Hellsing Ultimate [Archive] - Anime Academy Lounge

Liegenschonheit

08-22-2005, 04:12 PM

Hellsing Ultimate has been slated for awhile, and Geneon has already licensed it for the US. According to Geneon, it will be released in the US sometime in 2006, though at this point the series is open ended pending the end of the manga. The manga-ka, Kohta Hirano, is very involved in the making of this anime. It will have the same director as Hellsing, and the seiyuu for Alucard, Seres and Integra will be reprising their roles. The trailer Geneon showed at AX was awesome, and featured the song you've mentioned, Broken English. I've heard some reports that the trailer will be available for download in September. If you want to know anything else about the Hellsing Ultimate panel and the questions that were answered there, then I suggest you check out my AX con report.
And yes, in case you couldn't tell by my sig and avatar, I am a huge Hellsing fangirl, and I can't wait till this comes out! ^_^

ultbaka

08-22-2005, 04:16 PM

Liegenschonheit

08-22-2005, 04:21 PM

Well, we all know that if a certain man who voiced Captain Tylor for english... ::cough cough:: Crispin Freeman who also did the voice of Arucard in the original Hellsing, it probably won't be too bad and would force Adult Swim to pick it up, like they did with Paranoia Agent.

Err..ok. That was just a bit incoherent...but at any rate...

English voice actors have not been confirmed yet, and there is no official word whether or not Crispin Freeman will be tapped to play Alucard in the dub. Fans of Crispin have been making their wishes known to Geneon, however, asking that he return to play the role.

Samuraiblues

08-22-2005, 05:13 PM

Where could i hear "Broken English"?

Yea i heard rumors about this. I didn't really enjoy hellsing so i hope this one is better. The name itself is not a good start.

Kaito Fujiwara

08-22-2005, 05:19 PM

not to be mean but you're on your own there...sorry

Lupin the 3rd

08-22-2005, 06:04 PM

I can't wait for Hellsing Ultimate! Ive been meaning to see more Hellsing for awhile now! lol

Tremolo

08-22-2005, 06:15 PM

The official U.S. release would not be until sometime in 2006. Ueda stated that because they wanted to follow the manga as closely as possible, the series will begin again from scratch and continue as long as there is material to work from, which means that there is currently no set number of episodes.

I'm extremely pleased to hear that this is a complete relaunch of the series. I thought the original was pretty poor to be perfectly honest, and with this sticking so closely to the manga we can expect some really good things indeed. Whilst this may not be the sequel fans have been crying out for, in my opinion it's something much better and I'm really looking forward to seeing this.

Sorrow-kun

08-22-2005, 06:31 PM

I think my head will spontaneously fall off my neck if Crispin Freeman doesn't get offered the role of Arucard in the dub. However, there are a surprisingly large number of people who don't want Freeman to get the job as Arucard's VA in the OVA... they complain that he's been in too many things already, or something like that. Boggles the mind.

overlord

08-22-2005, 08:45 PM

I'm extremely pleased to hear that this is a complete relaunch of the series.
likewise... i was wondering how they would recover from the incognito part, but now i am worry free.

Liegenschonheit

08-22-2005, 09:06 PM

I'm extremely pleased to hear that this is a complete relaunch of the series. I thought the original was pretty poor to be perfectly honest, and with this sticking so closely to the manga we can expect some really good things indeed. Whilst this may not be the sequel fans have been crying out for, in my opinion it's something much better and I'm really looking forward to seeing this.

It's looks like it's going to be far better than a sequel. The trailer was, as I've said before many times, completely awesome. From what I can tell, they are following the manga almost exactly, and it was amazing to see clips from the invasion scenes and the scene in Brazil. Also, the animation looks like it is going to be a lot smoother, and the much larger budget this time around hopefully means that the end result will be something very cool indeed.

BTW, the song from the trailer was called "Broken English", and was a cover by a group called Schaft. It's very good.

