First off, I am a fan of this series. If, like me, you enjoy comedy based on history and stereotypes then there is a fair chance you will enjoy this series. There is a surprising amount of accuracy in it, despite the premise, and the humour is - for me - usually good. I also think the artwork is extremely good (apart from the early strips, which look very odd).
However, many will find the premise offensive. I myself am a little disturbed by one or two of the strips and what they deal with. However, the series itself stays away from the worst atrocities of history. For some, this probably makes it worse. The fandom isn't so shy, and so deserves more caution than the actual series. One thing that may scare people away from the series is the apparantly ridiculous amount of Ship Tease and sexual based jokes; this is not as prominent as this wiki, the fandom, and other places make out. For the most part, I find it can be ignored. However, it's there, and sometimes blatant. A lot of people in the fandom are apparently obsessed with pairing off countries, and aren't particularly sensitive in their works, but a lot of others aren't like this, and research everything indepth. Just be careful where you look.
I do not find the characters themselves offensive; despite being built on stereotypes, they are, in my opinion, extremely well characterised. All are in some way sympathetic. Once again, some may believe this makes it worse, considering the main setting of the series (incidentally, although WWII is the period most frequently visited, the strips can be set in any time from the days of the Roman Empire to the modern day). The way the nations work is that they have to obey whoever's in charge of the country, and they have been shown resisting orders. Once again, however, it is perfectly understandable people would find this offensive.
Overall, I believe this is a well done series, with good humour, but if you feel it may offend you, it's best to stay away.
To Be Approached With Caution
First off, I am a fan of this series. If, like me, you enjoy comedy based on history and stereotypes then there is a fair chance you will enjoy this series. There is a surprising amount of accuracy in it, despite the premise, and the humour is - for me - usually good. I also think the artwork is extremely good (apart from the early strips, which look very odd).
However, many will find the premise offensive. I myself am a little disturbed by one or two of the strips and what they deal with. However, the series itself stays away from the worst atrocities of history. For some, this probably makes it worse. The fandom isn't so shy, and so deserves more caution than the actual series. One thing that may scare people away from the series is the apparantly ridiculous amount of Ship Tease and sexual based jokes; this is not as prominent as this wiki, the fandom, and other places make out. For the most part, I find it can be ignored. However, it's there, and sometimes blatant. A lot of people in the fandom are apparently obsessed with pairing off countries, and aren't particularly sensitive in their works, but a lot of others aren't like this, and research everything indepth. Just be careful where you look.
I do not find the characters themselves offensive; despite being built on stereotypes, they are, in my opinion, extremely well characterised. All are in some way sympathetic. Once again, some may believe this makes it worse, considering the main setting of the series (incidentally, although WWII is the period most frequently visited, the strips can be set in any time from the days of the Roman Empire to the modern day). The way the nations work is that they have to obey whoever's in charge of the country, and they have been shown resisting orders. Once again, however, it is perfectly understandable people would find this offensive.
Overall, I believe this is a well done series, with good humour, but if you feel it may offend you, it's best to stay away.