It is safe to say that the anime keeps its promises. As I was expecting, it's a flashy action anime packed with full of brutal and vicious sequences. Blood is spilled and limbs are flying all over the place in every single episode. Animation and the color scheme are wonderful and fit the overall atmosphere like a glove. Character designs are also pretty exceptional, they feel like they're out of some wacky gothic fiction which this anime is all about. Simply, for people who crave for endless destruction with a stylish fashion, this is the perfect place for you.
However, it does not offer much except some of those aspects above. In the show, there is no character development whatsoever, plot is bland and meaningless. There are too many things that should have been fleshed out but haven't unfortunately. I never expected an original storytelling and a scenario in this anime. I was sure and wouldn't take it seriously but there is a wasted potential here for real.
The protagonist, vampire killer Alucard is a well designed character on surface. He's wielding massive dual pistols and wearing a sick red jacket. He shows you his amazing set of skills every episode. When I watch the first episode I thought he'd be a solid anti-hero, a bit standoffish yet charismatic and charming. I thought he could even crack a couple of subtle jokes. I imagined him as a bit more grounded version of Dante from Devil May Cry. Unfortunately, as the show goes on, what you see in this character is nothing but an unhinged psychopath who just desires to slaughter and consume his enemies. He considers himself as a monster who's destined to kill forever. It is impossible for the audience to somewhat sympathize with the character.
Later in the show, his origin is kind of discovered and Alucard is a little bit regretful but it's not really convincing because he keeps to act this way after that.
What I'm also having a hard time to understand is his relationship with the Hellsing organization. Somehow, a deranged psycho like Alucard is exceptionally loyal to the organization and his master, Integra Hellsing to the end. Why does he think himself as a mere tool of Integra rather than just ripping her head off and feasting with her blood? It is never explained properly. Is it just because of those seals that restricts his powers? However, he had the chance to unleash his full powers despite those seals. I guess we'll never know.
When it comes to the villains, unfortunatelly, they are no different than Alucard. All of them are rotten to the core and their motives are unclear at best. Their pretentious and cryptic monologues were a chore to endure. This is the case especially for the main villain, head of Nazis, the Major. The only thing I understand from this guy is that he is in love with waging war. That is all you can get from him. And his generic but somewhat amusing German accent. I can't deny that I like to see Nazis as villains, it's easy to place them as pure evil in any plot. (Disclaimer: I do not think Germany as an evil nation. And I feel like Nazis as a whole were not pure sadistic evil as it has been told us. Because history is written by the victors. The term evil is all subjective).
Anyway, I think only so-called memorable scene about the Major is his infamous war speech to his comrades. The speech just oozes madness and it kinda appeals to my inner sadistic side. So, it's not that meaningful, just amusing.
Speaking of wasting potential such case as Alucard, another one is Seras Victoria. She's a young police officer and brand new member of the Hellsing organization. Also, Alucard made her a vampire in order to save her life. What you can see is from start is, unlike other characters, she's just an ordinary person who's thrown into all of this mess. I expected it'd take some time for her to adjust. She wouldn't accept herself as a vampire, as a monster and might have an existential crisis or an emotional breakdown at best. Then Alucard and Integra would help her to develop and teach her to embrace her new identity. She could be the only redeeming quality among all these shallow characters. On the other hand, what actually happens is really underwhelming. She is instantly willing to accept and embrace her nature and becomes the puppet of the organization. She literally becomes a mass murder machine just like Alucard.
This will be a little bit irrelevant but I really want to talk about it. While I was watching this anime, I realized that I could love Hellsing as a videogame much more than as an anime. Imagine Hellsing as a hack & slash action game! It has the perfect setting for the genre. Totally overpowered protagonist, completely rotten evil characters, dark and violent atmosphere brimming with concepts like militarism and religion. Instead of just watching Alucard slicing and dicing his enemies, you get to kill them with style since he has multiple forms and great set of skills. Then in some chapters, you get to play with Seras. She could use her massive rifle and miniguns. I think it would be at the same level with the titles like God of War, Devil May Cry, Bayonetta etc. You hear that Platinum Games? Get the licences of this show right now and do something good with it.
Anyway, in short, turn you brain off and enjoy the endless carnage to come. Because there is nothing else memorable or worth the praise. It's wide as an ocean, deep as a puddle.
