Hey there Ella. How does one explain to someone who’s got little insight into Hetalia other than what the internet says, that Hetalia is actually an amazingly well done historical-comedy with surprising amounts of depth and characterisation? Since it’s been lotted in with the likes of Homestuck, Sonic and Undertale, I really, REALLY, don’t know how to convince them. I myself found it weird and was put off by the first episode when I first watched it, so I don’t know…

Honestly, same. I
remember watching the first episode and immediately dropping it. That was years
ago, but I still think it took me a solid year before I picked it up again.
What really did it for me was the manga.

The anime is an awful portrayal
and substitute for the manga, especially because of time constraints and
one-sided portrayals of the characters. Yes, some of the earlier strips were
extremely questionable – hence the initial reputation-ruining fanbase. I should
also mention that the old fanbase’s behaviour didn’t just come out of nowhere. As
such, I can’t really blame people for having such a horrid impression of it.

Either way, Hima’s clearly learned from his
early mistakes (I’m talking 2006-2009ish), and his craft has since changed into
something truly incredible. It’s unfortunate, but those early phases of the
series still overshadow his content today.

As for any advice? I
would try introducing your friend to World Stars first. It gives context when
you’re exposed to the newer strips first instead of being put off by the older ones. Hopefully, this makes things a bit easier to digest.

If they’re not an avid
reader and the anime route is an absolute must, I would recommend showing them “A
bientôt! Until We Meet Again”
(episode 15 of Beautiful World), “Though I may depart you shall remain,” (episode
5 of Beautiful World) and “Davie” (episode 11 of World Twinkle).