Well, I seem to remember a thread discussing this a while back, but it hasn't seen the light of day in quite some time. Now that the first episode has been out for a while, I think it's time to discuss it. I finally saw it streaming online yesterday and here are my thoughts:
Style: Gone is the trippy red theme of the old series, and the "zigzag shading". The environments certainly look more realistic, but that doesn't mean the show has no more style. As much as I enjoyed the old color scheme, it was a bit distracting and over the top, and whatever the series lost through realistic environments is made up for in...
Character Design: Overall, far superior to the original series. Keeping characters on model was a constant and distracting problem in Gonzo's series, and while it fluctuates here as well, it works. The only time I was actually bothered by characters going off model was with the Preidst of Cheddar Village and Hugar (Leif in the old series, the male vampire teen). But they died so quickly it hardly mattered.
Alucards face fluctuates wildly, but its for the better. We finally have him looking demonic, with gigantic toothy grins. The stiff and staid Alucard of Gonzo has been replaced by a fluid, vicious demon. Only during the "Master of Monster" sequence and his battle with Hugar did his appearence dissolve for a bit. A bit of lazy drawing in those two cases. Otherwise, A+ for montster Alucard.
Seras, Integra, and Walter were spot-on. They're all looking a bit leaner and edgier, which is nice, especially considering how much chubbier TV Seras was compared to manga Seras. However it seems all that chub went to...
Anderson. Anderson gained a bit of weight in his time off. He was fine as long as you didn't notice that his face is now ovular. Where did his chin go?
And the wide grins were a bit overdone. But I'm nitpicking. Much better than the TV series, though I hope the consistancy picks up a bit. Ah, and the consistancy was also lack in the...
Animation: Whereas the old series sometimes dropped to slide-show quality, things were always in motion here. Animation was for the most part fluid, and stylish. However there were a few shots re-used far too soon, and a stiff shot here and there. Much better than the old series, much better than most TV series, but as an OVA, I'd have expected more. I loved the CGI, by the way. Stylish, and not distracting.
Music: This was certainly the highlight of Gonzo's Hellsing. It really jumped out and grabbed you. Yet while it fit perfectly with that series, and is a great listen on its own, it doesn't quite mesh with the feel of Hellsing proper. Wheras the old soundtrack felt more like a stand-alone album than a soundtrack, this one was clearly made for the show. Which raises the question as to why it wasn't used more, louder, and with better placement. While it wasn't remarkable, a few tunes did stand out and it got the job done. It could be great if they'd used it with better timing, and more volume. Most of the time it took backseat to the sound effects.
Plot: If you've read the manga then you'll have no trouble jumping right into things, and enjoying the knowledge of where the show is going. It feels a bit choppy however. This is to be forgiven, since to adapt the first volume of manga they had to cram four different senarios into one episode. The pace should become less frantic after this since every volume to come has a central plot. There's much more focus on Seras than in the manga, but it's probably for the better. The first manga volume had next to no Seras in it, mostly because Kohta Hirano hadn't taken time to plan out here character. She's developed now, so it wasn't a bad choice to flesh her out in the first episode of the OVA, but she began to overshadow Alucard and Integra a bit too much. Hopefully this series won't be as Seras-centric as Gonzo's.
Overall: This is what the original series should've been, and I'm very excited that the manga storyline is being adapted. Overall it's a great watch, but it's a bit alienating for those not already familiar with the franchise. I'd just like to see the level of professionalism stepped up, and see more of a movie quality in future installments.
Style: Gone is the trippy red theme of the old series, and the "zigzag shading". The environments certainly look more realistic, but that doesn't mean the show has no more style. As much as I enjoyed the old color scheme, it was a bit distracting and over the top, and whatever the series lost through realistic environments is made up for in...
Character Design: Overall, far superior to the original series. Keeping characters on model was a constant and distracting problem in Gonzo's series, and while it fluctuates here as well, it works. The only time I was actually bothered by characters going off model was with the Preidst of Cheddar Village and Hugar (Leif in the old series, the male vampire teen). But they died so quickly it hardly mattered.
Alucards face fluctuates wildly, but its for the better. We finally have him looking demonic, with gigantic toothy grins. The stiff and staid Alucard of Gonzo has been replaced by a fluid, vicious demon. Only during the "Master of Monster" sequence and his battle with Hugar did his appearence dissolve for a bit. A bit of lazy drawing in those two cases. Otherwise, A+ for montster Alucard.
Seras, Integra, and Walter were spot-on. They're all looking a bit leaner and edgier, which is nice, especially considering how much chubbier TV Seras was compared to manga Seras. However it seems all that chub went to...
Anderson. Anderson gained a bit of weight in his time off. He was fine as long as you didn't notice that his face is now ovular. Where did his chin go?
And the wide grins were a bit overdone. But I'm nitpicking. Much better than the TV series, though I hope the consistancy picks up a bit. Ah, and the consistancy was also lack in the...
Animation: Whereas the old series sometimes dropped to slide-show quality, things were always in motion here. Animation was for the most part fluid, and stylish. However there were a few shots re-used far too soon, and a stiff shot here and there. Much better than the old series, much better than most TV series, but as an OVA, I'd have expected more. I loved the CGI, by the way. Stylish, and not distracting.
Music: This was certainly the highlight of Gonzo's Hellsing. It really jumped out and grabbed you. Yet while it fit perfectly with that series, and is a great listen on its own, it doesn't quite mesh with the feel of Hellsing proper. Wheras the old soundtrack felt more like a stand-alone album than a soundtrack, this one was clearly made for the show. Which raises the question as to why it wasn't used more, louder, and with better placement. While it wasn't remarkable, a few tunes did stand out and it got the job done. It could be great if they'd used it with better timing, and more volume. Most of the time it took backseat to the sound effects.
Plot: If you've read the manga then you'll have no trouble jumping right into things, and enjoying the knowledge of where the show is going. It feels a bit choppy however. This is to be forgiven, since to adapt the first volume of manga they had to cram four different senarios into one episode. The pace should become less frantic after this since every volume to come has a central plot. There's much more focus on Seras than in the manga, but it's probably for the better. The first manga volume had next to no Seras in it, mostly because Kohta Hirano hadn't taken time to plan out here character. She's developed now, so it wasn't a bad choice to flesh her out in the first episode of the OVA, but she began to overshadow Alucard and Integra a bit too much. Hopefully this series won't be as Seras-centric as Gonzo's.
Overall: This is what the original series should've been, and I'm very excited that the manga storyline is being adapted. Overall it's a great watch, but it's a bit alienating for those not already familiar with the franchise. I'd just like to see the level of professionalism stepped up, and see more of a movie quality in future installments.
