Forum - View topicREVIEW: Hellsing Ultimate DVD 2
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LightYagami
 Posts: 257 Location: around the midwest |
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Why didn't everyones favorite hellsing fan Zac Bertschy write this review?? The only thing that I've been absolutely disappointed with Hellsing Ultimate is the severe lack of music that correlates good with the series. I only wish that they could use the music from the original hellsing anime series
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor
 Posts: 7912 Location: Anime News Network Technodrome |
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I figured at some point we'd want someone else's perspective on the show. |
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hikaru004
 Posts: 2306 |
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Oh well.
I actually like the BGM. It gives it more of an epic feeling, especially the ED. The ED animation without the credits is wonderful. |
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Tony K.
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 11449 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Man, what a rough review...
Hellsing has always predicated itself on the violence and action. The fact that it does so in stylish fashion by combining something as age-old as vampires, ghouls, and the supernatural with a modern-day setting and all kinds of flashy pizzazz (i.e. weapons, powers, and organizations specialized in this kind of warfare) is where a lot of the charm comes from, and now it even has a little comedy (albeit, very off-beat, but a nice way of changing up the pace every now and then). Aside from Vampire Hunter D (which is way beyond contemporary), you can't really argue many other titles of this genre that pull off the same concept and succeed (because Blood+ gets way too melodramatic for its own good towards the end  ).
I also don't see how a remake of the franchise is doing any harm. Sure, the TV series was able to draw the plot out longer in 6 episodes, but that's the way it works, it's a TV series. For those who've long awaited a proper telling of the story and without spoiler[ essentially killing off most of the good guys like Incognito did, and thus leading to a real short series], there's really nothing worth complaining about unless you just really liked how the filler in the TV series turned out, which I don't believe most people did. And a 'D' for the music? Why does everyone but me hate it? Sure, Kouji Ishii's punk rock had more style to it. But to give it a 'D' for the efforts of a man who tried his best in making the soundtrack more eclectic with the use of off-beat rock, pop, jazz, and an even more illustrious orchestral score during the ending credits? I don't see how you can make the comparisons so extreme when it's basically the same as how you usually go about grading dubs. Even for the most generally disliked or mediocre dubs, you usually give nothing lower than a B-, saying something like "it's not as up to par with the Japanese actors, but it's bearable" (or whatever). And with Ultimate being a remake, (essentially a "dub over," figuratively speaking), you've got new production values, including the music. But because the music isn't as great as the previous score, it just all of a sudden gets a grade as low as a D? That doesn't seem like a fair judgement, given how meticulously you compare, compliment, or try to find even ground in just the voice acting in a lot of your other reviews (a topic of much debate, I'm sure, amongst anime fans in general), but now all of a sudden the music just "sucks" compared to it's previous composer, therefore it gets a D? Also, what is the content and presentation of this review based on; your own personal liking, or an objective point of view that takes all kinds of anime into consideration? I know I'm only one fan, but surely there are more people who may think otherwise of the review (at least in comparison to Zac's of the first volume). Do you just not like uber-violent anime in general, or can you honestly say that Hellsing isn't a success in trying to be what it is; pure, unadulterated action that's cool for the sake of cool? |
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JackCox
 Posts: 386 |
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Sorry, to say this but whoever wrote this review clearly must have been smoking crack. The Dub only got a B+? WTF, are you kidding me? The dub was beyong amazing for this series. Especially Josh Phillips playing Jan Valentine. But where do you get off justifying a B+? The reviewer is afraid to admit that this show is really awesome despite it's violence, the acting is great even when there is no violence it's just a really fun show.
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor
Posts: 7912 Location: Anime News Network Technodrome |
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I try not to disagree with the critics here but I want to mention that Theron's statement about how this isn't the "best adaptation ever" bugs me. Yes, it is; any fan of the comics would recognize that this is a truly faithful rendering. That line of Jan's he quotes isn't a throwback or an homage to the TV series, it's dialogue taken straight from the comics.
