Hellsing series

[tanahome]

I know that there are 4 DVDs for Hellsing. But does anyone know how many DVDs there are supposed to be for Hellsing Ultimate? the last to be released from Geneon is Hellsing Ultimate DVD 3, which is scheduled for Oct. 16th next week.

currently, i already have Hellsing (haven' watched it yet) and i have Hellsing Ultimate DVD 2 on ordered, but i just found out that Geneon will not complete this series. i'm debating if i should cancel the order for DVD 2, or just jug along and collect as much as i can before it's too late.

[ShieldAnvil]

Don't think anyone knows how long Hellsing Ultimate is going to be. The manga is still ongoing and I think episode 4 of the anime is going to be released in a couple of months.
From wikipedia: "The fourth volume was set to be released in Japan on October 5, 2007, but has been postponed as mentioned on the Official Site"
I think there's a good chance that someone will pick up this series if Geneon can't continue, so I'm still buying it.

[joelgundam01]

Hellsing Ultimate is still in production in Japan (it's an OVA), so it's hard to say how many volumes there will be.

Also, it's very possible that this title will be license rescued in some way. We still don't know what's going to happen in the next three months with Geneon. They are shutting down at the end of the year, but a lot can happen in three months.

[Lego]

I know that there are 4 DVDs for Hellsing. But does anyone know how many DVDs there are supposed to be for Hellsing Ultimate? the last to be released from Geneon is Hellsing Ultimate DVD 3, which is scheduled for Oct. 16th next week.

currently, i already have Hellsing (haven' watched it yet) and i have Hellsing Ultimate DVD 2 on ordered, but i just found out that Geneon will not complete this series. i'm debating if i should cancel the order for DVD 2, or just jug along and collect as much as i can before it's too late.

Hellsing Ultimate Vol. 3 is already shipping. In fact I already have it on my shelf. The sky seems to be the limit for Hellsing Ultimate, but with the demise of Geneon in the R1 market it's up in the air what will happen as Geneon funded it. I'm sure that someone will step up to the plate either in the US or Japan, but I'd keep an eye out to see what happens with the OVA series.

If you're a Hellsing fan, I'd say go get it. If you're just getting it because it seems interesting or you're a completionist, I'd wait until you see what happens with the rest of it.

[tanahome]

oh, man... tough call... i did get DVD2 for $14, so that was a good deal. i guess if TRSI has a Geneon sale like i'm hoping for, then i may pick up the rest.

but heck, Hellsing Ultimate is an OVA and it's still "on-going"??? i thought OVAs are typically 1-3 episodes. does that mean OVAs are typically released in theatres, or is it just that it means higher quality animation and typically takes a longer time to be released.

[Lego]

I think Japan is up to volume 4 or 5. I imagine they have enough money to keep going but have no distributor. OVA's are released DVD only most of the time. It's like one of those direct to video movies some of the US studios put out.

[VinceA]

According to Wikipedia:
"Hellsing creator, Kouta Hirano stated in an interview that he will finish Hellsing in about a year and a half to two years with volume number 10"

Each disc contains one OVA episode which covers one volume of manga so I'm guessing that there will be ten discs. So, it might be another four years or more before the whole thing is released here in the US.

[Andrew Cunningham]

OAV's are direct to video; higher quality than TV, lower quality than movies.
They can be however many episodes the story and sales dictate.

[tanahome]

OAV's are direct to video; higher quality than TV, lower quality than movies.
They can be however many episodes the story and sales dictate.
wow, and i thought i knew what OVAs meant. thx! now, that seems like an interesting concept in how Hellsing Ultimate is being done. are there any other series that is being released the same way?

[joelgundam01]

are there any other series that is being released the same way?

Several in the past:

Yukikaze (5 episodes)
Blue Sub No.6 (4 episodes)
Bubblegum Crisis (8 episodes)
Devil Hunter Yohko (5 episodes and music videos)
Tenchi Muyo (season 1 - 6 episodes, season 2 - 6 episodes, one special and season 3 - 5 episodes)
Gundam 08th MS Team (12 episodes and 1 special)
Gundam 0083 (13 episodes)
Gundam 0080 (6 episodes)

And the list goes on and on.

