Clearing Misconceptions

Before I begin, let me explain the purpose of this thread.

This thread does not DENY in any way that Hetalia is offensive and present it as the most angelic thing in the world. Nor does it deny that it can cause fans to have a distorted view of history and the world. At the same time, this thread does not put down or ridicule the series, as just stating negative things about something is never a good thing.

The purpose of this thread is to clear away any misconceptions of the series. Whether you love or hate Hetalia, it's always a good idea to have a clear view of what this series is supposed to be, not what anyone else has made out of it. I am not trying to make you like the series, nor am I trying to make you hate it more. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

So now, I give you the things that both fans and antis have messed up.

Hetalia was not meant to be about yaoi.
This is something everyone needs to understand- Hetalia is not about yaoi. It was NEVER about yaoi. It was never about taking Canada and Cuba and shipping them together "just because it's hot". Yes, sometimes Himaruya likes to tease with the occasional hint or fanservice, but in the end, it never really meant anything. The only confirmed homosexual in the series is Sweden, but as Himaruya stated, "only for Finland". And if you looked closely at the relationship between the two, you'd see that Finland does not really feel the same way about him. At most, he sees him as a brother and companion. And the failure of a proposal between Germany and Italy? That was because Germany failed to read Italy's actions properly. Italy is normally an affectionate person, but Germany misread that as something else... the two actually just want to be good friends.

The only canon pairings are AustriaxHungary, which was meant to represent the Austria-Hungarian Empire (they divorced after WW1, if you want to know), and Chibi!ItalyxHoly Roman Empire, but that was partly because everyone though Italy was a girl when he was younger. If HRE knew about Italy's true gender, the romance might not have even happen.

Hetalia was not meant to be sexist.
There are a lot of complaints about all the boys in the series. Hetalia, as you might say it, is one big sausage fest. But take note that, when the webcomic first started, Himaruya was not that good with drawing. In fact, he himself stated that the only reason why he originally drew the world powers as men was because he had a difficult time drawing women at that time. You can see now, though, that a lot of the new characters introduced are women (Though I'm not sure if this includes New Zealand). Heck, he even provided genderbends of the existing male nations. He only added more women once he felt more confident about drawing them.

Hetalia was not meant to be educational.
Hetalia was not meant to be an accurate representation of all the events in history. It's not even recommended to be used as a study guide for exams and such. While, yes, some fans have learned a thing or two from the series (I myself can say that I now know about countries I never thought existed. And no, I don't mean the micronations- I mean, I didn't even know Canada existed. No joke), at most, the best it can really do is give each country a face so that it would be easier to remember which is which.

Hetalia was not meant to be an accurate representation of a country and it's people.
I'm not saying it isn't racist, or wasn't meant to be. What I'm saying is that it should be common knowledge that not all Russians like vodka, or not all Brits are terrible cooks (Though many of the ones I met are), or not all Americans are total slobs that like feasting on hamburgers all day. Heck, some of the nations' personalities aren't even based on stereotypes at all- rather, they're based on how the country behaved during a certain time period, or from people that Himaruya met in real life (You know America? His personality was actually based from a Canadian).

Once again, if you have any questions, or want to say something, feel free to do so.

TheOutsider wrote:

Before I begin, let me explain the purpose of this thread.

This thread does not DENY in any way that Hetalia is offensive and present it as the most angelic thing in the world. Nor does it deny that it can cause fans to have a distorted view of history and the world. At the same time, this thread does not put down or ridicule the series, as just stating negative things about something is never a good thing.

The purpose of this thread is to clear away any misconceptions of the series. Whether you love or hate Hetalia, it's always a good idea to have a clear view of what this series is supposed to be, not what anyone else has made out of it. I am not trying to make you like the series, nor am I trying to make you hate it more. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

So now, I give you the things that both fans and antis have messed up.

Hetalia was not meant to be about yaoi.
This is something everyone needs to understand- Hetalia is not about yaoi. It was NEVER about yaoi. It was never about taking Canada and Cuba and shipping them together "just because it's hot". Yes, sometimes Himaruya likes to tease with the occasional hint or fanservice, but in the end, it never really meant anything. The only confirmed homosexual in the series is Sweden, but as Himaruya stated, "only for Finland". And if you looked closely at the relationship between the two, you'd see that Finland does not really feel the same way about him. At most, he sees him as a brother and companion. And the failure of a proposal between Germany and Italy? That was because Germany failed to read Italy's actions properly. Italy is normally an affectionate person, but Germany misread that as something else... the two actually just want to be good friends.

The only canon pairings are AustriaxHungary, which was meant to represent the Austria-Hungarian Empire (they divorced after WW1, if you want to know), and Chibi!ItalyxHoly Roman Empire, but that was partly because everyone though Italy was a girl when he was younger. If HRE knew about Italy's true gender, the romance might not have even happen.

Hetalia was not meant to be sexist.
There are a lot of complaints about all the boys in the series. Hetalia, as you might say it, is one big sausage fest. But take note that, when the webcomic first started, Himaruya was not that good with drawing. In fact, he himself stated that the only reason why he originally drew the world powers as men was because he had a difficult time drawing women at that time. You can see now, though, that a lot of the new characters introduced are women (Though I'm not sure if this includes New Zealand). Heck, he even provided genderbends of the existing male nations. He only added more women once he felt more confident about drawing them.

Hetalia was not meant to be educational.
Hetalia was not meant to be an accurate representation of all the events in history. It's not even recommended to be used as a study guide for exams and such. While, yes, some fans have learned a thing or two from the series (I myself can say that I now know about countries I never thought existed. And no, I don't mean the micronations- I mean, I didn't even know Canada existed. No joke), at most, the best it can really do is give each country a face so that it would be easier to remember which is which.

Hetalia was not meant to be an accurate representation of a country and it's people.
I'm not saying it isn't racist, or wasn't meant to be. What I'm saying is that it should be common knowledge that not all Russians like vodka, or not all Brits are terrible cooks (Though many of the ones I met are), or not all Americans are total slobs that like feasting on hamburgers all day. Heck, some of the nations' personalities aren't even based on stereotypes at all- rather, they're based on how the country behaved during a certain time period, or from people that Himaruya met in real life (You know America? His personality was actually based from a Canadian).