Dirty Harry

08-22-2005, 09:15 PM

Having just seen the first Hellsing anime myself, I can't wait for more Hellsing goodness, be it a retelling sans altered/made up ending or whatever, I'm down with that. Hellsing was just too good to not like. But then again, I haven't seen many anime, and maybe without the kickin' music from the first series Ultimate will fail, because I just can't imagine Alucard rockin' out ghoul scum without his awesome theme. ;_;

Corpse

08-23-2005, 01:24 AM

who cares about crispin freeman, george nakata(god i think thats his name) is god.

Mugs

08-23-2005, 01:31 AM

The first 3 episodes were almost aired at Otakon, actually was on the program and then changed at the last minute. Luckily I think the show is a piece of garbage so I didn't care, I'm sure a lot of people were bummed though.

//Death to Integral!

LadySage

08-23-2005, 01:58 AM

The petition to get Crispin back has more signatures than the one to recast the dub, fyi. I'm praying that Geneon listens to their fans.

Anyway, I'm not the biggest Hellsing fangirl around, but I liked the TV series, and the OVA is shaping up to be even better. I'll most likely be checking it out, at least eventually.

DarkKanti

08-23-2005, 02:25 AM

I wasn't too big a fan of the original Hellsing. I thought it had alot of potential, but it really didn't pull me in until the last couple of episodes. In all honesty though, Ultimate looks awesome. I have big hopes that this will be a step up from the original Hellsing.

Sidenote- I really hope Crispin Freeman gets chosen to do Alucard again. He was perfect in Hellsing.

Corpse

08-23-2005, 11:00 AM

As far as i'm concerned there were only 7 episodes in the original hellsing. But if this follows the manga, well, i cant wait.

Kaito Fujiwara

08-23-2005, 03:46 PM

back on topic... I recently thought of what would a very good extra, a CROSS:FIRE Featurette in the first few discs, or at least a sound comic of it.

Miaka Lee

08-23-2005, 04:32 PM

I guess I'm not even considered a fan yet I've read the first manga, but I have heard of the Hellsing anime and seen some previews. It looks pretty good, but is it really that good? ::suggestions please::
:eyebrow:

Itachi Uchiha

08-23-2005, 06:59 PM

Hellsing OVA = happy me :victory:

-There is no way in hell they will get away with replacing Crispin Freeman! Heads will roll if they do... :samurai: :greensplo

Lupin the 3rd

08-23-2005, 07:04 PM

I honestly want to hear Crispin Freeman portraying Alucard again for the new OVA!

Two-twenty

08-23-2005, 10:14 PM

Zero

08-23-2005, 10:35 PM

The music for the TV series is frankly some of the swankiest I've ever heard. Ever. Will the music in Ultimate be similar or are they going a different direction with that to? Is it reflected in "Broken English"?

I bloody hope the music/atmosphere is at a quality level similar level as the original as well. The story and characters may not have been as well fleshed out, but the former two elements of which I mentioned were spot on. *raises glass* Here's to (hopefully) a successful OVA.

Liegenschonheit

08-23-2005, 11:25 PM

The music in the OVA is going to be symphonic, so they went with a different director, and is going to be recorded in Europe. I too hope that it can live up to the swanky music that was in Hellsing, but the sound will be different.
Kaito, they said that Crossfire wont be included in the OVA, but that the characters will make their appearances as they come into the Hellsing storyline.

Kaito Fujiwara

08-24-2005, 08:06 AM

Oh well... But hey, I can dream. I think...

overlord

08-24-2005, 09:12 AM

The music in the OVA is going to be symphonic, so they went with a different director, and is going to be recorded in Europe. I too hope that it can live up to the swanky music that was in Hellsing, but the sound will be different.
damn, no more godzilla roars or tarzan shouts. :(

somehow, i don't expect the symphonic score to surpass it's predecessor.

Ghostmaster

08-24-2005, 09:32 AM

two questions, when was this released in Japan and how many episodes is it all together?

overlord

08-24-2005, 09:35 AM

this fall (from what i've read), and the number of episodes is undetermined.