[Raye]

You might as well keep your order placed. If there's any title in the Geneon catalog that will likely be saved by another company, it's Hellsing Ultimate. If you wanted to wait for the entire series to come out, I'm guessing it will be quite some time from now, perhaps three years or more down the line. The fourth installment of Hellsing Ultimate hasn't been released in Japan yet, and the last time I checked their web site, an official date had yet to be announced. Yet, they did have the cover art featured for the regular edition. It's a really good series IMO. Best you keep it and buy that third volume. Even if it does remain incomplete, at least it's a worthy series to have amongst your DVD collection.

[tanahome]

You might as well keep your order placed. If there's any title in the Geneon catalog that will likely be saved by another company, it's Hellsing Ultimate. If you wanted to wait for the entire series to come out, I'm guessing it will be quite some time from now, perhaps three years or more down the line. The fourth installment of Hellsing Ultimate hasn't been released in Japan yet, and the last time I checked their web site, an official date had yet to be announced. Yet, they did have the cover art featured for the regular edition. It's a really good series IMO. Best you keep it and buy that third volume. Even if it does remain incomplete, at least it's a worthy series to have amongst your DVD collection.
good point! well, another stupid question i have is, since it's released in OVA-style and far and few in-between, are each episodes sort of standalones in Hellsing Ultimate? or do they leave you at cliff-hangars awaiting for the next OVA episode? i presume it's more likely the latter just to keep the audience to come back for some more, eh?

[Hayate Kurogane]

good point! well, another stupid question i have is, since it's released in OVA-style and far and few in-between, are each episodes sort of standalones in Hellsing Ultimate? or do they leave you at cliff-hangars awaiting for the next OVA episode? i presume it's more likely the latter just to keep the audience to come back for some more, eh?

Each episode roughly corresponds to one volume of the manga, with the end result being each episode thus far covering one particular story arc.

Now, the Hellsing manga, with the arguable exception of the first volume, features story arcs that are very much connected. For example, they may fight a particular villain in a certain location in one volume, and in the next volume they would move to another location in search of that villain's boss. Different story arcs, but continuing the same story.

Because the OVA episodes are following the manga volumes pretty closely, you'll get the same sort of thing happening. Each episode will have a beginning, middle, and end, but they will also have dialogue and discussions about things that will carry on into the next volume, and the bigger storylines that get mentioned will not be resolved in just one episode.

So, in one way, as you can see, they are kind of cliffhangers. But it's not as bad as it could be. No episode (so far) stops right in the middle of an important fight, or with a shot of Alucard turning around and saying, "So, it was you!" before the credits start rolling, or any really bad cliffhangers like that.

[tanahome]

Now, the Hellsing manga, with the arguable exception of the first volume, features story arcs that are very much connected. For example, they may fight a particular villain in a certain location in one volume, and in the next volume they would move to another location in search of that villain's boss. Different story arcs, but continuing the same story.
hmm... should i consider getting the manga also? so far, i only see 8 volumes for the Hellsing manga. does that cover both Hellsing and Hellsing Ultimate? or is there more to come?

[Hayate Kurogane]

Now, the Hellsing manga, with the arguable exception of the first volume, features story arcs that are very much connected. For example, they may fight a particular villain in a certain location in one volume, and in the next volume they would move to another location in search of that villain's boss. Different story arcs, but continuing the same story.
hmm... should i consider getting the manga also? so far, i only see 8 volumes for the Hellsing manga. does that cover both Hellsing and Hellsing Ultimate? or is there more to come?

The manga is very much worth getting, in my opinion. There are only 8 volumes released in English at the moment. Volume 9 is either close to being compiled, or has just been released in Japan. The author has stated that the series will most likely end with volume 10, but that remains to be seen.

Hellsing Ultimate is mostly accurate to the manga. As I mentioned in my previous post, each episode covers more or less one volume of manga. They may move a scene or two around a bit, as they did in the second episode, in which the opening scene is a flashback that actually didn't appear until several manga volumes later.

