Hellsing: Japanese Anime Vampire Film

Originally starting as a television show that aired in Japan around the turn of the millennium, Hellsing caught a lot of flack for it’s utter lack of adherence to Kohta Hirano’s vision (expressed in manga format), but became an instant hit among many Otaku in America, spawning a massive fanbase that continues to grow to this day, and is, at least partially, responsible for the motivation behind the re-release of Hellsing in a form that stays as true to Kohta Hirano’s work as possible.

Based in London, England, the story of Hellsing revolves around the Hellsing organization, a secret agency that acts independently of the government with one mission in mind: Destroy all vampires! It’s a fast-paced ride, filled with the kind of blood and carnage we’ve come to expect from Vampire movies, though this film (all two discs of it) far outdoes many this writer has seen before or since. In it, we meet Integra Hellsing, the savvy, sexy, and unquestioned leader of the Hellsing Organization, as well as her pet vampires, Alucard and Seras Victoria.

But, don’t let that connotation fool you, the Vampire Alucard is a fearsome warrior, a vision of gothic style and a sadistic servant to say the least, while Seras is young, innocent, and full of unbridled potential that might, someday, allow her to exceed the power of even her true master, Alucard. There’s also some action with Hellsing’s butler and aptly-named “trashman”, Walter C. Ddollneaz, a master of mono-wire who defends the Hellsing manor against anyone actually lucky enough to get inside.

But Hellsing isn’t the only organization out to wipe out the vampire menace; The Vatican’s own section XIII, the Iscariot, makes several appearances in London as well, carving up a slice of the action with the regenerator, Father Alexander Anderson. There’s only one problem, a conflict of ideologies between the protestant Hellsing Organization and the Catholic Vatican Assassins, one that results in clashes between bullets and blades that rarely never ends without someone losing a limb (or a head)

To say the least, Hellsing’s action scenes are vivid and skillfully presented; there’s enough dialog and a great storyline that will impress most viewers, if they’re not adverse to a little blood (well, maybe more than a little…), and it’s all packaged into a thirteen-episode, avante’-garde thrill-ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat, grinning like a madman everytime you watch it.