Two-twenty

08-24-2005, 05:22 PM

The music in the OVA is going to be symphonic, so they went with a different director, and is going to be recorded in Europe. I too hope that it can live up to the swanky music that was in Hellsing, but the sound will be different.
A symphonic Hellsing after swooning over Logos naki World for so long? Ee-gads! If it's going symphonic I at least want to hear as much innovation as the television soundtrack, because for me, this has the potential to leave a gaping hole.

Kaito Fujiwara

08-25-2005, 07:37 PM

...I can't believe I thought this was an april fools joke.
now I feel like an idiot.

Zero

08-30-2005, 12:09 AM

While not a fully-functional site or anything close, a placeholder site is up. :)

http://www.geneon-ent.co.jp/rondorobe/anime/hellsing/

vitae6656

08-30-2005, 05:34 AM

hey thanks for the link man. I cant wait to watch this anime. I really liked the orginal Anime. Havent had a chance to read the mange though but heard good things about it.

Kaito Fujiwara

09-12-2005, 03:25 PM

here's a little something to wet your hellsing whistle (http://www.mangazero.net/manga/thehellsingproject/HellsingUltimateOVAtrailer.mpeg)

it's not the best quality, but it'll do

Samuraiblues

09-12-2005, 07:19 PM

here's a little something to wet your hellsing whistle (http://www.mangazero.net/manga/thehellsingproject/HellsingUltimateOVAtrailer.mpeg)

it's not the best quality, but it'll do

It looks awesome, hope the story is as good.

koumoury

09-15-2005, 07:16 PM

can someone pls find a link to the new opening theme? Limewire disapointed me

Zero

09-15-2005, 07:29 PM

can someone pls find a link to the new opening theme? Limewire disapointed me

This is about the only multimedia I've found in terms of video. This is a trailer shown at AX(?), I think:

http://www.mangazero.net/manga/thehellsingproject/HellsingUltimateOVAtrailer.mpeg

Lupin the 3rd

09-15-2005, 08:36 PM

Well the trailer looks cool so im all excited!!!

Kaito Fujiwara

09-16-2005, 02:12 PM

This is about the only multimedia I've found in terms of video. This is a trailer shown at AX(?), I think:
http://www.mangazero.net/manga/thehellsingproject/HellsingUltimateOVAtrailer.mpeg

My eyes may be decieving me, but isn't this the same trailer I submitted a few days ago?

Liegenschonheit

09-16-2005, 02:26 PM

Well, it's september 16th, and the official Hellsing Ultimate website still sports a "sorry! still under construction" label. However, there is now a VERY short version of the trailer, with entirely different music (no Broken English), posted.

ultbaka

09-17-2005, 10:49 AM

HEH... This is gonna rock! I hope they have the same voice actors...

fugupinkeye

01-29-2006, 11:21 PM

and I was going to stay home tonight.... So, referred to on the fansub site I use as Hellsing OVA, ITS HERE!!! And if we thought the first one was over the top, this one is burning jetfuel. One thing I found funny though. When I saw the old Hellsing I was still an ignorant dub-watcher. So I am utterly useless for any comparison with the voice acting on the new one versus the old. I had no complaints, but I can't tell you if they used the same people or anything.
Reminds me much more of the manga, though, and that can't be a bad thing.

Opinions?

Tremolo

01-30-2006, 12:47 AM

Zelyhon

01-30-2006, 12:54 AM

I've seen both Hellsing and the Broken English trailer. I'm personally really looking forward to the OAV, as the manga goes so much further into everything than the anime did. My one question is where will it pick up.

*really* minor spoilers:
For those not familiar with the manga, the thing that sets off the conflict that takes up the later series is started by Jan Valentine. In the series, he did not say the word "Millenium" as he was burning, which is what leads Hellsing to those they are after. Do you all think it'll redo the fight with the Valentine Bros. or just get the lead to Millenium otherwise?

fugupinkeye

01-30-2006, 01:20 AM

Before anyone gets too excited, what has just been released is a 25 minute or so special, not the actual 50 minute first episode OVA which comes out on February the 10th. It's essentially just a preview, or as someone on the Hellsing LJ community said, "the unfinished 30 minutes preview that was screened in December". Still worth a download, though.

