Ah, Happy Halloween everyone (Or at least, it is Halloween at the time of posting this review). The day of the dead has finally dawned upon us, and I believe that, as a result, I am obliged to review something that is at least somewhat Halloween themed. And hey, if there’s any Novel that symbolizes the horror Genere, it is Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Since it, many films, series and other stuff have tried adapting it or just making their own damn story with the concept and running with it. And in this case, I’m here to review one of the most insane and just completely out there takes on the genre. That, of course, being Hirano Kouta’s Hellsing.

I should mention that apparently this sucker took forever to complete. How long is it? Ten Volumes. What was the release schedule? One Chapter a month. When did it end? 2008! For the record, I did the math here; this thing shouldn’t have taken less than 8 to be completed. Apparently Hirano after a while stopped having a consistent release schedule and would just put up chapters whenever he felt like it. And people say Togashi is lazy…

Setting the “Passion” of our author aside; how is the content of this Manga? Well, let’s start off by making one thing clear: Don’t take it seriously. One of Hellsing’s charms is that when you get down to it, this Manga rebels in its absurdity. It is hilariously over the top and aware that its concept is absolutely ridiculous, but it just kinda runs with it without a damn care in the world. It’s part of what makes this so appealing.

In turn, this Manga can be called “Build Up and Conflict: The Manga”. With that I mean that the whole Manga can be divided into two near-equal parts: The first half is all about introducing the setting, characters and putting said characters in the spot that they should be. Then the next half is just one really long fight scene that builds on everything that has been introduced up until now. To call this entertaining would be an understatement.

The whole thing can be best summarized with the show’s main character, Alucard. When you’re introduced to him, there’s not really much to him, just an impossibly badass and mysterious man who happens to be the main character. If anything, him being the main character is a bit odd given how borderline sociopathic he seems at points. Yet while he’s far from the deepest character, the more and more you learn about him he becomes all the more interesting. The initial description of him wasn’t wrong, but there is indeed more to him than just that.

In term, the overall plot is rudimentary basic, but I feel it makes up for it by not really screwing up at anything in particular. No, seriously, while most elements have been done better in other shows, I can’t really count any of them that were done badly here. The plot is accordingly fast paced, but never too much so, and overall the narrative is ultimately just one big excuse for the spectacle, but a good one.

I think the character that shows off my first point best is Seras Victoria. Her story is just an overall simple case of someone without much confidence in herself becoming stronger in spite of, or perhaps BECAUSE of all the tragedy she undergoes. It’s well done and gets the job well enough. The last point however can moreso be illustrated with Alexander Anderson. This man is just freaking insane. Even by the end of this story, I’m not exactly sure what his deal is, but damn if he didn’t leave an impact on me. Dude’s just 900 different types of awesome!

There are of course characters that are simpler, yet no less effective. Sir Integra Fairbook Wingates Hellsing is just a really well done Iron Lady character, and her trusty butler Walter C Dolores is more of the same, though they do a decent enough job at fleshing them out, especially Walter, who is clearly more than he seems. Pip Bernadotte also falls into this group: A simple, yet still well done character.

In the end however, as I mentioned, the plot is but an excuse for the spectacle, and good lord does Hellsing deliver on that. First of all, let’s talk about the actual artstyle. The whole thing just has a gothic feel, and it legitimately does feel like a modernized take on the classic Dracula Mythos in its own way, what with the exaggerated get-up (Or is that just a British thing I am not aware of?).In turn the facial expressions are wide and varied, and some of them are meme worthy for all the right reasons. The only downside I can think of is that some of the early chapters can look a bit rough, but frankly that only really lasts about a volume or so; probably even less, now that I think about it. Best of all, while there is some gore, it’s never so much so that it comes off as something made for shock value and nothing else.

Yet of course it is with the fight scenes that Hellsing truly stands out among the rest. If there’s one word I could use to describe it, it would be Varied. I kid you not; there is not a single action scene in this Manga that is the same as a previous one, with all of them managing to bring something unique at the table. What that something is depends, of course. Sometimes it’s the setting, sometimes it’s the finishing blow, and other times it’s just the many twists and turns that can happen in the middle of a battle. The absolute highlight of course is Anderson and Alucard’s final battle, though I also have some fondness for Seras’ fight against Zorin.

Speaking of which, who would our “good guys” fight without bad guys? The answer is quite simple: Nazi Zombie Vampires!... I did mention this show didn’t take itself that seriously.

And the absurdity of the concept certainly does help you get an idea of the kind of character’s you’ll be getting. They are all varying levels of over the top, ranging from being so in a subtle way (Luke Valentine and ESPECIALLY The Captain) to absolutely banana-balls (Like Rip Van Winkle and the Major). They do however make for very effective antagonists at the same time, and it’s easy to treat them seriously simple because of the sheer amount of destruction they cause. They are the very embodiment of Chaotic Evil and the story never lets you forget that.

Now, with all the positives I have said up until now, you might wonder why I haven’t given this show a straight up 10/10. Well, ultimately the issue just lies on what I said earlier: Bar the spectacle, this show just doesn’t do enough things well enough for a higher score. It is very much the Manga equivalent of a bunch of 80’ action movies: You watch it moreso to see cool people doing cool stuff than seeing an actually interesting plot, with said plot being good enough to… well, be good, but also nothing special.

In the end however, do I recommend Hellsing? You bet I do. It is one of the most Fun Mangas I’ve read, and I can’t help but have a really dumb grin in my face whenever I read it. It’s not the most complex or thought provoking thing ever, but it is very clearly aware of that and just decides to have fun. It’s like a celebration of all the absurdity in Anime and Manga tied up into one concise little package. I wholeheartedly implore you to read it.

Final Score: 9/10