Sure! While I’ve touched on the differences of the nations’ own wills in comparison to those of their bosses, I haven’t really talked about the extent to which they’re involved in their politics. Not to mention that they’ve been shown to be aware of corruption, and yet have very little power to do anything about it.
Post coming up soon!
He is, it’s just more implicit. Hima’s hinted a few times before at the possibility of him hiding and containing a whole other side of himself.
First, let’s just establish the fact that for the most part,
the nations are bound by their bosses’ orders.
“They accept their fate as it is and let their bosses order
them around.”
All right, good. Now that that’s out of the way, it’s
important to differentiate between what the nations represent and what they do.
The nations represent their people – they’re cultural personifications.
However, what’s ironic is that because the nations are
subordinated to their leaders, they often act in ways that goes against the best
interests of their people.
Basically, while the nations are personifications that
represent their people, they may not represent them well politically. There’s
an inherent tension between the reason why the nations exist (their people),
and whose interests they serve (their leaders/politicians).
Of course, this doesn’t mean to say that a government can’t
act in the best interest of their people, nor am I trying to justify or
minimize any wrong action taken by a nation as a result of an order given to
them. The point here is that there is an evident power imbalance between a
nation and their boss.
More often than not, the nations don’t have any other choice
but to listen to their boss, aside from the fact of whether the latter’s
intentions are good or bad.
Nonetheless, what I also intend to reveal is how the nations
are still able to exercise a sense of agency and resist their bosses to some
degree. Not only that, but there are times when the nations form a strong and
positive relationship with their boss.
Russia:
Russia is the epitome of a nation who is forced to comply
with their boss’ orders.
His bosses are “notorious” for making unreasonable demands. It’s
even alluded that they’ve tortured Russia before out of mere boredom.
He was once asked to stop a tank with his own body.
He was also ordered to build a canal in frigid weather
without any food.
Germany:
He’s forced to annex Austria, despite voicing his
unwillingness to do so.
During WW2, Finland talks to Germany about his boss troubles.
He jokes with Germany and says that countries can be imprisoned by their boss
if they complain too much.
This joke takes a dark turn when Finland suggests that
Germany’s boss would actually be capable of doing this.
Now that these more drastic orders have been covered, let’s go
over some of the more trivial aspects of a nation’s life that is controlled by
their boss. Like I said before, the relationship between the two isn’t always oppressive,
but there still remains a clear hierarchy.
England:
England’s banned from alcohol and sweets by his boss, and is
threatened with higher duties and taxes should he consume either of them.
The boss enforces this ban to keep England’s health in check.
Either way, this demonstrates how pervasive and extensive their control is.
Sometimes, the nations are kept in the dark about things
too.
America:
After the Roswell New Mexico incident, America is told that
the UFO he saw was nothing more than a weather balloon and that he should
forget that it ever happened.
Likewise, it seems that America is a bit disconnected and naïve
about how his own political system works. The fact that he has to “surmise”
what everyone wants is troubling. The naivety comes with the fact that he
thinks he can find a satisfactory political candidate that pleases everyone.
On the other hand, to surmise means to guess, estimate, or
speculate without having any evidence to confirm the assumption. If anything,
this might mean that he’s not directly involved in gathering public opinion,
but rather that he’s adopted a passive role when elections come around.
It makes me wonder how much he’s permitted to get involved
in the process.
While bound by their bosses’ orders through customary
tradition, there are times when the nations go against them.
Japan:
During the formation of the Anglo-Japanese alliance, Japan apologizes
to England when his boss “went on his own accord.”
Italy:
Italy maintains a boundary with his boss by asserting his right
to keep some of his life private. Admittedly, he does offer to reveal these
stories should his boss treat him to lunch.
Notice the title of this strip too. This confirms the power
differential between boss and nation.
Prussia:
Lastly, there are times where the nation forms a lasting
bond with their boss.
Prussia and his relationship with Frederick II “Fritz” is
the best example of this.
Prussia idolized, or rather still idolizes, Fritz to the
point that he still keeps a picture of him on his nightside table.
