Anime Abandon: Hellsing

[@urahara64360]

The sunlight thing is actually another callback to the original Dracula novel. Where sunlight did not destroy him but merely weakened him to a normal human state. The destruction by sunlight was an addition later by the movie nosferatu

[@eggguy20]

At the of the movie, Nosferatu died because he could not feed in time before his body crumbled away from the added years not from the light of the sun.

[@cjthrasher5603]

So if I'm a vampire I won't burn to ashe

[@turtleanton6539]

So cool

[@MrBanditguy]

Yep. And almost the same for the manga. Alucard does not suffer from sunlight, he just hates it.

[@mask938]

There's also the fact that the vampire mythos varies depending on the culture it's from and the time period where it was written. Vampires may be weak to sunlight in one version of the mythos and completely immune to it in another, and everything in between.

[@cheezemonkeyeater]

In the original vampire lore, vampires can go out in daylight, they just have no powers during it. The idea that the sun burns vampires comes from the German film Nosferatu, which was trying to make things arbitrarily different from Dracula to skirt copyright laws. And I say "original" loosely, because actual vampire lore is wildly inconsistent itself, varying from region to region and time period to time period. Hell, in some versions of "original" vampire lore, vampires are associated with wolves and people who are bitten by vampires become werewolves, not other vampires. Still, if you're going to make a point of telling the newbie vamp not to go out in daylight, you should probably not have her go out in daylight. It raises too many questions. And that'll get Jim Carry's Riddler on your case.

[@Spekor]

actually the "vampires burn in daylight" did come from nosferatu but not on purpose. people misunderstood what happened.. orlok died at the end cause he didn't feed. not because of the sun.. it just coincided with the sunrise

[@cheezemonkeyeater]

I feel that could have been conveyed better.

[@crcoghill]

I mean, makes sense: Alucard and a few of the vamps in the series (this and Ultimate) have some incredible healing factors and are pretty much unkillable. Why would the sun do that literally Schroeder's cat couldn't?! (Meaning if Alucard couldn't kill himself, nothing can). Hell, in the original series, i can atleast give credit that Seras isn't that powerful and would probably burn abit faster, but who knows. Maybe she gets away with it since she was bit by Alucard himself. 🤷‍♂️

[@WanderSeth]

@@cheezemonkeyeater I can't find my Dracula novel, do the original vampires get distracted by grains of sand, grains of rice, or both?

[@cheezemonkeyeater]

I have not actually read Dracula. I was given the book recently, but it seems to have gotten lost when I moved. I was referring to the actual folklore.

[@HORRIOR1]

Hellsing Ultimate is better, but Hellsing gives a funnier review x). Now that we started with vampires, can we end October with Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust?

[@blixer8384]

It's strange when the version constantly making Catholic Child Rape Jokes is fairer and kinder to the Catholic Church then the official version.

[@Argonnosi]

Hellsing Ultimate Abridged.

[@Bezaliel13]

I want to see that review.

[@Szanth]

And Hellsing Ultimate Abridged is the best version of all of them.

[@DerpinPON3]

Ultimate is still bad because Hellsing is just a shitty franchise. The Abridged series actually turns it into something entertaining.

[@connorrivers995]

Watch Hellsing Ultimate instead. It has Nazi Vampires and one of the best villain speeches ever!!!!!

[@TheFifthHorseman_]

I. Love. War.

[@Psyzrulez]

the original series was supposed to have nazis too...but ran out of budget for the additional episodes, incognito was basically just a midgame boss

[@Bladez10]

Huh, there are very few things in this world that when you add Nazi to that makes it better. Which is usually in the form of cannon fodder.

[@Chrinik]

Oh there is plenty of cannon fodder nazis in it, mainly the rank and file, but they wreck all sorts of shit and the officers are all pretty unique in their abilities, including a god damn werewolf. The characters are more fleshed out, the story actually concludes properly, and plot details are explained better (sometimes to the point of exposition). Overall it's a better show, but people all agree that the soundtrack of Hellsing TV is glorious... But this comes with the caveat that Hellsing Ultimates story is bonkers regardless.

[@Rakkhot]

@@Chrinik Yea, Hellsing Ultimate...and the manga since they really went along with it well, lifes of it's characters, not it's story, but since I love the characters so much it's my favourite anime, not manga though, there it's probably Berserk, the anime of Berserk is a bit lackluster, it's not outright bad in my opinion, but nowhere near the manga

[@LimakPan]

Surprising Trivia: In Bram Stoker's original Dracula novel, sunlight didn't hurt the vampires. It would only turn off their superpowers for as long as they remained in light.

[@barrybend7189]

In the manga only the vampires of Alucard's strain can go in sunlight. And ultimate actually addressed that part. And Alucard loved to be a dick even in the 40's.

[@devinschuhs798]

@@barrybend7189 I didn't know that...must've missed that.

[@MikePhantom]

he was not a dick he was a chick in the 40s

[@barrybend7189]

@@MikePhantom but he was kinda a dick at that time.

[@kyriss12]

Not quite Dracula could walk in the daytime because he was old as hell, but younger vampires such as Lucy and his brides became lifeless and easily staked.

[@MforMovesets]

How do you know you're old? When people only remember the OVA. And it's never a good idea starting an anime on an unfinished manga. Right, Gantz?!

[@MaJuV]

But as Sage points out, it didn't stop series like FMA and Trigun from delivering a good first anime.

