vampires are never going to become boring. You can make them sparkly, stick ‘em in a cape, have them as adults or children, and the hits are going to keep on coming. There’s something about the never aging undead that is both terrifying and alluring, more so than werewolves, zombies, or goblins. Nobody wants to be those things. So how does violent anime HELLSING ULTIMATE handle its vampiric qualities?
HELLSING ULTIMATE is the second anime adaptation of the popular manga series. This time the show was an OVA (Original Video Animation), meaning it skipped any form of TV broadcast. It also comes in 50 minute episodes and sticks closer to the source material. Right there and then the show will be of great interest to fans as it shakes off the confines of shorter TV friendly episodes. Sticking closer to the manga also means that the series isn’t too interested in converting new followers, so prepared to be lost at points due to the show’s dynamic pacing. This set includes episodes V-VII, and by this point the action is completely underway.
As the name Hellsing suggests, this is a show that how no qualms with referencing previous vampire mythology, only here the name is used for a secret society that keeps vampires away from the general public. Or so they were supposed to, but when vampires team up with something just as bad as themselves, then all bets are off. What’s as bad as vampires? Nazis of course. HELLSING ULTIMATE successfully mixes the two most evil things in the world which leads us to all out destruction and chaos directed at poor ol’ London. The violence is graphic and disturbing, but aims the atrocities at both sides so the audience can relish in payback.
The pacing can, at times, be almost too much, as it tries to cram in important plot points among the action, resulting in key elements becoming buried. It also lessons the impact of the violence as it is a constant onslaught. Thankfully, that onslaught is gloriously animated. The blood is an exotic red that oozes from the screen. Characters are shaded well, and the recreation of dark city streets is haunting and eerie. There are brief moments where a simplistic cartoony aesthetic is employed, which can sometimes be a welcome respite from the carnage, but can just as easily stop the show dead and compromise the tone. Luckily, it does allow for slightly surreal moments such as a Bruce Willis/Frederick Forsyth dream sequence.
Overall HELLSING ULTIMATE will be loved by fans of the previous anime and the manga alike. The action and violence will appeal to fans of frantic energy, but the action leaves very little room for character development. A brutal yet artistic show with a bombastic soundtrack.
Extras: There are plenty of great extras on this Blu-ray for fans to explore. Every episode comes with a commentary that has the English vocal cast and crew discussing their roles. Not only that, but they have also clearly done their research into the creation and writing of the show itself. This is a major plus, as often English language dubs can offer very little insight. The only disappointing aspect is that all the extras are from the dubbing stage and there must be a Japanese documentary that could have been slapped on with a few subtitles.
HELLSING ULTIMATE Volume 5-8 is available to buy on Blu-ray on 20th May via Manga Entertainment.
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