Hellsing - Impure Souls (Vol. 1) - With Series Box

Be warned, this anime is NOT for the fainthearted (nor the kids)... its Spawn style dark and the drawing style reminds me a lot of the Sandman comics I used to read.

The story revolves around the Hellsing orginisation and their quest to rid the world of the sudden surge of 'man made' vampires that have been running rampant. The head of the orginisation is Sir Intergral Wingates Hellsing (a woman). To hunt these vampires, she uses one of her own. A vampire operative by the name of Arucard

Of all the characters in this anime, Arucard, the rogue vampire deserves special mention... he is the type of character that you can never quite figure out.. his voice is done superbly in japanese by Johji Nataka (Folken in Escaflowne), deep and menacing. Crispin Freeman does the english dub and sounds..alright... but no where near as deep.

The only thing wrong about this is the fact that it contains only 3 episodes. Other than that, if you like horror with style... give this disc a try


Gonzo's biggest 2001 hit   June 17, 2002
T. Kim
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

Gonzo outdid itself. Again.

Hellsing, although a short series with only 12 episodes, was a definite hit, taking on a new spin on vampires in the streets of Britain. (Side note: There are sepculations from Gonzo to start a sequel. More information later.) I sat there for all 12 episodes with satisfaction as a horror series is given not just its share of shrieks and shrills, but a storyline with heart.

The main character is Arucard, a vampire. And as all vampires, he has the curse of immortality and the desire for blood. But he works for the other side. He slays vampires and the lot for the Hellsing Agency. It is headed by Integra Wingates Hellsing, descendent of Baron Van Hellsing the legendary vampire hunter and a Knight of the Round Table. They protect the Queen and Britain, but more is afoot than they know...

With a simple but crisp animation, coupled with stunning presentation and matching soundtrack, Hellsing was regarded as one of the best animations in Japan of the year 2001, third after Mahoromatic and Scryed. Not quite shocking, yet it leaves you feeling displaced.


A complete review from Japan (The whole series)   July 15, 2002
Sylvantha
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

When I bought the first three DVD's of Helsing, I was blown away by its amazing story and take on the classic theme of "vampires". Helsing provides a fresh look into a done to death genre and with fascinating characters and story developments, I was instantly hooked. In fact I would have easily given this series a "five star" rating if not for its weak ending. I think many people who have given this series a high rating probably have not had the opportunity to see the final few episodes which were quite disappointing. The series had moving along so well but then it ends rather abruptly leaving a whole host of unanswered questions to the viewers. Regardless of, I would still strongly recommend this series to most viewers and it is unforunate that this series suffered the same fate of most Japanese anime and comics, i.e. a weak ending.
Oh well...