Once again, if you have any questions, or want to say something, feel free to do so.

straight guys don't grope each other or claim another guys breasts are his though. also a plethora of fans see Hetalia as educational. or are so obessed with it they became racist towards Koreans and joined forums dedicated to posting racist comments towards Koreans for not airing it on a childrens channel saying they "banned" it.

people claim the series isn't meant to be racist and that it "stereotypes" all the countries. I let them have that one but the one, but there is no way the author was not portraying Korea in a racist way. I've talk to too many anti Korean Japanese nationalists who are incredibly fast to spout racist things towards Korea. and the episode after they were stereotyping Korean dramas, and how Korea is really good at drawing manga, it turned downright racist towards Koreans, it was everything those racist Japanese said about Koreans, everything the fans think is cute about Korea, and how Korea gets the short end of the stick many times, was everything those anti Korean Japanese people claimed about Korea. and how they always wish misfortune upon Korea. no one in the west understands the relationship Korea and Japan have with each other so they go ballistic, when hearing they were offended by it. and they and they haven't the slightest clue of what the racist innuendo's from Japan to Korea are.

also the webcomic wasn't suppose to be big enough to become an anime, but it did and that's what matters. just like how it wasn't suppose to be yaoi, but turned into it anyway. (by fault of the fans I'll admit) but there is more than homosexual. which I dun really care about but I can imagine how people would be offended having their country and or race being portrayed as such. really the only thing that bothers me in Hetalia is the racism towards Korea. and fans have had those racist innuendo's incepted into their minds and think Korea's "cuteness" is just "cute" stereotyping. and make fan works with the same racist mindset that the Japanese have towards Koreans bu the fans have no idea, and go psychotic if you tell them they just portrayed Korea in a racist way. the manga no longer featured Korea, that's wonderful seeing as the character went in the worst direction possible. but the fans just keep the racism coming, when they say "Korea can't stop us from enjoying Hetalia, we'll make fan works with Korea in it" it sounds like "Korea can't stop us from portraying them in racist ways." though they have no idea.

anyway about the sexism. I feel the fandom is what makes it sexist. a friend pointed out that everytime a female character is put in the series, they get soooo much hatred, like it's threatened any chance of having a relationship with the Hetalia guys or something, I know it's not possible but it's how they act with how they get destroyed in the fan fics and whatnot. oh well I don't really have a problem with that either. in fact. I wouldn't know what Hetalia was if it weren't for the Korea issue.

GaGaalinG wrote:

straight guys don't grope each other or claim another guys breasts are his though. also a plethora of fans see Hetalia as educational. or are so obessed with it they became racist towards Koreans and joined forums dedicated to posting racist comments towards Koreans for not airing it on a childrens channel saying they "banned" it.

people claim the series isn't meant to be racist and that it "stereotypes" all the countries. I let them have that one but the one, but there is no way the author was not portraying Korea in a racist way. I've talk to too many anti Korean Japanese nationalists who are incredibly fast to spout racist things towards Korea. and the episode after they were stereotyping Korean dramas, and how Korea is really good at drawing manga, it turned downright racist towards Koreans, it was everything those racist Japanese said about Koreans, everything the fans think is cute about Korea, and how Korea gets the short end of the stick many times, was everything those anti Korean Japanese people claimed about Korea. and how they always wish misfortune upon Korea. no one in the west understands the relationship Korea and Japan have with each other so they go ballistic, when hearing they were offended by it. and they and they haven't the slightest clue of what the racist innuendo's from Japan to Korea are.

also the webcomic wasn't suppose to be big enough to become an anime, but it did and that's what matters. just like how it wasn't suppose to be yaoi, but turned into it anyway. (by fault of the fans I'll admit) but there is more than homosexual. which I dun really care about but I can imagine how people would be offended having their country and or race being portrayed as such. really the only thing that bothers me in Hetalia is the racism towards Korea. and fans have had those racist innuendo's incepted into their minds and think Korea's "cuteness" is just "cute" stereotyping. and make fan works with the same racist mindset that the Japanese have towards Koreans bu the fans have no idea, and go psychotic if you tell them they just portrayed Korea in a racist way. the manga no longer featured Korea, that's wonderful seeing as the character went in the worst direction possible. but the fans just keep the racism coming, when they say "Korea can't stop us from enjoying Hetalia, we'll make fan works with Korea in it" it sounds like "Korea can't stop us from portraying them in racist ways." though they have no idea.

anyway about the sexism. I feel the fandom is what makes it sexist. a friend pointed out that everytime a female character is put in the series, they get soooo much hatred, like it's threatened any chance of having a relationship with the Hetalia guys or something, I know it's not possible but it's how they act with how they get destroyed in the fan fics and whatnot. oh well I don't really have a problem with that either. in fact. I wouldn't know what Hetalia was if it weren't for the Korea issue.

Well, I never said they were all straight either. France and Korea, in particular, don't exactly give off the straight vibe. I don't think Italy counts because it's part of his personality to be affectionate to everyone, and people just misread it as something else when it's actually him being friendly.

Perhaps the only thing real education comes from the fans themselves. I mean, they're the ones really making all the historical fanworks and sharing to others what life is really like in their country. The smart fans, anyway.

The whole Korea thing is ridiculous to me. I mean, I do think declaring Yong Soo as a national crime on national television is a bit too much, but the way the fans act about it is just so... irritating.

How Himaruya portrayed Korea is one of the few things about the series that tick me off. I mean, I love him and all, because he actually does love his fans and is quite considerate to them, but how he did Korea just wasn't right. There was even this one strip that made no sense at all, it was just downright hurtful to Korea. There are other ways to make fun of Korea without being mean. I hope Himaruya has realized this, at least.

Or it could be that there are people genuinely like the Korea character and draw him because they want to. Just because they draw Yong Soo doesn't mean their doing it to piss of the Koreans. Even I draw Yong Soo from time to time, and not once had I thought of doing it as a form of rebellion or anything.

Perhaps it's because I hang out with the wrong side of the fandom, but I haven't seen any complaints about the females appearing "just because it would get in the way of their hot yaoi sex". It was more of the gender balance in the series, or how Himaruya portrays the weakest nations as female when that's not entirely true either (Because like I said, when Himaruya made most of the world powers, he wasn't good with females at that time so he stuck with men).

TheOutsider wrote:

GaGaalinG wrote:

straight guys don't grope each other or claim another guys breasts are his though. also a plethora of fans see Hetalia as educational. or are so obessed with it they became racist towards Koreans and joined forums dedicated to posting racist comments towards Koreans for not airing it on a childrens channel saying they "banned" it.

people claim the series isn't meant to be racist and that it "stereotypes" all the countries. I let them have that one but the one, but there is no way the author was not portraying Korea in a racist way. I've talk to too many anti Korean Japanese nationalists who are incredibly fast to spout racist things towards Korea. and the episode after they were stereotyping Korean dramas, and how Korea is really good at drawing manga, it turned downright racist towards Koreans, it was everything those racist Japanese said about Koreans, everything the fans think is cute about Korea, and how Korea gets the short end of the stick many times, was everything those anti Korean Japanese people claimed about Korea. and how they always wish misfortune upon Korea. no one in the west understands the relationship Korea and Japan have with each other so they go ballistic, when hearing they were offended by it. and they and they haven't the slightest clue of what the racist innuendo's from Japan to Korea are.