So. It's nearly here though - not long now!

interesting. I had never seen such an 'episodic' ,for lack of a better word, preview. Usually a preview is nothing but a long ass music video, this honestly felt like a first ep, though much faster moving than the original anime. I did enjoy the faster pace, though, I hope the real thing retains much of it.

Ghostmaster

01-30-2006, 08:01 AM

Well if anyone's watched the promo it looks totally awesome. I still have to finsihed the original Hellsing though I never got to finish and I'm sure I won't understand everything if I don't.

Tremolo

01-30-2006, 09:22 AM

I just had to see this preview for myself, and I'm glad I did.

Yes, it is definitely a preview. Whilst it can technically stand as its own, albeit rather rushed, it came off to me like certain large chunks of what was to come spliced together.

We get a condensed version of the whole Cheddar incident with the vampire priest, a brief follow-up scene with Seras discoverig her newfound vampire-ness - and brief really is the key word here, I'm sure this will be expanded upon in the actual OVA - and then the whole Alucard Vs Anderson fight. That's basically exactly what this preview comprises, and it's very satisfying. You don't see Seras getting sired by Alucard, nor her training and the setup for Anderson's introduction, i.e how they came to be where they are, and those are important elements that clearly won't be glossed over in the actual thing.

As entertainment, it all more or less makes sense to watch, but it still came across to me as a preview more than an actual episode.

However. That preview was better than every episode of the entire anime series put together. It really was Hellsing as the manga shows us, as opposed to GONZO's version and it just blew me away. Amazing animation and direction, the original seiyuu cast are back, it's just as gloriously over the top as it should be, the visuals are incredible... it's great stuff.

If you can't wait for the first proper episode to be released, this is worth a look. I absolutely cannot wait for the first OVA now. Roll on February the 10th!

Zelyhon

01-30-2006, 11:38 AM

Well if anyone's watched the promo it looks totally awesome. I still have to finsihed the original Hellsing though I never got to finish and I'm sure I won't understand everything if I don't.
Not really. The series for Hellsing is deviates from where the OAV will go significantly. If you've seen up to the point where the Valentine Brothers tear through the Hellsing Mansion, you ought to be good.

Tremolo: Where would this preview be? I only have the Broken English trailer and am eager to see this now.

And there hasn't been any news of when Geneon will likely release DVDs of this, has there?

Tremolo

01-30-2006, 11:44 AM

Tremolo: Where would this preview be? I only have the Broken English trailer and am eager to see this now.

It's against board policy to link to torrent sites, but the usual places for fansubs and anime downloads will most likely have it. If not, Google is bound to show you the way.

Oh, and for anyone curious, you don't need to see the original series at all to understand this. Although, you could just read the first few pages of this thread to find that out.

soundchazer

01-30-2006, 11:53 AM

In all honesty, while the action was better executed, I prefer the character designs made by GONZO for the original series.

Liegenschonheit

01-30-2006, 01:20 PM

The character designs in the OVA are closer to the distinctive artstyle of Kohta Hirano, which was one of the main intentions concerning the art in the anime. This is just a preview of the anime, yes, but holy crap... What a fantastic preview!
If I had any doubts, this really removes them for me. I worried a little bit about the music, but I have to say that if the music from this is any indication, I needn't have been. I also love how they incorporated the more comedic artstyle from the manga into the anime.
And actually, Zelyhon, Hellsing Ultimate starts back at the very beginning with the vampire in Cheddar and Alucard "meeting" Seres. People who have never seen the first series nor read the manga will be able to jump right in with no problems.

soundchazer

01-30-2006, 01:28 PM

I pretty much got that part. That doesn't mean that the artwork is better. It is more faithful to the original, yes, but that doesn't make it better.

If the Kimagure Orange Road anime had used a design closer to the manga, I would have puked. This is not necessarily the case here. The designs are nice, but the GONZO ones were more appealing, in particular Seres. This Seres looks kind of ugly, IMHO.

