What do you think will be in volume 6? ( Besides the BIRZ )

[rosavamgirl.livejournal.com]

Hi everyone! I thought it would be nice to have a little more community discussion so I thought- Why not talk about what might be in volume 6? I wonder if Himaruya will come back close to it's release?
Anyway, if this isn't allowed, please delete it right away.

I think that maybe something about modern cultural relations will be in the beginning? Or maybe another Gakuen hetalia chapter.

Comments

[xxmapsyrxx.livejournal.com]

Before I start on what I would like to see in vol6, I just want to say that I am really hoping that Hima-sensei gets to do what he really wants for the series. Honestly, seeing as he doesn't updates his website in the recent months, I have strong feelings that he is very busy working on both the Comic Birz and vol6. My comments are in no way shape of form to try to push him into doing something, I just hope we get to see him a bit more.

So, what I am really trying to say is that I would like to see him update his website/blog more than anything else. Even if it means vol6 gets pushed back or something.

But to answer the question posed here, despite high hopes from all corners of the fandom to see new characters, I want to stay conservative and say a chapter dedicated to Romania and associated characters will be more than satisfactory for me, regardless of the plot or the length of the story.

Then again, I am concerned that Hetalia is turning into the generic conveyor belt comic series, where the publishers push Hima-sensei to publish a Birz chapter every month and a new volume every year, disrespecting his opportunity to connect with the fans and totally treating it like just-another-commerical-product. Am I over-thinking or does anyone else have this feeling as well?

[akakosenpai.livejournal.com]

Ever since he dropped off the face of the planet, I actually thought the same thing. It seems they may want to make more profit off of Hetalia thus make him stop posing pictures on his blog.

[pixelmicrocat.livejournal.com]

This is exactly how I feel as well.

[pink-cass.livejournal.com]

I strongly agree with your feeling, and because of it I decided for myself that Gentosha will not see a further cent from me and that if I want future volumes, I'll buy them used on Ebay to make absolutely sure I'm not paying those people. I know it means less money for Hima as well, and I feel bad about that, and would pay him in an instant if there were such an option, but I felt really bad looking at last volume and looking at how Gentosha treated Hetarchive, and knowing that I gave them money. Maybe if people get angry enough to boycot them, they'll lose interest in Hetalia and give it to someone who has more respect for the artist and their fans.

[anubismito]

I have similar opinions.
I'm missing the "old non-that-commercial Hetalia", I miss Himaruya's interaction with his fans. I really miss this. And I have the feeling that he also misses it, but he is overworked. Even though I think that his disapparition could be also for another thing that I don't think it's for open a discuss, ^^U but appeared last year after his last update, and it kinda broke part of Himaruya's privacy.

I think that vol. 6 will bring only the chapters published on Birz Comic.
I'd like to see more Bulgaria, Cameroon, Cuba and other minor characters...

[wakalakaosaka.livejournal.com]

Oh good, I'm not alone in this opinion. I really do miss his fandom interaction and random photos that he would take about his everyday life and his travels.

[disneyotaku.livejournal.com]

I'm sure that the entire fandom feels this way too, in relation to seeing Himaruya more. We all miss him very much. And between you and me, if given the choice to have volume 6 or just a few sentences from Hima himself posted on the blog, I'd pick Hima.

I think that because he's is busy with the volume and Birz, there might be a few new comic strips in there, but again, I'm more concerned over whether he's okay and if he's gotten enough sleep and time to relax.

[thisisvodka.livejournal.com]

i'm actually going to second that i'd rather see hima have more of a presence than anything else. ;__; it was the one thing that made the hetalia so unique and so tight-knit, but now that feeling is gone...

as for content though, i have high hopes that liechtenstein will make a new appearance. it's been FAR too long since she got a mention and she seems to be regularly forgotten by hima - it sucks. :(

also yes more romania wow AND CANON MAGIC TRIO WOULD BE GREAT! i would also love to see more belarus and some new hungary/prussia interactions...

well, there's actually a *lot* i would like to see, but those are probably my most realistic expectations. XD

[elizabetamargie.livejournal.com]

I feel the same as the rest- I would like to see more of Himaruya himself. Heck, I can do without the volume if it means he'll be online and doodle a thing or two for us.

But since the new volume is coming up, I have a feeling that it will simply include the Birz, and not add anything new, except for a few drawings or maybe old strips from Himaruya's blog.

I'd like to see something of AusHun, but that's just my pairing wishes, heh. Also BTT- I'd love a strip where France, Spain and Prussia just hang out, ha.

[boo-sagara.livejournal.com]

Like people before me said, I also would love to see him back on his blog more than anything else. I think the fact that he updated his blog with some regularity gave life to the fandom and it was really fun to see his drawings and doodles with a certain frequency. Not to mention the random photos of cats and his trips! It was great to see everyone together translating what he wrote and trying to discover something new about him and the characters.

