Hellsing (2001–2002) User Reviews

Very cool anime series.

[Rectangular_businessman · 8/10 · 8 May 2012]

"Hellsing" is a very good anime series. It has awesome characters, awesome music, and very entertaining stories, which combine perfectly well the action and the horror with some elements of black comedy. The designs are pretty good, and even when some action scenes seem to be a bit static in some episodes, the excellent atmosphere and the stylish designs make this work incredibly well.

The main characters are fascinating, having enough ambiguous qualities to make them both likable and complex. The excellent music of this series fits perfectly with the cool mood of the whole series, with a great use of jazz and blues.

Some people dislike this series because of the differences that it has with the original comic in which it was inspired. While the comic was excellent, this series is pretty good too, and certainly never disappoints at being entertaining.

Even when "Hellsing" isn't the deepest anime ever made, it is a very good series with enough good qualities to deserve appreciation.

A reasonably entertaining anime series

[a05102267 · 8/10 · 22 July 2010]

"Hellsing" was a good series. It wasn't a great series on the same level of "Cowboy Bebop", "Evangelion" or "Paranoia Agent", but it was good enough to me. From the very first moment, this seems very promising, and what it delivers doesn't disappoint. Despite the eerie atmosphere, the gore, and the monsters, "Hellsing" offers more action than horror, but that is fine: The animation and the character designs are quite well made the action scenes are great, and the music is simply excellent, combining rock, jazz and blues, in way very similar to "Cowboy Bebop". The characters are another good aspect of this series. They are all interesting and likable, even the villains. It is good to see that it avoids most of the anime clichés in the action genre, managing to be dark and fun at the same time. And speaking about fun, is quite goo too see that "Hellsing" has enough sense of humor to make fun of itself, giving us a few, but effective glimpses of black humor and self-parody. I would recommend "Hellsing" to anyone. Even when this won't change your life, it won't hurt, either.

A Classic Anime

[RecapAnime · 9/10 · 13 September 2014]

This anime is not your run of the mill standard anime. What "Hellsing", brings to the table is an anime with some class. The voice actors/actresses for the dubbed version are brilliant and the story is one of a kind. The battles fought are always excellent in there own ways. The only real complaint I can say is that there are at some points in the show where it feels a bit stale, but for only brief moments. In addition the sound track is also perfect for the show, from the intro to the ending.

I would highly recommend this anime to anyone and hopefully they too can enjoy the vampire anime known as "Hellsing"

Kudos from an Anime hater!

[Lady_Rowan · 20 October 2004]

My husband LOVES Anime. Those big eyed ditzy girls who squeal and bounce in unnatural ways. The love stories. The "college aged" (riiiight) boys and girls who work so clumsily toward some farce of a romance. The weird creatures with big ears and eyes that talk like 2 yr olds. All the things I can't stand. Then he brought home Hellsing. Horror cartoons? Vampires and zombies? Blood and decapitations and mutilations? My first thought was, "Well, he's not going to let my 13 yr old son watch this but WOW! I LOVE IT!"

The animation is gritty, harsh and solid. The story is involved and keeps you hooked. They push the envelope with the death scenes but it works! "Police Girl" has a bit of that big-eyed look and occasionally her breasts will change size drastically depending on the supposed camera angle, but overall, she's likable. And if Alucard likes his custom made guns more than the old fashioned bite and drain, who can blame him? His weapons are a sight to see.

So if can't stand anime but you're a horror fan, give Hellsing a shot! Just be prepared to watch only 12 episodes... That's all there are. :(

My hubby would still like me to sit down with him and watch the cutesy stuff, but is happy that he can at least say that his wife likes *some* anime. ;)

Rowan

My favorite anime by far

[Al_Toro · 10/10 · 16 November 2010]

I find Hellsing to be by far the best anime I've watched, not because of the story or art, but because of the characters. Just put together Sir Integra Wingates Hellsing, Alucard, father Alexander Andersong and other secondary characters like Jan Valentine. It's f****** awesome dudes, they rock too much.

