**Spoilers**
Here we go- two shows about vampires. Well, actually one is truly about vampires (namely, Hellsing). Let's start with that first.
Hellsing, if you have noticed, is not about the guy who kills vampires (if you'd read Dracula or watched Van Helsing). Rather it's about the Helsing organization...who (you guessed it) hunts down freaks.
From the get go, the anime starts off impressively. The music accompanying is suitable and slick enough, and certainly enhances the mood.
Alucard, a vampire, works for the Helsing organization (he has his own motives, but also because he is a servant the organization's head- Sir Integra Helsing) hunting down vampires. Throughout the entire anime, we see him getting sliced, diced and chopped (or blown) into bits, and yet he never dies.
He is of course, an immortal vampire (also, the legendary one- read his name backwards). And so the fight scenes come out rather redundant- we know who's going to win anyway. That is, if you come to watch it with no previous knowledge. Then, you'll have a little more fun.
The series is also centered on Serris Victoria, a person turned into a vampire (see the first episode). Being a new vampire is not easy, although you do get to carry some lovely weapons with easy.
Yes, while this show has some plot and character, in the end we stay for the action. And Alucard creaming the vampires. Woohoo, the anti-hero saves the day.
I watched it in English, and I must say, this is the first anime I've come across whose English dub is better than the Japanese one (or at least, more authentic- you get to hear the character's English and Irish accents, and not static Japanese throughout). The voice acting is done well, Alucard's being very much believable.
There's a lot of violence in the show (decapitation, mutilation etc.). And of course, where there are vampires, there must be some sort of sexual overtone as well, and while there is no overt nudity here, there is lots of implied sexuality throughout.
Hellsing is not without its religious themes as well, although they are the fantastical and exaggerated sort, it's interesting to see how they play out.
The Helsing organization as it happens, is Protestant (actually, to be exact, Anglican) and they are often at odds with (if not vampires) the Vatican.
It's an enjoyable watch, sometimes intriguing, though being, very often, a "been there, done that" one. After all, this genre is close to being exhausted.
Trinity Blood, also by Gonzo, fares about the same, while being much longer (24 episodes compared to Hellsing's 13).
There are no real vampires here, just genetically altered beings that come close to the real thing. There is of course, very little occultic/spiritual elements here, most, if not all the stuff is science-fiction.
It's the end of the world (nuclear war, what else) and the Terrans (unfortunately, it's a close to overused word to describe us earthlings), emerging from the rubble, find themselves confronted with a new enemy- the Methuselah (a.k.a. the Vampires).
Fast forward a few hundred years to where the anime takes place. The Catholic church is a major power, and they are in a cold war with the Methuselah (or the New Human Empire).
While not filling us on all the details completely, it nevertheless sets up an interesting story. I found it not very original, but still, it entertains.
Anyway, the main guy here is Abel Nightroad, your typical clueless priest (we see his idiocy on a couple of occasions). But he is also a very much lethal weapon, something that not even the Methuselah, with their enhanced powers, can fight against.
One problem with Trinity Blood is that it goes too slow. Many episodes contribute little to the overall plot, and I was left feeling bored on occasions. In the end, I think, the only thing that brought me through to the end of the series was my wanting to watch Abel in Crusnik mode, which is (fanboy-esque rave here) super cool.
Animation wise, I thought it was superb, combining CGI with 2D (as always with most of Gonzo's work nowadays). Nevertheless, the plot development was half-baked, and we are never quite interested with many of the characters. The ending leaves much to be desired, though I suppose you're gonna have to resort to the novels, from which this anime is adapted from.
Much of the content here is in violence (not as extreme as Hellsing, but not for children, nonetheless), and there is a variety of religious references. And there is the mandatory bathhouse scene (that's seinen for you).
Other than that, it's not that remarkable. Storywise, it could've been much better. The fight scenes, while good enough, would be boring to someone who has watched enough Naruto (not me, thankfully).
