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Year: 2006-2012
Genre: Action, Horror, Science, Fantasy
Episodes: 10 (each an hour long)
Rating:
Dracula or shall I say Count Dracula is one of the most iconic horror villains of all time. I would venture a guess and say that Count Dracula is the most well-known vampire in history. Dracula came on the scene as the title character of Bram Stoker’s 1897 gothic horror novel Dracula. Dracula has appeared in many movies and TV shows throughout the years.
Who is Count Dracula, and what did he represent? Dracula was/is considered the Lord of Darkness. An undead, centuries-old vampire from Transylvanian. Dracula was known for his charm and abilities to control the creatures of the night.
Was Dracula a real person? Many aspects of Count Dracula are believed to be influenced by Vlad the Impaler. Vlad III was Prince of Wallachia who was known to be ruthless in his time. Throughout the years, Vlad rose through the ranks and was inducted into the Order of the Dragon to uphold Christianity and defend the Empire against the Ottoman Turks. To spread fear and to hold on his rule, Vlad would stake his enemies and hang them around the country.
Hellsing Ultimate is an anime that shows the pure dark and twisted world of Dracula. Buckle up for a ride that will send you into the abyss and real-world of the Lord of Darkness.
Overview:
Hellsing Ultimate revolves around the world of vampires and the supernatural. Many years ago, Abraham Van Hellsing, one of the Royal Order of Protestant Knights, created an organization called Hellsing. The only mission of Hellsing is to search for and destroy the undead and other supernatural forces of evil that threaten the queen and the country. In the present day, the organization is led by Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, who inherited the leadership of Hellsing as a child after the death of her father. During an assassination attempt on her life by her uncle to gain control of Hellsing, Integra rushes to the basement to unlock a powerful force that her father spoke of as final advice. As Integra makes it to the basement and finds a body wrapped up and presumably dead. As her uncle shoots her, her blood unknowingly unleashes a demonic force that kills her uncle. The demonic force pledges his allegiance to Integra. The demonic force is known as Alucard, the original and most powerful vampire the world has ever seen.
Throughout the years, the frequency of incidents involving the undead start to rise in England and all over the world. With each incident, Sir Integra and Hellsing discover that the remnants of a Nazi group called Millennium still exist and are intent on reviving Nazi Germany by creating a battalion of vampires. Hellsing is joined by the Vatican Section XIII Iscariot clash with each other and against Millennium to stop Millennium ultimate goal: to be the ones to kill the vampire king Alucard.
Review:
Hellsing Ultimate is by far one of the best anime out there. It is one of my personal favorites and a great anime to watch during October to get you in the mood for Halloween. I enjoy watching this anime over and over again during October. It is a real and exceptional representation of how Dracula should be looked at.
The story of Hellsing Ultimate is pretty standard but one that will draw you in and not let you go until the end. The main story is how the past can come back and haunt the present. The antagonist group named Millennium, led by the eccentric, the Major, wants revenge against Alucard and wages an all-out war with his battalion of Nazi vampires. What more do you want when thinking of a villainous organization than the Nazis. The story starts off strong with the first episode and incident. As the story progresses and the occurrence of vampires rises, the Major makes his move to a state that he will wage war. On top of the crazy Nazi vampires, the church also has to have a say against the Alucard and the Nazi vampires. You can’t have vampires and Nazis without leaving out the cross. You need God somewhere in this anime. You might want to cradle your cross after watching it. Overall the story is beautifully done and intense. Every episode will have you either squeamish from all the blood and gore but wanting more and more to see what Alucard is capable of.
The animation is SUPERB and a strong point of this anime. The anime sets the tone and really portrays what this anime should be and what it is all about. The animators made this anime as dark as possible. Some scenes are bright and happy go lucky, but overall the anime is full of dark colors and tones. It sets the mood that the world Alucard lives in is dark and full of pain. That he lives in a world of darkness with no light in sight. The anime excels in showing that. The animation brings to life the essence and terror that Alucard brings to the world. A few examples of this is whenever he is shown, his crimson eyes illuminate in the darkness. Actually, many characters eyes glow when they are seen. Anderson’s eyes glow blue, but overall many of the villain’s eyes illuminate red in the darkness.