The other thing, that seemed overlooked in most reviews - the OST. This is by far the best OST I've ever heard, I listen it 8 years now, each and every song and not a hint of being fed up of it. Pure brilliant.

In the end, it could have been better, in drawing, in story, etc... Still its genius is to overwhelming to get something different than 10/10 from me

I've watched the OVA also, it lacks the strength of the original and the weebo Seras Victoria scenes... it's just tooooo much for me

Good use of Technology to create Something new and fresh

[Dr_Strangelovitz · 10/10 · 18 November 2002]

When I was first approached with an episode of HELLSING I thought, oh no another Vampire anime. I had been let down recently by BLOOD, a visually stunning piece, yet lacking in a good script and time. However, I thought I would give it a chance since the digital animation in VAMPIRE HUNTER D: BLOOD LUST was great (which I would NOT say is better than the original).



I must say I was surprised at HELLSING. It actually had a good script, good dialoge, and the use of digital animation really made the colors darker and truer. The blood red night sky was a pleasing touch. And while I still wish more anime's weren't going towards digital, if more do it like HELLSING, then I can live with it.



In Conclusion... HELLSING is a good sign of todays anime direction, and I await more.

best vampire anime ever

[bradleygranz · 10/10 · 26 April 2018]

Hellsing was best vampire i ever seen great action awesome fight scenes it blow mind its just wow

Short and sharp

[SoulfulFX · 10/10 · 19 May 2005]

This is not a particular long series with only 13 episodes, but it packs in a lot for such a short time. While most would expect tons of gore and such with a vampire-based series, this one manages to not make it so gratuitous that it becomes silly like in some other series. Vampire Hunter D...another vampiric anime...does seem to have a more personal story, but in Hellsing, it seems to be more of a commentary on human nature...as well maybe it should be. Petty human failings end up causing at least as much damage as any of the living dead.

The animation itself is quite sharp, down to the inscriptions on the guns...for me...I believe this is an asset as it doesn't lose the viewer with incoherent abstractions that detract from the plot.

In a short but I thought curious hint, Alucard shows his truest colors in the last episode...his name is enough of a hint of his identity as Dracula. This is never explicitly stated but fits the clues given...the fact that it was the Hellsing family who caught this vampire, the brief flash of his face in the last episode that shows half of it with long hair, a different visage, and a mustache...a vague reference to how Vlad Tepes "the Impaler" was supposed to have looked...and Incognito's impaled body is indeed treated how Vlad was supposed to have treated his victims.

All in all, Hellsing is a short series and entertaining enough for its run. Don't forget to wash your neck...

Watch Hellsing Ultimate instead

[ralphb-27343 · 7/10 · 18 July 2020]

It's not horrible by any means, but Hellsing Ultimate is just better. Better pace, better character development and better dialogue. Watch ultimate instead.

Bloody awesome

[WeAreLive · 9/10 · 5 October 2022]

Vampires and ghouls stalk modern-day England, hunting the oblivious populace. Only the Hellsing foundation stands between the evil undead and the innocent humans who would be their prey. But there's something new out there - chips that give humans vampiric ability and bloodlust are being sold as the latest designer drug. With a new wave of evil creatures rising, Hellsing must rely on its two most unlikely recruits - ancient master vampire Alucard and the newly turned Seras Victoria - but can even they stand in the face of such overwhelming odds?

This anime was just awesome. Love the action and the fight scenes as well as the gore.

Alucard is a goat character, everytime he literally never misses to impress me.

The dub expect for Seras was excellent love the British accents, but the one who steels the show is Crispin Freeman.

Excellent opening and ending too.

Slowpaced storyline & rushed scenes

[sisubalan · 7/10 · 24 July 2022]

Its okay. Not the best vampire based anime that i ever watched. Felt rushed and lacked actions. I cant find any continuation after this which is such a shame. Recommended. Just stay awhile as its a slow burner.

