Hetalia: Nationalistic pride?

[kawaiihoto.livejournal.com]

Ever since I've started reading Hetalia I have been generating opinions about countries in general [like Russia's scariness!]; I myself am chilean, therefore my country is not portrayed in hetalia.

I was wondering how those people who have their countries personified into characters feel. Do they feel stereotyped? Identified? Proud?

I don't know if this counts as spam, since this is neither fanart or a fanfic; just a discussion thread pursuing to know what nationalistic feelings Hetalia generates, specially since this community is composed of international members.

Comments

[ex-uniform983.livejournal.com]

PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN BB.

[pana.livejournal.com]

I love Greece, absolutely love him. I'm not the kind of person who gets easily offended though. Even growing up with a lot of anti-Turkish propaganda, I ship Turkey/Greece like crazy. So.

[keikain.livejournal.com]

I, personally, couldn't be happier with America? He's adorable and I really couldn't think of any way he could be represent our country better.

[aerlyn.livejournal.com]

I'm Canadian, and I don't like how Canada tends to look so..."uke", especially in fanart. But, you know, I can't really argue with it, and I adore the character anyway! XD

[song-of-truth.livejournal.com]

America never fails to give me a case of the giggles, or at least a goofy grin. So I vote that as GLEEFUL PRIDE?

[sei-kou-ki.livejournal.com]

FUCK YEAH, SHINING SEAS AND FREAKIN MAJESTIC PURPLE MOUNTAINS AND LOUD DUDES WITH GLASSES

[dropsofgleam.livejournal.com]

Heee, hello fellow Chilean! =D Too bad out little sock-shaped country isn't featured... still. =)

[hoozilla.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes. America has definitely improved my opinion of my own country XDDD

[bolshevists.livejournal.com]

I remember one thing my Asian Philosophy professor said that just stood out to me: "Compared to others, we as Americans are hopelessly optimistic." It wasn't until she said that that I actually realized the truth behind that. Our government does tend to work on the notion that things are only going to get better, and although they're bad now, their roots are strong (a recent example of American optimism: McCain saying how he believes that the economy is "fundamentally good"). Other nations, like China (as seen by the fundamental beliefs of Confucianism and such), have this desire to get back to the way things were in the past. Instead of time taking a positive slope, time takes a negative slope.

So I think America's optimism and enthusiasm is pretty accurate. And how he can be seen as a bit...ridiculous sometimes. I mean, here it's almost considered unpatriotic to say "Yeah, things are bad, and they're not getting better" instead of "Our foundations are strong, we'll be okay!" It does seem a bit ridiculous, to an outsider. And how we make such a huge deal about stuff. I think Americans as a whole are pretty optimistic and enthusiastic, so I like how America's character reflects that.

[azure-complex.livejournal.com]

Yo tambien soy chilena xD (aunk naci en Brasil y ahora mismo vivo en Republica Dominicana xD)
con una amiga hisimos sketchs de como seria ''Chile kun'' a lo hetalia xD

[dyxlisa.livejournal.com]

Though I'm American, I'm mixed (Chinese and Finnish mostly) and I definitely find Hetalia inspires a lot of pride in me for my countries, and have actually learned a lot about Finnish history thanks to Hetalia which is awesome \o/ My grandmother is the one from Finland and I don't get the chance to talk with her very often. I also find myself laughing sort of self-derisively at the stereotypes since a lot of them ring true, especially when it comes to America lol

[farelle.livejournal.com]

I like the character for Sweden, aum.. he reminds me of those silent kinda stoic anime characters that I end up linking sometimes. (Like Sakaki from Azumanga Daioh for example.)
I guess I maybe can identify myself in some ways with him, but bah, I dunno.
I'm VERY happy they did not make the character for Sweden a girl, with a big rack and all that, Berwald is like the male version of that but much, much better. :'D
As for the proudness...I'm a very humble person so I wont say that I'm very patriotic... except if my country manages to accomplish something good, but mostly I disslike a lot of other Swedes who live here because I find them to be too prude and what not. But that's just me. And I'm a kinda special case. X'''D
Maybe it's just me who aren't a very people friendly person.. ^^;

[the-404-error.livejournal.com]

I'd say America's personality is almost perfect in relation to our general mindset.

He amuses me, but admittedly also embarrasses me at times. Such as his map predicament, but since I've also known people who've placed Mexico where Texas is and put Siberia in Australia on geography tests... I can't really argue the accuracy there and always end up laughing at my own country if anything.

[megglez13.livejournal.com]

I absolutely adore America. Which is funny, because up until last Tuesday, I've never really been patriotic. Like at all. I used to joke about how ironic it was that it took a JAPANESE webcomic to make me love my country. XD

[callalady.livejournal.com]

I would definitely say PROUD! In capitals. But seriously, we all know it's just a comic.

[meltedpeep.livejournal.com]

When I first heard about Hetalia I sort of cringed at the thought of what America must look like in a setup like this, but after reading the scanlations and seeing how much ribbing everybody gets, I can actually feel kind of proud of my bossy overachieving optimist of a country. In real life, I'm very uncomfortable with most of the attention we tend to get overseas, but looking at everything in the historical context where other countries had the spotlight and were just as ridiculous is...oddly reassuring.

SEE, GUYS, ONE DAY WE'LL ALL LOOK BACK ON THIS AND LAUGH. Har har.

[out-of---tune.livejournal.com]

I don't really have a problem with how Canada is portrayed. No one really cares about us anyways D8. Although he's a bit of a wimp from what I heard.


...I just don't get his uniform. What is that? I thought that everyone thought of us as lumberjacks and mountees who live in igloos.

[megglez13.livejournal.com]

It's sad but it's so true. I had a friend who, in 9th or 10th grade didn't know that the UK was an island.

Putting Siberia in Australia is pretty awful, though. XD

[kawaiihoto.livejournal.com]

Yes T_T I love our sock country :X

[gomimushi.livejournal.com]

My home country (Singapore) isn't featured either (as far as i know?) but I've lived most of my life in the UK, and I love everything about him. :'D The Tea-drinking tsundere for america ♥ ~

Right up to those amazing eyebrows ♥.....

[kawaiihoto.livejournal.com]

Ya! Que entretenido! Tienes que darme el link ^^

[megglez13.livejournal.com]

No one really cares about us anyways D8.
THIS IS A LIE. I'm from the US, and I LOVE Canada. If Obama had lost the election, I was totally going to move up there with you guys and your universal healthcare.

[harmonde.livejournal.com]

But Siberia is in Australia! XDDDDD

[kawaiihoto.livejournal.com]

Lol, I once had someone in the states ask me if I lived in a hut since I was in south america XD

[kawaiihoto.livejournal.com]

I love that canadians also speak french XD Being a bilingual nation sure shows a lot of cultural status :P