You’ll also find that when he feels anxious or lonely,
Prussia evokes the memory of Fritz to comfort him. This is seen
in Buon San Valentino.
Bonus: In his character song “Mein Gott!”, Prussia also asks Fritz to watch over him.
In sum…
The nations are often forced to comply with their bosses’
orders, despite being representations of their people. None of this negates or
justifies the fact that they’ve likely been commanded to do unspeakable things.
The bosses’ orders are not always negative in nature, but
they’re still authoritative.
The nations have been shown to exercise discretion and
agency by resisting their bosses.
It’s possible for a nation to form an affectionate
relationship with their boss.
+
“People
argue about Canada and America’s age, and who is older, but I think they’re
literally the exact same age. Neither of them is older and neither of them is
younger. Jamestown was settled in America in 1604, and Quebec (though it kept
moving around- It’s final move was in 1608) was also founded in 1604 in Canada.
It would make sense why Canada said in the manga that he and America have been
together since they were BORN, even though we see England introduce them. Any
thoughts?”
[Anon 2]
Like you said, they were introduced to each other in “Fly
Canada-san, Fly!”
Edit: In chapter 178 of World Stars, he does mention that they’ve been with each other since they were born. But, they weren’t with each other from birth. It was more like they were brought together afterwards.
The “since” is important here, as it’s to be taken as something that happens after the fact that they were born.
Second, it’s important to differentiate that the
foundation of a country is not their birthday, although they still celebrate it
as such. I know that’s not quite what you were getting at, but you’ll see why the same logic applies in a moment.
Lastly, I’m not aiming to be nitpicky about the history
here, but there were earlier settlements in both countries. However, as mentioned
above, the foundation date/ early foundations of a country is not their precise birth date.
For example, America was found wandering about by the
colonizing European nations. The matter of when he manifested is left open-ended.
If I had to guess, the factors causing his existence would possibly have to do
with how many people were located in the settlements and how stable they were.
They would also have to have some form of functioning governance (i.e. unwritten
localized customs).
Likewise, we know from Iceland that even when settlements
and some sort of civilization is formed, the personification doesn’t manifest
right away.
That said, I wouldn’t use their earliest foundation dates as an
accurate predictor in determining their age. Not only that, but there’s also
the difficulty in distinguishing which settlement caused them to manifest.
[Anon 1]
You’re right, England’s answer does seem forced. I think
that mostly stems from the fact that he wasn’t there at the precise moment
when both of them were born. While I did list potential factors that can be attributed
to their birth, none of it is confirmed.
England’s use of the word “perhaps” is too tentative for it to be
taken as canon.
In sum…
We still don’t know who’s older, as it’s not
confidently stated.
Ever notice
how in the strips there’s slivers here and there that make mention of Japan’s clairvoyance
abilities?
What I find
to be pretty fascinating is that this lesser-known side of Japan has subsequently
been built on from way early in the series. Not only that, but you can still
find hints of it in the more recent strips.
What is clairvoyance?
Basically, clairvoyance
is ESP (extra-sensory perception). The context here has more to do with mind-reading
and being able to establish mental contact with the other nations.
In the
Meiji Era, despite the fact that his people’s belief in the supernatural was
declining as a result of Westernization–hence the loss of his ability to see youkai and kappa spirits–interest in the occult and clairvoyance was still very
much a thing.
It would
follow, then, that Japan’s clairvoyance abilities were still able to be tapped
into.
Bonus
points to Hima for having Japan break the fourth wall and read his mind.
That said,
there’s substantial hints that Japan had been using these mind-reading powers well
before he had made contact with the West, spanning into his time spent in
isolation.
The most
concrete example of this is when Chibitalia has a strange dream that involves
him encountering some kind of divine being.
Chibitalia
is then led by the being to Japan. Note that this takes place well before the
two ‘first’ meet to form the Tripartite pact in WW2.
We get further
confirmation that Japan has secretly been reading the minds of the other nations
in Chapter 16 of World Stars. There, Italy expresses confusion at how little
Japan speaks. Japan is quick to ease this concern.
