Topic: Favorite Dracula movie?

[Beaumont_Belmont]

I love Hellsing. I started with the TV show, got into the manga, and then saw the OVAs. One thing I thought dragged Hellsing Ultimate down though, was its soundtrack. The TV show was really eclectic and interesting- gave the show a "Tarantino does vampire hunters" feel. Ultimate's just feels so...generic by comparison.

[Ratty]

I love Hellsing. I started with the TV show, got into the manga, and then saw the OVAs. One thing I thought dragged Hellsing Ultimate down though, was its soundtrack. The TV show was really eclectic and interesting- gave the show a "Tarantino does vampire hunters" feel. Ultimate's just feels so...generic by comparison.

So many people seem to love the TV show's soundtrack and I don't know why. I've always thought it was one of the weaker points of that version. (But then my favorite music genre is Ska so what do I know?) Sure the TV show's opening theme is memorable, but I'd contend that Hellsing Ultimate's main theme is just as memorable, but more subtle. It comes down to the difference between the manga and OVA's emphasis on action and the TV show's tendency toward gothic-punk creepiness I suppose.

In my opinion the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra performing "Merche Fuenbre" at the end of OVA 2 is one of the high points of the franchise as a whole.
I'm a hardcore Hellsing fan and I still think that piece of music may be almost too good, or at least too classy, for a series that inspired the "Party Hard" style image "Nazi Vampires Eating Babies!"

[TheCruelAngel]

Seriously, Hellsing is the reason why I wish this Mr Big song was in the Karaoke songs more than others. (I lurv singing anime tunes at Karaoke like some sick weaboo)

I mean, I can't be the only one who thinks this totally thematically different song for the outro is awesome, right?

mr big - shine videoclip (correct audio)

In my opinion the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra performing "Merche Fuenbre" at the end of OVA 2 is one of the high points of the franchise as a whole.
I'm a hardcore Hellsing fan and I still think that piece of music may be almost too good, or at least too classy, for a series that inspired the "Party Hard" style image "Nazi Vampires Eating Babies!"

I also love the scene with Rip singing.

Tags for violence and spoilers. But seriously, an awesome scene.

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Hellsing Ultimate IV Rip Van Winkle

[Ratty]

I also love the scene with Rip singing.

Tags for violence and spoilers. But seriously, an awesome scene.

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Hellsing Ultimate IV Rip Van Winkle

Rip is in the same figurative boat with Jan Valentine in that her appearance is brief but extremely memorable. An example of how Hirano was able to make characters at once freakishly evil yet strangely likable.

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Her death is also one of the few scenes in the series that really disturbs me. Since it's blatantly a figurative rape by Alucard in which he impales her on her own gun with cruel slowness. She may be a Nazi but before that we had only seen her kill people who deserved it. If you weren't sure before that Alucard is evil, just a lesser evil than the 3rd Reich, Rip's death is the scene that cements this information.

[Abnormal Freak]

I would agree with you except that parts 1 and 2 are just about perfect adaptations in terms of pacing and everything else.

That's kind of odd to read because I felt the first episode more than any other tried to squeeze a whole lot of story into 45 minutes. One of the coolest segments from the TV show is in the first episode when Alucard confronts the priest in the church, which was taken pretty much word-for-word from the manga and was paced really well. OVA episode 1 takes that, squashes it to a much shorter running time, and doesn't even get the setting right—they were so focused on just getting it over with that the confrontation happens out in the woods or a plain. I hated that. That first episode actually made me swear off the series for quite some time; I'd already spent a hell of a lot of money on one episode that I wound up not caring much for, so I didn't see the remaining (available) three eps until years later when I rented them from Netflix. It was primarily with those later episodes that I came to enjoy the show a lot more, though a rewatching of the first episode did also make me enjoy it considerably more. Guess I needed some time away from it, heh.

[Ratty]

That's kind of odd to read because I felt the first episode more than any other tried to squeeze a whole lot of story into 45 minutes. One of the coolest segments from the TV show is in the first episode when Alucard confronts the priest in the church, which was taken pretty much word-for-word from the manga and was paced really well. OVA episode 1 takes that, squashes it to a much shorter running time, and doesn't even get the setting right—they were so focused on just getting it over with that the confrontation happens out in the woods or a plain. I hated that. That first episode actually made me swear off the series for quite some time; I'd already spent a hell of a lot of money on one episode that I wound up not caring much for, so I didn't see the remaining (available) three eps until years later when I rented them from Netflix. It was primarily with those later episodes that I came to enjoy the show a lot more, though a rewatching of the first episode did also make me enjoy it considerably more. Guess I needed some time away from it, heh.

Yeah I guess that comes down to what you're expecting/looking forward to when you go into it. I think I saw the first OVA before devouring the manga and TV show so that colored my perceptions and expectations. I wasn't really let down by anything they left out, and when I read the first volume didn't feel they'd omitted anything important. The TV show of course took it's sweet time with the early stories because that's all they had to go on, and even with lots of padding**  and some extra characters they still ran out of manga before 13 episodes were up. Which version is better is entirely opinion of course. And I'll always think the manga is the best.