When showing Alucard’s powers and abilities, the anime does an excellent job switching between animation and CGI. In the start, his powers are drawn superbly with his dog beast having many red eyes amongst a black pool of darkness. The only things that are shown are the white fangs of the dog. When Alucard unleashes his full powers, the anime switches to CGI. The switch is to represent the many souls that Alucard has taken over the years. The souls are shown like a rushing flood of blood and people. The characters are beautifully drawn with each having their own personality show. The vampires are all shown with some type of red eyes. Their skin is a little bit greyer than the humans along with having fangs in some shape or form. The humans of the series are drawn with a lighter contrast in skin tone along with having bright color eyes. For example, Father Anderson has blue eyes while Bishop Maxwell has purple eyes with purple hair. Many scenes will stand out for you. Many scenes are drawn so well to put fear in the audience and to show the real darkness of this anime. The anime holds nothing back when showing blood and gore.
Some of the scenes that truly stand out were when Alucard flies his plane into the boat against Rip Van Winkle. When his plane hits the deck, he appears in the blazing fire. His aircraft is burning behind him in the shape of a cross. The fight scene with Seras and the Zorin Blitz is excellent. When Seras finally drinks blood and turns into a full-fledged vampire, the anime shows her aura change. Her color scheme becomes more sinister. The anime also does a great job in adding in funny scenes to lighten the mood. This is represented with bright colors and a change in animation. The animation is fantastic in this anime. A definite highlight.
When thinking about the music for this anime, many thoughts come to mind. The first is that the music is dark and sinister. It’s the type of music that should be associated with the anime. It’s not heavy metal or hardcore but somber like sadness. Many of the scenes are enhances with the music. Two examples come to mind. The first is when Seras has her battle against Zorin Blitz. The music starts off somber in the beginning. When Seras accepts being a vampire, the music changes to being very intense and dark. Another time when the music is extreme and face pace is during the invasion scene of Millennium. As the vampires run rampant across London, the music is face pace, intense and brutal. Another example of how the music works is during the ending credits. Each episode has a different picture representing the character of the story. During the credits, the music represents the character. During Schrödinger credit scene, the music is German music that is loud and has an upbeat tempo. Other music seemed to go with the person’s personality.
The characters are flawless in this anime. Each character’s personality shines brightly in this anime. Alucard personality is unique. He is extremely violent, sadistic and often taunts his opponents at every chance he gets. He craves for battle and believes that one should hold the upmost respect for fighting. Another great character is Alexander Anderson. Anderson is almost as sadistic as Alucard. His side of the coin is that he does everything in the name of the church. His religious ways and thinking are just inline to oppose Alucard. The final character that is great is the Major. The Major is a charismatic, ruthless psychopath whose unpleasant smile is the mask on a real madman. He has a Nazi background but what truly makes him extraordinary is his speech that he made to his soldiers. The speech on how he loves war truly showed that he was a man bent on destruction and chaos. Other characters in this anime add to the overall appeal to the anime. Walter is the calm butler who is as lethal as any of the best men that is thrown at him. Even with his old age, he is someone that is not to be taken lightly. Many of Millennium officers are unique in their own ways. My favorite is the Captain. A man that speaks no words but his presence is well known. One that is not to be taken lightly.
Hellsing Ultimate is the best anime to watch during Halloween. It will get you in the mood for the Halloween season. From the story to the characters, this anime is fast-paced and brutal. It holds nothing back when it comes to the blood and gore. It is the best representation of what the story of Dracula should be. Even though it took years to make, it is worth every bit of your time to watch. The episodes are an hour-long, but they will go quickly. Hellsing Ultimate is a must watch and top 50 anime.