Another thing that I miss a lot are the events. I made great friends thanks to them and it was the best fandom experience that I ever had! Everyone were united to spend hours together, talking about their favorite characters and having a good time.

Basically, even though I'm happy with the news of a new volume, I would be waaaay more excited with a small blog update and even more if he decided to finish the Christmas event, but as we have no prevision for that, the way is keep waiting and have hope...

As for volume 6, I think it'll consist of a lot of Birz strips, but I would like to see 1 or 2 new characters and more strips for characters that we don't see with frequency or "new" ones like India, Romania and Macau.

[misty-rain.livejournal.com]

Exactly this.

[rosavamgirl.livejournal.com]

Yes!
I really want Himaruya to come back. I mean, I wish he could update his blog... even if it was something small.
I haven't been in this fandom for very long, so I can't say anything about how it was before the Hiatus.
Looking back at his other posts, it looks like he really enjoyed just posting on his blog, and it's a shame that something is keeping him away from that.

[sett-austen.livejournal.com]

You wrote exactly how I feel. What was different was that manga contact and interaction with Himaruya.

PERFECT:
The volume is 6, I think it'll consist of a lot of Birz strips, but I would like to see 1 or 2 new characters and more strips for characters que we do not see with frequency or "new" ones like India, Romania and Macau.

(http://s58.photobucket.com/user/Sett_Austen/media/gifs/31110884.gif.html)

[emsiecat.livejournal.com]

I hope Himaruya gets to have some fun with this volume.

Apart from that since my hope/prediction about Buon San Valentino being animated was correct. I'm gonna go out on a limb and hope/predict that we find out the mystery of Germany's past (c'mon be HRE!), and some GerIta goodness.

[misty-rain.livejournal.com]

I would like it if Volume 6 focused on a good blend of historical and modern cultural events. I'd also like to see the new characters receive some more attention, because Himaruya's development of characters is really one of my favorite parts of Hetalia. I find I always end up liking whatever character he focuses further attention on even more. I'm not really hoping for Hima to create new characters just yet; I'd rather see more development granted to older and newer characters, rather than just developing new ones just for the sake of it.

Also, if Himaruya updates his blog I will explode into happy confetti.

[pink-cass.livejournal.com]

A new and frienlier publisher would be nice, but since that's not an option for now, I'll hope for a bit of Italy brothers interaction, a different art style from last volume (seriously, half of that just looked rushed and not comfortable at all), maybe a new character or the reappearance of a rare character, and comic strips as close to the blog comics as possible.

[rosavamgirl.livejournal.com]

Really, I've been looking over last month's birz... and... China's cats fighting? That seems very rushed to me.

[yamikisara.livejournal.com]

I love seeing the hetafandom like this, I mean there aren't many this dedicated and friendly (most of the time) fandoms. I think it's something Himaruya created because of his interaction with the fans and I love the fact that most of us are able to put our diferences aside and just enjoy the series - it's something Hetalia is trying to teach us. Afterall the countries have their diferences, but all in all they are still friends with everyone.

I really wish Himaruya would come back too. I wonder if he gets paid enough to make drawing his main job? Wish there was a way to donate to him, I'm sure our fandom would be able to do that, if it meant getting back the freedom this fandom and Himaruya once had, events and all.

For volume 6 I really wish my homeland (Czechia) would finally appear! Seriously it's been a way too long of a wait XD And he was so close so many times too ;w;
Other than that I'll be happy with a few new strips, that haven't appeared in BIRZ yet, don't particularly care about the appearing characters. It's just no fun reading the whole thing allover again...

[jesstheusagi.livejournal.com]

I think we might see/learn more of Seychelles' friend. That intro seemed kind of like it was setting up for a bigger one. I also think we might get a bit more nyo, even if it's just a couple four-panels. As for what I want, Poland, Canada, Molossia, and females! (Plus a return to the blog, of course.)

[lildeadkitty.livejournal.com]

Same. I also want to see some Prussia-Canada interaction.

[wakalakaosaka.livejournal.com]

Oh, more than anything I'd love to hear from Hima-papa. Whether it's an ambiguous picture or a random quip about American cakes, any activity from his blog would be great. Darnit, who's the Bunny guy? Who were the random people from that Hetaween ages ago?

[xxmapsyrxx.livejournal.com]

I am so glad that amongst all the discussion someone still remembers the random people at the end of the Hetaween. I am very glad that our sentiments echo each other.

I am going to bet on Brazil or someone from the Balkans

[foohey1212.livejournal.com]

I'm happy that we pretty much all agree that we want Himapapa back~
Without Hima's blog posts and cat pictures I feel empty that I'm not as into Hetalia as I used to be.
I think without them Hetalia loses profit too, if they were focused on maximizing it ^^;

It would be awesome if vol. 6 had new characters! But I hope he also has strips for characters that have not appeared as much~

[misty-rain.livejournal.com]

I think without them Hetalia loses profit too, if they were focused on maximizing it ^^;

I do as well. I don't think that they made a very wise decision by ending the blog updates.
I know there are people who will buy the product regardless, but I don't think Himaruya's events and regular comments were hurting sales any. If anything, I think they increased the number of people who would buy the product. I don't think this fact is well understood, though.

