Thursday, October 31, 2019

Hellsing Ultimate Part 5 Episodes 9-10


It has been the longest night of several lives.  Through it all, battles waged for decades are drawing to their conclusions.  London is in ruins.  The death toll is beyond comprehension.  And the last three survivors of the Hellsing Organization stand ready to face their final foes, the deadliest ones who have saved their appearances for last.  Will the traitorous Walter finally achieve his dream of slaying Alucard?  Can Integra slay the Major before anymore carnage can be unleashed?  What fate awaits Alucard when he confronts his own past and his future?  For many, tonight is the final night of their existence.  Whether it will end in blood or glory or both, the final battle has begun.

Well that was…surprisingly underfreakingwhelming.  Like wow, did the series suddenly forget it had a finale it had to deliver on or did it just say, nope that Alucard vs. Anderson brawl was pretty damn big so we are kind of at a loss for how we should close things out.  It wasn’t the smoothest ride to this finale but it was a fun one…which is more than I can say for these two rather lackluster episodes for Hellsing Ultimate.

The biggest problem with Episodes 9 and 10 (and there are many) is just how plain slow and boring it all is.  I know I praised and criticized the gore and shock value of earlier episodes but it spoke volumes as to how far this adaptation of the manga was willing to go.  The last two episodes would rather depend on endless monologues and attempts to rationalize out of left field betrayals or overall motivations to decades long plans.  Is there action?  Yes but it is far more minimal than should be expected.  I honestly don’t care about why the Major does what he does or wants what he wants.  His schtick has been the same since his first frame and I was honestly tuning out his speeches during his big confrontation with Integra.  I…don’t…care.  And really, how disappointing is it that Integra and Seras fought their way through a literal picture of Hell incarnate just to reach the final boss and endure another 15min monologue with little action?  I feel like calling this a letdown is rather generous.  Also the Major is a cyborg?  Jeez he’ll do anything for attention wont he.  Nope, I’m checked out of his bs, I’m done.

Then there’s the matter of the aforementioned “Betrayals out of left field”.  Walters sudden heel turn is…come on what the hell?  Was he a traitor all this time?  When was he turned?  Was this really just to get in a big fight with Alucard for the sake of a pointless battle (flashy but pointless)?  This wasn’t handled very well in the Manga and it could have been a bit more cleared up here as well, but it isn’t and only serves to hamper the finale even further.  The madness of Maxwell and the slow powder keg build up to Anderson’s rematch with Alucard all felt like natural progressions for all characters and led to equally natural conclusions.  The moment Alucard bids farewell to Anderson could have been the moment the series ended for me even without the Major being dealt with because that was one of the last plotlines I actually cared about.  But when Walter appears and starts going all traitor on everyone, that’s where the problems began and hardly let up. 

Was there anything good about the last two episodes?  Some but not much.  Integra and Seras double teaming Millenium was fun and Seras teaming up with Pip as her Familiar to kill the Nazi Werewolf Captain was a pretty good time as well.  As for the time skip?  I guess it’s the only way to ensure that we got some kind of a happy ending after Alucard was abruptly and confusingly removed from the last episode.  I don’t get the Schrodinger’s Cat thing and I don’t want it explained, like much else in this finale, I don’t care.  What matters is that despite the Majors insistence that he had won his only real battle in life, Alucard’s alive and back with the two women who matter most (Seras and Integra), end of story.  It was also neat to see an aged but still gorgeous Integra training the next generation of Hellsing operatives alongside Seras and see the Vatican is still in play despite heavy loses.

Time for final thoughts.  Hellsing Ultimate was a much more faithful adaptation of the Manga compared to the TV Series, mostly because the Manga was finished and could be told in full.  And yet sometimes this was a bit too faithful.  From the monologues to the emphasis on Hellish imagery, sometimes Ultimate lived up too much to its namesake.  Then there’s the last two episodes that definitely detract a full point, maybe a point and a half for not delivering on the massive build up of the previous episodes.  Despite the shortcomings, we did get to see Alucard, Seras, Integra, Walter and Anderson the way they were always meant to be seen.  The action was fast, furious and bloody fun.  The return of the cast of the TV Series English Dub helped remind us why Hellsing isn’t the same without them.  And all three animation studios worked overtime to bring us the full force of the nightmarish imagery show in Hellsing Ultimate and all should be commended on a job well done.  Some of that imagery could have be sacrificed in favor of some better developed relationships (you could also sacrifice like 50% or more of the Major’s one note and on endless repeat monologues).  Still, if you wanted violent action, you came to the right place.  Still, it’s hard to believe the TV Series might’ve had a better ending because it was A. Shorter and B. More happened despite it also being lackluster…man that’s wild.

Final score for Hellsing Ultimate is 7/10.  I know that’s going to ruffle some feathers but the mistakes of the finale and the main villain are things I cant ignore or pretend I enjoyed.  Other than that, this is a good horror action anime that you’ll enjoy if you liked the Manga or the TV Series.  And when it’s at it’s most fun (peaking around Episode 8), it is one helluva good time.  With that all said and done, November arrives next and with it my long awaited review of the second season of Kakegurui, Kakegurui XX.  My favorite sexy and insane Gambling Queen Yumeko Jabami returns next Monday right here at the Gundam Anime Corner.  See ya then and Happy Halloween.

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