Note that I have only watched the OVA series, Hellsing Ultimate, and not read the original manga; I feel I can get away with this because the OVA is so damn good.
Hellsing is among the more memorable series I've encountered. It pulls no punches in establishing that its main "protagonist" is a hero in name only, but later episodes reveal that he is quite tragic in backstory and beliefs. Alucard's incredibly overpowered, but still manages to make his fights enjoyable to watch.
The rest of the cast are almost all extremely memorable, from the slowly-growing Seras to the war-loving Major to the mysterious-but-badass Captain. All their actions and interactions are great to watch, and despite the extremely gray-black morality of the series, almost all of them have moments where you can root for them or go "wow, that was surprisingly cool of him" - yes, even ze Major, who remains among my favorite villains simply because of his unapologetically hammy, warmongering nature.
The OVA is an incredible adaptation, far more so than the Gecko Ending anime. From the fluid and detailed animation to the top-notch voice acting (in both dubs), you can tell it's had a lot of work put into it, and now that all 10 episodes are out we don't have to wait years on end between installments.
The one thing I wasn't a fan of (ending spoilers ahoy) was Alucard coming back after Schrodinger sent him into the void. His "death" scene was so beautifully written that it simply felt like a waste, and it only made him more powerful. I felt the series could've ended on a better note if the characters had remained "moved on" from him. But oh well, it's not a huge enough detractor for me to hate the series.
tl;dr quite an amazing series to read or watch, though I recommend the OVA as a starting point.
Great series, outstanding adaptation
Note that I have only watched the OVA series, Hellsing Ultimate, and not read the original manga; I feel I can get away with this because the OVA is so damn good.
Hellsing is among the more memorable series I've encountered. It pulls no punches in establishing that its main "protagonist" is a hero in name only, but later episodes reveal that he is quite tragic in backstory and beliefs. Alucard's incredibly overpowered, but still manages to make his fights enjoyable to watch.
The rest of the cast are almost all extremely memorable, from the slowly-growing Seras to the war-loving Major to the mysterious-but-badass Captain. All their actions and interactions are great to watch, and despite the extremely gray-black morality of the series, almost all of them have moments where you can root for them or go "wow, that was surprisingly cool of him" - yes, even ze Major, who remains among my favorite villains simply because of his unapologetically hammy, warmongering nature.
The OVA is an incredible adaptation, far more so than the Gecko Ending anime. From the fluid and detailed animation to the top-notch voice acting (in both dubs), you can tell it's had a lot of work put into it, and now that all 10 episodes are out we don't have to wait years on end between installments.
The one thing I wasn't a fan of (ending spoilers ahoy) was Alucard coming back after Schrodinger sent him into the void. His "death" scene was so beautifully written that it simply felt like a waste, and it only made him more powerful. I felt the series could've ended on a better note if the characters had remained "moved on" from him. But oh well, it's not a huge enough detractor for me to hate the series.
tl;dr quite an amazing series to read or watch, though I recommend the OVA as a starting point.