[pandalovesmilk.livejournal.com]

Ah! So I'm not the only one who lost interest in Hetalia after Hima stopped posting? I don't why I did, I think I felt kind of abandoned, I mean he did kind of spoil us so when he stopped posting the fandom didn't really know what to do, it was like no one was moving forward, so I left :'D hehe but you can never leave for long, Hetalia is not easily forgotten and this is one of my favorite fandoms! Seriously! There was such a huge feeling of community togetherness with you guys, aahh I miss it <3

I don't know what to expect from V6, I want more new characters and I want more Cuba, just because I really love him T_T

[lildeadkitty.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately when I first started watching Hetalia back in 2011, all I knew was the anime, and It wasn't until just after the 2011 christmas event that I started reading the webcomic and checking Hima's blog properly, unfortunately because of that I've never really known Hetalia how it used to be, I really wish I could have been a part of the old Hetalia...

[koic-244.livejournal.com]

oh god i hope there is spamano i hope :-SSS i don't care what Hima would put but I need some Spain and Romano and Tomato gang comic strips!!!

[kaoarika.livejournal.com]

Mhhmm...

I don't think that I have anything to add to the whole suspicion about Hima's dissapearance. It still feels weird, I think, but I have rarely get used to the whole' he hasn't updated his blog' since... almost a year ago. I think we all have a lot of legitimate reasons of why to worry for him, but even if he does not update it, at least the monthly Birz serial means he is somewhat/somehow alive.

I really don't want to contribute anything at all about this whole 'conspiracy', but it is still fishy, so here are my two cents about it.

Looking at it from every single side of it, it's fishy. I don't think it would be easy for Hima leaving Gentosha so easily, and I do think he has his hands tied practically with them, especially since the anime was greenlighted with a new season and of course it is still airing.

It's fishy because of the limits he has with his blog. I do get that with a work like this being a mangaka (now professional meaning) takes a lot of time and that could mean also barely to non-existent updates about health of whatsoever, that would explain his sudden absence, although even if he doesn't leave a note of what is going on with his life, that still seems strange. Maybe Gentosha really has the rights to Hetalia and they are preventing to the fandom to catch more 'free material' as the events and what not as long as if they are 'new' even if it's a little slip from his part. That would explain why also the anime staff was/is also animating the events that were originally done for the fans or why Gentosha was/is publishing some of the fan-asked strips from the events as well.

It's curious that around or before the last update, occurred the whole scandal about Hima's "real identity" in 2ch, too. At least it seems this topic didn't came out again, though... but it also contributes a bit of my own thinking as or why Hima's art seems to be improved or well, why his art also seems a little bit different from before (see, still fishy, but there is no real proof that contributes to this).

I think that all of this is pointing to something of editorial mandates problems and that is something that is out of his hands right now, but he can't really get out of there just because. I don't want to think in a sad situation, but I think he is still attached to Hetalia, enough, that he just can't leave it. He is one of few authors that started as self-publishing (in this case, webcomics) his own works and he really hit it with Hetalia and he got profits of it. But the more and more Hetalia started to be recognized I think the pressure Gentosha gave him was more notorious. If you check the dates of publishing between vol 2 and 3, it was 2 years in comparison from 3 to 4 and the 5th of one year. Maybe I'm not of a head of a publisher, but rather it seems that at the beginning they were picking what strips could be granted to be published and of course, some new stuff...they offered Hima a slot in their Comic Birz, and that meant that he was going to work seriously and started to give him some limits. EVEN if he is the author of the series.

I recently found out a curiousity now that its new anime was also announced as well, so I will add this to here, being Rozen Maiden. The series was published in Comic Birz too, but sometime around 2006, Peach-Pit announced that the series was put on hiatus mostly because some problems from 'editorial department's side'. The manga ended in the magazine in 2007, before getting continued/restarted at Shueisha's Young Jump in 2008. Maybe Gentosha does treat their authors bad, but when they have a successful
title, they aren't going to leave it go so easily because of their profits. Of course, Peach Pit also had another title being published back then and I don't know how they worked so that's their word... but, what about Hima if Chibi-san Date also ended?

It's still a mystery.

Now with vol 6 around the corner... WELL... I expect normal Birz serial chapters... but... what kind of new material I want to see in there? More about Seychelles and... maybe, MAYBE some focus on Australia and New Zealand and other sort of-forgotten characters too...

[pink-cass.livejournal.com]

Thank you for this information and for your thoughts, kao.
I hope this whole discussion didn't make you feel uncomfortable or something. We're not trying to chase Illuminati here, we just talked about possibilities.