This review seems to continue to compare the OVA to the TV series, which misses the point; Hellsing Ultimate should be compared to the manga, because that's what they went back to to create it. When compared to the actual source material that they're adapting, which believe it or not is NOT the TV series (which is best forgotten at this point), Hellsing Ultimate holds up almost perfectly. And yeah, giving the music a D just because you don't like it as much as the TV series' music isn't fair, I don't think. The music isn't TERRIBLE, it's just not as good. If you'd never heard the original TV score, would you still have given the music here a D? Also, saying "nobody can argue that this is one of the best dubs in existence" and then giving it a B+? What? I was also disappointed that no mention was made of the big leap in animation quality between the last episode and this one. The first episode had relatively mediocre and sometimes straight-up awkward animation; this one was clearly animated either on a larger budget or with more talented animators, because it's much more fluid than the first one. Everyone knows I'm an unabashed Hellsing fan so I'm completely biased here, but I just had to get that off my chest. Last edited by Zac on Wed Jun 20, 2007 3:34 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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arxane
 Posts: 447 |
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Um...I don't think he gave JUST the dub a B+. Rather, he gave a B+ to the show in dubbed form, which he felt was better than the show in subbed form (which got a B). |
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Deltakiral
 Posts: 3338 Location: Glendora, CA (Avatar Hei from Darker than BLACK) |
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I think that its suppose to be an overall grade, but yeah I also think that while I could see disc one being a B+ to a B, this disc really does deserve an A. The animation is definitely top notch, looks as Alucard transforms and also as Victoria blast a round through the center of the ghouls. As for the comparison to the TV series, I could see comparison being warranted in music category (which I think that have been about equal) and maybe the animation quality, but Zac is right lets compare the Ultimate Hellsing to the source material. That what all of us were excited about when news of this story broke that we were getting a new Hellsing series. We all wanted to get the real story, we wanted the complete Hellsing story animated. |
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Jedi General
 Posts: 2485 Location: Tucson, AZ |
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I thought this was a pretty good review for the most part. It had a valid point about it being nothing more than an excuse for lots of violence, extreme gore and lots of foul language at its roots. That's really is all that it is, but it succeeds beautifully because it's just do damn cool in it's execution and characters. Not to mention the dub is absolutely superb this time around. It blows the original dub out of the water.
Although, I don't think the music deserved a D. Sure it doesn't really live up to the great music in the TV series, but think it fits pretty well with the slightly different feel the OVA is going for when compared to the TV series. The OVA does seem a bit darker due to there not being any limits on the gore and whatnot, and of course there's a bit more comic relief than in the TV series. That being said, I think it's perfectly logical to have a different take when it comes to the soundtrack. The OVA is making it very clear that is isn't going to be to be a clone of the TV series. More like a clone of the manga. Yeah, I would have preferred music closer to the original TV series, but I'm not overly disappointed with the soundtrack. Also, calling not calling it the greatest adaptation irks me. To me this is THE Hellsing. You can forget the TV series. It's great and all, but it pales in comparison to the OVA in almost every aspect. In the OVA, the animation and art are better, the dub is better, and the story is better since there won't be any lame filler this time around. The OVA only fails when it comes to the music (but it doesn't fail miserably). I loved the original series, but the OVA is much, much better. Overall it's a much more fulfilling Hellsing experience. Like Zac I'm biased, being a huge Hellsing fanboy and all, but I still thought I'd have a say in this. |
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britannicamoore
 Posts: 2618 Location: Out. |
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This review did seem a little off. After seeing orginal hellsing and seeing this a year or so later I can say that the show jumped from "cool" to crazily awesome.
The way they showed spoiler[Alucard transforms and starts spazzing in anger all over the room] was beatiful. all of the fights moved fluidly (no pun intended with all the blood) and the music wasn't that bad. i forgot i loved jan so much- Josh did a crazy good job. Some of his lines made me have to pasue the dvd because I was laughing so hard. And yeah- this was one of the best dubs in existance. i think because of it being so it should get an A+. Hell- it should get an A alone for Crispin- i loved when Alucard was spoiler[standing over Luke screaming at him to stand and prove himself of being a true vampire.] This reminds me...I need to buy a Jan plushie. Last edited by britannicamoore on Wed Jun 20, 2007 7:24 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18496 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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<sigh>
Apparently I should have chosen my words a little more carefully in that last paragraph because people are misunderstanding what I meant there. When I was talking about it not being the "be-all and end-all uber-great adaptation," I was not referring to how accurately it recreates the manga - which I can't comment on authoritatively, since I haven't read it. I was referring to the way I've seen people absolutely idolize this production when (IMO, anyway) it's only a "good" production and not a "great" one even when compared to the standard set by similar series of its type. (And for anyone not clear about what I mean by that, I'm referring to other ultraviolent anime in general, not just vampire anime.) Yes, remember that the Dub grade is an Overall grade; I certainly would have given the dub an A or A+ grade if evaluated as a separate category. Yes, I felt the soundtrack grade was warranted even without comparison to the original - it was possibly the single most disappointing soundtrack I've heard in the past year - but I also think it would be utterly unfair not to compare it to the much better and more effective soundtrack in the TV series. (If almost everyone's going to go on about how the OVAs are so much better, why not place emphasis on the one place where they very clearly aren't?) As for the animation, I will concede that Zac may have a better eye for that than I do. Look, I knew when I wrote and turned this one in that it was not going to be well-received. I know, based on earlier threads in these forums, that my take the OVAs (especially compared to the equivalent content in the TV series) is far different than the vast majority of fans out there, so if you want to disagree with my take on the content, I have no problem with that. Zac has already made it clear that he is a big fan of the OVAs, so I thought it might be of value to see how someone who has a radically different opinion looks at them. If you don't see it that way, then I apologize for wasting your time. And really, people, I did still give it a B+ overall. It isn't like I totally trashed it. |
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Hisdon
 Posts: 411 Location: Poquoson, VA |
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I believe its fair to say a lot of opinions will change on the series come the third episode. People who are unfamiliar with the manga and compare the OVA soley to the TV series arn't getting the point of what we are saying as manga fans. They'll understand soon enough though.
