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24 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Must-own update of a vampire anime classic, November 21, 2006
Finally, we in the United States get a taste of the Hellsing OVA, and believe me it was worth the wait. But I've got good news and bad news for fans of the television series. The good news is that this OVA freakin' rocks! It takes everything great about the old series and amps it to up to levels of cool previously thought unreachable. The art is unbelievable, the integrations of CG is fluid, and the number of amazing freeze-frame worthy shots is too high to count. The bad news is that the story is little more than a severely shortened retelling of the events of the older series. This means much less time spent on characters like Seres Victoria (a police-girl who becomes a vampire and joins the Hellsing organization) and uber-cool Hellsing director Integra; but it also means more hardcore action featuring that god of all vampire anti-heroes the "No Life King" himself, Alucard. In the end it's a more than even trade and both series should absolutely be viewed by fans of vampires, anime, or anyone who wants to see some seriously cool action. The story moves along at a dizzying pace, almost as though the director knew we'd already seen this all before and was in a rush to get to the awesome fight sequences, which are actually an improvement over the already classic confrontations that many of us have watched over and over. If anything, deranged priest Father Anderson has only gotten more insane and awesome; his battle with Alucard that kickstarts the protestant Hellsing's war with the rival catholic Iscariot Organization is, as expected, the highlight of this installment. One of my biggest complaints about the older series (which, in hindsight, I reviewed a bit too harshly) was that Miss Victoria, for the amount of screen time that was spent on her, never really developed any behavior that would identify her as a vampire rather than just another cute, innocent anime heroine. Well, my wish has been granted this time out as Alucard's little police girl goes full-on berserk in a scene that is as memorable as it is cool. This disc is an absolute must for anyone who loves Hellsing, wants to see Hellsing, or even has any interest in horror, action, or twisted-yet-heroic vampire awesomeness. The only reason this doesn't get a perfect rating is the fact that the story is almost entirely recycled and that the DVD is so painfully short. In conclusion: if you're new to Hellsing, check this out and if you like what you see and want more, I'd highly recommend checking out the original anime series as the wait for the rest of these OVA's will be excrutiating at best. If you're a Hellsing veteran, you've probably already bought this and you shouldn't be disappointed with what you see; that is, unless you were hoping for another series focusing on a loveable, timid Seres Victoria. Then you're just SOL.... and also lame. Any true fan knows it's all about Alucard anyway, right? Savor every gorgeous animated second; I know I did.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good introduction., December 8, 2006
I will not harbor any ill wil towards the Hellsing TV series. The tv series is what started me into Hellsing. However, as I started reading the manga I realized the tv series never came close to the original story.
I felt kinda cheated. The manga is original in art and story. It takes so many twists into so many areas. Love it. I mean where else can you have a nun taking out terrorists?
Now I welcome you to the Hellsing OVA vol.1. This a treat for any fan of Hellsing and a good starting point for newcomers. In art style and story telling it is very close to the manga.
For fans, this will feel like a rehash of past episodes in the TV series. Its done differently with better animation and action.
English dub (ED). Hellsing I have to say is one of the few animes that have a tight cast to fit to stay true to the characters. Most of the original ED cast from the TV Series is back. Plus better than ever. You can tell the actors are more comfortable with their parts.
Now for the bad stuff.
Its short. I won`t lie, it left me wanting more. Things just seemed to rushed, but I understand that this is an "introduction" rather than a real plot giver. This leaves more room for the rest of the story to follow. From what I understand the OVA is staying close to the manga. A good thing. This means the next volumes will venture more into the oringinal story. I can`t wait for those scenes to be animated.
My biggest peeve about the OVA is the music. Its..like nails on a chalk board. It dosen`t even fit with the mood of the series. The music for the TV series was better by far. So much better.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
True to the Hellsing Manga, January 27, 2007
The first OVA of this popular manga is just as the creators said it would be - faithful to the manga. Covering the first volume of the manga, it might be a little fast paced for those who have seen the anime series, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and knowing what's coming up (as I have read the manga to its most up to date volume 9), I am truly looking forward to future episodes and the splendid animation. I also appreciate that Hirano and creators are taking time to bring the best possible episode to us, but gotta admit, the waiting is just painful ;).
As far as the soundtrack, I liked it enough, but I did find the one for the anime series to be slightly better. This OVA 1 soundtrack just seemed a bit "Halloweenish" to me. We also have all the talented voice actors from the anime back to resume their respective character roles. Alucard's English voice this time around, however, does seem a bit softer compared to the anime, but perhaps that will change especially with what's to come.
The disc of special features is about 1 hr composed of trailers, music videos, pictures, and a ~30 minute interview segment which provides info. on how the voice actors were cast. Good stuff.
Finally, some remarks about the DVD sold by Amazon.com - it seems there is a one disc edition and a 2-disc w/ figurine edition. I actually bought my dvd from Best Buy, which had an exclusive 2-disc edition (without the figurine). If you want the extra disc of special features but without the figurine (costs much less!), I would probably not buy it from Amazon.com since this listing is just for the one-disc as per the description.
Hope this review helps, fellow Hellsing Fans :-)!
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