also the webcomic wasn't suppose to be big enough to become an anime, but it did and that's what matters. just like how it wasn't suppose to be yaoi, but turned into it anyway. (by fault of the fans I'll admit) but there is more than homosexual. which I dun really care about but I can imagine how people would be offended having their country and or race being portrayed as such. really the only thing that bothers me in Hetalia is the racism towards Korea. and fans have had those racist innuendo's incepted into their minds and think Korea's "cuteness" is just "cute" stereotyping. and make fan works with the same racist mindset that the Japanese have towards Koreans bu the fans have no idea, and go psychotic if you tell them they just portrayed Korea in a racist way. the manga no longer featured Korea, that's wonderful seeing as the character went in the worst direction possible. but the fans just keep the racism coming, when they say "Korea can't stop us from enjoying Hetalia, we'll make fan works with Korea in it" it sounds like "Korea can't stop us from portraying them in racist ways." though they have no idea.

anyway about the sexism. I feel the fandom is what makes it sexist. a friend pointed out that everytime a female character is put in the series, they get soooo much hatred, like it's threatened any chance of having a relationship with the Hetalia guys or something, I know it's not possible but it's how they act with how they get destroyed in the fan fics and whatnot. oh well I don't really have a problem with that either. in fact. I wouldn't know what Hetalia was if it weren't for the Korea issue.

Well, I never said they were all straight either. France and Korea, in particular, don't exactly give off the straight vibe. I don't think Italy counts because it's part of his personality to be affectionate to everyone, and people just misread it as something else when it's actually him being friendly.

Perhaps the only thing real education comes from the fans themselves. I mean, they're the ones really making all the historical fanworks and sharing to others what life is really like in their country. The smart fans, anyway.

The whole Korea thing is ridiculous to me. I mean, I do think declaring Yong Soo as a national crime on national television is a bit too much, but the way the fans act about it is just so... irritating.

How Himaruya portrayed Korea is one of the few things about the series that tick me off. I mean, I love him and all, because he actually does love his fans and is quite considerate to them, but how he did Korea just wasn't right. There was even this one strip that made no sense at all, it was just downright hurtful to Korea. There are other ways to make fun of Korea without being mean. I hope Himaruya has realized this, at least.

Or it could be that there are people genuinely like the Korea character and draw him because they want to. Just because they draw Yong Soo doesn't mean their doing it to piss of the Koreans. Even I draw Yong Soo from time to time, and not once had I thought of doing it as a form of rebellion or anything.

Perhaps it's because I hang out with the wrong side of the fandom, but I haven't seen any complaints about the females appearing "just because it would get in the way of their hot yaoi sex". It was more of the gender balance in the series, or how Himaruya portrays the weakest nations as female when that's not entirely true either (Because like I said, when Himaruya made most of the world powers, he wasn't good with females at that time so he stuck with men).

actually it technically was a crime. I remember a man walked to the intercom in a store once (I think it was wal mart) and asked all the african americans to leave the store, he was later arrested and it was considered a crime to the african american race. Himaruya put racism that was blatant in Asia in Hetalia towards Korea. but there was no one with the Jurisdiction to call him out on it, specially since he is or was at the time in New York. where people don't understand what passes as racist towards Koreans. so because they don't understand they see it was over exaggerating.

I haven't seen really any works of Hetalia that were educational... but what I will say is that the fans draw a lot better than Himaruya 0.o
I don't think it's Koreans drawing Korea. for one it's not commercialized in Korea anymore. if it were it would probably be one who was raised in America, who understands as much of Koreans as I understand Africans. also there's the fact that a lot of the fans point out that they're not Korean by saying such things as "I wish Korea was still in Hetalia. if I were Korean I would be proud to have my country portrayed so hilariously." which I wasn't sure I should laugh at such comments or pity them because they only know what Hetalia tells them.

yeah Hetalia haters don't like how it's a lot of guys in Hetalia but hardly any girls and get upset when they see them being shunned by the fanbase. but it's like I said the only problem I had was the Korea thing. I simply understand why people would be upset at those things is all.

GaGaalinG wrote:

actually it technically was a crime. I remember a man walked to the intercom in a store once (I think it was wal mart) and asked all the african americans to leave the store, he was later arrested and it was considered a crime to the african american race. Himaruya put racism that was blatant in Asia in Hetalia towards Korea. but there was no one with the Jurisdiction to call him out on it, specially since he is or was at the time in New York. where people don't understand what passes as racist towards Koreans. so because they don't understand they see it was over exaggerating.

I haven't seen really any works of Hetalia that were educational... but what I will say is that the fans draw a lot better than Himaruya 0.o
I don't think it's Koreans drawing Korea. for one it's not commercialized in Korea anymore. if it were it would probably be one who was raised in America, who understands as much of Koreans as I understand Africans. also there's the fact that a lot of the fans point out that they're not Korean by saying such things as "I wish Korea was still in Hetalia. if I were Korean I would be proud to have my country portrayed so hilariously." which I wasn't sure I should laugh at such comments or pity them because they only know what Hetalia tells them.

yeah Hetalia haters don't like how it's a lot of guys in Hetalia but hardly any girls and get upset when they see them being shunned by the fanbase. but it's like I said the only problem I had was the Korea thing. I simply understand why people would be upset at those things is all.

I still don't get why they have to announce it on national TV. I don't know, really. Maybe when the day comes someone makes a comic that criticizes the Philippines, and the government announces it on national TV, I'll understand.

There's a bunch of historical fancomics/art/fics that pop out here and there. Hetalia hasn't touched everything the fans would like to see...

But I never said anything about Koreans drawing Korea. O.o Though there might be some Korean Korea fan living outside Korea, but that's something else entirely.

The whole Korea thing seems to be the problem that attracts so many antis/disgruntled fans here. O.o

TheOutsider wrote:

GaGaalinG wrote:

actually it technically was a crime. I remember a man walked to the intercom in a store once (I think it was wal mart) and asked all the african americans to leave the store, he was later arrested and it was considered a crime to the african american race. Himaruya put racism that was blatant in Asia in Hetalia towards Korea. but there was no one with the Jurisdiction to call him out on it, specially since he is or was at the time in New York. where people don't understand what passes as racist towards Koreans. so because they don't understand they see it was over exaggerating.

I haven't seen really any works of Hetalia that were educational... but what I will say is that the fans draw a lot better than Himaruya 0.o
I don't think it's Koreans drawing Korea. for one it's not commercialized in Korea anymore. if it were it would probably be one who was raised in America, who understands as much of Koreans as I understand Africans. also there's the fact that a lot of the fans point out that they're not Korean by saying such things as "I wish Korea was still in Hetalia. if I were Korean I would be proud to have my country portrayed so hilariously." which I wasn't sure I should laugh at such comments or pity them because they only know what Hetalia tells them.

yeah Hetalia haters don't like how it's a lot of guys in Hetalia but hardly any girls and get upset when they see them being shunned by the fanbase. but it's like I said the only problem I had was the Korea thing. I simply understand why people would be upset at those things is all.

