I agree, that scene
where Italy’s catapulted into the air by a faulty car seat does reveal a bit of
naivety on Germany’s part.
On the other hand, Germany’s
young age is mentioned several times in the manga. There’s also the fact that the scene above took place during WW2. Germany would have learned a lot more since then.
Hetalia has often been mischaracterized as something that
promotes and glorifies violence. Why? Because the initial setting takes place
in World War 2. Somehow that automatically equates to said negative image.
To that, I say this. There’s a difference between situating
a historical context and using explicit insignia to support an abhorrent
ideology. You never see the latter portrayal in the series.
While I disagree with a lot of Hima’s early characterizations and miscalculated jokes, his depiction of
fascism, communism, and war is something that I’ve always respected. It’s done
tastefully (with comical hyperbolic elements, of course), and does anything but
promote violence.
That said, it’s also important to mention that the
insensitive war jokes used in the dub are completely irrelevant to the messages
of peace and solidarity that Hima incorporates into his work. That’s the result
of other people interpreting the series and making it their own, only to botch
it entirely.
Regardless of the fact that war’s going on, Hima makes an effort
to showcase the triumph of humane and compassionate qualities in the nations.
Yes, they ‘hate’ and wage wars against each other – not having much of a choice over the matter,
mind you – but this rivalry doesn’t hold them hostage, nor does it dictate how
they interact with each other.
Conflict doesn’t dehumanize the nations; they don’t become
ruthless killing machines without a semblance of remorse or empathy. Just like
enemy soldiers called ceasefires on Christmas and occasionally organized sports
events, the nations for the most part
engage in similar civilities.
Again, it’s the conflict that’s brutal, not the nations
themselves. In fact, they have some of their admirable, most striking moments during war.
When America occupies Rome, he treats both Italies as if
they were his friends. Romano’s clearly terrified, but America breaks the ice
by politely asking them if they could make him authentic Italian food. That’s
hardly something you would see with individuals who regard each other as
enemies.
You also see nations from different alliances casually
hanging out during war, almost as if there wasn’t one going on at all. Remember
that they’ve fought each other so many times that they’ve likely matured past
being pent up on rivalries, as long as interacting with enemy nations doesn’t
go against their people’s well-being.
As they share and try each other’s rations, familiarity
appears to triumph over hostility.
There’s a clear reason why the series’ main theme is “Draw a
circle, that’s the Earth,” rather than, “Draw a border, that’s my country.”
It’s to bring the world together, not tear it apart.
England: You don’t know anything about world geography, do
you?
America: Not sure what you mean. Could you be more pacific?
There’s so many hilarious scenes between them, it’s hard to choose. This strip is definitely up there, though.
With a rivalry as long as theirs, they supposedly ‘matured’ and got over petty and trivial things. England literally offers France a discount as they fight each other.
If that isn’t mutual respect, then I don’t know what is.
When America was younger, he was careful not to hurt England’s feelings. That changed when he became an adult and started insulting England’s scones and voicing his dislike of marmite. He can differentiate between the taste of foods, but sometimes he chooses not to.
There’s also this that makes it as plain as day:
England:
you either love him or hate him. Those who hate him tend to only focus on
England’s critical and pessimistic side, ignoring how sweet and thoughtful he can
be sometimes. Likewise, those who like him tend to ignore this negative side and only
focus on his charming and charismatic idiosyncrasies as a refined gentleman.
Problem is,
England’s both. While this post will highlight the assets of England’s
character, it’s also important to show just how…harsh he can be. There’s very
fair reasons as to why people don’t like him. However, in my opinion, if you take the time
to dig deeper into his motivations, it becomes clear why he acts the way that
he does.
Regardless,
England has always been somewhat of a loner, being referred to as the Black
Sheep in Europe. During the imperial age, he was especially arrogant, rude, and
blunt, and as such, wasn’t very well-liked by the other nations. This loathing
really came to light during the American Revolution, where he’s literally
pitted against everyone.
