Hellsing (2001) however, is a darker, slower story about the Hellsing organization and it's newest recruit, Seras Victoria. After a fatal wound necessitated her transformation into one of the undead, Seras becomes the apprentice of Alucard and the subordinate of Sir Integra Hellsing.
Seras receives a heaping helping of character development in this series, and it's riveting. Grappling with having to imbibe blood to survive, and all the other strange needs that come with being undead.
The overarching story of this series is fairly disappointing, filled with melodrama and drawn out sequences of dialogue and slower action that feel like they're simply trying too hard. Not to mention the anime only antagonist they pull out of their ass is frankly pretty stupid.
However, the episodic stories are intriguing and seeing how our colorful cast deals with them all is more than entertaining. Alucard's snide and upity remarks always brought a grin to my face. Walter's calm yet terrifically surprising fighting skills were cool and collected. While Sir Integra is simply intimidating, iron willed and a maelstrom of strength. On the other hand, as I've said already, Seras Victoria is a showstopper for me, with hands down the best character arc in the series.
I'd be begging Alucard to blow my head off if I failed to mention the excellent soundtrack. My favorite anime opening in years, coupled with the smoothest and most stylish jazz tunes since Cowboy Bebop make the show worth watching if for no other reason but the music. Then there's the stupendous dub, another perfectly cast and directed job from funimation, as this was the show that put Crispin Freeman on the map. But K.T. Gray and Victoria Hardwood are without a doubt my favorites.
I've heard a few people give this show shit for it's art, I was a huge fan of it. The perpetual state of night England is in, along with every single shade of black and red thrown through these 13 episodes only helped along it's blood-soaked and bleak setting.
At the end of the night, Hellsing was a bloody good ride that I'm glad I took. A few noticeable missteps may turn some viewers off, but overall, it's a coaster I'm happy to take again one day.
Final score: Eight out of Ten, Great.