He loves to be bad...

[MacBalthus · 8/10 · 14 December 2006]

I'd say the best anime series I've seen so far. The look is just so harsh, dark and scary as a vampire tale is supposed to be. The music does what's necessary to support that. But what's most important are the characters.

Lady Hellsing really represents the kind of true strong leader even a bloodthirsty vampire would bow down for. Young police girl Victoria brings the point of view of an outsider of this hidden world, which makes the events more surprising and unusual for the viewer. Paladin Alexander Andersen is a cool character with flaws and many cool knives.

Last but not least: Alucard. Armed with two huge pistols, loaded with silver bullets, made out of holy crosses. Creating nightmares in the sleep of personalized nightmares. The most infamous bane of demons. And yet, a smart, sharp and cultivated cavalier. Most important of all: He is not filled with self-pity about his destiny. He doesn't stop and think about whether he does the right thing by slaying vampires or not. He loves to be what he is. And he is completely fearless. Even when his limbs are laying in front of him, a seemingly impermeable demon is possessed by an ancient God and half of London is being ripped to ribbons, he still has this uncomfortable smile on his bloodthirsty lips. I'd say he is one of the greatest characters ever brought to life.

About the quarrel about the pro and cons of this series compared to the manga and the OVA series: I haven't seen any OVA yet but I've read the first manga. I dare to say I did like this series a whole lot better. You can come and tell me it was usual for mangas to mock even their worst figures but I just don't see Alucard drinking some blood, while Victoria is slaying zombies, and then putting a stupid face on when the moving head of a zombie lands next to him. Sorry, but I do not want to see this kind of comedy amongst Nosferatu Alucard!

Weird and cool

[Jithindurden · 7/10 · 26 February 2022]

There are a lot of things that feel very weird about this anime. It has some trademark the early 2000s feel to it. Since the manga was not finished they came up with a story that has little similarity to the source material and a lot of times it just feels like they just went with it and did what they thought would be cool. But even with its problems, it does manage to be cool af throughout. The use of the cool soundtrack, focus on the animation to make it look surreal a lot of times and just bloody mad a lot of times, all manages to make you very intrigued about the whole thing. There are many things that are said without completely saying what it is. There seems to be a lot of backstories that are not fully explored. But Alucard the reversed name of Dracula is all they give us and how badass he is. It's very weird that I can't even really figure out how to say what I feel about this.

Interesting idea, but it's a disappointing and mediocre series

[Criticman12 · 5/10 · 9 December 2011]

"Hellsing", is about a secret military force located in London known as, The Hellsing Organization. One of the members is a vampire named, Alucard. When Alucard turns police girl, Seras Victoria, into a Vampire they both team up to stop evil Vampires and Zombies.

After reading what the show is about you guy's are thinking: "Wow. Sounds cool". It's cool, but it's pretty disappointing and not that great.

Pro's: *The show does have some nice animation. I liked how they used the colors because it gives the show a dark and grim setting.

*The voice acting was nicely done. Especially having Crispin Freeman (Best known for voicing Itachi from Naruto and Tsume from Wolf's Rain) and I also thought the rest of the cast did a good job doing the accents for the characters.

*The music was catchy and great. It does a nice job fitting the tone of the show.

Con's: *The plot was not that interesting because there are some plot holes that were never answered. For example: The FREAK Chips were not explained a lot or why did the Valentine Brothers attack Hellsing HQ?

*The Character Development was pretty bad because there was not that much development for Seras Victoria, Alexander Anderson, or Walter C. Dornez.

Overall: Hellsing is not a horrible show but it's not a great show. It has a cool premise but bad character development and some plot holes make this show disappointing.

Note: There is a new Hellsing OVA series titled: Hellsing Ultimate. It's a 10-episode OVA series based directly off the manga.

great action AND story. Something to sink your teeth into.

