Hellsing
 

Has anyone else read this very entertaining and very cool manga? I started picking it up last month, and after reading the first volume I very quickly picked up the other 4 volumes that had been released (the 6th will be released tommorrow). The story goes in a sorta-kinda different direction than the anime did, mainly because the anime was made before the main story had been finished. Also, the art in the later volumes is very good, especially the faces and expressions of the characters.

One small peeve I have about it is that they translated the accents of the characters phoenetically. So, Alexander, with his crazy Irish accent, can be a bit hard to read and figure out exactly what he's saying.

Any thoughts?

Without a doubt, Hellsing is bloody good. Everything about it just reeks of style and quality, from the exquisite artwork to the deliciously morbid story. Plus, it's got vampires, which is almost always a plus in my book. Needless to say, it's one of my favorite mangas ever. I kind of like how they translated Anderson's accent, though. It reminds me of reading a Robert Burns poem, and the flavor it adds to the reading is nice and tangy. True, it can be a bit hard to make out at times, but only every now and then.

One of my favorite scenes would have to be from Order 3. (Spoilers) As the punk vampire looks through the peephole, I can't help but feel all giddy inside, knowing what fate awaits him. The gradual closeup on Alucard and that look on his face after he shoots the door to pieces is also priceless. Priceless, I say!

Also, you may wish to check out "Priest." It's a manwha - originally printed in left-to-right format, from what I've heard - set in the old American West, rife with macabre imagery and undead up the wazoo. I've peeked at it once or twice, and it looks mighty nifty.

So far I only have the first volume, its FREAKIN EXPENSIVE! Well compared to Shonen Jump, and even Tokyo Pop is about 4 bucks cheaper. It is worth it though. The anime only scratched the surface of the story. Personally I hate how they didn't show how to make a true vampire instead of a ghoul and they changed what was written on his gun.

The manga is oddly shaped though. More of a square then a rectangle. I do like the extra story in vol 1 (and I think 2 and 3). Its kinda cool how Section XIII does things. Plus you cant beat clergy members slaughtering terrorists.

Speaking of which I do get abit of a mixed feel, especially with how they show the vatican (I'm Roman Catholic). I can see how it could be offensive to christian religions but at the same time you gotta love seeing members of the holy order slaughtering the undead.

As to the shape -- All of Dark Horse's manga GNs are shaped like that.

As to the extra story -- Yeah, it is cool, and you are right, it's in vols. 1-3.

Yes, the manga can be VERY politically incorrect at times, and the actions of the Catholic church in the series tends to be rather brutal, especially towards Protestants. Wait till you see volumes 6, 7, and 8 o_0x

SPOILERS since I can't resist: Maxwell (the leader of Section XIII and Anderson's boss) gets promoted to arche bishop, and during the climactic battle between the Hellsing Organization and the Millenium group in the burning streets of London, Maxwell orders the Vaticans special army (who are all dressed in white robes so they look like they're in the KKK...) to use this oppurtunity to "cleanse England of the Protestant scum". So he pretty much orders his army to kill EVERYONE. Millenium members, Hellsing agents, and even innocent bystanders

That's just ****ed up. It's still an awesome series though

I've read four volumes of the manga. (Ok, so I kind of skimmed the fourth volume. Sue me.)
The story is great, especially after the whole "Millenium" plot starts. I, for one, can't wait to see how it ends.
As for the Iscariot stuff... yeah, it's pretty harsh on the Vatican (I'm Catholic, too). Though I can almost see the historical origins of that attitude. A lot of missionaries went to Japan early in the century, and Catholic missionaries are not historically noted for their gentle conversion techniques.
My favorite characters are probably Walter (the glove things are just cool, I'm sorry) and Father Anderson. "Like" is too strong a word for Anderson, but he's an interesting character. Very polar.

I managed to find one DVD of the anime (the one that had the vampire brothers invading Hellsing) and I think I like the manga a little bit better. The anime's music just rocks, though.

your lucky you got a great episode. My one friend uses a quote from that episode in his EQ profile. You know the PA thing. Man that was great.

The episode I really want to find is the first fight with Anderson. It rocked in the manga, and it can only looke even cooler when animated.

Nope, not as cool as the manga, since SPOILERS

Integra doesn't fight in the anime version. She just pops up and tells Anderson to leave. None of her saying "You just cut off his head?" either END SPOILERS

Hellsing is a supurb piece of manga. I really need to pick up volume 2-4 and above. I cheated by buying 5 & 6 ahead of time, and while they look good I am lost. Heh, love the drawing style though.