The Hellsing TV series was made several years ago when the manga was still in progress. Many parts of the TV series were created out of nowhere, to pad out the length of the series and to create a version of the story that the TV series staff wanted to make. This is something that happens all the time when a company decides to make more money by animating a popular manga that may not have enough material to use for a whole TV series. They just have to make stuff up to fill space.

The first six episodes of the TV series include parts from the first two volumes of manga, and if you watch those episodes and then watch episodes 1 and 2 of Hellsing Ultimate, you'll probably feel a strong sense of deja vu since they cover the same events. The TV series version cuts out a major fight scene that's the highlight of the first volume of manga, due to budget reasons, but the Hellsing Ultimate version includes the fight. It also adds a bunch of events that were never in the manga.

The second half of the TV series (episodes 7-13) is entirely made up, and features a villain and a storyline that were never in the manga. The third episode of Hellsing Ultimate, however, sticks with the original manga, and so proceeds with the manga storyline and events and doesn't resemble the TV series at all any more.

The Hellsing TV series and Hellsing Ultimate are two different interpretations of the same material: the original manga. As long as they keep making more episodes of Hellsing Ultimate, it will probably continue to be basically the events of the manga in anime form (which many folks are eagerly looking forward to).

[HitokiriShadow]

The first Hellsing series followed the manga more or less up to about episode 6 then forged its own path. Hellsing Ultimate is a faithful adaptation of the manga. So there is some overlap in what is covered in the Hellsing TV series and what is covered in Ultimate.

Volume 8 is the most recent volume of the manga in the U.S. I don't think volume 9 has come out yet in Japan, but it is ongoing and will, supposedly, end with 10 volumes.

[tanahome]

The manga is very much worth getting, in my opinion. There are only 8 volumes released in English at the moment. Volume 9 is either close to being compiled, or has just been released in Japan. The author has stated that the series will most likely end with volume 10, but that remains to be seen.
So, if there are 10 manga volumes, then the theory is that there will be 10 DVDs of Hellsing Ultimate? dang, we're really short-ended with Geneon closing, but i heard a good chance that some other studio will pick up the license.


The Hellsing TV series and Hellsing Ultimate are two different interpretations of the same material: the original manga. As long as they keep making more episodes of Hellsing Ultimate, it will probably continue to be basically the events of the manga in anime form (which many folks are eagerly looking forward to).
ok, now i understand where my confusion is. Hellsing is the TV series and loosely based on the first few volumes of the Hellsing manga. and Hellsing Ultimate, which is the OVA, is a total re-telling of the manga starting at volume 1 again.

[Hayate Kurogane]

The manga is very much worth getting, in my opinion. There are only 8 volumes released in English at the moment. Volume 9 is either close to being compiled, or has just been released in Japan. The author has stated that the series will most likely end with volume 10, but that remains to be seen.
So, if there are 10 manga volumes, then the theory is that there will be 10 DVDs of Hellsing Ultimate? dang, we're really short-ended with Geneon closing, but i heard a good chance that some other studio will pick up the license.

Theoretically there will be 10 episodes/DVDs of Hellsing Ultimate eventually, if they don't stop making the anime, and it sticks to the 1-episode-per-manga-volume rate.

Hellsing is a very popular property that sells well, so the assumption is that it's the most likely of Geneon's licenses to be re-licensed by another studio and continued. There's no hard evidence yet to suggest it will be, or when it will be, especially since the Geneon situation is still being sorted out, so we'll just have to wait and see.

Volume 4 hasn't even been released in Japan yet, and was delayed from its release date this month, so even if Geneon were still operating normally we probably wouldn't have seen a release of it in the U.S. for at least another several months. So a little bit of waiting, for this title at least, isn't too unreasonable I think.


The Hellsing TV series and Hellsing Ultimate are two different interpretations of the same material: the original manga. As long as they keep making more episodes of Hellsing Ultimate, it will probably continue to be basically the events of the manga in anime form (which many folks are eagerly looking forward to).
ok, now i understand where my confusion is. Hellsing is the TV series and loosely based on the first few volumes of the Hellsing manga. and Hellsing Ultimate, which is the OVA, is a total re-telling of the manga starting at volume 1 again.

Correct.

[joelgundam01]

The first six episodes of the TV series include parts from the first two volumes of manga

And episode 10! ;)