I couldn't have said it better myself.
I couldn't have said it better myself.
Brilliant review. This describes the show/webcomic well.
Spot on. I just discovered the anime & very much love the history is moe shtick. Could do with a little less yaoi subtext though…heh.
Tell my fan girls, I love them. —Bakura
Excellent review. I tend to take things on lightheartedly anyway, so until I read the page for Hetalia on TV Tropes it didn't even occur to me that it could be an offensive anime.
Thank you for the most civil review.
I like this review. It gives both sides. Instead of "Omg its crappy offensive don't watch," or "its a pure waste of time," it has both sides. Now people will understand.
Tropers learning what a mostly objective review is. That's always amusing to spectate.
Great review! It's not biased, and as someone said, I couldn't have said it better my self!
The funny part is that everyone who likes this review is obviously a fanboy of Hetalia.
@above comment. Yeah, a review that gives the good and bad sides of a series and warns that not everyone is going to like it obviously cannot be appreciated by anyone but rampant fanboys or fangirls
@review. Thank for you providing a both civil and informative review.
^No, but Hetalia already gets bad enough of a rep that the fanboys will eat up anything that doesn't rip its guts out.
^Wouldn't that be a good thing? That would imply we're accepting of people not thinking it's 100% awesome or for everybody, just not outright bashing. Which is a revolutionary idea on the internet. I'm the first to admit that Hetalia fans are just as subject to Fan Dumb as other fandoms are (and then there's the horrid potential for Misplaced Nationalism), but that statement would make us look pretty good.
Mostly I'm just happy to see someone who found a middle ground between HETALIA IS THE BEST THING EVAR~ AND YOU'RE WROOOONG FOR NOT WATCHING IT! and OMG HETALIA IS AN EVIL WII YAOI MANGA AND YOU'RE AN EVIL WII YAOI MANGA-LIKING BASTARD FOR LIKING IT. TV Tropes does a fair job of keeping both sides in line, thankfully.
Actually, maybe that second example isn't a good example. I'm still not sure if it was meant seriously or not.
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Not for everyone, but if you like it, you'll love it
Like the title says, let me start off by saying Axis Powers Hetalia is not for everyone. It is not for the easily offended, the overly patriotic, those with little interest in history, or people looking for serious business. Because if there's anything Hetalia is not, it's serious business.
It is, however, a witty, light-hearted look at history and international relations. If you know nothing about Hetalia, all you really need to know is that it is about personifications of countries. The characterization is based largely on national stereotypes, and how other countries view their neighbors in our world. The anime, though derived from the original webcomic, focuses mainly on the Axis Powers (Italy, Germany, Japan) and the Allies (America, England, France, Russia, China.)
Though Hetalia is not the leading scholarly agent, the author did most definitely do the research, and manages to be both educational, and for the casual or knowledgeable history buff, hilarious. Within the show lie endless Easter Eggs from Historical in-jokes, but you don't need to be a history major to enjoy the show for what it is. It draws some comparisons to the western animation show Hysteria!(If anyone but me remembers that.) But it is aimed at an older audience. Fangirls (or boys, I happen to know a few males who love this series) will find delight in the intentional yaoi subtext, or the innuendos actions of more than a few of the characters.
However, Hetalia is potentially offensive. Though I myself find the antics amusing, others might find the stereotypes that come with the characterization unfunny. The author tried as best to his ability to avoid Ethnic Scrappies and the making extra fun out of certain countries, the backlash is inevitable.
For those who aren't into the whole 'history is moe!' shtick, fandom twists and turns things into their much darker counterparts in fanwork. Use that if you need a reminder, but the show itself is a pleasant diversion from the ugly reality.
Though it's personal opinion whether you think the jokes are funny, or that it's worth all the moe, for those who like this sort of thing you will find you love this sort of thing. For those who most definitely don't, it's worth the look at least. You may find yourself pleasantly surprised.