COOL ✞ ~A World Without Logos~ (『COOL ✞』~ロゴスなきワールド~,, Rogosu Naki Wārudo; lit. "A World Without Logic"), shortened to; A World Without Logos, is the opening theme for Hellsing. It was written and composed by Yasushi Ishii. It was released alongside the album release of the first soundtrack for the anime.

Contrary to popular belief that Ishii was drunk when he recorded it, it is instead however to be on purpose as an "instrumental song using made-up language." Retrospective reviews for the anime mainly put a praise over the soundtrack Ishii composed, particularly the smooth "jazzy" yet unsettling and "cool" opening.

Background

Two demos exists for the music, with Ishii being more experimental next after another. Ishii had not sung the verses until much later, the chorus however was sang with vocals distorted and edited. In the next demo, Ishii began experimenting with voice filters. One version with a more different filter and a different cymbals was featured within the DVD release.

"Logos" is a term that refers to the appeal to reason that relies on logic or reason. Essenstially, "A World Without Logos" literally means "A World Without Rationality/Logic." In addition, the lyrics were made up on purpose to display a World without Logic, with the content of the song itself filled with lyrics that are written as meaningless, English-like onomatopoeic words.

Composition

A World Without Logos is a cool jazz song with a blend of R&B and rock. The tempo of the song is set at 90 beats per minute. Many instruments were used, including a piano, drums, a bass, and a saxophone. A filter is added in on Ishii's voice during the verses and chorus, while the background vocals were filtered with a "robotic-like" sound. The lyrics were printed in katakana, a Japanese phonetic script used to transcribe and approximate English sounds. As such, the song is subjected to numerous English fan-translations.

Lyrics

Opening Animation

The opening is directed by Yasunori Urata and Yoshikazu Miyao, with storyboard drawn by Yoshikazu Miyao under the art direction of Toshiharu Murata. Key animators includes Yusuke Yoshigaki and Hiroyuki Imaishi. Later broadcasted episodes after the middle tweaked the opening animation in some parts, including the change of the transition between Integra and Alucard, the red background during Integra's speech changed to blue, etc.. Future releases of the anime would use the "improved" version of the opening.

Sequence

As blood drips to the floor, it later quickly cuts to a scene of Baskerville surrounded by corpses of ghouls, a flash image of the FREAK Chip, then the Casull as the camera pans over the gun. Alucard appears, tightening his gloves before turning his hand around to show the imprinted pentagram on his gloves. Grabbing his hat, he turns around and smiles as a cross flips to the center towards Alucard's face, darkening the screen while Alucard's eyes flashes, then the title card appears.

In a misty street of London, a dog walks in a middle of a crowd of ghouls. As the dog stops in his tracks, one ghoul trips, one scratches its head, and one screams. The dog looks back towards the crowd of ghouls, before then, the dog- a demon, closes its eyes and turns around to the front. Opening its eyes as the screen transitions from the there-eyed dogs eyes to Sir Integra Wingates Hellsing slamming her palms to the table ordering Alucard, to search and destroy.

Before then, the screen transitions again to Alucard, dual-wielding the Casull and the Jackal, pointing it at someone in front. The screen fades away as father Alexander Anderson makes his entrance; crossing his bayonets, before both then charges against each other. Once close, blood splashes across the screen as both men turns around as if a new foe had just appeared. The screen flashes back to the crowd of ghouls up in flames, along with the city of London.

Then, the flash image of the FREAK Chip appears again for a split second before cutting away to Alucard shapeshifting, with a white pentagram behind him and faces of familiar characters; Seras Victoria, Sir Integra, Walter Dornez, Enrico Maxwell, Jan and Luke Valentine, then Alexander Anderson. Before Alucard quickly reforms, then transitions to a close up of Alucard with a red, shaky image.

Then, blood drips to the floor, blurring the screen. Seras Victoria appears, holding a bowie knife covered in blood, resisting her vampiric urge to lick it. Near her tongue on the blade, it cuts to the eye of Baskerville as the camera pulls back; showing corpses of the ghouls. One of which, dons a necklace of a cross in its wrist.

Cosmic Vibration

Cosmic Vibration (正法コスミックバイブレーション,, Shōbō kosumikkubaiburēshon) is a remake of "A World Without Logos" by Yasushi Ishii. Although katakana's are present throughout the lyrics, it was mainly written with hiragana and kanji. In composing the remake, Ishii used the background of the first demo of A World Without Logos which he then sung over. It's also sung with a distorted voice using a filter, similar to that of the second demo of A World Without Logos.

Trivia

• The opening used multiple animation from the trailer, such as:
  • Integra slamming her desk, screaming "Search and Destroy".
  • Alucard standing in an explosion, dual-wielding the Jackal and Casull, shortly before aiming it at a bunch of ghouls, then pulls the trigger. In the opening, Alucard was pointing it at Alexander Anderson.
  • Alexander Anderson appears, making a cross with his bayonets and purifies the house; in the opening, Alexander prepares his bayonet and both Alucard and Anderson approaches at each other on full-speed.
  • Seras Victoria tries to lick the blood on her knife that was used to kill multiple ghouls.

Videos

Hellsing Opening - A World Without Logos - Creditless

Logos Naki World

Yasushi Ishii - Seiho Cosmic Vibration 正法コスミックバイブレーション

Hellsing OST- Logos Naki World Demo Ver

References