[leyenda61 · 24 August 2003]

I had mixed expectations before seeing this series. First, I really like stylised action anime and I really like vampire-hunter genre. I was also excited by the reviews I've read at IMDb and how fans of other vampire movies recommended Hellsing to me. But I also read the the makers of "Hellsing" also created "Ninja Resurrection" which turned out to be one of the worst, most appauling animes I've seen.

Well, after watching the English dub of the series I have a lot of positive things to say. The dubbing was excellent, and the casting for Allegra was especially noteworthy. The animation was very good as was pacing of the series and the characterisation. My absolute favourite element of the series was how it showed the relationship with the Hellising Organisation with the Crown of England. Watching the politics unfold was a real treat, and it was so realistically done. There were a lot of unanswered questions, but I didn't have a problem with that as their mystery both added to the series' mystique and left the door open for a possible second season.

Although I would have preferred the final fight seen go the more vampiric route, rather than a demonic powers route, I do not cite this as an objective criticism of the movie. I guess certain "hell" themes make me a tad uncomfortable, but that is just a personal reservation of mine.

In the final analysis, I recommend this series. The direction was so solid and the story was so interesting that watching the 13 episodes back to back felt more like watching a really good epic movie. See it!

solid anime

[Ender_mhx · 8/10 · 6 July 2007]

This show is probably one of my fav animes. The characters are really cool and the voice acting is done really well. The animation is great and so is the artwork. As well it has a really great soundtrack with some really cool sound effects.

I don't know if I'd say this show is of the horror genre more than an action/adventure... but I did watch this with a few girls who were really creeped out by some of the facial expressions... especially the scene in the final episode with Alucard on the roof right after he killed Incognito. Overall this is a really well done anime series and I recommend any fans of this series to check out the manga...9/10.

Gotta love Alucard!

[Irishchatter · 10/10 · 21 April 2018]

Seriously he is such a badass character in this, if you really love vampire stuff then this is definitely a series to watch my friend! I really like how he changed Victoria (also known to him as "policegirl") into a vampire like himself. It kinda does remind you of the original Dracula turning his love interest Mina Harker as a vampire. They were saying that Alucard and Victorias realtionship is like a "father/daughter relationship" but I'm the opposite I honestly think they would be a good couple regardless of their personality differences. I thought Victoria Harwood as Hellsing was brilliant, she really does know how to voice a straight-forward no nonsense female.

Really excellent series, now onto the Hellsing Ultimate OVA!

An anime treatment on the Hellsing universe.

[emasterslake · 8/10 · 20 May 2008]

Takes place in modern day England, where Hellsing's heir is a woman named Intrega Wingates Hellsing. Head of her family's foundation and private military force with it's motto in eliminating vampires that commit crimes in England. Their most lethal weapon is none other than Alucard a smooth Vampire with a gun. He follows orders from Hellsing and admires killing off low class vampires that are scum to him.

One night, a whole military team was attacked by a vampire. The only survivor was Seras Victoria, an ordinary military girl who's life will be given a second chance when being rescued by Alucard.

For a 13 episode series, Hellsing is an example of what a vampire anime is like with the borrowing of the name Hellsing. It's interesting, appealing, and has a vast richness in Gothic like theme. At first I flinch from the wide usage of gore. But it's no issue after seeing the whole thing.

One would expect there to be more of this series as it leaves itself open for more episodes. But there is another Hellsing series that's said to be more truer to the Manga than this one.

Hel sing

[vadtemer · 9/10 · 19 November 2022]

Hellsing Ultimate after this, in principle, a remake of Hellsing is not needed, as for me. Maybe after a while and then just update the graphics and that's it. At the expense of the series, I must admit that there are differences between 2001 and 2006, and they are serious. Not to mention that in the 2001 version, the episode runs 25 minutes, and in 2006, 45 minutes. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. I will say this If you watched Hellsing, then in Hellsing Ultimate there will be deja vu until about 4-5 episodes, and then in history there will be such repetitions and characters just a feast for the eyes. Of course, for those who are not against cruelty and much more related to it. I'll just add that in Hellsing Ultimate, the main vampire Alucard and Seras Victoria differ in character from the story of Hellsing in 2001, as for me this is more plus than minus. Especially if you watched the 2001 version. That's all you need to know about this story. I would like to add if you want to find a series about cruelty and find out if the reason can justify this cruelty, then you have come to the right place. By the way, in addition to blood and vampires, will there be something else that drives crazy deeds? We thought about it and whether there is an excuse and a goal for this, and in general what it can end up with and this can be enough, and you will find out while watching it.