I still don't get why they have to announce it on national TV. I don't know, really. Maybe when the day comes someone makes a comic that criticizes the Philippines, and the government announces it on national TV, I'll understand.

There's a bunch of historical fancomics/art/fics that pop out here and there. Hetalia hasn't touched everything the fans would like to see...

But I never said anything about Koreans drawing Korea. O.o Though there might be some Korean Korea fan living outside Korea, but that's something else entirely.

The whole Korea thing seems to be the problem that attracts so many antis/disgruntled fans here. O.o

well if someone commits an act of racism and is arrested for it, we announce it on national tv. if someone commits murder, we announce it on national tv, if someone, robs a bank, we announce it on tv. so if someone commits what could be considered a racial crime against another country, that country could announce that someone committed a national crime against them.

sorry I read your previous comment wrong. I never said people were drawing him to piss Koreans off. I doubt there are any Korean Koreans who know what Hetalia is and hate Koreans for no airing it on a children's channel though. the problem with the fans liking Korea genuinely lies in the fact that they still make him with the racist perspectives that he was given in the canon series. like when Korea claims everything originated from them. that's incredibly racist that anti Korean Japanese say about Koreans, calling them "culture thieves." and saying everything culture originated from them. but this comes from what happened during WW2 where Japan was trying to kill the Korean race, so they could use Korean land as a weapon, for a tactical advantage against enemy countries. and they believed Koreans were sub human, that they were nothing but mere cattle and could be killed off. so they killed thousands and thousands of Koreans, and tried to destroy the Korean culture as well, the destroyed the aspects they didn't like, but stole the things they did like... to this day there are art works in Tokyo museums claiming that they are Japanese, but Korea has physical evidence it belongs to them. there are Koreans with Japanese names because they were enslaved by the Japanese and were given Japanese names to kill off that part of the culture, even the slightest things. but Japan's act is seen as dishonorable, so they've no choice but to lie and claim Koreans are trying to steal everyone's cultures for themselves. did you know the Korean flag we see today isn't the one they had before WW2? it's because Japan destroyed the original Korean flag and no one remembers it today. and this is why even though we see it in fan works it's still offensive, and it reopens wounds from WW2, and for the people who survived it even when Japan says "Koreans are culture thieves." or "Koreans claim everything for themselves." this is only one aspect of what Korea does and his personality that is racist. as I said, everything about Korea is from the perspective of a racist Japanese person, that's not over exaggerating either. when I say everything I mean everything.

I didn't know that most of the anti Hetalia community comes from the Korea incident. I would imagine it is so in Korea. but when I see anti Hetalia, I see "I hate Hetalia, countries don't have sexual orientations." and "I hate Hetalia, it's not educational at all." stuff like that. I guess if it was mainly cuz the Korea incident, I'd feel better cuz I could vent more.

I fear for the well being, respect and view of my heritage due to the fact that some people think Koreans can't take a "joke" or are simply against that shows Koreans in a shameful way.

ajshim wrote:

I fear for the well being, respect and view of my heritage due to the fact that some people think Koreans can't take a "joke" or are simply against that shows Koreans in a shameful way.

I feel the same fear for you and your people, my sister is actually Korean, and a lot of the time fans say how Koreans can't take a joke, because they recognize the other aspects of the show are a joke but don't understand that when it comes to Korea in the series it's a whole other ball game. it is sad, it relieves me to see fans that say that they understand why Korea was offended and just move on, but there's so many on other sites hating on them for pretty much not liking Hetalia, the network in Korea decided not to air the show and fans were really upset about that, because as a result the author removed the character, but it wasn't banned. however Japan's kids network decided not to air it either, but they don't take any heat at all. I think it's the fact that they can't be mad at the people who make their manga, but Korea they understand nothing about so they can direct their anger without hesitation. I noticed a lot of people who loved Japan have been bashing them for the Tokyo Youth Ordinance Bill for being signed, because it means it will screw up a lot of anime manga and video games. I feel like a lot of weeaboos only love Japan for the anime manga and video games which is pretty sad. oh well anyway, I think if people love Japan, they should research other Asian cultures as well because Koreans, Chinese etc. have a beautiful culture as well.

Another thing to mention is that these supposed fans of Japan only like their anime, manga and games like you said. And that's pretty much it. They rarely talk about the rich culture Japan has along with its current events and past history. Wait actually they know about current events, ones that target anime, manga and games.

ajshim wrote:

Another thing to mention is that these supposed fans of Japan only like their anime, manga and games like you said. And that's pretty much it. They rarely talk about the rich culture Japan has along with its current events and past history. Wait actually they know about current events, ones that target anime, manga and games.

exactly. as soon as the current events involve anime manga and Japanese RPG's they're quick to jump all over it. but if it's about anything else they're totally clueless, and the only aspects of the culture they understand is what they see in anime, and even then if it's distorted a bit they'll still believe it to be true. I bet they don't even know that if you go to a Karaoke bar in Japan and offer a hostess a chance to sing the Karaoke, that it is offensive and incredibly rude. or that their is no evidence that female ninja existed. what we understand about Kunoichi is that they were male ninja who disguised themselves as female. we don't know if female ninja did exist, but we don't know if they didn't either, a weaboo would never know these things because it's the culture that exists outside of anime.

And of course if some said anything against their precious Japan they throw a fit.

ajshim wrote:

And of course if some said anything against their precious Japan they throw a fit.

true... until Japan alters anime, manga, and video games in a way they hate, then they get to say bad things about Japan. but for them as long as Japan keeps supplying them with the manga they desire, Japan can get away with anything.

Which is why I try to expose my heritage to many people as possible including fans of anime in hopes that they will see more the world has to offer than just Japan.

Heck at one point in my life I was taught to hate Japanese people cause of they did to my grandparents, but I managed to forgive them. I love Japanese things such as their history, products, music and my favorite: the food! Practically my entire family loves Japanese food.

I am Korean, but because I am doesn't mean I hate Japan or its people. I'm just angry that there are people who think Japan is number one and that every other country is nothing. Japan isn't the greatest, but it isn't the worst either. Every country has its pros and cons. What matters is that we learn from each and not make the same mistakes as before.

Which is what Korea does, we learn from others and develop from there. That was how part of our culture was created. We had influences from various countries around us such as China, Mogolia, Russia (Yes we had influence from Russia) and even Japan.

We aren't culture thieves, we learn from them, because WE LIKE IT or we find it USEFUL.

ajshim wrote:

Which is why I try to expose my heritage to many people as possible including fans of anime in hopes that they will see more the world has to offer than just Japan.

Heck at one point in my life I was taught to hate Japanese people cause of they did to my grandparents, but I managed to forgive them. I love Japanese things such as their history, products, music and my favorite: the food! Practically my entire family loves Japanese food.