[@tikiux5]

Yeah the original show was put out about barely half way through the run of the manga

[@KamiRecca]

Gantz was never a good idea in the first place. No i take that back. The idea of Gantz is pretty good. But just because manure is fertilizer dont mean its a good idea to take a dump in a public park. And Gantz felt like it was taking a dump in the public park. Mind you, im only talking about the first half of the anime, because that was all i could stand. Does it turn into the animated second coming later? maybe. dont care. FF13 reasoning here. If it takes you 50 hours to get to the good part, its simply not worth it.

[@NeroIML]

I've only seen the OVA, but I do remember clearly one of my classmates trying to get me to start watching this series. I guess he was pretty starved for entertainment considering how excited he was about it.

[@slothlord8117]

It's quite amazing how many anime do this. At least a lot of the manga adapted just take a break to catch up. But a lot like to give into demand rather than produce a quality show based on their source material.

[@troikas3353]

Hellsing exists for one reason only: To show Alucard being a badass. Whether or not you enjoy it really comes down to whether thats enough for you as there really is nothing else to it. That said: Hellsing Ultimate serves this purpose too and is just an all around better show.

[@koichidignitythief7429]

They even have a good reason for Alucard to stay out the fight. Vampires cannot cross running water, and the Last Battalion lured him out into the ocean.

[@Puerco-Potter]

Alucard turns himself into a fucking plane in ultimate! A fucking plane! There is no better way to show badassery

[@chrisossu2070]

Hellsing Ultimate works better with having an invincible protagonist by portraying him more as a slasher villain during a majority of his fights. The narrative knows practically nothing can kill Alucard and plays it for horror from the mooks' perspective.

[@jerk5959]

@@Puerco-Potter No, I think he was on and crashed him into a ship IIRC.

[@Bowiiihowdy]

It also exists to give us Hellsing Abridged

[@UTU]

I loved the old 'Hellsing' back in the days, but 'Ultimate' made it something we don't need anymore, except for the cool soundtrack.

[@nightmarefanatic1819]

I like the art design for the show, like the the use of red and the way the characters are drawn, but the animation varies so much is squanders it.

[@michaelkeha]

Or if you like your anime without whacky sillyness that got into ultimate a little too much for my liking

[@Ichneumonxx]

I really miss that fantastic music in the OVA series, where it's as bland and unoriginal as can be. Plus the OVA are a bit tedious at times, but tbh so is the manga.

[@michaelkeha]

@Malchik Blue I am aware it's just that sort of really bad tonal whiplash that is fine with some anime not with others.

[@turtleanton6539]

Yuuup

[@Tounushi]

At the start: Was Alucard out for a walk again? "Because we never find out who's pulling the strings." Naziiiiis~~ In Bram Stoker's take, vampires are debuffed and depowered in sunlight, but they're perfectly able to walk outside during the day.

[@koichidignitythief7429]

I heard George Lucas. Did anyone else hear George Lucas?

[@Tounushi]

+Guanglai Kangyi, Age 15 I heard "Miami Heat."

[@fusioncannon]

"I heard Motley Crue with my vampire hearing."

[@bowenorcutt78]

Team Four Star cameo or we riot. Edit: Hah, first 5 flippin' seconds! And on the subject of branching out, congrats to the engineer for landing the role of Soundwave on the new series. I'd tell him myself but I avoid twitter like the plague on principle. Edit edit: New bet: this is going to end with the sound of glass breaking, Alucard singing some kind of jaunty jingle a la Deadpool, and Bennett running for the hills.

[@KidSnivy69]

It was a bit to obvious of a joke NOT to do!

[@ironmaster6496]

TFS Reference....bitches love tfs references

[@xXLiLJokerXx]

Shatters glass "What is a man?"

[@LadyLunarSatine]

Marc also got the gig of Block Man's voice in Mega Man 11

[@bowenorcutt78]

@@LadyLunarSatine Aw, sweet! One more reason to get the game.

[@SuiteLifeofDioBrando]

I never seen the original Hellsing, but Hellsing Ultimate was great.

[@MrGregory777]

i saw the old Hellsing 17 years ago. It's bad. I think all they had were the first 3 episodes of Hellsing Ultimate and they stretched that story out to 13, just like the Hobbit.

[@TheFifthHorseman_]

The original adaptation is as bad as Ultimate is good.

[@ironmaster6496]

I saw them Both in that order and WOW the tv series is just TERRIBLE and devoid of any fun, the only good things were the Opening and ending (also Alucard has the voice of Teenager trying to sound mature in the Latam Dub) Now Hellsing Ultimate was the complete oppossite, one of the most enterteining action Shows i've ever seen IN GENERAL

[@tskmaster3837]

No. No it was not. I like the Abridged version but the OVA series was a long series of headaches for me.

[@residentgrigo4701]

They only had the first 2 volumes of the OVA/manga to work with.

[@ant7517]

"If that's the case all of us gonna be vampires by 2020" well that's another one on the apocalypse bingo

[@kristofgriffin384]

I will say this: I prefer the anime's soundtrack over Ultimate's. I'm a big fan of jazz, and this style of music gives the Hellsing series a unique identity. I also love the Opening theme and the ending theme. This anime was also my introduction to the Hellsing franchise, as I used to watch it on TV late at nights, so it has a special place in my heart. But everything else was done a million times better in Ultimate, so there's absolutely no reason to watch this series.

[@ironmaster6496]

I completly agree, the sountrack is GREAT but the show is REALLY bad, if only Ultimate could had the same OST

[@JackIsMe1993]

If you love it for the jazz you should definitely watch Gundam Thunderbolt .

[@stevenchoza6391]

Someone should just remake the OP from the original by taking visuals from Hellsing Ultimate and matching it with the song and we’d never have to deal with the original Hellsing again.