I SO do look forward for the rest of this OVA. The story flows better, the camera angles are better placed, and the characters, while in preview more fleshed out better in terms of their behavior (Seres in particular).

Zelyhon

01-30-2006, 01:40 PM

Oh, so it'll just start back at the very beginning then? Hmm...and they're going to try and fit the first 7 or so volumes into 50 minutes? That seems like it might be difficult to me.

Tremolo

01-30-2006, 01:45 PM

Oh, so it'll just start back at the very beginning then? Hmm...and they're going to try and fit the first 7 or so volumes into 50 minutes? That seems like it might be difficult to me.

No no no, there's going to be more than OVA. I heard 20 or so. No one knows how much each episode will cover, but the first one is 50 minutes to make up for all the delays, and subsequent ones are 25-30 minutes.

So yeah. It starts back from the beginning, but based more accurately from the manga.

That doesn't mean that the artwork is better. It is more faithful to the original, yes, but that doesn't make it better.

In this case, I think it does. The GONZO versions were simpler and a bit cleaner. I prefer the new, more stylised, detailed versions. And Seras' hair isn't a horrible orange anymore :XD: But it's all down to personal taste in the end - I think in general it's far more aesthetically pleasing. The CG work is absolutely amazing.

soundchazer

01-30-2006, 01:50 PM

No no no, there's going to be more than OVA. I heard 20 or so. No one knows how much each episode will cover, but the first one is 50 minutes to make up for all the delays, and subsequent ones are 25-30 minutes.

So yeah. It starts back from the beginning, but based more accurately from the manga.

In this case, I think it does. The GONZO versions were simpler and a bit cleaner. I prefer the new, more stylised, detailed versions. And Seras' hair isn't a horrible orange anymore :XD: But it's all down to personal taste in the end - I think in general it's far more aesthetically pleasing. The CG work is absolutely amazing.

Leaving the horrible orange (which was not that horrible) hair aside, she looked... well... cuter and more vulnerable in the GONZO version. This one looks like she has an eternal bad hair day.

The CGs are not character designs, therefore they are not part of my discussion. I have no qualms with the animation. It is indeed better (as it should be since this anime is 5 years newer than the original).

Ninja Realist

01-30-2006, 02:05 PM

Well so far I have only seen the shorter 5 minute preview, and heard the new OP, and my feelings are this:

I partially agree with SC on the character designs. Seres, Walter, and Integra all look quite a bit over-stylized and too, for lack of a better word, "sharp" and "abrasive".

On the other hand, Alucard, Rip van Winkle, Anderson and Gunsche all look excellent. The thicker darker lines, and more defined shadows giving them a kind of "manga-come-to-life" look.

I'm reserving full judgement though until I see the longer 25 Minute Preview.

One thing I am dissapointed about is the music. The one thing that the original GONZO series did excellentely was the music. It had, hands down, some of the best music I have ever heard in an anime. The OP especially perfectly complemented the mood, and was just a great song even independent of the show.

Kiba

01-30-2006, 05:07 PM

I watched a RAW of the preview last night with my brother, the quality was kind of lacking but still it was really really good. However I found the general feeling of it to be rushed, especially Seras' introduction. I would have liked to have seen her introduced her properly. I believe the TV series did a better job at this.

One other thing I disliked was the new soundtrack or lack of one. I wished they would have used the one from the TV series, but that could only possibly happen in my dreams.

Corpse

01-30-2006, 06:59 PM

Ninja Realist

01-31-2006, 05:57 AM

I just saw the full preview.

Well there are a lot of things I liked about this preview and I lot of things I disliked, but to be honest, if the original GONZO series had followed the Manga, I would say it is vastly superior.

Pros - The Animation looks wonderful. Anderson is so much more psychotic and so much more fun to watch. (I love the way he shreeked Amen.) This one is definitely funnier than the first one seemed. The quality of the lines gives it a much more manga-come-to-life feel. The light is a lot better. I really like how this one used Hirano's super-deformity, while the first one only used it in the previews of the next-episodes.