I am Korean, but because I am doesn't mean I hate Japan or its people. I'm just angry that there are people who think Japan is number one and that every other country is nothing. Japan isn't the greatest, but it isn't the worst either. Every country has its pros and cons. What matters is that we learn from each and not make the same mistakes as before.

Which is what Korea does, we learn from others and develop from there. That was how part of our culture was created. We had influences from various countries around us such as China, Mogolia, Russia (Yes we had influence from Russia) and even Japan.

We aren't culture thieves, we learn from them, because WE LIKE IT or we find it USEFUL.

no one has the right to call "culture thieves" on anyone. every country shares something with another country. I mean look at how Asia got hip hop culture from America, and America is a melting pot of other countries and their cultures. so only a hypocrite could use the word "culture thieves."

First and for most, I feel the need to point this out.

The Youth Ordinance Bill is not banning anime. It's simply stamping an R-18 rating on anything moe, perverse, or too violent, and storing it to the "Unhealthy Section" shelf, which includes porn and legal shota. Perhaps even add some shrink wrap to some dvds. It was meant to reel in all the moe, child pornography, incest... you get the idea. It just makes sure children (Or anyone under 18) won't be able to buy manga and anime deemed inappropriate for them.

Yes, it targets pretty much almost anything. But that's because so many anime have at least even a small perverted joke, and that small joke is enough to be deemed as inappropriate. The bill is too vague anyway, and most likely will be repealed in the near future. (You're going to put an R-18 rating on Inuyasha just because it has bathing scenes? Really, now.)

To reply to an earlier comment by GaGaalinG... I see. So I guess I understand the "Korea announcing Hetalia as a national crime" now.

If there are Korean Korea fans that hate their own country for banning Hetalia, I will, and I really will, laugh. I understand the possible existence of Koreans who do like Yong Soo, but I don't think they'll go far to actually hating their country.

I never knew that... about Korea being labeled as "culture thieves" by the Japanese. That's just wrong. Heck, the Philippines adopted some things from the Japanese, but we aren't being called culture thieves now, are we? If that's the case, China should call Japan a culture thief- Japan adopted so much from Chinese culture, after all (They even stressed it in the Hetalia manga, so...). Heck, whatever culture is thrown at Japan, Japan adapts to it and adds it to their culture.

Asia's entire culture is influenced by one another, so it seems pointless to label any country as a culture thief.

I always thought the "____ originated from Korea, da ze~" thing was more of a character quirk of Yong Soo, as I couldn't really understand any cultural or historical significance to that. Now I do.

Most Korea fans probably don't know the racist implications behind it, though. I think that can be forgiven- if they did know, they would probably avoid that little bit about him and instead make other fanworks that still feature Korea without being too racist (I'm seeing a lot of K-pop related fanart of Korea). Now, if they did know, and still continued to portray Korea as that, then we have a problem, unless they can supply a good reason behind that.

A lot of antis that I've met seem to stem their hatred to the series to the Korea Incident. Also, with how their country (Aside from Korea) is portrayed, as I can see when browsing through the forums.

To ajshim, first I'd like to ask- are K-dramas as popular there as they are here in the Philippines?

Putting that aside, I find it sad that most of the people who are interested in Japan only like it for the anime and manga. I myself was once like that, but I learned there was more to Japan than Naruto (Which I swear I will throw a bitchfit over if it reaches season 1,000). I find the culture interesting. I want to visit the country one day, not for the anime, but to learn more about it than what the internet and my textbooks can supply.

I have met Japan fans that like to put more emphasis on Japan's culture, so that's good for them. The world needs more fans like that.

On another note, I'm glad to meet a Korean that DOESN'T hate Japan. My former classmate, who happens to be from Korea, hated the country with such a passion that he wouldn't even talk to my Japanese classmate. They're friends now, though, and his hatred seems to have died down, which is a good thing.

1. I can't understand why people would want to see animated porn.

2. Yes K - drama are quite popular all over Asia and North America too.

3. Which is why I try to expose Korean culture to as many people as possible, most of which are anime fans who think what they see in anime / manga is how everything is in Japan.

I have a friend who is half Japanese and from what he told me about this trips to Japan. Its very similar to that of the United States of America, only with more Japanese people. Japan itself has its own unique things, but there are just as many similarities to other countries. Heck even Korea and Japan are quite similar.

The city of Busan, located down South East of Korea are quite similar to Japan. In fact their accents make it sound like they're speaking Japanese. Yet they are actually speaking Korean. And since the city is not even an hour away from Japan, they do alot of bussiness together.

TheOutsider wrote:

First and for most, I feel the need to point this out.

The Youth Ordinance Bill is not banning anime. It's simply stamping an R-18 rating on anything moe, perverse, or too violent, and storing it to the "Unhealthy Section" shelf, which includes porn and legal shota. Perhaps even add some shrink wrap to some dvds. It was meant to reel in all the moe, child pornography, incest... you get the idea. It just makes sure children (Or anyone under 18) won't be able to buy manga and anime deemed inappropriate for them.

Yes, it targets pretty much almost anything. But that's because so many anime have at least even a small perverted joke, and that small joke is enough to be deemed as inappropriate. The bill is too vague anyway, and most likely will be repealed in the near future. (You're going to put an R-18 rating on Inuyasha just because it has bathing scenes? Really, now.)

To reply to an earlier comment by GaGaalinG... I see. So I guess I understand the "Korea announcing Hetalia as a national crime" now.

If there are Korean Korea fans that hate their own country for banning Hetalia, I will, and I really will, laugh. I understand the possible existence of Koreans who do like Yong Soo, but I don't think they'll go far to actually hating their country.

I never knew that... about Korea being labeled as "culture thieves" by the Japanese. That's just wrong. Heck, the Philippines adopted some things from the Japanese, but we aren't being called culture thieves now, are we? If that's the case, China should call Japan a culture thief- Japan adopted so much from Chinese culture, after all (They even stressed it in the Hetalia manga, so...). Heck, whatever culture is thrown at Japan, Japan adapts to it and adds it to their culture.

Asia's entire culture is influenced by one another, so it seems pointless to label any country as a culture thief.

I always thought the "____ originated from Korea, da ze~" thing was more of a character quirk of Yong Soo, as I couldn't really understand any cultural or historical significance to that. Now I do.

Most Korea fans probably don't know the racist implications behind it, though. I think that can be forgiven- if they did know, they would probably avoid that little bit about him and instead make other fanworks that still feature Korea without being too racist (I'm seeing a lot of K-pop related fanart of Korea). Now, if they did know, and still continued to portray Korea as that, then we have a problem, unless they can supply a good reason behind that.

A lot of antis that I've met seem to stem their hatred to the series to the Korea Incident. Also, with how their country (Aside from Korea) is portrayed, as I can see when browsing through the forums.

To ajshim, first I'd like to ask- are K-dramas as popular there as they are here in the Philippines?