On a less opinion-driven note though, I just head that OVA 10 is supposed to be over an hour long. That's good, hopefully it means they won't have to abridge the final chapter.

**Well done, moody padding one could argue. But still padding.

[TheCruelAngel]

I started with the TV series, went manga and then finally OVA. I really enjoyed the TV series until I read the manga and was blown away by the millennium arc, and felt pretty ripped off for Geneon's version of the ending, well except for one part.

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Dang that was cool! While I think Ultimate is better than the series only because it follows the manga closer (which is amazing), I do have to admit the first parts of the tv series were definitely well paced and incredibly enjoyable. In fact, I think I'm going to dust off my old Hellsing dvds and watch some tonight!

[Ratty]

I started with the TV series, went manga and then finally OVA. I really enjoyed the TV series until I read the manga and was blown away by the millennium arc, and felt pretty ripped off for Geneon's version of the ending, well except for one part.

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Dang that was cool! While I think Ultimate is better than the series only because it follows the manga closer (which is amazing), I do have to admit the first parts of the tv series were definitely well paced and incredibly enjoyable. In fact, I think I'm going to dust off my old Hellsing dvds and watch some tonight!

Yeah, Alucard as Vlad in the previews for Ultimate look pretty cool to. His enthusiastic use of impalement in the manga and OVA is also a gruesomely gory and appropriate nod to our favorite historical monster.

[Flame]

I DID love the part in the manga where the destroyed Aircraft Carrier starts moving up the Thames with Alucard on board, and the narration tells the story of the Demeter which Dracula originally arrived to England aboard.

Followed of course, by Alucard Unleashing his legions and arriving in full armor as Vlad Dracula

[Abnormal Freak]

So many people seem to love the TV show's soundtrack and I don't know why. I've always thought it was one of the weaker points of that version. (But then my favorite music genre is Ska so what do I know?) Sure the TV show's opening theme is memorable, but I'd contend that Hellsing Ultimate's main theme is just as memorable, but more subtle. It comes down to the difference between the manga and OVA's emphasis on action and the TV show's tendency toward gothic-punk creepiness I suppose.

OVA's music is largely forgettable, IMO. TV series' tunes stick out so much because, yeah, they're awesome rock tracks with a lot of experimentalism in instrument usage and production. It brought a great deal of style to the TV series.

[Ratty]

OVA's music is largely forgettable, IMO. TV series' tunes stick out so much because, yeah, they're awesome rock tracks with a lot of experimentalism in instrument usage and production. It brought a great deal of style to the TV series.

Eh, I disagree but "De gustibus non est disputandum"
Personally I found the music in the TV show distracting and out-of-place feeling as often as not. Didn't seem to mesh with what the manga was trying to do. It was it's own thing. A lot of people like it though and used it (rather unfairly in my opinion) as the stick to measure the rest of the franchise. I remember reading on livejournal (yeah that's how far back this was lol) when the manga ended people who seemed to be primarily fans of the show saying Kouta Hirano clearly didn't know how to handle his own characters or premise.

[Abnormal Freak]

Well, damn. Right Stuf no longer has the Hellsing Ultimate BDs on sale. First set was around $35, now it's closer to $45. Dammit... Waited too long.

Guess I'll wait and see what Amazon does, or maybe I can get 'em fairly cheap during a Deep Discount sale (they usually have one in November).

[TheMalphas]

I go either with Coppola's Dracula or Nosferatu. Gotta love that eerie looking vampire!

[Abnormal Freak]

Ratty, maybe you'll know the answer to this. Any idea if Hellsing Ultimate was animated/mastered in standard def or not? I'm guessing being originally a production from '06, it's likely SD. Just wondering because these Blu-ray shots look like upconverts (ya gotta be logged in to see 'em full 1080p). FUNimation seem to be pretty good about getting actual HD source materials when available or granted to them, and their upconverts seem to be all right save for a few rocky titles in the beginning (first Samurai Champloo BD set sucked pretty bad, though the "remastered" [a.k.a. properly upscaled] one is really nice).

Anyway, set's around $35 on Deep Discount so I placed an order. Wish it weren't so pricy, but I imagine the three included DVDs drove the price up quite a bit. Guess even the anime business has to go the way of the combo pack these days.

[Ratty]

Ratty, maybe you'll know the answer to this. Any idea if Hellsing Ultimate was animated/mastered in standard def or not? I'm guessing being originally a production from '06, it's likely SD. Just wondering because these Blu-ray shots look like upconverts (ya gotta be logged in to see 'em full 1080p). FUNimation seem to be pretty good about getting actual HD source materials when available or granted to them, and their upconverts seem to be all right save for a few rocky titles in the beginning (first Samurai Champloo BD set sucked pretty bad, though the "remastered" [a.k.a. properly upscaled] one is really nice).

Anyway, set's around $35 on Deep Discount so I placed an order. Wish it weren't so pricy, but I imagine the three included DVDs drove the price up quite a bit. Guess even the anime business has to go the way of the combo pack these days.

They had HD masters, at least that's what the packaging on my old DVD sets say "16x9 Anamorphic Widescreen [Encoded From HD Master]"