A SCENE from ‘Hellsing OVA’

The vampire has never been more powerful than today, with the growth of shows like “True Blood,” “The Vampire Diaries” and “Twilight” into huge global franchises. The same vampire fascination has also seen the rise of blood-sucking monsters in the animé genre in “Vampire Hunter D,” “Blood: The Last Vampire” and “Blood+” among many others. But none more chillingly deadly, downright fearsome, and outright extreme as Alucard in Hellsing, who fights the war against an army of his own kind and hunters in “Hellsing OVA!”

Airing Sundays 11 p.m., “Hellsing OVA” brings the ultimate war between vampires and opposing factions of vampire hunters in a three-way free-for-all “battle royale” for the fates of England, Europe and the world! Waged by the “Millenium,” a Nazi soldier-turned-vampire battalion, the war is upon England, protected by Protestant vampire-hunting Hellsing Organization, fronted by the greatest vampire of all, Alucard. The conflict escalates as, Vatican’s Roman Catholic hunters, the Iscariot Organization enters the fray.

Armed with twin large-calibre handguns, immortality, and shape-shifting abilities, Alucard is the most powerful vampire in the Hellsing world, and is Hellsing Organization’s trump card vampire hunter. Alucard has respect and loyalty only to Integra Hellsing, the sole surviving heir of her vampire-hunting family, and current leader of Hellsing Organization.

Alucard and Hellsing Organization protects England against the “Millenium,” a 1,000-strong Nazi battalion thought to have perished, but had actually been transformed into mindless vampires by their psycopathic leader, known only as “The Major.” The undead “Millenium” army seeks only one thing – to plunge mankind into an unending war.

Finally, both forces contend with the Vatican’s secret Iscariot Organization, fronted by zealous warrior paladin Alexander Anderson who fights with lethal blessed bayonets, and has god-like regenerative abilities.

The brand new “Hellsing OVA” animé series comes after the highly successful “Hellsing” animé TV series that aired October 2001 to January 2002. The new series distinguishes itself from the first as it stays true to the story of Kouta Hirano’s “Hellsing” manga series. Produced by Geneon Universal Entertainment with Satelight and Madhouse Studios, Hellsing OVA is an ongoing series in Japan, with each episode of an hour’s length. Directed by Tomokazu Tokoro and Hiroyuki Tanaka, “Hellsing OVA” also features haunting original musical pieces composed by Hayato Matsuo and performed by the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, to end each episode.

Brave yourself for the bloodiest and deadliest war yet, as vampires and hunters clash to decide the ultimate fate of England and the world in “Hellsing OVA” first and exclusively on Animax!