Putting that aside, I find it sad that most of the people who are interested in Japan only like it for the anime and manga. I myself was once like that, but I learned there was more to Japan than Naruto (Which I swear I will throw a bitchfit over if it reaches season 1,000). I find the culture interesting. I want to visit the country one day, not for the anime, but to learn more about it than what the internet and my textbooks can supply.

I have met Japan fans that like to put more emphasis on Japan's culture, so that's good for them. The world needs more fans like that.

On another note, I'm glad to meet a Korean that DOESN'T hate Japan. My former classmate, who happens to be from Korea, hated the country with such a passion that he wouldn't even talk to my Japanese classmate. They're friends now, though, and his hatred seems to have died down, which is a good thing.

I didn't know Moe was being banned too... I thought Moe was a character trait that makes a character cute, not necessarily "sexual" or anything.

I know Inuyasha is rater R here, cuz of all the violence and near nude scenes, I'm pretty sure Inuyasha will be if it wasn't already rated R in Japan because the uncensored version, there was as much nudity in it as there was in Ranma. if they do put rated R stamp on it and put it in the adult section, it won't be commercialized anymore and distributed to other countries. that is any manga that receives the R rating.

yeah I was pretty upset when I found out all that "everything originates in Korea" stuff, if you're already aware of it, it's clear as day as to where it comes from, otherwise it seems random as all heck. but if you talk to anti Korean Japanese people it's pretty clear, I have to avoid them to engage in Japanese things, otherwise for the rest of the day I will be thinking of all the terrible things they said about Koreans while I watch anime. when I found that out I looked at the character and saw how many terrible things the author snuck in the manga, and I felt really disappointed that there were soooo many people unaware of it, sometimes I see pictures that don't insert the actual traits that Korea had in the manga and those aren't bad, so I don't really feel anything about those. I know there are many who just don't know, I feel it's sad though, that if they put as much effort into learning about Japan into learning about Korea they would know, many Asian countries have beautiful cultures just like Japan does. normally I just explain to people who are all mad at Koreans for banning Hetalia why they did it, I only get truly angry with the ones who still don't care to understand, or deny WW2 events to an extent.

yes you will find Asians who don't like Asians from other countries. I have a Chinese friend who absolutely hates Japanese, but enjoys anime and manga, but he hates the Japanese because of what they did to China during WW2. even though Japan doesn't deny what they did to China like they do to Korea. I try to explain to him that not all the Japanese are like that, but he doesn't listen. a lot of times you won't see Koreans and Chinese who hate Japanese people, but rather they hate the government, for what they did to them without apologizing, and even denying what they did.

anyway I'm glad you understand though, you're cool in my book.

TheOutsider wrote:

First and for most, I feel the need to point this out.

The Youth Ordinance Bill is not banning anime. It's simply stamping an R-18 rating on anything moe, perverse, or too violent, and storing it to the "Unhealthy Section" shelf, which includes porn and legal shota. Perhaps even add some shrink wrap to some dvds. It was meant to reel in all the moe, child pornography, incest... you get the idea. It just makes sure children (Or anyone under 18) won't be able to buy manga and anime deemed inappropriate for them.

Yes, it targets pretty much almost anything. But that's because so many anime have at least even a small perverted joke, and that small joke is enough to be deemed as inappropriate. The bill is too vague anyway, and most likely will be repealed in the near future. (You're going to put an R-18 rating on Inuyasha just because it has bathing scenes? Really, now.)

To reply to an earlier comment by GaGaalinG... I see. So I guess I understand the "Korea announcing Hetalia as a national crime" now.

If there are Korean Korea fans that hate their own country for banning Hetalia, I will, and I really will, laugh. I understand the possible existence of Koreans who do like Yong Soo, but I don't think they'll go far to actually hating their country.

I never knew that... about Korea being labeled as "culture thieves" by the Japanese. That's just wrong. Heck, the Philippines adopted some things from the Japanese, but we aren't being called culture thieves now, are we? If that's the case, China should call Japan a culture thief- Japan adopted so much from Chinese culture, after all (They even stressed it in the Hetalia manga, so...). Heck, whatever culture is thrown at Japan, Japan adapts to it and adds it to their culture.

Asia's entire culture is influenced by one another, so it seems pointless to label any country as a culture thief.

I always thought the "____ originated from Korea, da ze~" thing was more of a character quirk of Yong Soo, as I couldn't really understand any cultural or historical significance to that. Now I do.

Most Korea fans probably don't know the racist implications behind it, though. I think that can be forgiven- if they did know, they would probably avoid that little bit about him and instead make other fanworks that still feature Korea without being too racist (I'm seeing a lot of K-pop related fanart of Korea). Now, if they did know, and still continued to portray Korea as that, then we have a problem, unless they can supply a good reason behind that.

A lot of antis that I've met seem to stem their hatred to the series to the Korea Incident. Also, with how their country (Aside from Korea) is portrayed, as I can see when browsing through the forums.

To ajshim, first I'd like to ask- are K-dramas as popular there as they are here in the Philippines?

Putting that aside, I find it sad that most of the people who are interested in Japan only like it for the anime and manga. I myself was once like that, but I learned there was more to Japan than Naruto (Which I swear I will throw a bitchfit over if it reaches season 1,000). I find the culture interesting. I want to visit the country one day, not for the anime, but to learn more about it than what the internet and my textbooks can supply.

I have met Japan fans that like to put more emphasis on Japan's culture, so that's good for them. The world needs more fans like that.

On another note, I'm glad to meet a Korean that DOESN'T hate Japan. My former classmate, who happens to be from Korea, hated the country with such a passion that he wouldn't even talk to my Japanese classmate. They're friends now, though, and his hatred seems to have died down, which is a good thing.

I think I screwed up on the last message I sent you so if I do a double post, I apologize in advance.

I didn't know was going to be banned, I thought Moe was just a characteristic that made a character super super ridiculously cute, not necessarily "sexual"

I know Inuyasha in America is rated R, but I don't know about Japan, cuz the uncensored version has just as much nudity as Ranma 1/2

yeah it's sad the bill has a range as broad as a nuke. I just hope it won't be as bad as people say it will be.

I feel people should appreciate Japan for Japan, it really upset me to see the same people who claimed that anime got them interested in Japanese culture, turn around and start bashing Japan for this bill being passed.

yes it's sad but, for people who are interested in Korea and Japan it's blatantly obvious that the author put racist characteristics for all the character quirks Korea had. and did a really good job at sneaking them in too, no one suspects anything can be racist if it's cute, especially if they know nothing of the countries and their histories and relations with each other.

sometimes I see fan art that doesn't have the racist characteristics that the manga has, those don't bother me. but if a person is mad at Koreans and saying bad things about them cuz they don't like Hetalia, I explain to them why they don't like it, if they don't want to listen or deny those events during WW2 to an extent I get upset. but I don't tell people they have to stop watching, or liking Hetalia or anything. but I get along with the people who understand why they don't like Hetalia just fine.

if the bill doesn't get appealed let's hope it gets altered so it's not a destructive nuke against anime manga and games. I understand they're trying to get rid of the Otaku community in Japan. (which by the way, Otaku isn't like it is here where it's a person who likes anime) in Japan and Korea, an Otaku is a VERY bad thing and I understand why they'd want to get rid of them. but it should have to make a great many other innocent people have to suffer along with them.

