Story/Character Development:
Structurally, the story intrigues. But what ever it gains with the originality of its premise it loses with the sheer inability to mold that into a cohesive, emotionally dynamic story. The characters remain sessile as the story washes over them.
Art/Animation:
At first glance, you wouldn't think Hellsing is a Gonzo series. For starters, there's none of Gonzo's trademark overuse of CG that disappointed some viewers of their previous works (Blue Sub, Gatekeepers, Vandread). There is CG, mind you, but for the most part, Hellsing looks like it was animated by hand, which should please those fans who were worried that anime as a whole was turning into something remarkably akin to Reboot. Unfortunately, quality animation comes with a price as evidenced by the standard budget saving techniques that hamper this production. Hellsing has its fair share of scenes with a few too many long dramatic pauses, a few more too many pans across a single image and some amusingly obvious attempts to hide the speaking character's mouth. Most will find, however, that the action scenes and overall cool of the series make up for the slow parts. As a side note, Hirano's unique art style incorporates a lot of hatching, which makes for a new retro look that is surprisingly clean when animated.
Music:
Hellsing has an eclectic soundtrack that consists mostly of snazzy guitar and piano tunes with a few distinctly "vampirish" tracks thrown in for atmosphere. If you like the music of Cowboy Bebop or just classic rock guitar in general, the Hellsing soundtrack might be right up your alley.
Story and Plot:
Hellsing takes a familiar premise (an group sworn to fight monsters) and makes it fresh. No super final attacks, no heroic, world-threatening destinies, no annoyingly out of place comedy and very little ego. It is a stylish take on the vampire genre with a little bit of cyberpunk thrown in which results in a gritty, seriousness easily appreciated by western audiences. Unfortunately Hellsing suffers from a slight lack of plot. After you're done being wowed by the coolness of it all, you begin to notice that the plot is only hinted at very obliquely, if at all. Fans of the manga (those who can read it) may be disappointed since they are given a good amount of back-story early on in the manga, but almost nothing in the anime. Hopefully this will be addressed in future volumes.
Overall:
Tugs at the heartstrings more like a spasmadic puppeteer than a tender love story. Though the time traveling structure of the piece promises much, it delivers very little.