Speaking of which, wtb episode 4 with R.V.W. =). |
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor
Posts: 7912 Location: Anime News Network Technodrome |
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Well, that's exactly why I published it instead of writing my own. Your perspective isn't wrong, it's just different, and isn't in lock-step with the hardcore fans, of which this series has many. Don't take it too hard; nobody's singling you out for being a bad critic. Your viewpoint simply goes against what the majority of the audience for this title thinks, and that's bound to create dissent. I posted my own feelings simply to get them out there and create a discussion, not to knock you down. You're comparing this release to other, similar titles (of which I would submit there aren't many) and to the original TV series, whereas the ONLY thing I would compare it to is the manga, since the stated goal of this OVA is to faithfully recreate that. They've done that, so I'm happy. Again, you're not wrong, you just see it from another angle. And I try to promote that here. Hence why I published the review in the first place. |
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CCSYueh
 Posts: 2707 Location: San Diego, CA |
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This review just reminds me of the Hellsing detractors. For a long time it seemed anime was divided into those who loved Excel Saga & those who loved FLCL & rarely the 2 mixed. ALso it seems anime fans love or hate Hellsing. (ANd Eva) As one of the first fans here in the States (preordered the box sight unseen-still have the bloodpak in my butter drawer in my fridge) I pushed this one hard to everyone who seemed to like horror & action & I'd run into incredible statements like the gal working at Suncoast in the Valley who hated the show because she noticed the art wasn't consistant--the proportions were off at times so she used that as an excuse to hate it.
This ep was cool. Sorry, I watched it mostly in Japanese. (How many times have Koyasu & Nakata played enemies? They're great). I was a bit surprised when Nakata said the line "Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! in English--it rook a second before I realized it. And I was trying very hard--I swear those 2 said Alucard. It's so much fun to listen to Japanese VA's tackle English--these weren't bad. Wataru Takagi's Jan was cool.. The changes were sublte, but an improvement. I don't recall Luke being such a neat-freak. His movements were much cooler while Alucard was brilliant in the portrayal of how he finally thought he found a worthy foe. THe reviewer almost sounded disappointed we saw so little of Seras (I wasn't.) I love the humor. I want that Harkonan guy oto appear! Too bad we won't likely get Luke & Jan's commentary from the backs of each volume (Not to mention that FMA spoof...) Too much blood & violence for violence's sake? That's what Hirano's about. Early on in the back commentaries he said he was happy not to be drawing porn on demand like his prior efforts. And if the critic thinks this was straight from the tv series, he's wrong. I was amazed at the amount they changed in the name of sticking with the manga Hellsing is one of the few titles in my collection I've watched 4 or 8 times (like Descendants of Darkness). I seem to recall more zombies last time out & less of an emphasis on who was pulling the Valentine Brothers' string. THis is about where the TV series started self-destructing because they dropped the nazi plot which changed the direction. Which also means ep 3 will be headed into more new territory. |
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Deltakiral
Posts: 3338 Location: Glendora, CA (Avatar Hei from Darker than BLACK) |
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Completely true, but for me there are releases like the Hellsing Ultimate and Le Chevalier D'eon which have been amazing. And I could understand the first disc getting a lower score, but for something like this I thought it was a guarantee A. I mostly find myself in agreement with most everything you say, but I just didn't agree with the music score, but hey to each his/her own. Your review was still informing to people who haven't seen/bought this disc, and it certainly was a different opinion then what most of the hardcore fans expected but it still got the job done. |
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