And if you miss the usual and classic vampires who are afraid of the sun, I think it's not worth explaining why. And while the story should be somewhat down to earth and restrained, Hellsing 2001 will suit you.

And if something so tough, but interesting enough with a large scale without restrictions, then it will suit you Hellsing Ultimate 2006.:thumbup: But I would advise you to watch all versions of Hellsing, since Hellsing 2001 tells the initial plot in more detail, and in Hellsing Ultimate 2006, they immediately throw in the first 4 episodes concisely conveyed the meaning of the previous version, and went to the new plot Personally, the ending of Hellsing 2001 did not work for me, unlike Hellsing Ultimate 2006, a similar situation as with the alchemists)

Really Overrated

[fjmahi · 6/10 · 22 February 2021]

So I heard a lot about hellsing. Thus I was really excited to watch it. But when I did started watching the anime I was really bored. Now the anime does have some cool actions and good dialogue and Alucard(MC) is really cool. But the story telling of the show is really bad. And they never go to the back story of Alucard at all. Plus if you add the total screentime of Alacurd in the entire show it will be equivalent to i think 4-5 episodes. And to top it off since the manga wasn't finished when it was released the ending was terrible and left on a cliffhanger. It was probably planned to have a sequel but it didn't get it. I would rather recommend watching "Hellsing Ultimate" which is like a thousand time better.

A mixed series, but eventually not up to Hirano's vision.

[KharBevNor · 8/10 · 8 June 2006]

Hellsing is a series of two halves. Episodes 1 to 7, which follow the first two volumes of Hirano's manga with the insertion of significantly slower pacing and new subplots, are brilliant, however, quality from thereon declines significantly, as the series takes up with its own plot in order to close of the (still unfinished, and much more so at the time) arc of the manga story. A lot of this can be attributed to the writers and character designers lack of feeling for Hirano's style: the series only characters, such as Incognito, Helena, Boaban Sith and the Werewolf SAS guards simply don't fit the look or feel of the Hellsing world, and the whole affair reeks of an attempt to broaden the series appeal towards a more mixed audience, which makes Hellsing not quite Shonen: though the series retains some incredible action sequences, they are paced out with introspection and Anne-Rice style vampire angst on the part of Seras, who becomes much more the focal character of the series. Other characters have their personalities softened, particularly Alucard, who is not only slightly more physically attractive but markedly less deranged. On top of this, the religious aspects of the story are moved more into the background. That is not to say that the writing team is completely awful: where they adapt, and weave new scenes and subplots into Hiranos work, they can be very good. However, this schizophrenic nature, as well as the legendarily unsatisfying ending, significantly mar the series.

This is not to say, however, that Hellsing is bad. Indeed, far from it. Though vampires are a relatively common subject for anime, no other, except maybe Blood, manages to capture the sheer atmosphere of Hellsing. The animation is, in fact, quite crude. The CGI effects, though used sparingly, are awful, and the character design fantastically erratic. However, this is only really noticeable after two or three viewings, because what Hellsing does have is style. The heavy use of red lighting to convey the vampire viewpoint gives the whole thing a eerie, disturbing air, that, mixed with possibly the best original soundtrack to any anime (both collected CD's easily stand on their own) perfectly creates the cohesive world. And of course, there is the Gothic atmosphere and wonderful characters of Hirano's original work shining through. Finally, both the English and Japanese version have great voice acting, though Crispin Freeman's Alucard does annoy somewhat with his accent at first (especially when you watch Read or Die and realise that he is quite capable of doing a perfect English accent).