[@nightmarefanatic1819]

I also like the character designs better, but since most of the episodes are animated so poorly, they only really shine in a few episodes and the fantastic promotional artwork.

[@LetsTakeWalk]

I never even knew I was waiting for this. And now I will wait for Hellsing Ultimate.

[@madmanvarietyshow9605]

I think we can all agree on 2 things. 1. That was a hilarious HUA cameo 2. The music is still the tits

[@svartfrasr9755]

Shoobedoobedoo Shoobedoobedoo da daaaaaaaa

[@shinjojin]

Ditto on both.

[@nathanclark2424]

What's the music at 18:57?

[@sebastiancintron29]

The anime of Hellsing is heavily flawed, but I still do believe it has it's perks. Fantastic soundtrack, heavy gothic atmosphere, and it served it's purpose to introduce me to Hellsing. Hellsing Ultimate however has better voice acting (by that point the actors were more comfortable with the characters) a better villain, and fantastic animation and art style. However that's not to say Ultimate is perfect, it has it's own problems. Many problems. But it accomplishes what the anime tried to do but does it better.

[@PhilemonTheGulusfan]

TEAMFOURSTARS CAMEO OH MY GOD

[@svartfrasr9755]

Yeah about the Integra stabbing herself trying to die but not die thing... It's one more dumb inconsistency the show has about vampire lore. If I recall she literally spills the blood because "it's impure." It's literally the suck the poison from the wound method x 11. I hate that I remember this detail but it pissed me off so much when I first watched this series that it stuck. Thank God for Ultimate.

[@amberace]

I remember being left confused to this. I'm still confused by this part of the series lol I figured ' whelp she's dead -,- .. ' and next episode she's still alive. This is one of the reasons I only saw the series once.

[@ironmaster6496]

I don't hate vampire characters in fact some of them i find them really cool (DIO brando, Remilia and Flandre Scarlet, Demitri Maximoff, Alucard from Hellsing, Slayer from Guilty Gear,etc) but dear god i HATE Vampire STORIES, mainly because they just became glorified sexual fantasies with dumb and bland teenagers, and with the vampires not even looking like one, even Vampire anime is like that too (With some going WAYYY TOO FAR like Diabolik Lovers)

[@BobNinjaCat]

Vampire Knight was ugly, and bad. So... you have that, I guess? Vampire Hunter D was good, though. Maybe because it focuses less on the "I'M A MONSTER" narrative and more on the title character's interaction with the rest of the world in a post-apocalyptic vampire-dominated world. There's also Blood: The Last Vampire, which is a hilarious mess; and, Blood+, which does little make up for the movie it's based on. My lord, vampire media really is trash, isn't it?

[@Samm815]

Hey, guess what vampires are metaphors for? Sexual predators. Whether it’s icky eastern foreigners (Bram Stocker’s Dracula), pedophilia (Interview with a Vampire), lesbians (Camilla) or teen pregnancy (Twilight) vampires have been a metaphor for sex stuff for years.

[@laughingfurry]

I actually agree with ironmaster. Yes, a major part of vampire stories is sex. However, there are too many that get into perverse fantasies. There was a time when I love vampire stories, but I eventually grew bored because it was just one sex filled romp after another. Even the whole "self redemption" stuff got bored, what with Angel being the high point of that vampire cliché. Don't even get me started with True Blood and stuff like that. Fairies?

[@ironmaster6496]

So what? thats not an excuse for writing shitty stories, i mean the first two Jojo parts are pretty much vampire stories and they aren´t glorified sexual fantasies (same with castlevania, Guilty Gear and Touhou) hell DIO brando himself doesn´t even care about sex at all, is because of that sex metaphor tought that we CAN'T have good vampire stories (just good characters) Also i may be wrong but arent vampires based on count VLAD TEPES!!?? (also known as the impaler or DRACULA) and all of the legends surrounding him? im not angry, im just pointing that out

[@ironmaster6496]

Neko Vermillion thanks and....Vampire fairies? never heard that one, that show must be truly awful. i swear teen novels are the worst things that ever happenned to vampires

[@SpicyNoodlez4]

Hellsing Ultimate is waaaay better than Hellsing Tv.

[@MaJuV]

Hellsing TV has indeed become irrelevant. Though back before Ultimate was even a thing, this anime was a holy grail among anime fans that you COULD NOT criticize. It's an anime that flopped in Japan, but was beloved in the rest of the world. It was dark and edgy, had a great soundtrack and the character of Alucard and Anderson were way cooler than the anime they were put in. You couldn't go around message boards at the time without being smothered in fanart of this series. It didn't help that the manga was in a constant hiatus atmosphere that would put Hunter x Hunter to shame. And with the manga not being as readily available as it is today (good old days of fan scanlations), the series by itself got a somewhat mythical status, right next to Berserk (Yes, that Berserk). It's only when the first Ultimate OVA proved it was leagues above the TV series that people stopped treating the tv-series as the next coming of Jesus.

[@joehill4094]

the funny thing is the Kouta Hirano is not even a good author, his writing is really bad

[@liesureleeminis8268]

I still get nostalgic fun out of the series, and it's literally just absolute stupidity. The ovas and manga fill the void completely now. The authors writing may be mediocre at best, but he knows how to make stuff that's fun as hell.

[@thomasffrench3639]

Yep the good old days when the only manga outside of Japan was in France

[@Juskinen]

I tried to watch Hellsing with my fiancé (now wife) a few years ago, because it was her favorite series growing up. We couldn't watch it past the first episode and I'm pretty sure she's not as nostalgic about it anymore..

