It is not that often that a manga series is revisited after being given the anime treatment. Evangilion is but one of very few series that has been revisited due to tremendous demand from its fan base. But today we are lucky enough to be revisiting one of the nastiest gorefest animes to ever grace our shores.

Hellsing is perhaps one of the most well recognized and respected mangas to come out of Japan in recent years and as you would expect it has been adapted into its own 13 episode anime series in 2001 by Gonzo studios. But while this series was a fantastic adaptation it left many of fans of the manga a little let down after it omitted a large chunk of the original story. But it seems someone was listening and now we fast forward to early 2006 where a new version of Hellsing that follows the manga more closely hit Japan on DVD.

This time it seems Gonzo has been left out of the loop. Studio Satelight (Noein, Heat Guy J) and Geneon (formally Pioneer) have been given the honor of bringing us Hellsing in its ‘Ultimate’ guise. From the moment you start the feature you can see there has been money and time thrown at this project. The animation is high class and never looks out of place. The dark and moody palette of blood reds suit this version it down to a tee and there is of course more detail to be had on a second inspection. Direction by Tomokazu Tokoro is slick and what you would expect from an action orientated anime but there is nothing exception to watch out for in OVA II. Overall production vales are exceeded when compared to the Gonzo series.

But what about the story? Sadly there is nothing new in OVA II that fans of the series would need to see. It is all ground covered in the Gonzo series and while it is defiantly worth watching you may feel a little let down. The main topic of OVA II is the invasion of Hellsing’s headquarters by the Valentine brothers. Nothing more and nothing less it seems. But this is Hellsing we are talking about here! One of the most violent animes available today. If you are a fan you wont want to let this one slip through your hands because it is really what the Gonzo series should have been to begin with. 4.5 out of 5!