Still, despite the negative tone of this review, Hellsing does thoroughly deserve its eight stars. There is a sheer enchanting quality to it that defies being put down on paper. All you have to do is look to its huge, and surprisingly mature, fandom to realise there must be something here that's worth seeing. That said, as is so often the case with adaptations: Read the book!

A slick and modern take on the vampire genre

[chrichtonsworld · 7/10 · 29 June 2007]

For the most part "Hellsing" is quite an impressive anime. This short series has everything what a anime needs to have. The main character is "Alucard" (Backwards it's "Dracula")! He is very mysterious and his powers seem to be endless. What is hinted but never actually said that he is actually the first of the vampires,Vlad the Impaler (Count Dracula. Shown in episode 13). He is nothing like the traditional vampires. He is dressed stylish and uses a gun to battle the inferior monsters. He is very powerful but doesn't use his abilities until it is necessary. "Seras Victoria" is a police woman that gets turned into a vampire by Alucard in order to save her. His reasons and motives for doing this never get clear. But it says more about him then her! Victoria is a nice girl but has great difficulties accepting the situation she has been put in. Being turned into a vampire didn't change her human nature much. Very late in the series she accepts her fate and becomes an asset. The story is interesting but somehow lacked that something to really make an impact. I have read that this anime is not the same as the manga and that the producers of the anime have changed the story quite a bit. This never can be good! (Hellsing Ultimate OVA (2006) is following the story of the manga.) Wonderful plot or not,the action and the characters are what this anime is about. If you love anime about vampires then you will love this one for sure!

truly awesome

[Nostrama · 9/10 · 4 February 2023]

I absolutely loved this show, taking the idea of a vampire being a vampire hunter, and injecting SO much more personality into him, as well as the overpowering desire to be evil in order to stamp out other evils, as if he accepts his place as atoning for his own sins

and love Seras being recruited into the ranks as a vampire, and keeping up her willpower as long as she can to avoid falling into the darkness completely, while keeping a strong connection to her human side. Accepting she is now evil but not losing her soul

this was an excellent start to the hellsing animated series and a definite must watch.

Macho vampire anime

[smellthecult-com-1 · 6/10 · 28 January 2010]

The only anime I have seen based in Britain, this is set in the near future at a time when demon like creatures are roaming the land, and an organisation called Invicta Hellsing is set up by the world governments to try to stop them wreaking their havoc.

The Hellsing are losing the battle, and must turn to a sinister and mysterious hybrid called Alucard for assistance, which he grants, but inevitably there will be a price.

Action packed and adult-oriented, this one was a little too macho for me. Yeah it's gory, yeah it's violent - both good things in my view - but there is no joy involved. It's a little too clinical and cynical.

It's an okay watch, and there are only 13 episodes so it won't take up too much of your time, but there are much better anime series out there.

Not as good as I expected

[maxyg18 · 5/10 · 29 May 2007]

In England, the undead, vampires and ghouls are on the rise and are stalking the living, but the only people who can stop them are the members of the Hellsing organisation: Alucard (a Hellsing vampire), Seras Victoria (police girl turned into a vampire), Walter Dornez (the butler for Hellsing) and Sir Integra Wingates (the leader of Hellsing).

Although HELLSING has cool animation, a cool theme song, badass characters and weapons (especially Alucard's handguns, which are almost bigger than him), it lacks longer lasting action scenes, good dialogue and character development, which would've made the cartoon a lot more likable. The action scenes last for a lot less than a minute, I don't see why there are people that call them 'breathless'. The characters are two-dimensional (no pun intended), in other words, they're just there, which makes the story not all that believable and unengaging.

I'm sure the manga is a lot better than this anime adaptation, even though I haven't read it. I also do plan to watch the reworking of the series, 'HELLSING ULTIMATE'.