Hellsing - Series Profile

The Gist:

After a new breed of artificial vampires surface, a group of real vampires decide it's time to clean house and form the Hellsing Organization.

The History:

Hellsing is a supernatural anime, loosely adapted from the manga of the same name, created by Kouta Hirano in 1997. It was produced by Gonzo and released in Japan on October 10, 2001. Geneon Entertainment secured the North American distribution rights and Hellsing hit the states in 2006, but only the first four volumes were ever released. FUNimation now owns the distribution rights in a deal it did with Geneon.

Manga vs. Anime:

Although Hellsing was inspired by the manga and uses the same characters and design, it follows a storyline written by Chiaki Konaka instead of the original manga. A separate anime series - Hellsing Ultimate was later developed and produced as an OAV by Satelight and Geneon. Hellsing Ultimate is much more faithful to the original manga.

How To Watch:

Hellsing and Hellsing Ultimate are available on DVD from FUNimation Entertainment.

Genre:

Supernatural, horror, action, drama, sci-fi

Themes: Vampires, zombies, military, weapons Learn more about anime genres and themes

Studios:

Geneon Entertainment hold the licensing rights but granted FUNimation Entertainment distribution rights as part of their December 2008 deal. Produced by Gonzo.

Rating:

M for mature audiences

Learn more about anime and manga age ratings

The Review:

Hellsing is the story of a group of vigilante vampires - the Hellsing Organization - and their target, Millennium, a mysterious Nazi organization that specializes in artificially creating vampires.

At the head of Hellsing sits Sir Integra Hellsing, a direct descendant the great vampire killer, Abraham Van Helsing himself. She is joined by a most notorious vampire, Alucard, who was defeated by the late, great Van Helsing and subsequently swore allegiance to the Hellsing family. In addition to these two strange bedfellows is Seras Victoria, a former police officer who was "turned" by Alucard after being fatally wounded and Walter C. Dornez, Integra's butler and secretly, a retired member of the Hellsing Organization and the "Angel of Death".

Hellsing is a dark, dark anime series with plenty of chills and thrills for those of you who like your anime to bite... literally. Alucard is considered the "trump card" of the Hellsing Organization and is as vicious as he is ancient. The series is well crafted, even if it doesn't follow the manga and it's easy to see why it has become such a cult favorite.