On December 5th Geneon will release Hellsing Ultimate Vol.1, the first in a series of OVAs (original video animation) based on Kouta Hirano's popular Hellsing manga, which features the charismatic vampire-hunting vampire Alucard ('Dracula' spelled backwards). Gonzo produced a 13-episode Hellsing TV anime series in 2001 (which Geneon also released in the U.S starting in 2002), but the plot of the TV anime differed in some important regards from Hirano's manga. The new OVA, produced by Satelight, hews very closely to the plot of the first volume of the manga series, and has been eagerly awaited by
The 50-minute Hellsing Ultimate Vol. 1 will retail for $24.98, with a limited edition version available for $44.98. Geneon has brought back the English dub cast of the Gonzo series to voice the new Hellsing Ultimate OVA. A second volume in the OVA series was released in
Geneon has not announced any TV showings of the new Hellsing Ultimate OVAs. Starz/Encore Action Channel did show the 13-episode Gonzo Hellsing series in late 2003.
The Hellsing manga (published by Dark Horse in the