[@catnium]

that's when you know she wasn't waifu material

[@Leroset]

Catnium *That's when you know she WAS waifu material. FTFY.

[@GreebleClown]

Watch Hellsing Ultimate then. It's amazing!

[@Harryeaster]

The first Episode is actually the best, I think. Very good at introducing the characters, the premise and a perfect standalone. After that? Meh.

[@DemitriVladMaximov]

Yes vampires can walk in daylight. They aren't destroyed they are just weaker in sun and need to rest in the soil of their homeland. Read Bram Stoker.

[@TheOneLichemperor]

What? I thought it just made them sparkle.

[@DemitriVladMaximov]

@@TheOneLichemperor uh no only their teeth. Common mistake about what gives a vampire life and what gives them strength.

[@turtleanton6539]

Yuuup

[@Elyseon]

"You demonic vampire bitches!" sounds like something Frank Miller would write.

[@Harryeaster]

Hmm, I find the idea of "selfmade" vampires still interesting, especially to the arrogant and monstrous Alucard. I think Gonzo tried to create a story about power and what people will do to achieve it. I mean there are a lot of scenes, where people talk about how immortality is awesome and Alucard shows how far gone you can be as a human. Powerful stuff. The problem? The show ends abrubtly and in the end they should have cut down on the plotpoints, either writinng Incognito or Anderson out. In hindsight, they could have turned Anderson in the leader of the freaks, since he already was an enhanced Supersoldier with regenerating health. Would have made as much sense as Incognito and we would have gotten our Alucard vs Anderson way earlier. Oh well. I still like the Atmosphere and the idea behind Alucard as a mixture between lovecraftian monster and arrogant bloodsucker.

[@VSPhotfries]

Well, the story was told as an unfolding mystery, and the first show apparently just went with the first ideas anyone shouted out in a meeting to predict what major part of the plot was. I give it way more credit than I should for actually *sort of* making some sense, a surprising amount in fact (90s technovampire bullshit aside), but more for not violating the spirit of the story about examining what happens when an amoral (as in moral-free, not just 'bad') monster essentially becomes untouchable and *remains* untouchable. If absolutely nothing else, they got that part right. I also have no idea why Sage hates (what I find to be) interesting explorations of character that becoming a vampire leads into. You can do the bullshit surface level stuff, sure, lotta dumb vampire things do that, but I find it odd he finds the 'adorable' police girl so typical when she - and Alucard - are so non-standard I find the accusation of it being 'done to death' absolutely baffling. They're anything but, even in the rather limp first show... I don't get it. But hey, I also can't stand Jojo for reveling in absurdity, vast walls of exposition, and on being so on the nose with character development, so it boils down to different strokes for different folks I guess...

[@bortus-kun1684]

Wow you completely misunderstood the point of Integra stabbing herself was. She was draining out the "impure blood" from herself, not trying to kill herself

[@Runeinc]

Anderson is Scottish...

[@Whiskeyklone]

Yeeeah. As an Irish/English man who has spent a lot of time abroad, I find Americans and Canadians cannot hear the difference a lot of the time...

[@SomeGuy-cp1km]

Whiskeyklone really, usually it’s pretty obvious between the two and too be fair Anderson really does sound Irish to the point that most people think he is.

[@Whiskeyklone]

Not even slightly. If you are North American, you are kinda proving my point. If you aren't, the problem is more widespread.

[@Runeinc]

EmpireBuilder12, as a Scot I can tell you that his accent is no where near Irish.

[@skylarsimes8]

How does a bastard orphan sunnuva a whore and a scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten spot in an Italian village without a roof for sleeping under, grow up to be a deadly demon hunter?

[@matthewniemann5540]

The only thing not mentioned that I think is important. Right after the Valentine Brothers invasion, Hellsing tv anime goes off script. They caught up to the manga and then created their own storyline. Hence everything before alluding to a grand shadow puppeteer and everything after not making sense to that narrative. The only scene still left from the manga was the flash back of Integra finding Alucard as they had skipped it.

[@SorasShadow1]

When does Hellsing Ultimate hit the cutoff point? It's got flaws but it's focused. And stupid fun.

[@charonib]

Could always be an installment of Oldtaku New Tricks...

[@koichidignitythief7429]

The attack by the Valentine Brothers.

[@grumpyginger99]

If he does all of it ( at least according to wikipedia) then it wouldn't be until 2024 but he could the earliest episodes now

[@ro_the_lion]

You reaaaally cherry-picked that Picard clip. Leaving out entirely how far he'd been pushed until that point, how out of character it was for him, and how much he'd, uh, been through? At the hands of the Borg? When he was assimilated? Furthermore, it's pretty clear that Integra is a very emotional person, but that she has learnt that to be taken seriously you have to adopt the calm, logical, 'manly' approach to things. I'm not apologizing for Hellsing the Series, but I do think that character is one more the better parts of it. When she bleeds herself, it's to reduce the ratio of impurity, under the logic that a blood transfusion of human blood could keep her human before things are irreversible. It's still magic logic, but there is thought behind it.

[@GradnLordTad]

Hey! I like Hellsin...Oh. The original TV series? Nevermind. Go on. lol

[@TheRezro]

I wounder why he didn't explain that? Many newcomers are confused.

[@TheFifthHorseman_]

Yeeeep. That thing was one of my first anime and it SUCKED. Hellsing Ultimate, on the other hand, was just ****ing boss,

[@mrroboshadow]

@@TheFifthHorseman_ yeah helsing ultimate has a complete story, better animation by far, better voice acting, better....just everything really

[@ChetManley1]

Meh. I still liked it.

