Ask John: Is There More Hellsing?

Question:
Is there gonna be any more Hellsing made? I heard a rumor that the reason it’s only 13 episodes is because they ran out of money, and had to cut it short. This seems reasonable to me, since there were many things I felt were left unresolved. I also heard that they were going to make a second season of it. Any truth to these rumors?

Answer:
Hellsing was created by Gonzo Studios, one of the most influential and successful anime production studios in the industry right now. Given Gonzo’s status, it’s highly unlikely that the studio “ran out of money.” There are only 4 volumes of Hellsing manga, so the fact that there’s simply not very much story available to animate may have had something to do with the length of the TV animation. Furthermore, Hellsing is an unusually dark and violent show- the type that traditionally doesn’t draw very many viewers on Japanese television. The only TV shows that I know of that are as literally dark and violent as Hellsing are Berserk and Devilman Lady- both of which aired on Japanese television back in 1998. The rarity of shows like this should be taken as a good indication that shows this violent and mature generally aren’t particularly successful during their Japanese television broadcast. Anticipated low ratings are probably a more logical and likely explanation for Hellsing’s episode count than unexpected financial difficulties. Furthermore, at the same time Gonzo was working on Hellsing, the studio was also finishing up Samurai Girl: Real Bout High School and working on Full Metal Panic and I Wish You Were Here. (Full Metal Panic and Hellsing were scheduled to premier at roughly the same time, but Full Metal Panic was delayed until early 2002 in response to the September 11th tragedies in New York City and Washington, DC.) Having four different series in production at the same time may have had some impact on the decision to make Hellsing a 13 episode series.

As is the case with virtually every show that American fans want to see more of, rumors of a second season seem to spring up out of nowhere and linger eternally. As far as I’m aware, there are no plans for more Hellsing anime. No Japanese news site, either fan run or professional, has hinted at the possibility of any more Hellsing animation. But while it may be disappointing that there won’t be more Hellsing animation, we should be grateful for and pleased with what does exist. And there’s always a chance that a second series will be announced some time in the future.