Essentially,
Japan has gotten so used to mentally communicating with those whom he reads the
minds of that he’s forgotten how to speak.
Now, this
gets even more interesting when you consider the potential this ability has in
being used as a plot device. It could reveal a whole lot of secrets about what
some of the other nations are hiding.
I would especially
be interested to see if we can get a little more insight into Italy’s thoughts/
feelings on his childhood, since he hardly ever acknowledges it during adulthood.
The
problem, however, is that the one time we get to see what Japan reads from
Italy’s mind– admittedly, with mind-reading binoculars that he invented– he
doesn’t believe what he sees.
I honestly
don’t blame him, though. That’s not the Italy we’re used to seeing, so it would
be hard to imagine him as anything else.
Still, the
more I think about it, the more I wonder:
Regardless
if Japan doesn’t believe what he’s read from Italy’s mind, doesn’t it seem highly
plausible that he’s come across Italy’s childhood memories before?
If so, has
he indirectly found out what really
happened to Holy Rome?
It’s nice to think about, but given how
considerate of a person Japan is, if he did know, I don’t think he would be one to reveal
this secret.
While that’s true, I’ve always liked this moment here.
Right as they’re preparing for war, Italy secretly panics (if you look closely, you can see that he’s crying, but he does well to mask it ) and makes Germany promise him that he’ll take care of himself.
They switch roles for once and Italy becomes the ‘Commander.’
I’ve seen this question enough times where I think it’s
important to differentiate between a few things.
Misconception #1: That nations are a reflection of their governments.
This couldn’t be the more opposite. Countless times
throughout the series, the nations have been shown to do things against their
will. Right from the get-go, this rule is established in chapter 1 of World Stars.
The nations may not agree with their bosses, but they
nonetheless accept their fate, resign, and obligately listen and do what they’re
told–not that it makes it right, nor am I justifying it.
Likewise, the nations represent their people. Yes, they’re
political in the sense that they’re forced to work for their governments, but
it’s important to remember that they’re cultural and historical
personifications.
They don’t represent the government. The nations represent
their people in whole; the government is only a small part of that.
In other words, likewise to the stereotypes they embody, the
nations are a symbol of their people’s cultural identity.
Think of it this way: when you identify yourself with a
national identity, is it predicated on the negative actions of your government?
No.
Then why apply the same faulty logic to the nations?
What the government does is not a reflection of that
nation’s culture. That said, it wouldn’t make sense to attribute the actions of
a political minority onto a cultural personification that represents the
majority. Not to mention that again, the nations are often forced to follow
their bosses’ orders.
Misconception #2:
Political Enemies = Personal Enemies
Remember that the nations themselves are people too.
Regardless of the wartime alliances they get involved in, they’re more often
than not able to transcend over them. While war may impact how they formally relate
to each other, it doesn’t impact the past that they’ve shared and experienced
together (spanning across decades, centuries, and sometimes even millennia).
So, while they may be enemies during war, when fighting
isn’t necessary, the nations will still interact and see each other as friends
above all else. Political relations between national leaders is more orientated
in the present, whereas due to long-established and developed relationships, the nations are more influenced by the past. However, that doesn’t mean that they hold grudges either. It just means that they have more to consider.
Misconception #3: Tense Relations = Incompatibility
Like I said above, the nations are humans too. Yes, their
countries may not have had/have the best relations, but that doesn’t
automatically mean that the respective personifications won’t get along either.
The best example of this is how Russia and America interact
with each other, especially in modern
times. They may not be the best of friends, but they still share a considerably
familiar and comfortable relationship.
Young Germany: How was I born?
Prussia: AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH I SAVED YOU AS HOLY ROME
BUT THEN YOU BECAME AN AMNESIAC LALALALALALALA
*Holds up Young Germany by the armpits, Lion King style*
Young Germany: B-bruder, what are you doing?
Prussia: It’s the circle of life.
Ellawritesficssometimes 