Hellsing Manga Review

Hellsing Manga

Volume one

When I first picked up Hellsing, I expected a lot. So many people talk about how great the manga is and that they loved it. I have seen some of the anime series so I knew somewhat how awesome it could be. Well sadly I was wrong. Most of my dislike actually stems from the translation (I hope). The site I read Hellsing on had a terrible translating and editing team. If you do read the manga, please purchase it to get a better experience.

The Plot of Hellsing

Iscariot, Hellsing, Nazi

The basic plot is about vampires and Christianity, oh and the Nazis. Basically a fat ugly Nazi man from WWII is still trying to carry out orders of taking over Europe, but this time he has vampires to help him. But before all this happens, Integra Hellsing finds Alucard in her basement. She is being chased by her uncle after her father dies while she is still a young child. Locked in the basement is the most powerful vampire, Alucard. Alucard swears his loyalty to Sir Hellsing (they call Integra sir even though she is female). As time goes on, Integra has Alucard hunt and kill vampires for the Queen of England.

In the present time, Hellsing, the Millennium, and the Iscariot are finishing a battle from WWII. Sturmbannführer, the leader of the Millennium group, has lead his band of vampires to London to act out a war he has wants badly. He is obsessed with war and killing Alucard. He does not care who dies to do kill him, but he wants the downfall of the Hellsing organization. Meanwhile the Iscariot is directly from the Vatican and the Priest Anderson is attempting to take out Alucard as well. The plot really unfolds in the last two books about how every knows everyone else and what Sturmbannführer really has in store for Alucard.

The Characters of Hellsing

Alucard and Integra

Alucard is the main character of Hellsing. He is an age old vampire that has the ability to look like anyone he has consumed. He can call upon armies of people to destroy for him, that is if he drank their blood. He creates Ceres, another vampire that works for Integra. She is a weak character at first, but eventually earns her way. Integra is the leader of the Hellsing organization and is also a valuable asset to the Queen and the Protestant Knights.

Father Anderson is the main vampire killer of the Iscariot group. He is a truly devoted Catholic and tries everything in his power (and Gods) to destroy Alucard. Sturmbannführer is a short fat ugly man in the control of the Nazi army. He only wants a war because he is obsessed with blood.

The characters are really terrible in the manga. A lot of side characters look alike and you can never tell if it is a male of female at times. There is really no character development at all in the manga and they are all Christian crazy whether they are vampires, werewolf's, or just demonic humans.

The Artwork of Hellsing

Manga Cover

The artwork is shotty. For a manga that is so popular I would have expected more. The females either have huge breasts or look like males. One character even had huge breasts to begin with and then suddenly had a breast reduction within a matter of minutes. I thought it was a brother or something of the character. The only thing that I loved about the artwork was Alucard. He was always in impressive poses. The background and vehicles were actually realistic looking. The artist is a good artist, just over dramatic with the characters.

I know a lot of people will probably disagree with my review on Hellsing. It is a real popular Anime/Manga and I don't want people to start thinking I don't know my Anime. I'm sure the majority of my issue lies within the translation of this manga, but still Hellsing is not one of my favorite manga's.

Overall Grade 4/10