Is Hellsing Abridged Worth Reading?

Question

As a fan of the original Hellsing manga and anime, I'm wondering if this fan parody captures the dark humor and character dynamics well enough to feel rewarding.

Carmen Vasquez · Answer

The original Hellsing is totally different from the hilarious comedy of the Abridged series, so I'll admit that this is one of those things where people can prefer whatever. But there are some darker, more character-focused supernatural action stories that I find hit the same mark for lots of excessive action paired with serious drama. Right now I’m really into a web novel called ‘Hell’s Alpha’. It’s about a former angel who is now a ruthless enforcer for a corporation run by demons. The plot is focused on morality in terms of power struggles, and the constant back and forth of corporate intrigue and violence is all presented completely straight.

Freya · Answer

Hellsing Abridged is kinda hit or miss for me. The humor is generally pretty funny, especially Alucard’s long-winded monologues getting rewritten to complain about paperwork and the like. And the fan team clearly put their heart and soul into the project, so credit to them. However, this is a rather specific type of humor and, if you aren’t exactly into rapid-fire jokes and pop culture references and breaking the fourth wall, it can get tiring pretty fast.

It mainly is a show without any atmosphere of brooding and seriousness, that focuses on fun with all the characters. I really liked how the fan-made show focused on exaggerating the characters and their dynamics, and made a really good companion piece to the real show. It’s not really as good as ‘Helling Ultimate’ but still really good in its own right, and you shouldn’t expect too much subtlety.

Declan · Answer

I recently stumbled upon this very entertaining fan-made series, Hellsing Abridged. It is one of those rare things which is actually better than the original series. After watching Hellsing Ultimate again for the third time I was in desperate need of something new to watch and was pleasantly surprised by this series of videos. Having a very sharp sense of humor, it has many meta-jokes, is very absurd and has a very good sense of self-awareness, making it very entertaining and even at times hilarious.

Of course, this isn’t a production for everyone. The original Hellsing is a rather serious and dark series. But a humorous abridgement is a completely different story, and, of course, can be rather sacrilegious to some. However, to others, it’ll be a lot of fun as it’s a hilarious love letter to the Hellsing series, full of all sorts of memes and just all-around chaos. The voice acting is also surprisingly good, and even in the abridgement, you get to see a lot of the lesser characters shine in scenes and such. I’ve ended up watching this many times, and it still manages to make me laugh, which is more than I can say for most things. It’s like hanging out with a group of friends who just can’t stop making jokes about your favorite show.

Uri · Answer

Hellsing Abridged is one of those things that people either love or don’t get. I personally love it. The abridgers have managed to strip the melodrama out of the show and make the characters look sort of like themselves in a lot of instances. Alucard flexing his power to prove a point is sort of a recurring gag, and Anderson is equally hilarious due to his fanatical religiosity that gets taken to absurd extremes.

What was really nice to see was the lot of love the creators had put into the project, even when they were making fun of it. The level of respect they had for the original “Helling” was clear. I guess you could say that this is the inside jokes of an extremely passionate fan, translated into moving pictures and sounds. It’s 20 minutes of pretty irreverent and fast-paced cartoons. So give it a shot. Worst case scenario, you’ll have spent 20 minutes giggling at the bureaucratic red tape of some pretty cool vampires.

Brooklyn Sizemore · Answer

The beats of the narrative are streamlined and a few character notes are added to make them seem more authentic. The dynamic between Alucard and Integra remains that of master and servant but they are also presented as petulant, immortal child and stern, exhausted parent respectively. In the original this was played for drama, here for comedic effect but it is equally true. The transformation of victimized Seras into confident, powerful vampire is accelerated but her emotions are hit on the same notes, mostly with an increase in the amount of screaming and internal angst. It’s good writing because it manages to condense and exaggerate and still remain true to the core of the character’s journey.

Oluwatosin Shehu · Answer

I think it is worth as much as you get out of it, in terms of your engagement with fan culture. Depending on how you engage with fan-created works, it could be a top-tier example of such, or it could be a distraction from the original story and get in the way of your understanding of it. It exists in a sort of meta-space between the original work and the audience’s responses to it. In order to appreciate this sort of work fully, you have to be willing to engage in that space, and recognize that the work is, ultimately, about the relationship between fans and the media that they love, as much as it is about ‘Hellsing’.

sbuckley1122 · Answer

I find abridged series of pretty unclear value. Most manage to make the full version better by editing out all the filler, and adding more sharp humor. But not all do. “Hellsing Ultimate Abridged” by Team Four Star, however, is one of the better examples of an abridged series. They did a very good job at cutting down the full series, while bringing out all the characters’ unique personalities, and even managed to add in a lot of absurdist humor that was hinted at in the original. I especially like how they amplified the chaotic energy of Alucard, and Integra’s frustration, to 11. It’s not really a parody, it’s more of a love letter. They got what makes the original series great and funny, and they also got what’s kinda ridiculous about it. I find myself quoting lines from this abridged series more than the actual full series dubbed version. Just note that you have to watch the full version first or you’ll be lost for half the humor. The timing of the comedy is near perfect and turns long pauses of dramatic tension into laughter.

Jis Garcia · Answer

It’s also sort of fun to see a series grow. Early episodes are a little rough, with more reliance on simple dub-over gags and non-sequiturs. As the series goes on, the creators get more confident and the humor becomes more character-based. The editing also gets better. Even though it’s all just parody, the story beats start to actually have some weight behind them. You can really see the creators finding their voice and realizing that they’re making something far greater than a one-off YouTube video. It’s really cool to get to watch a fan project grow up in real time. It’s not something that you see very often.

Is Hellsing Abridged Worth Reading?

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