Cons - The biggest gripe of all is the music. Even if I don't compare it to the excellent music of the first one, this music is simply horrible. Cheesy, ugly, techno...ugghhh, this seriously lowered my enjoyment. Seres, Walter and Integra seem a lot less human, and a lot less welll, human than in the first one. The constant smirking is annoying, why do Walter, Alucard and Integral smirk so much? What is so goddamn funny? The animation, though more detailed, is also a lot more static. It doesn't have the same fluidity that the first series had.

I don't know. It just rubbed me the wrong way. I'll have to wait until the real thing is released.

Ghostmaster

01-31-2006, 07:31 AM

The style is totally different, and I'm not sure it will be effective or not depedning on what the OVA is like. But it is interesting animation nonetheless.

Ritalin

01-31-2006, 10:16 AM

soundchazer

01-31-2006, 11:03 AM

Ok, this is driving me insane. I want to understand what they are saying, grr.

The subtitles are not showing up for the special, but I know it has subtitles (can't name the group, just trust me on this...). Did anyone else have this problem? If so, how did you fix it, if you fixed it?

It's very strange. Never had this happen to me before.

I was having that problem with BSPlayer.

VLC did show them up, but had trouble decoding the image, in particular the high motion ones.

The only choice that produced the subtitles correctly and did play the video properly was windows media classic.

Ritalin

01-31-2006, 11:17 AM

I tried Mplayer, VLC, Xine, and Kaffeine, none of which are showing the subtitles.

The one I have isn't soft-subs either, I'm looking for some right now actually because this sucks.

PsychoSaiya-jin

01-31-2006, 12:15 PM

Anderson likes this new OVA almost as much as he likes cookies:
http://youtube.com/w/C-is-for-Cookie?v=goJFeqFIps8&search=hellsing%20ova

soundchazer

01-31-2006, 12:17 PM

I tried Mplayer, VLC, Xine, and Kaffeine, none of which are showing the subtitles.

The one I have isn't soft-subs either, I'm looking for some right now actually because this sucks.

Well... maybe it is time to go back to the dark side and reboot windows for a couple of hours.

Ninja Realist

01-31-2006, 03:47 PM

Here's how I got it to work:

First you need DefilerPak Codec Pack, which can be found here:

http://hellninjacommando.com/defilerpak/

Second, use VLC because I have had the most succes with it.

Third, go to Video, and then under Video go to Subtitle Track. If Subtitles are disabled set them to play on Track 1

After that it should work.

MidnightDevont

01-31-2006, 06:02 PM

i was one of the many bummed out not to see hellsing Ultament at Otakon. even though i hadn't seen Hellsing at that time. i love it to death and i wouldn't watch it if they didn't have freeman doing Alucard. i'm sorry, i'm a stickler...though they can change Seres voice...all they want.......x.x; i hope it's as good as everyone says, i've seen a few clips of Prist/Alucard fights. the animation looks really good.

Tremolo

02-19-2006, 10:36 AM

I'm surprised no one's talking about the fact the proper episode 1 is out (and has been for a few days now) and stuff.

My thoughts about the preview still pretty much stand in regards to the full episode, really. Everything's off to a confident and solid, if not amazing start. Great visuals, blah blah...yeah. Just check out my earlier post.

I look forward to more.

i was one of the many bummed out not to see hellsing Ultament at Otakon. even though i hadn't seen Hellsing at that time. i love it to death and i wouldn't watch it if they didn't have freeman doing Alucard. i'm sorry, i'm a stickler...though they can change Seres voice...all they want.......x.x; i hope it's as good as everyone says, i've seen a few clips of Prist/Alucard fights. the animation looks really good.

A stickler for a dub? Right.

Jouji Nakata is far more awesome as Alucard than Freeman is, by the way.

Liegenschonheit

02-19-2006, 05:17 PM

Yes, episode one is out and it is just plain awesome, I think. But then, I am a giant Hellsing fangirl, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. Though the music worked consistantly well in the preview, there were a few times I thought that it wasn't as good as it should be.

