Before watching or reading Hetalia, ask yourself two questions.
Can history be silly or even funny in the right context (could it be used for jokes or gags?), or is it always serious business no matter what? Am I fond of, or atleast okay with Ho Yay?
If that answer is no, Hetalia is not for you.
The series flows like World History: The Abridged Series (now with extra Ho Yay and moe), thrives on fluff, moe, general silliness between Anthropomorphic Personifications of world nations, another dose of moe, and liberal applications of the MST 3 K Mantra. It shows interesting bits of history in an absurdly silly light, some fun cultural notes, and seems to have an abnormally high quantity of good fanart and fanfiction in comparison to other series. If you like the series, you will love it, and the fandom is nothing short of HUGE.
That said, avoid Hetalia if you are very patriotic, or have issues with the Ho Yay or Moe Moe tropes. Every country is personified as their national stereotypes turned Up To Eleven (England can't cook and has a weird combo of Mean Brit/Tsundere, America is obsessed with freedom, heroes and his weight, Japan's got Yamato Nadeshiko and Otaku tendencies, Germany is very serious and loves beer, etc)and treats a serious subject in a very light hearted manner. Everyone has strong shipping overtones/subtext with at least one other male country (Blue Bishonen Ghetto is partly to blame for that). You can enjoy the series without shipping, but it may be hard with the fandom.Banned in South Korea for the portrayal of the Korea character.
In conclusion, Hetalia is not for everyone, and it seems to be an either Love-It-Or-Hate-It kind of show. Contains a large fandom, Fan Dumb, Hatedom, and Hate Dumb. Be careful where you step. And more importantly, remember that YMMV.
Love it or Hate it type of deal; seems to be little middle ground
Before watching or reading Hetalia, ask yourself two questions.
Can history be silly or even funny in the right context (could it be used for jokes or gags?), or is it always serious business no matter what? Am I fond of, or atleast okay with Ho Yay?
If that answer is no, Hetalia is not for you.
The series flows like World History: The Abridged Series (now with extra Ho Yay and moe), thrives on fluff, moe, general silliness between Anthropomorphic Personifications of world nations, another dose of moe, and liberal applications of the MST 3 K Mantra. It shows interesting bits of history in an absurdly silly light, some fun cultural notes, and seems to have an abnormally high quantity of good fanart and fanfiction in comparison to other series. If you like the series, you will love it, and the fandom is nothing short of HUGE.
That said, avoid Hetalia if you are very patriotic, or have issues with the Ho Yay or Moe Moe tropes. Every country is personified as their national stereotypes turned Up To Eleven (England can't cook and has a weird combo of Mean Brit/Tsundere, America is obsessed with freedom, heroes and his weight, Japan's got Yamato Nadeshiko and Otaku tendencies, Germany is very serious and loves beer, etc)and treats a serious subject in a very light hearted manner. Everyone has strong shipping overtones/subtext with at least one other male country (Blue Bishonen Ghetto is partly to blame for that). You can enjoy the series without shipping, but it may be hard with the fandom.Banned in South Korea for the portrayal of the Korea character.
In conclusion, Hetalia is not for everyone, and it seems to be an either Love-It-Or-Hate-It kind of show. Contains a large fandom, Fan Dumb, Hatedom, and Hate Dumb. Be careful where you step. And more importantly, remember that YMMV.