[@tarrker]

I 100% internalized Hellsing as a 90's anime. I mean... it sure feels like one. Guess that culture kinda bled into the early 2000's. :)

[@Antonicane]

What, you mean a story that started out its life as a hentai turned gorefest isn't deeply invested in developing a well-thought-out, coherent and compelling plot?

[@LAZY-RUBY]

Hirano's not a great writer but I can't fault him for being open about his interests. Dude just wants to draw blood, guns, and tits. It's a miracle this show or the OVAs ever even happened, so good for him.

[@ruuji.]

Hellsing has a god-tier OST.

[@YowLife]

So to save some time, here's where the review actually starts:4:26

[@cerberus144]

Your hate for vampires mirrors my hatred for zombies.

[@grahamcarpenter5135]

They're not exactly the most interesting villains, are they? There's a reason why Resident Evil used the Umbrella Corporation and Wesker as the main villains, and eventually replaced the zombies with parasite infested villagers in 4 and 5.

[@FakeHeroFang]

While I did sorta like this as an edgy teen, yeah I can admit it’s pretty bad. After reading most of the manga and watching Ultimate, it absolutely feels irrelevant. Seras’ charm is about the only saving grace, but there’s pretty much no reason to ever go back and rewatch this. Necromancer edit: the OST is top notch, worth watching for that alone imo

[@WanderSeth]

As someone who's only seen Hellsing Ultimate, this review shed a lot of light. holy shit, glad they remade it, but Ultimate still seems... out there.

[@nielsmichiels1939]

19:02 Well..........between those two scenes *a lot* happend to picard. He got assimilated by the borg, made a prisoner into his own body by them, did atrocities. He has nightmares ever since about them. I can forgive the fact that he used his smarts to disable the safety from the holodeck, conjured up a tommygun and *saved someone* by killing one of them *since phasers don't work on the borg.*

[@Tython82]

Actually in the original book Dracula, sunlight was not instant death for Vampires it just weakened them, the whole Sunlight kills them was done first in a film and it just caught on.

[@TheFifthHorseman_]

Incognito and the entire Set thing were tacked on by the anime's writers as filler. This is product of the manga being at barely 2 volumes in (!!!) when the anime story was written - episodes 1-3, 5-7, 10 are adapted from the manga, while 4, 8-9 and 11-13 are "ORIGINAL FANFIC DO NOT STEAL". In the manga it's established that vampires aren't harmed by daylight but it does weaken them (Alucard simply finds it unpleasant). The part about Integra trying to kill herself (or whatever was the point there, presumably "drain the venom" or such nonsense) was a framing device added by the anime's writers. In the manga the flashback constituted majority of the chapter, with a small epilogue between Seras, Alucard and Integra (who was simply reminiscing about those events). However, Alucard's remark was arguably in-character for him. The notion in the manga seems to be that he respects willpower and determination to fight despite any odds, while detests those who trade their humanity for shortcuts to power.

[@markuscriticus8278]

IIRC, Integra stabbed herself not to kill herself to get rid of the vampire blood. She didn't try to kill herself, she figured that she had a chance to survive it.

[@Mister_Cool]

I'm with you, Sage. I'm not really a fan of vampires. I'm more of a werewolf person myself. It's a shame there are not many werewolf animes out there.

[@mortchen5494]

Fuck Sage, vampires are awesome. Werewolves are just lame furries

[@Bowiiihowdy]

Well ultimate has a warewolf

[@Mister_Cool]

@@Bowiiihowdy Yeah, he was badass. He basically assisted Seras Victoria in defeating him by telling her what his weakness was (silver).

[@mroldschool001]

Hellsing's tv series has one bad ass moment that Ultimate didn;t. Alucard cocking his gun with his teeth. That was epic. Both versions are great for different reasons.

[@TanookiNoKintama]

“All of us are going to be vampires by 2020 thanks to Apple!!” That aged well 🤣🤣 I love your reviews

[@michaelcairns8778]

I believe Hellsing anime suffers the same problem that many animes suffers from: The manga become popular very early and was quickly adapted for a anime before the magna was finished. So anime had a half arse quickly slapped together ending that doesn't fit the magna. Case in point Soul Eater & Full Metal Alchemist.

[@barrybend7189]

8:56 Macross 7 beat you with space vampires, and the movie lifeforce.

[@barrybend7189]

yes and no it depends on how they are done. with Macross 7 for example has the Protodevlin think the wraith from Stargate but also slavers.

[@Citrakite]

Several vampire like species. Trek has quite a few like the psychic alien who feeds on Jake Sisko or the salt vampire in TOS.

[@luiseatoll6368]

I was fully expecting a knock and a cliffhanger by the end. You disappoint me Sage.

[@Kuudere-Kun]

The story is always irrelevant to my opinion on any work of fiction. Vampires not going out in Sunlight was invented in 1922, it's BS and I wish more Vampire fiction would drop it. Dracula does out in the Sun all the time in Stoker's Novel, same with Camrilla, Ruthven and Varney.

[@turtleanton6539]

So cool

[@ajourneysaved4311]

"Vampires by 2020 thanks to Apple" that was delayed due to a pandemic.

[@jerk5959]

Now it is microchips in vaccines. Bill Gates beat Steve Jobs once again.

[@TheLadySilverMoon]

This anime is pretty special to me. It was one of the first anime's I ever watched as a teen, my best friend had the entire series on dvd and we would watch it together. And we absolutely loved all the characters and Intregra became one of my favorite female anime characters. It's also one of the first anime's I watched in english and I think the dub is amazing.

