Hellsing

Publisher
ADV
Director
Yasunori Urata
Production
Gonzo Digimation
Format
Series
Running time
13 episodes
Year
2001

Hellsing Volume 3: Search and Destroy

By John Huxley
1st Apr 04

Hellsing promised so much with its attractive designs and intriguing concept, and failed to deliver. The action, which will be the attraction for many, had been brief, unimaginative and poorly realised, with stories that did little to grab your increasingly distracted attention. It would have been easy to assume Hellsing would continue to disappoint and be done with the series after the atrocity that was episode four. Persevere, build up the energy required to sit on the sofa and open a packet of crisps (careful - not too loud) and actually watch episodes five and six. They're a breath of fresh air. The action is exciting, imaginative and satisfyingly lengthy, backed up by a story that finally does the wonderful character designs a little justice. In short, they're everything episodes one through four were not.

Thankfully, this third volume opens in much the same way, reuniting fan fave Alucard with the eccentric Alexander, an assassin sent by the Vatican to rid London of its little bug infestation. The predictable showdown between these two heavyweights lives up to its billing, a fight that takes place in the suitably dark setting of London's underground subway system. As has come to be expected of Japanese animations based in England, locations are only approximate, so don't go expecting pixel-for-pixel renditions of your favourite haunts. At any rate, the atmosphere is pleasingly gothic for a vampire tale such as this, making good use of England's classical architecture and a unsurprising but effective muted colour palette. These backgrounds do lack a little detail compared to some of Hellsing's contemporaries, something that is reflected with the quality of the animation. Never sinking below average yet rarely managing to impress, Hellsing's animation is let down by the inconsistent artwork. Characters will exuberate cool for one brief scene, only to appear ridiculously malformed in the next. This doesn't occur regularly enough for it to seriously effect your enjoyment of the series, but it is a little disconcerting nonetheless.

After Alucard has dealt with the unkempt Alexander (or maybe Alexander dealt with Alucard...ahh, I won't tell!) the Hellsing organisation and its straightlaced leader Integra Hellsing are forced to deal with a threat much closer to home - Integra's own sister! This story also introduces us to Alucard's latest foe, the unearthly (and quite frankly butt-ugly) Incognito - an ambiguous member of the undead that should make for a more worthy opponent than his previous adversaries. Incognito's appearance as Alucard's equal shouldn't surprise given the predictability of the series so far, but it is undeniably something that Hellsing was crying out for. Without a final showdown of epic proportions, without the necessary buildup to this inevitable climax, Hellsing would disappoint many viewers who have come to expect such things. Of course, this is all yet to happen - we're only afforded the merest hint of things to come before the pair are parted, leaving us wanting more.

For once, I actually find myself looking forward to watching the next volume of Hellsing - quite a turnaround considering my utter distain for the series just a few episodes ago. There are still a good number of niggling problems that prevent Hellsing from rising above the crowd, however, including the often sloppy artwork and unremarkable story, but most notably the dour cast of characters who do little to endear themselves to you. It may not be compulsory viewing, but it should appeal to those who like their action with a vampire twist. Satisfying.

R2 DVD Notes

Features: English and Japanese 2.0 audio, English subtitles, Japanese cover art, creditless ending (ver 02), concept art collection, ADV previews

Release information: UK release date: 17th November 2003, ADV

Notes: Alongside the sizeable concept art gallery and alternate version of the creditless opening are a few pieces of artwork that were used for the Japanese DVD covers. As interesting as it is to see the slight variations in the choice of artwork and composition between the Japanese and Western releases, there's nothing you won't have seen here before. The concept gallery holds more interest, and there are good fifty or so images to rifle through while you're waiting for the kettle to boil. An attractive package with some decent extras, but nothing extraordinary.

-- John Huxley 1st Apr 04

Hellsing Images