After some more digging I did into this "anime ban" that's going on in Japan. It seems to be only active only in Tokyo. Everywhere else in Japan won't be effected bt it.

And the reasons why the person (I forgot who it was who assigned the bill) is banning anime makes me laugh right out of my seat.

I won't tell you all of them, cause I think you guys should look more into yourselves and not to spoil a good laugh, but one of the reasons is: The man believes that anime corrupts children's minds, not by violence or sexual intentions, but cause he believes that anime alters children DNA and makes them into crazy and weird fans of it.: Otakus.

ajshim wrote:

After some more digging I did into this "anime ban" that's going on in Japan. It seems to be only active only in Tokyo. Everywhere else in Japan won't be effected bt it.

And the reasons why the person (I forgot who it was who assigned the bill) is banning anime makes me laugh right out of my seat.

I won't tell you all of them, cause I think you guys should look more into yourselves and not to spoil a good laugh, but one of the reasons is: The man believes that anime corrupts children's minds, not by violence or sexual intentions, but cause he believes that anime alters children DNA and makes them into crazy and weird fans of it.: Otakus.

yeah that altering of DNA is a bunch of bull. I know the reasons he wants to ban it. it's just idiotic. yeah it's only effective in Tokyo. but Tokyo has the largest anime/manga market. they produce most all the anime and manga we see today, the ones that are easy to find and more popular in particular.

ajshim wrote:

After some more digging I did into this "anime ban" that's going on in Japan. It seems to be only active only in Tokyo. Everywhere else in Japan won't be effected bt it.

And the reasons why the person (I forgot who it was who assigned the bill) is banning anime makes me laugh right out of my seat.

I won't tell you all of them, cause I think you guys should look more into yourselves and not to spoil a good laugh, but one of the reasons is: The man believes that anime corrupts children's minds, not by violence or sexual intentions, but cause he believes that anime alters children DNA and makes them into crazy and weird fans of it.: Otakus.

... you can't be serious.

He wants to make anime inaccessible for children because he thinks it alters their DNA. Worse, he thinks Otakus are a different species of human beings.

What.

... I think I'm going to go over to the Twilight Sucks forum and steal their "bullshit" stamp image just for this purpose. That's just... he's serious, right?!

Also, no one mentioned that we reached the second page of an actual discussion. This is something new for this forum. Applaud yourselves.

I'm serious. Go do some research and have a good laugh. Remember there are other reasons why the man doesn't like anime.

TheOutsider wrote:

Before I begin, let me explain the purpose of this thread.

This thread does not DENY in any way that Hetalia is offensive and present it as the most angelic thing in the world. Nor does it deny that it can cause fans to have a distorted view of history and the world. At the same time, this thread does not put down or ridicule the series, as just stating negative things about something is never a good thing.

The purpose of this thread is to clear away any misconceptions of the series. Whether you love or hate Hetalia, it's always a good idea to have a clear view of what this series is supposed to be, not what anyone else has made out of it. I am not trying to make you like the series, nor am I trying to make you hate it more. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

So now, I give you the things that both fans and antis have messed up.

Hetalia was not meant to be about yaoi.
This is something everyone needs to understand- Hetalia is not about yaoi. It was NEVER about yaoi. It was never about taking Canada and Cuba and shipping them together "just because it's hot". Yes, sometimes Himaruya likes to tease with the occasional hint or fanservice, but in the end, it never really meant anything. The only confirmed homosexual in the series is Sweden, but as Himaruya stated, "only for Finland". And if you looked closely at the relationship between the two, you'd see that Finland does not really feel the same way about him. At most, he sees him as a brother and companion. And the failure of a proposal between Germany and Italy? That was because Germany failed to read Italy's actions properly. Italy is normally an affectionate person, but Germany misread that as something else... the two actually just want to be good friends.

The only canon pairings are AustriaxHungary, which was meant to represent the Austria-Hungarian Empire (they divorced after WW1, if you want to know), and Chibi!ItalyxHoly Roman Empire, but that was partly because everyone though Italy was a girl when he was younger. If HRE knew about Italy's true gender, the romance might not have even happen.

Hetalia was not meant to be sexist.
There are a lot of complaints about all the boys in the series. Hetalia, as you might say it, is one big sausage fest. But take note that, when the webcomic first started, Himaruya was not that good with drawing. In fact, he himself stated that the only reason why he originally drew the world powers as men was because he had a difficult time drawing women at that time. You can see now, though, that a lot of the new characters introduced are women (Though I'm not sure if this includes New Zealand). Heck, he even provided genderbends of the existing male nations. He only added more women once he felt more confident about drawing them.

Hetalia was not meant to be educational.
Hetalia was not meant to be an accurate representation of all the events in history. It's not even recommended to be used as a study guide for exams and such. While, yes, some fans have learned a thing or two from the series (I myself can say that I now know about countries I never thought existed. And no, I don't mean the micronations- I mean, I didn't even know Canada existed. No joke), at most, the best it can really do is give each country a face so that it would be easier to remember which is which.

Hetalia was not meant to be an accurate representation of a country and it's people.
I'm not saying it isn't racist, or wasn't meant to be. What I'm saying is that it should be common knowledge that not all Russians like vodka, or not all Brits are terrible cooks (Though many of the ones I met are), or not all Americans are total slobs that like feasting on hamburgers all day. Heck, some of the nations' personalities aren't even based on stereotypes at all- rather, they're based on how the country behaved during a certain time period, or from people that Himaruya met in real life (You know America? His personality was actually based from a Canadian).

