[merylsilverburg]

Well, I saw the first episode (the only one released) of the new Hellsing OVA some days ago and here are my thoughts on it.

EDIT: I saw this unsubbed, no translation or anything. So, if there are any context/conversation changes in the first episode, I wouldn't know about it...though listening to the Japanese (even with my little knowledge), there doesn't seem to be much differences.

The sad thing about watching the first episode is that if you've seen certain episodes of the TV series, you're going to be a bit bored. That's because the first episode shows a brief glimpse of Integral's childhood, the vampire priest, the meeting of Seras, a brief section of those pesky teenage vampires, and the meeting of Anderson and the whole first fight between Arucard and Anderson. And that's it for now.

The good thing about this first episode, though, is that it takes care of all the unnecessary plots/filler stories out of the way. Since the OVA is going to follow the manga story, I believe the rest of the episodes will start getting into the main plot, which centers around this secret organization and involving the Nazis. If you've read most of the English-translated manga, you know it's pretty good stuff.

The art is drawn to resemble Hirano's style, so character designs will look similar to the manga (not much of a difference between the TV except Seras' uniform is yellow this time, not blue), which I thought was pretty neat to see. The animation is quite nice, more detail, more fluidity/consistency.

One gripe that I have: Seras' goofiness and zany-Hirano-humor, unfortunately, might be more present in the OVA this time. In the TV, the only times you see Seras acting like an semi-idiot was during the next-episode previews. Otherwise, she was serious most of the time, despite being sort of a wimp. In the OVA, you'll see some of those notorious bright patterned backgrounds indicating a comedic scene and Seras acting like a dork. Don't worry though; she gets down to business faster than in the TV and her development is sped up. For Integral fans, she's a bit more considerate and caring this time around (like in the manga), which I like much better. This gives me the impression that she really is a strong, capable woman than the shouting, "I'm-trying-to-be-dominant-to-hide-my-weakness-but-you-can-still-clearly-see-I'm-weak" attitude she had in the TV.

Also, the music isn't as catchy this time. What I loved about the TV was that the music really set the tone/mood for the dark, horror-esque feel of the show. Now, there's more orchestrated pieces...no more clunky piano playing or rock guitar...of course, this is just the first episode, so things might change later.

Finally, for those who are fans of the sub, all the original voice actors/actresses are back, except for Anderson. He's replaced by the guy who originally voiced Richard (Integral's uncle) in the TV. A huge bummer because I loved TV Anderson's crazy, insane cackle and attitude.

Overall, I think this series will be really great if they keep everything consistent and following the manga plot because there will be much character insight and development this time around.

EDIT 2: I forgot to mention that the series might be a bit more graphic, sexual-wise, than the TV. There was the groping of Seras in the first episode, so this is just a warning to those who are underage or are offended by these things.