From a
fandom point of view, one could make the argument that he’s extremely critical
of America. This would be 100% correct. England makes a point to constantly
degrade and belittle America by calling him a child/brat.
His reviews
of America’s movies are also pretty brutal, albeit being funny for the reader.
However,
putting things into context, England being extra hard on America can stem from
the hurt he still feels as a result of their fragmented relationship. After
all, it’s stated that England suffered from 100 years of heartbreak, which most
people assume to be a reference to the American Revolution.
That said, while
criticizing others, England is also noted to be self-deprecating. Essentially,
he doesn’t want people to make the same mistakes that he did. To me, this
implies a hidden guilt. He’s attempting to overcompensate by helping others get
on better than he did.
It’s also
important to mention the difference between guilt and shame. Shame is feeling
hurt as a result of your self-image being damaged. Guilt, on the other hand, is
feeling bad for the harm you’ve caused others. Yes, England takes pride in
being a gentleman, but this guilt and possible regret reveals a sensitive and
sentimental side of him that you don’t see very often.
With all
that in mind, England can be extremely kind and thoughtful. Here are some of my
favourite moments.
Japan sends
England a Christmas card, and England recognizes how Japan has made the effort
to understand his culture. The amount of time and consideration that England
puts into making his own Christmas card wards against any accusations of his
character being ridden with egocentrism.
During the
Industrial Revolution, England asks for Japan’s help on improving the designs
of his manufactured products. Japan compliments him, and this sets off a flustered
reaction in England.
“I’ll blush
if you keep praising me like that.”
That hardly
sounds like the words of someone who holds a lot of pride in themselves.
Oh look! A
cheery England, now that’s unheard of!
Just kidding, but once again, you see England wanting to impress Japan by adopting some of the latter’s culture in order to establish an authentic maid café.
Oh look x
2! France and England are getting along! So much so that England takes pride in
having a French chef working at his maid café.
Thing is, in
later strips, England likes to give advice and help the other nations, but is
too shy to overtly do so. Personally, I
think this has a lot to do with the fact that during his delinquent phase, he
grew used to being rejected. Now, he helps them discreetly and is unsure how to
express this ‘uncharacteristic’ kindness.
Here,
France wants to go sightseeing at England’s house and asks for a hotel recommendation.
England immediately denies helping him, but then gives France the link anyway.
Still think
that England’s too prideful?
Even when
it caused him immense pain and illness to celebrate America’s centennial,
England still came to it. Bitter-minded or not, England cares deeply about the
other nations.
Make no
mistake either. England’s personality is complex, shifting from sweet and
caring in one strip to being a total dick in another. Nonetheless, this makes
for a truly interesting character.
Personally,
I think Hima does this on purpose. When he’s critical, England is engaging with
his past inferiority and anxieties; his delinquent self. When he’s being sweet
and thoughtful, England engages with his gentleman persona. The challenge for him will be to merge these two sides into one.
It’s easy
to say that England is cruel and harsh. What’s difficult is going beyond what’s
observed and looking at the deeper internal reasoning for his behavior. Not
only is he lonely, but England’s also at odds with himself. He wants to fix the
mistakes of his past, only to realize that building the bridges he previously
burned involves making oneself even more vulnerable to judgement.
England judges
others in light of his own past mistakes. As stated above, he’s
self-deprecating, albeit implicitly. His weakness, however, is that he’s too
insecure to have this judgement directed at him.
Sure thing! Even Hima’s said that he can’t decide on his character. England flips back and forth between being extremely critical of others and being kind. Still, I feel you. There’s some genuinely sweet moments and high-points of his character that I’d love to showcase.
Post coming up soon!
Having
lived for centuries, or sometimes even for thousands of years, it’s no wonder that
the nations are capable of accomplishing so many feats. They have the
intelligence and knowledge of several lifetimes at their disposal.
You have
your philosophers.
You have your artists.
And you have your inventors.
That said, let’s not sell these characters short by dumbing them down.
Ellawritesficssometimes 