[@erichkulp4033]

What I got was Integra stabbed herself so that the vampire's blood inside her will come out. She wasn't trying to kill herself, just trying to get the vampire's blood out so she won't turn. The doctors wasn't curing her vampirism, they were treating her blood loss from preemptively stopping herself from turning.

[@CButtonshaw]

Hellsing is eh, Hellsing Ultimate is fun, Hellsing Ultimate Abridged is EPIC!!!!

[@temporalwolf7054]

I am very curious now to hear Sage's thoughts on Ultimate. Both in how it fixes things from the anime - the sunlight thing and a more coherent plot for starters - and uses vampires both as disposable grunts for gory action set pieces, but also as intelligent demons, while taking the characters and fleshing them out *significantly* and having just an overall more jovial action shlock tone. And not an accidental tone either, but really leaning into it and having fun with it.

[@tenkiforecast]

Hellsing, the manga and OVA, is very, very good at two things: style and spectacle. Style is the only thing the TV series has going for it, and even that is derivative because of the minuscule animation budget. It doesn't have the direction or writing of Berserk, because the source material's writing is...well, not great. Yes, I know that'll be downvoted, but it's not the greatest written series by a long shot. Alucard is this walking god who needs a contrivance to get him away from the action to up the stakes, the villains are extremely one-note (They're Nazis. Literally.), and vampire powers get really inconsistent. At the same time, I don't care because the spectacle of Hellsing Ultimate is such a freaking blast. Dracula crashes an SR-71 at Mach 2 onto an aircraft carrier controlled by Nazi Vampires and a musketwoman constantly singing Wagner. The entirety of the fight within London just keeps topping itself in terms of scale. It's an exercise in doing some of the most ridiculous things possible. All of these things are completely lacking in the TV series. It's why it's almost completely forgotten.

[@kostajovanovic3711]

This one gets it

[@raymicheals4127]

The one thing that we can say about the original show is that the music in Hellsing is spectacular

[@mlovecraftr]

Ah Pet Shop of Horrors! A Locomotion Classic

[@johannesmakila2459]

To be honest vampires are able to walk in sunlight but then they are just weaker. Whole vampires dying when exposed to sunlight thing was something that Nosferatu added and it just happened to become part of vampire lore ever since then.

[@LupineShadowOmega]

"That didn't hurt Full Metal Alchemist..." HO-ho. Agree to disagree I guess, because FMA's original ending and last few episodes were a cluster in my opinion.

[@AusSP]

...Wasn't that sarcasm? Wasn't that actually "Here's two more examples of where that resulted in an inferior work"?

[@LupineShadowOmega]

@@AusSP I didn't read it as sarcasm. Maybe it was, but it didn't seem so.

[@AusSP]

@@LupineShadowOmega - Well, I assumed so, since the whole point of Brotherhood is that the manga plot was way better. (Though I can't recall Trigun being that bad.) While it didn't strictly "sound" like sarcasm, my understanding of that example lead me to assume it was intended to be. I guess the lesson is that Bennett needs a more obvious sarcasm tone.

[@LupineShadowOmega]

@@AusSP eh I don't think it matters, because opinions differing is just a thing. We don't all see the same things as bad or even have the same sort of hang ups when analyzing a piece of media. That's why so many opinions can differ on the seemingly most banal of things. An always fun example, is Wonder Woman's costume having pants or wearing a leather jacket with it. XD

[@ThePreciseClimber]

I'm curious - was there ever an instance of an anime-only ending that was better than the source material (manga, light novel)?

[@theoutdoorsinist]

People shit on the Hellsing TV series but it's what got my into the manga.

[@MichaelTicea]

Props for the correct pronounciation of Vlad Tepes :D Awesome review, as usual

[@lorcannagle]

But props removed for mangling Garth Ennis' surname!

[@Maximara]

Regarding the comment at 12:54, while those are tropes they are *not* how the vampires of mythology functioned. If it had gone to become the series planned (Rather then Hammer going belly up) _Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter_ (1974) would have taken those tropes thrown them under the bus and ran over them a few times to make sure. Fact of the matter is in the original novel Dracula was out in the daylight; him turning into a crispy critter was something added by the movies beginning with Nosferatu (1922). gurps.wikia.com/wiki/GURPS_Blood_Types gives a snapshot of just how rich the vampire mythology actually is.

[@BionicleGio22210]

This is what happens when you mess with the crimson fucker...... wait just the first version? Ok then, continue on

[@HeirofAzaran]

It's mid-May of 2020. No vampire chips yet. Not sure if I should be relived or disappointed.

[@barrybend7189]

Hey Sage please review SD Gundam Force.

[@svartfrasr9755]

Yes. Burn it.

[@barrybend7189]

@@svartfrasr9755 no that's SEED. SD Gundam Force is not that bad. As SDGF is first a kids show but also a show to get those too young to watch the regular Gundam series to get into Gundam.

[@Sonicfalcon16]

oh god

[@argoth231]

Gonna tell you no a 2nd tine

[@barrybend7189]

@@argoth231 you try not to laugh at all of the subtle jokes of UC, Wing and G Gundam. And I say its considered bad because Wing edgelords kinda didn't consider it Gundam. Meanwhile SD Gundam was being done since ZZ. But the show itself isn't that bad.

[@AlvinEarthworm]

God damn. I haven't watched your content in a while, Sage. So I was caught off guard when I saw how much weight you've lost. Great going, man. Keep it up!

