Reviews Manga / Axis Powers Hetalia

Great Premise Ruined by Execution

When I heard of this series, I thought it sounded really good. I haven't read the webcomics or know too much about it. So I checked out the first season on Netflix. It had potential, but too many little problems made me not want to watch it again.

Problems: First is the art style. Normally this is not something I care about, but the constantly blushing, super round faces kind of annoyed me after awhile. That's definitely a case of preference, but it's something to consider. One of my biggest problems was the fact that episodes are only five minutes long. The ending song is very annoying, and there are previews for such minor events. If the dvd of this series allows a feature to watch all the shorts at once in about an hour, that would be so much better. Also, the Chibitalia segments are very annoying. I don't mind a little Ho Yay, but this kind of ramps it up to uncomfortable levels, and Italys voice in those segments is really grating.

Good part: The humor. Oh my god this series is hilarious. You probably have to be okay with stereotypes, but if you don't give a crap about that you will love this series. All the characters have great quirks and the accents the actors give them adds to the hilarity. Favorite character? America. And that says something when you can laugh at the pastiche of your culture.

In conclusion: Give it a try, it might be your thing, but at the end I was left unimpressed and disappointed, but still laughing.