As for the Chrispin Freeman dub hoopla; yeah, what Trem said. Chrispin Freeman may be hot stuff in the dub world, but he isnt even on the same level as Jouji Nakata.

Moe

02-20-2006, 07:36 AM

well i saw the first episode.... AND IT WAS GREAT!!!!!!!

can anyone tell me where they got their first episode from(in a pm so you dont get in trouble.)

Corpse

02-20-2006, 10:03 AM

ok....the first ep was alright...it's nice to see some of the humor there and references to the manga plot... BUT GOD DAMN I HATE THE GENERIC STREETS OF RAGE MUSIC. The old stuff was better...and i think would have made the action more appealing to me :P

Kiba

02-20-2006, 06:23 PM

Well my feelings about the episode are pretty much the same feelings I had for the the preview. Overall the episode still feels rushed, the music still sucks and is annoying except for the ending song, and there were a few things I didn't like much. The things I didn't like are how they incorperated the "Master of Monster" chapter in with the first chapter as well as the scene with Victoria's parents, I believe that was suppose to be shown later, they cut some of the "Club M" chapter out, they skipped over the full version of the "Master of Monster" chapter, and worst of all they took out my favourite scene from the "Sword Dancer" chapter, where Alucard's sitting on the stairs drinking a blood pack like it's a juice box.

Ghostmaster

02-22-2006, 08:22 AM

Once I finish Hellsing I'll definately pick up the OVA.

PsychoSaiya-jin

02-22-2006, 03:39 PM

The 1st ova, the digest, was okay. The character designs are more like the manga's but the story-telling isn't quite. There's more use of cg for things like atmospheric lighting but I don't know if I'd say the animation quality has improved.
I felt there was a considerable lacking in the hand-drawn animation department.

Needless to say, I'm expeting it's because it was just a digest ova, but still I do expect more from ovas. Also, I really like the tv-animation's ost much more.

Oh yeah, Anderson wins in the new va stakes!

Lupin the 3rd

02-24-2006, 11:31 PM

Just finished the first OVA and i have to say i fricken love it. I love how there keeping the manga style. I can't wait for the next episode to come out.

Tremolo

08-30-2006, 04:47 AM

Godamnit people, get on the ball a bit more, this is Hellsing Ultimate fer god's sake! :D

Episode II

Bloody amazing. I was underwhelmed by a few aspects of the first OVA episode, but overall came away with the impression of it being generally good but not great, and with definite room for improvement. This however is in a completely different league.

I got the impression that the first episode was paced a bit too fast, but this wasn't the problem here. Using the entire episode about the Valentine brothers siege on Hellsing HQ ensured that the pacing was much better and the characters got a bit more to do. In general, I'd say everything was much better than the first episode: animation (less pans), music (although still not up to the music of the GONZO series, the only thing that has over this) and the general look and feel felt far more polished, more Hellsing-y and it just clicked for me.

There were some stonkingly great moments, too. Walter's attack on Jan Valentine with his wires, Seras blasting the ghouls apart with her frigging enormous gun and Alucard's frenzied shriekings of "HURRY! HURRY!" as he transforms his body in his fight with Luke - some of the best CG animation I've seen. It looked amazing and was made even better by Jouji Nakata's peerless voice-work. The man is an absolute legend and I couldn't imagine anyone else being Alucard - real definitive stuff.

Two gripes: 1) The super-deformed moments don't quite work. I know they're in the manga and all, but they don't really click very well in contrast to the detailed character designs. It's not as bas as in the ParaKiss anime, but people who have only seen GONZO's series will be thoroughly baffled by it all. And 2) The only file of it available as yet isn't in the correct aspect ratio - I'd recommend watching it in a media player (like MPC) where you can fix it to 16:9. If you do that it looks absolutely fine, so it's not a big issue.

Overall, Hellsing Ultimate has really hit the ground running with this episode. I'm thoroughly convinced that this project is a fantastic idea, and it looks set to be the definitive version of the series. I can't wait for episode three.