[@oriana7193]

I think Sage you should try Hellsing Unlimited a better adaptation. Along with Team Four Star Hellsing Abridged Series both are better than the actual original series. Which honestly the manga is way........................... *13 hours later* ............ better then the 13-episode series we got.

[@grahamcarpenter5135]

Yeah, that's kinda how I feel about Hellsing Ultimate Abridged as well...it's legit better than the actual thing. However, I guess you do kinda need to see the OVA first to full enjoy it.

[@jodie5497]

You should review hellsing ultimate, it would be interesting to see how and if your opinions differ

[@LockeWick]

“I hate vampires” whelp, that definitely proves that our tastes definitely do not match up.

[@LockeWick]

Brandon Roberts, aside from the stripper glitter skin, I would argue they are actually pretty badass in terms of their powers. Super speed, super strength, marble strong skin, can go out in the sun without burning up. On the stripper glitter, that crap was so underwhelming for me since I read the books before the films and I thought when they go into the sunlight they turn transparent like glass, you know something that actually gives away that they aren’t human.

[@Maximara]

Hellsing Ultimate was better. I agree that Hellsing TV was bleh. The Chip thing was actually explained in Ultimate as having part of Mina's remains being part of the chip design so it makes a LOT more sense there then in the TV series. Also those tropes were created by the movies and even those - there were exceptions such Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter (1974) where the vampire breaks with all the tropes by going back to the freaking actual mythology. -Active in daylight, drains lifeforce (youth for this version) and doesn't sleep in a coffin. GURPS Blood Types (1995) gives a snapshot of just how board vampire myths are.

[@Tommylop1982]

Not to sound like a vampire know it all, but the original Bram Stoker novelDoes have Dracula walking around in the daytime. Is powers are weakenDuring the daylight hours so he prefers to stay underground.

[@helenanilsson5666]

Yeah, I think the deadly daylight thing happened when writers noticed that the vampires were too op and decided to nerf them. There is the coffin thing, but that's more of a need for coffin (coffin/blood bath for Carmilla) than an aversion to sunlight. The two just coincided "I need to take a coffin nap, might as well do it in the day when I am slightly inconvenienced so I can rise at max OP".

[@symantares9171]

The manga establishes that Alucard and by extension Seras are immune to sunlight, but it's still carelessness since the anime left that line out

[@warrirornunluv801]

BITCHES LOVE CANONS! And also...HOLY SHIT! PET SHOP OF HORRORS!

[@Megami36]

Thanks for asking me to help out dude! Hope you enjoy the review peeps & check out my channel for some awesome covers too! X3

[@an2qzavok]

It is really surprising how Gonzo managed to stay in business to this day.

[@an2qzavok]

And they still didn't learn how to use digital colors properly.

[@anjetto1]

You've activated my Alucard!

[@malcomalexander9437]

Hellsing was pretty much just Hirano wanting an excuse to draw cool stuff and re use character designs from the various hentai manga that he did.

[@amandaoakhart8081]

Saying hi in 2022, I hope to see a Hellsing OVA review from you soon! I think it’ll blow you away !!

[@davidmatoushek9111]

Did you forget to mention that Hellsing and some of their characters started off in hentai one-shots?

[@Red-S-267]

David Matoushek wait really?

[@davidmatoushek9111]

Tucker Cooper Yes, it’s true. The original creator of the manga started making hentai first before making his characters come to fruition. Did I also forget to mention that one of his stories involved Schroedinger’s Cat and Hitler?

[@kostajovanovic3711]

+David Matoushek tell us more

[@Red-S-267]

David Matoushek well then.

[@Dunston24]

Well....okay then

[@Marbo12f]

Boy am I glad you said. Certainly for me holding a low opinion of Hellsing was not a common attitude when i first viewed the serie. Yea having your first episode of Alucard being an invincible badass was to be expected but then every episode followed the same trend. Humans outmatched by powerful confident villain. Confident villain faces Alucard who non-nonchalantly eviscerates what we were assured was a powerful villain. Humans comment in awe of Alucard's power, dying villain comments in awe of Alucard's power, Alucard waxes poetically about his own power. Repeat repeat repeat. The show is an unapologetic a power fantasy for the angsty weeb. Even more so than most as it also throws away the shackles of morality as a soul eating vampire. Whom by necessity must face the only villain that can make him look good by comparison, Mega Nazi Vampires; and even then ultimately Alucard was worse. For a moment I thought I could forgive everything when Alucard "died" at the end, even if it was just a "maybe, maybe not" death. A dignified way to spell the end. But NOPE. We actually end the series with Alucard somehow becoming even more overpowered on the quantum godlike level. AND becoming infinitely more of an asshole; having achieved this feat by destroying the millions of souls he has devoured (most innocent mind you) over the course of his unlife. Amazing.

[@shinjojin]

And that's why I prefer the OVA series. It's waaaaaaay better than the now below average TV series.

[@EgaoKage]

This was one of the worst vampire stories I've ever seen. Dracula in the first Castlevania game had more depth of character. Being a big fan of the Castlevania, I watched this, episode by episode, as it was released on Japanese TV. Which basically equated to self-harm. The dialog is somehow _even worse_ in Japanese (eng subs - no dub was available then). This anime is ten kinds of cringe and I feel bad for anyone who picked it up because they were hoping for a well made vampire-themed anime. Even the name of the anime shits in our shoes. Dr. Van Helsing is a non-entity, only momentarily eluded to via flashbacks. It should have been called: *_Ultra-Edgelord Infant Cosplays As Carmen Sandiego_*

[@rorylumley4727]

Just watch hellsing ultimate.

