Confirmation of Petition

[squeaky-spooky.livejournal.com]

Apparently the rumors about a petition in Korea to cancel the Hetalia anime are true:

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-01-13/korean-protests-call-for-hetalia-anime-cancellation

No plans to cancel it as of yet. Interestingly enough, there were never plans for Korea to be in the anime.

Comments

[kiwifruiti.livejournal.com]

$10 says this appears on Fandom Secrets X million times in the next few days.

I understand that Japan and Korea aren't on the best of terms, and I certainly can see how some may be offended. But to me, Hetalia has always promoted an attitude of understanding and tolerance through it's lighthearted jabs at countries' stereotypes. After reading a strip, I never get the impression that "so-and-so country is stupid/evil/whatever". Instead, it's more like "Hey, when you think about it, we're all funny in our own way, aren't we?"

I don't expect Hetalia to change the minds of everyone, especially not of those already set in their ways. But I honestly do think that when you look at the big picture and the message it conveys, this silly little webcomic could prove to be a significant first step in encouraging acceptance of the cultures and people of all countries portrayed.

Sorry if this was too cheesy, haha. XD

[kenichi-bokushi.livejournal.com]

Couldn't have said it better myself. If anything, it seems to send the message of, "we've all got our cultural quirks, so can't we all just accept each other and get along?" That's one of the reasons I like it, personally. In addition to that, it's brought people from all over the world together, in this community, because we're all fans of a series that does seem to strongly promote tolerance and an attitude of "even with our quirks and even our flaws, we're all okay."

[mumumugen.livejournal.com]

...you keep saying all this smart, wonderful stuff, and putting things better than I ever could. *_*

[kenichi-bokushi.livejournal.com]

Thank you ^_^

[kiwifruiti.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I definitely agree. For some, being offended is understandable, but instead of immediately issuing a call to arms I wish they could take a look at how the majority are responding. Like you said, this community has brought people from all over the world together, and how many of us have become more interested in other countries' histories and cultures as a result? That's certainly a far cry from racism of any form, which some claim Hetalia promotes.

[kenichi-bokushi.livejournal.com]

Exactly. Unfortunately, many people are too quick to jump on the bandwagon. I for one wouldn't have even known some of the countries I now know about even EXISTED if it wouldn't have been for Hetalia, and I feel like I have become more aware of and interested in world events as a result of it, far more than the extremely sheltered American news tends to tell us. Not to mention that I wouldn't have met all these cool people had I not gotten into this. Unfortunately, there are people who take a passing glance (if even that much) and immediately pass judgement. Last I checked, that's the same process by which prejudice happens.

[kiwifruiti.livejournal.com]

Yes, absolutely. I find that I too have become more interested in world events as of late. News that happens half-way around the globe that I would not have felt connected to before now feels a little closer to home, in a way.

Far too many people automatically condemn Hetalia at first glance because of the stereotypes it pokes fun at, the countries being depicted as bishounen, the fact that it was created by a Japanese person and deals with WWII, or what have you. It's unfortunate that they don't look long enough to see the overwhelmingly positive effect it has on the majority of readers. And you're right, that same process is remarkably similar to prejudice itself.

[kenichi-bokushi.livejournal.com]

Exactly! First of all, anyone who actually takes the time to do the research would notice that the guy who writes it is Japanese, but has been living in America for quite a long time, and he has even drawn these things while there. He even often uses the pages for the strips, as well as his blog, to show off some of the sights of America to the people who read it. Somehow, that doesn't seem like the type of person who would make up something that would label America as "the bad guys." Few people would be idiotic enough to make something that depicts America as the bad guys of World War II while within America's borders, and somehow, he doesn't strike me as an idiot by any stretch of the imagination. Also, they don't consider that he didn't even spare Japan from having its own foibles, such as being a sort of dull, extremely submissive character who has an obsession with cute things.

Second of all, the thing with World War II being a setting for comedy is nothing new. Any of them heard of the musical South Pacific? That's a comedy specifically dealing with the military that takes place in World War II, and there are plenty of stereotypes in it, but I was in a pretty well-publicised production of it in 1999, and there was no protest to be found anywhere. Any of them heard of a certain comedy/drama set in the Korean war that goes by the name of ... oh, I don't know, M*A*S*H? Using the war as a setting is nothing new and is not automatically bad.

Not to mention that only some of the strips even have to do with the war. The bulk of the strips on Himaruya's site have nothing at all to do with WWII -- many of them, in fact, are from the modern era (e.g. China's copyright infringement amusement park, Sealand's struggle to be recognised, the Baltic trio's post-Russian control struggles, etc.) The setting ranges from all the way back in ancient times to the present.

However, none of that matters to those who protest it, because all they look at is just what's on the surface, just like an actual racist does when he/she sees someone who looks different from him/her.

[kiwifruiti.livejournal.com]

True, true. I actually didn't even know that Hidekaz lived in New York till someone brought it up casually a few days ago. I think that's pretty cool. (I wonder if that's why he was able to portray the relationship between America and Canada so well. XD)

As for the second point, that's pretty much the reason why I won't be too concerned if Hetalia is licensed in North America. It seems quite a few people are worried about the possible backlash, but like you pointed out above WWII comedies (or comedies set during other wars for that matter) are nothing new. Plus if we're talking stereotypes and laughing at other countries, Hetalia is nowhere near as controversial as popular American shows like Family Guy or South Park.

Also like you said many of the strips don't have anything to do with WWII at all. The whole comic is parody of international relations in general (past and present), if anything.

[coded.livejournal.com]

It definitely wasn't cheesy - all of those things are true.
Honestly (and people might say this is going a little far for a fandom/manga but..it's okay), Hetalia has changed the way I see so many countries and so many parts of the world. I love that it gives us all these tidbits and things about each character - you can really learn something about another culture through so many of the strips.
And there are lots of diverse people here from different backgrounds and we've all learned to laugh at each other and ourselves together, which is such a big step in the right direction for cooperation and communication in the world.
I wonder if Himaruya-san had any idea his manga would bring so many people together XD

[kiwifruiti.livejournal.com]

Haha no it's alright, even if it's just a webcomic it's changed my perceptions too and brought all of us together. And I completely agree with you that laughing at both ourselves and others together is so important. Sometimes I think that much of the tension in the world could be eased if we didn't always take ourselves so seriously.