That's the short take, watch it if you want the whole story.
Story: This is not the same as the TV series though you will notice similarities. That's because there were only 2 out of 10 volumes of the manga out when they did the TV series. This OVA will eventually encompass the entire plot of the manga. The original story is a masterpiece, a work of brilliance that took almost 10 years for Kouta Hirano to complete. The story is definately dark and not upbeat, but Hirano's sometimes quirky humor shows through. At the end of OVA 4 Alucard is tearing another vampire to shreds slowly, painfully, and bathing in it's dying blood. You rejoin Alucard at the beginning of the 5th OVA and he's having a bizarre dream where Bruce Willis (yes the actor) is warning him about a hidden threat.
It's that original.
Art: The artwork is actually the one glowing disappointment for me. At times the drawing seems rushed, and they added in some CGI scenes that are also low quality. I will add that most of the poor quality was in the 1st OVA and it gets better.
Sound: The soundtrack is very fitting, being at times ominous and at other times almost quirky and jazzy. What makes this stand out is the fantastic voice acting in the dub (I'm judging this by the dub). All of the characters have excellent and authentic accents, and even Crispin Freeman does credible Eurotrash in a flashback (Eurotrash being that crappy fake transylvanian accent in B-movies).
Character: While the villains of the story are simplistically two-dimensional, the main characters are very complex individuals. Alucard can be a perfect gentleman to the queen one minute, and then tear a SWAT team to shreds later. Sir Integra is unflinching in her duty and has an iron resolve, but is not oblivious to human suffering and feels protective over Seras. Even Seras, who seems simplistic at first, has a tragic past and a will to live that is strong.
You can't understand all about any one character from just one episode, you must see them all to begin to.
Enjoyment: The story is fast moving and very enjoyable to watch. I didn't give it a 10 though because the story lingers over some very graphic violence. Alucard slowly torturing Rip Van Wrinkle and the Millenium's attack on London are grotesque and disturbing.
Overall: More than any anime I've ever seen, this is one I'd like to see made into an American movie. Yeah, they'd butcher it but you know what I mean. This is a visually compelling thriller that doesn't pull any punches.