Once again, if you have any questions, or want to say something, feel free to do so.

i'm not really a fan of hetalia, but it seemed like Himaruya picked on vevryone and he didn't do his research of some of the sterotypes(in fact i'm an american who hates hamburgers[but i'm no vegetarian]). in the italy brothers case, their innacurate sterotype potrayls are more offensive(although i can't help but love romano, due to episode 94.i've only watch episode 1,2,7,16,18,30,77,90,94, and 100 though) i hate how funimation changed romano's lines in the english dub though. i'm not even italian and i'm complaning about their potrayl. i also can't stand france and russia either.

also talking about the korea contraversy, i don't think that he was that negatively potrayed. the only negative traits i've seen that he appearently likes to tease japan by groping him. i don't have a issue with korea banning it though even though some characters are more offensive than him, i'm not denying that his potrayl is offensive though.

i wouldn't call this series racist though only because japan is potrayed as a stuck-up, rude, two-faced otaku. in fact, he just suddenly betrayed china for no good reason, and china was extremely nice to him.

although hetalia does have some gay romance subtext here and there but the fans overexaggerate it, and the yaoi fans in the fandom are insane!! the series only teased at greece/japan,hre/chibitalia, sweden/finland,russia/lithuania(one-sided on russia's side),spain/austria(one-sided on spain's side),poland/lithuania,prussia/north italy(one-sided on prussia's side) and germany/north italy. my personal opinion, the show has an equal amount of gays, bisexuals, heterosexuals, and asexuals.

the only things i learned from it were that spain conquered southern italy, belgium, and the netherlands, i also learned about the countries seychelles(who's my fave female due to the gakuen hetalia psp game, which i found more tolerable than the anime and manga mainly because of her.england/seychelles is so cute!)

sorry for the typos

crossover wrote:

TheOutsider wrote:

Before I begin, let me explain the purpose of this thread.

This thread does not DENY in any way that Hetalia is offensive and present it as the most angelic thing in the world. Nor does it deny that it can cause fans to have a distorted view of history and the world. At the same time, this thread does not put down or ridicule the series, as just stating negative things about something is never a good thing.

The purpose of this thread is to clear away any misconceptions of the series. Whether you love or hate Hetalia, it's always a good idea to have a clear view of what this series is supposed to be, not what anyone else has made out of it. I am not trying to make you like the series, nor am I trying to make you hate it more. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

So now, I give you the things that both fans and antis have messed up.

Hetalia was not meant to be about yaoi.
This is something everyone needs to understand- Hetalia is not about yaoi. It was NEVER about yaoi. It was never about taking Canada and Cuba and shipping them together "just because it's hot". Yes, sometimes Himaruya likes to tease with the occasional hint or fanservice, but in the end, it never really meant anything. The only confirmed homosexual in the series is Sweden, but as Himaruya stated, "only for Finland". And if you looked closely at the relationship between the two, you'd see that Finland does not really feel the same way about him. At most, he sees him as a brother and companion. And the failure of a proposal between Germany and Italy? That was because Germany failed to read Italy's actions properly. Italy is normally an affectionate person, but Germany misread that as something else... the two actually just want to be good friends.

The only canon pairings are AustriaxHungary, which was meant to represent the Austria-Hungarian Empire (they divorced after WW1, if you want to know), and Chibi!ItalyxHoly Roman Empire, but that was partly because everyone though Italy was a girl when he was younger. If HRE knew about Italy's true gender, the romance might not have even happen.

Hetalia was not meant to be sexist.
There are a lot of complaints about all the boys in the series. Hetalia, as you might say it, is one big sausage fest. But take note that, when the webcomic first started, Himaruya was not that good with drawing. In fact, he himself stated that the only reason why he originally drew the world powers as men was because he had a difficult time drawing women at that time. You can see now, though, that a lot of the new characters introduced are women (Though I'm not sure if this includes New Zealand). Heck, he even provided genderbends of the existing male nations. He only added more women once he felt more confident about drawing them.

Hetalia was not meant to be educational.
Hetalia was not meant to be an accurate representation of all the events in history. It's not even recommended to be used as a study guide for exams and such. While, yes, some fans have learned a thing or two from the series (I myself can say that I now know about countries I never thought existed. And no, I don't mean the micronations- I mean, I didn't even know Canada existed. No joke), at most, the best it can really do is give each country a face so that it would be easier to remember which is which.

Hetalia was not meant to be an accurate representation of a country and it's people.
I'm not saying it isn't racist, or wasn't meant to be. What I'm saying is that it should be common knowledge that not all Russians like vodka, or not all Brits are terrible cooks (Though many of the ones I met are), or not all Americans are total slobs that like feasting on hamburgers all day. Heck, some of the nations' personalities aren't even based on stereotypes at all- rather, they're based on how the country behaved during a certain time period, or from people that Himaruya met in real life (You know America? His personality was actually based from a Canadian).

Once again, if you have any questions, or want to say something, feel free to do so.

i'm not really a fan of hetalia, but it seemed like Himaruya picked on vevryone and he didn't do his research of some of the sterotypes(in fact i'm an american who hates hamburgers[but i'm no vegetarian]). in the italy brothers case, their innacurate sterotype potrayls are more offensive(although i can't help but love romano, due to episode 94.i've only watch episode 1,2,7,16,18,30,77,90,94, and 100 though) i hate how funimation changed romano's lines in the english dub though. i'm not even italian and i'm complaning about their potrayl. i also can't stand france and russia either.

also talking about the korea contraversy, i don't think that he was that negatively potrayed. the only negative traits i've seen that he appearently likes to tease japan by groping him. i don't have a issue with korea banning it though even though some characters are more offensive than him, i'm not denying that his potrayl is offensive though.

i wouldn't call this series racist though only because japan is potrayed as a stuck-up, rude, two-faced otaku. in fact, he just suddenly betrayed china for no good reason, and china was extremely nice to him.

although hetalia does have some gay romance subtext here and there but the fans overexaggerate it, and the yaoi fans in the fandom are insane!! the series only teased at greece/japan,hre/chibitalia, sweden/finland,russia/lithuania(one-sided on russia's side),spain/austria(one-sided on spain's side),poland/lithuania,prussia/north italy(one-sided on prussia's side) and germany/north italy. my personal opinion, the show has an equal amount of gays, bisexuals, heterosexuals, and asexuals.

the only things i learned from it were that spain conquered southern italy, belgium, and the netherlands, i also learned about the countries seychelles(who's my fave female due to the gakuen hetalia psp game, which i found more tolerable than the anime and manga mainly because of her.england/seychelles is so cute!)

sorry for the typos

Korea's portrayal was in fact the most offensive because all of his traits were "in fact" based on racist assertions that spawned from Japanese prejudice. all things originated from Korea was racist, Korea being childish, was actually racist, the claims about Korea's relationships with Japan and Korea were racist. throughout these forums I have provided a plethora of evidence as to why it is racist and I have in fact provided proof as well as to why it was racist, I've provided youtube links and quotes of Japanese people making the same racist claims towards Koreans that are completely in line with the racism in Hetalia. and I have explained how and why the Japanese came up with the racist assertions that are in Hetalia. Korea's portrayal is by far the most offensive because it is based solely on racism and dehumanization.

oh ok, but korea isn't the only only potrayed with racist sterotypes though. italy,france, and russia also have racist sterotypes to them too. all i'm trying to say is that peopl mainly make a fuss about how korea was potrayed, even though other characters are really offensive too. i'm suprised that the italians and russians didn't complain about hetalia.

also could you send me a link to a video of yours. i'm new here and haven't checked out all the posts yet.

i also forgot to mention that i found seychelles's whitewashing offsenive, and when i did some reasearch on hetalia just to see why it's popular, i found out that the characters greece and egypt were white-washed too