[@jeff91482]

I squeed out loud when Bennett held up "Pet Shop of Horrors!" I love that anime and I was hoping he would review it!

[@zannchristo]

But Hellsing Ultimate is good tho

[@airsir9559]

That Irish chracter sounds suspiciously Scottish.

[@TheAllSeeingEye2468]

I never saw this but I did see the reboot hellsing ultimate and based on what I just watched here I made the right choice. i'll take Nazi vampires over what ever the hell this is

[@rustecohle591]

Still the most underrated anime KZbinr

[@professordey]

Meh, fair dues, but I still absolutely adore Hellsing, while I honestly find Hellsing Ultimate pretty unwatchably cringeworthy. Say what you want about consistant story, but I find the original to be many times more entertaining with the atmosphere and the direction they were vaguely aiming with that broken story. With Ultimate? Nazi Vampires, catboys? I just can't get into it. Enjoy what you will and I'll enjoy my stupid bloody vampire killing goodness.

[@saidi7975]

Actually I agree. I do like Ultimate BUT it's a different genre... it's more Nazisploitation than genuine horror. Tv Series Hellsing at the very least endangers Integra and feels like a horror story. I mean the Bubancy was close to infect Integra and Incognito DID give Alucard a run for his money. Also, Tv Alucard is waaay creepier than the manga one. In the manga he's a monster BUT Integra clearly controls the guy... in the TV series he's got more of an evil genie vibe...

[@gatzmajortz5033]

So glad at least a few here agree with me. Ultimate's nazis, catboys, and stereotypical chibi versions of characters yelling against blank backgrounds completely turned me off. These days, I actually find series that take themselves seriously to be refreshing. So tired of the "lol - it's aware of the tropes XD" stuff.

[@saidi7975]

True, it's generally better when it EMBRACES the tropes unapologetically. And Ultimate seems to wait for Zorin's invasion to actually get serious (no way in hell Rip Van Winkle was a serious fight ! She was a steak with a gun !). Granted , Anderson is done better in Ultimate but I feel it's a shame that Integra and Seras are kinda ... stock or inconsistent. Again, in the TV series I've felt they were endangered, the first time Integra encounters the sealed Alucard was gripping since he was trying to up her BEFORE recognising her as his master (though TV Alucard is shadier than the manga one...) and Seras' arc dealing with being undead and the violence of the organization is handled decently.

[@schnabeltiertv]

I really, really liked Hellsing, but everyone kept telling me Ultimate was better. The first time they did this chibi thing, I...I don't even know. What the hell? Why? It could have been so good, but I can't get over that and the catboy. it's very..anime, and it just doesn't fit the tone. I just dont get why people like it so much more.

[@Gooberpatrol66]

It's an absolute atrocity what Ultimate did to Seras's character. She took a downgrade from a very interesting character to a pratfalling genki girl. Who gives a shit about actually exploring the ramifications of the world you set up when you could just have nonstop cringey Dragonball-Z action cheese? They ruined Alucard as well. Hint: he was a badass from the moment he appeared on screen. The only way you could ruin his character was by taking it too far and making him such an overpowered god that it robs the entire story of dramatic tension. Integra is shit as well. She has actual limitations and character flaws in the TV show, but she turns into this unbelievable unflappable badass chessmaster in the OVA that robs her character of any interesting qualities. Oh yeah, and the TV show treats the soldiers of the Hellsing organization as actual humans with effects on the story instead of cannon fodder. And no one gives a shit about Walter. His string weapon is fucking stupid and I'm glad the TV show tried to downplay his role as much as possible. I couldn't even finish Ultimate. Garbage.

[@Vorteksio3]

9:45 if only you knew sage....

[@AlucardHellsing-ct4ej]

Yes the original hellsing sucked but the ova Hellsing Ultimate was awesome

[@theman8671]

as dumb as Hellsing is, Hellsing Ultimate came back with a VENGEANCE.

[@TobiasKremer]

Hellsing is old enought to be on Anime Abandon? Oh god I am getting so old *sob* Well they do not follow the manga. But let's get real here: following the manga would not have helped. The manga gets really bullshit.

[@stuffynosepatrol]

She cut her throat to get rid of the vampire blood. The doctors where performing a blood transfusion.

[@OnDavidsBrain]

8:40 Now we know who was responsible for the Vampires in this show, THE PATRIOTS!!!!!

[@sciverzero8197]

I like vampires. (in spite of modern popculture) My friends all loved Hellsing. I tried to love it. I found it exactly as you described, in spite of this desire to love it. Until now, I didn't even know how to give voice to my feelings about it. I wanted so much to love it, and it was just... confusing, self contradicting, meaningless, plotless, and didn't focus enough on Seras, who was very much set up to seem like the main character by the fact that she was the initial plot hook, and she actually had some semblance of story.... at least until they stopped having her be an agent in the disconnected sequence of events that followed after that hook. I too questioned why she was warned against the sun, only to see her in the next scene or two staring straight into it... I wondered why Integra's whole suicide story was... any of what it was. And I was more than anything, disappointed in the fact that they went to the trouble of setting up a big power struggle between godlike characters and organizations... and then never did anything with them. Thank you for finally allowing me to never have to think about this again to understand _what the fuck was up with hellsing._

[@Christolclear101]

Awesome anime, especially Ultimate.

[@maxx8362]

"Yes Sage, you did." - English lit. major

[@danstiver9135]

Seras was one of my first anime crushes.

[@DylanSimmonspercussion97]

Could you review the Hellsing OVA after this?