Here we go- two shows about vampires. Well, actually one is truly about vampires (namely, Hellsing). Let's start with that first.
Hellsing, if you have noticed, is not about the guy who kills vampires (if you'd read Dracula or watched Van Helsing). Rather it's about the Helsing organization...who (you guessed it) hunts down freaks.
From the get go, the anime starts off impressively. The music accompanying is suitable and slick enough, and certainly enhances the mood.
Alucard, a vampire, works for the Helsing organization (he has his own motives, but also because he is a servant the organization's head- Sir Integra Helsing) hunting down vampires. Throughout the entire anime, we see him getting sliced, diced and chopped (or blown) into bits, and yet he never dies.
He is of course, an immortal vampire (also, the legendary one- read his name backwards). And so the fight scenes come out rather redundant- we know who's going to win anyway. That is, if you come to watch it with no previous knowledge. Then, you'll have a little more fun.
The series is also centered on Serris Victoria, a person turned into a vampire (see the first episode). Being a new vampire is not easy, although you do get to carry some lovely weapons with easy.
Yes, while this show has some plot and character, in the end we stay for the action. And Alucard creaming the vampires. Woohoo, the anti-hero saves the day.
I watched it in English, and I must say, this is the first anime I've come across whose English dub is better than the Japanese one (or at least, more authentic- you get to hear the character's English and Irish accents, and not static Japanese throughout). The voice acting is done well, Alucard's being very much believable.
There's a lot of violence in the show (decapitation, mutilation etc.). And of course, where there are vampires, there must be some sort of sexual overtone as well, and while there is no overt nudity here, there is lots of implied sexuality throughout.
Hellsing is not without its religious themes as well, although they are the fantastical and exaggerated sort, it's interesting to see how they play out.
The Helsing organization as it happens, is Protestant (actually, to be exact, Anglican) and they are often at odds with (if not vampires) the Vatican.
It's an enjoyable watch, sometimes intriguing, though being, very often, a "been there, done that" one. After all, this genre is close to being exhausted.
Trinity Blood, also by Gonzo, fares about the same, while being much longer (24 episodes compared to Hellsing's 13).
There are no real vampires here, just genetically altered beings that come close to the real thing. There is of course, very little occultic/spiritual elements here, most, if not all the stuff is science-fiction.
It's the end of the world (nuclear war, what else) and the Terrans (unfortunately, it's a close to overused word to describe us earthlings), emerging from the rubble, find themselves confronted with a new enemy- the Methuselah (a.k.a. the Vampires).
Fast forward a few hundred years to where the anime takes place. The Catholic church is a major power, and they are in a cold war with the Methuselah (or the New Human Empire).
While not filling us on all the details completely, it nevertheless sets up an interesting story. I found it not very original, but still, it entertains.
Anyway, the main guy here is Abel Nightroad, your typical clueless priest (we see his idiocy on a couple of occasions). But he is also a very much lethal weapon, something that not even the Methuselah, with their enhanced powers, can fight against.
One problem with Trinity Blood is that it goes too slow. Many episodes contribute little to the overall plot, and I was left feeling bored on occasions. In the end, I think, the only thing that brought me through to the end of the series was my wanting to watch Abel in Crusnik mode, which is (fanboy-esque rave here) super cool.
Animation wise, I thought it was superb, combining CGI with 2D (as always with most of Gonzo's work nowadays). Nevertheless, the plot development was half-baked, and we are never quite interested with many of the characters. The ending leaves much to be desired, though I suppose you're gonna have to resort to the novels, from which this anime is adapted from.
Much of the content here is in violence (not as extreme as Hellsing, but not for children, nonetheless), and there is a variety of religious references. And there is the mandatory bathhouse scene (that's seinen for you).
Other than that, it's not that remarkable. Storywise, it could've been much better. The fight scenes, while good enough, would be boring to someone who has watched enough Naruto (not me, thankfully).
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